Ann Wilde

Ann is the founder and owner of Master Pilates. She has been a Pilates Instructor since 2007.

Ann began Ballet at the age of five, and at the age of 18 moved from Albury to Melbourne to study Ballet full time. Only a year later she suffered a major back injury, and to rehabilitate began Pilates with physiotherapist Rebecca Harding. Pilates not only enabled her to dance again, it became her passion, and she established Master Pilates South Yarra in 2010 so as to help others have a Pilates experience like the one she had.

Prior to Master Pilates, Ann worked at various studios in Melbourne. She has a strong interest in the body, anatomy and injury rehabilitation and prevention. Most recently she has focused on developing her understanding of Pilates with dancers and injury rehabilitation, learning from Paula Baird Colt, the Australian Ballet’s strength and conditioning coach.

Ann’s dance career saw her study at The National Theatre Ballet School in 1999 where she was awarded the Jocelyn De Cardi award for 'Most Promising Full-Time Student’ followed by a graduate from the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) with a Bachelor of Dance (High Distinction) in 2002. During this time she worked with choreographers including John Utans, Brett Daffy, Kate Denbough, and Jonathon Taylor. She also performed in works by George Balanchine and full length ballets Cinderella, Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.

Ann is a Principle Trainer & Pilates Instructor with Pilates Alliance Australia (PAA). She is a Level Four Pilates Instructor with Australian Pilates Method Association (APMA), and holds a Diploma of Professional Pilates Instruction with the Pilates International Training Centre (PITC) and a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment.

Ann is married to photographer Jim Wilde and has a daughter Sylvie and a son Charlie. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, doing Pilates and working on her business.

Tanya Cates

Tanya has been an educator and fitness instructor for 14 years. She has taught Pilates since 2004, and lectured in Anatomy and Functional Anatomy since 2000. Drawing on her extensive training and practical experience in the education, fitness, rehabilitation, and Pilates’ fields, Tanya adapts her knowledge to train individuals of all ages and levels of health and fitness. Tanya has also recently completed a PhD Applied Science – Children’s Physical Activity and Self-Perception.

Tanya loves travel experiences that completely immerse her in communities that differ from what she’s used to. She has enjoyed working in Africa and her love of adventure has led her to visit giraffe and elephant orphanages in Kenya, the orangutans in Borneo, and sled dogs in the Arctic circle. Tanya enjoys ‘attempting’ to surf, teaching group exercise classes, playing the bongo drums, dancing, and new opportunities to learn.

Ainslie Wright

Ainslie has always been fascinated with Human Movement. She majored in Contemporary Dance at Deakin University and then went on to train and compete in Martial Arts where she completed her first fitness qualification, a coaching accreditation with the Australian Kung Fu and WuShu Association. With her interest in fitness piqued she went on to qualify as a personal trainer, certified Allied Health Assistant and, of course, Pilates Instructor.

Her Pilates journey began after she sustained a serious hip injury, Pilates was an integral part of her rehabilitation and fast became her passion. She understands first hand the amazing benefits of Pilates and now enjoys sharing these benefits with her clients whether their goals be rehabilitative, functional fitness or athletic.

Mel Plozza

Mel was introduced to Pilates by a work colleague after experiencing a back injury and chronic back pain, which prevented her from engaging in many daily tasks and recreational activities, including fitness training and dancing. After just a few months of participating in group classes and realising the multitude of amazing benefits of the Pilates method, she decided to make a big career change from industrial chemist to Pilates instructor. She completed her PITC Diploma of Professional Pilates Instruction, and worked as an instructor and HR Manager at the Pilates Fitness Institute of WA, before relocating to Melbourne with her family in 2016. Mel combines an analytical thinking style and a keen interest in the human body, with her passion for Pilates to assist her clients in achieving their individual health and fitness goals. She enjoys working with clients of all backgrounds, ages and fitness levels, with a focus on postural correction and functional movement to enhance the performance of the body in daily activities. Mel aims to continually develop her knowledge of the human body and skill as a Pilates teacher, in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for her clients and for her own Pilates self-mastery. She is a full member of the Pilates Alliance Australasia, regularly attending training courses and conferences, and is currently studying towards completion of the Advanced Diploma of the Pilates Method. Mel absolutely loves the control and precision of Pilates. Outside of the studio, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, going on nature walks, dancing and dining out.

Barbara Scafidi

Barbara has been teaching Pilates for over nine years, with the last six of these spent in management roles at Pilates studios in Melbourne. After completing her Polestar training in 2007, in 2012 she became an educator for Polestar Pilates International and still teaches up and coming Pilates instructors today.

