Sam’s reflections from Tracey Mallett’s Fortides Visit
This past month, we hosted the iconic Tracey Mallet for a workshop at the Fortides Pilates Bloor West Village location, and I was grateful to attend. Participants joined us from all over Canada, including Vancouver and Montreal.
Over the course of two days, Tracey went through advanced reformer Pilates repertoire and Barre-inspired movements. This classical-meets-contemporary approach to training felt aligned with our values at Fortides to deliver creative classes rooted in Pilates principles. Breath, control, alignment, flow, and mind-body connection remained at the forefront while incorporating new ways to utilize the reformer and Cardio-Tramp Rebounder in our practice.
My key takeaways from the training
Tracey’s workshop emphasized the importance of authenticity and staying true to our own backgrounds and journeys as instructors. Moving with other instructors reminded me of how special our community really is – how Pilates holds space for people at every stage whether coming from an injury, practicing for longevity, conditioning for a specific goal or simply because it feels good to move with intention and dedicate time for oneself.
I fell in love with Pilates as part of my own conditioning as a dancer, and continued to practice after experiencing injuries as a way to stay connected with movement that made me feel strong. What I love most about teaching is sharing with others the same appreciation and empowerment that transcends beyond the studio.
This workshop encouraged me to continue to draw inspiration from my own background, fusing elements from barre, strength training, and classical Pilates repertoire. It can be easy to get caught up in the latest trends surrounding fitness, and I loved that Tracey emphasized the classics as a base for contemporary movements by offering new ways to teach advanced movements to all levels.
Working with the cables beside the carriage was a fun way to focus on strength and stability for a Full Body practice, while using the Cardio-Tramp Rebounder in place of a barre offered a new way to add cardio elements into our Fly class.
We’re excited to incorporate the learnings from the training into our classes at Fortides and hope to welcome Tracey back to our studio again soon.
With love,
Sam 💙