Prior to her career in Pilates, Barbara worked as a remedial massage therapist in both private practice and with the Hawthorn Football Club for six years. She brings the knowledge and experience gained through this hands-on work to her Pilates teaching. Barbara’s experience means she is adept at uncovering and addressing the underlying causes of pain and injury and creating long-term change for her clients. She is particularly interested in women’s health, and enjoys instructing clients with dystrophy and 'tricky' bodies.

Sophie Fletcher

Sophie’s connection to Pilates began at the age of 11, as an activity to complement her ballet training and she continued to practise it throughout her impressive ballet career. She graduated from the Australian Ballet School with an Advanced Diploma of Dance in 2003 and during her training received several scholarships and awards for both her achievements in dance and academic excellence.

On graduating she joined The Australian Ballet and performed with the company for four years. She travelled extensively overseas with the company and was also awarded a travel scholarship in 2005 which enabled her to take classes with major American ballet companies including New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. In 2008 Sophie joined the West Australian Ballet as a guest artist and remained there for two years. Sophie then joined the Czech National Ballet at the invitation of the director Petr Zuska and performed many notable classical and contemporary roles. Most recently Sophie appeared as Princess Aurora in Prague Festival Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty during its tour of Germany.

Sophie credits Pilates with helping her to stay injury free during her ballet career by providing her with a strong, healthy body and mind to cope with the stresses of a demanding career. It also enabled her to maintain optimal fitness during off-peak times of work. In 2015 Sophie retired from the stage and returned to Australia to pursue Pilates. Sophie was inspired by her instructor Andrew Baxter to consider Pilates instruction as a career and in 2016 completed her certificate IV in matwork instruction through Polestar Pilates International. Sophie then went on to further studies with Polestar,  achieving her Diploma in Studio and Rehabilition Pilates. Pilates has become an integral part of Sophie’s life and she hopes her personal experience of the practice will enhance her clients’ experience.

Samantha Bury

Sam has always been passionate about living a healthy and active lifestyle. For many years her regular practice was yoga opening a window into understanding her body on a deeper level. Pilates was introduced to her after experiencing chronic shoulder & neck pain that eventually left her unable to do yoga for many months. Experiencing Pilates with an injury provided a unique experience into the benefits of this in-depth practice. 

Experiencing the benefits of a strong body and learning to have an acute awareness of body alignment are the building blocks that led to the passion she has today. Sam completed her Cert VI in 2017 & Diploma in Clinical Pilates earlier this year. 

Sally Rochlin

A chronic back injury led Sally to begin practising Pilates on a daily basis, and through successful rehabilitation she developed a love for the method. As a professional musician (completing a Bachelor of Music in 2008), she found the demands of long hours of playing with need to restore functional balance to muscles exceedingly apparent. Sally successfully completed the CTTC with Body Arts and Science International, teaches Pilates in Melbourne as well as attending regular workshops and masterclasses. Her aim is to help clients embody the work and incorporate it into their every day lives, so each movement is executed with better alignment, efficiency, and ease — encouraging better health, longevity, and ultimately happiness.

Stacey Sciola

Stacey has completed her Diploma of Professional Pilates Instruction through National Pilates Training. She discovered Pilates in her early 20s and was instantly hooked by the way each class left her feeling stronger, taller and more centered.  
 
Prior to her career in Pilates, Stacey worked for more than 10 years in corporate leadership development both here in Australia as well as in London and New York. As a corporate trainer she had the opportunity to meet and train a wide variety of people, helping them to improve their performance and reach their potential. 
 
What Stacey loves about Pilates is that the exercises can be adapted to a client’s particular needs, body type, strengths and limitations. She also loves that it’s founded on a set of guiding principles (concentration, control, centering, precision, flowing movement and breathing) and she works hard to incorporate these elements into every one of her classes so that her clients walk out feeling both physically and mentally stronger.

Melissa Romanella

Melissa is a qualified Pilates Matwork and Studio Instructor who completed her training through Pilates International Training Centre and is currently completing her BASI (Body Arts and Science) Training. She is also a member of the Pilates Alliance Australasia. 

Melissa’s love of human movement started early in life when she practised Ballet, Jazz and Tap. She then went on to enjoy 20 years of Calisthenics which saw her participate on a yearly basis in the Calisthenics Victoria State Titles (CVI) and Australian Royal South Street Competitions in Ballarat.   

Melissa was first introduced to Pilates many years ago to help her rehabilitate reoccurring injuries and to manage her Scoliosis. Her enthusiasm for helping people through the Pilates method is infectious. And it was this passion that drove her to leave behind her corporate sector career and make Pilates her focus.

Kirsten Marnell

Kirsten has always believed that one’s health is the most important asset they have. She knows first-hand just how debilitating an injury can be after a back injury led her to begin practising Pilates on a regular basis. It was through this process of rebuilding her own strength and function that she saw just how amazing Pilates can be.  During this time in her life, Kirsten says Pilates was the best hour of her day, and this experience inspired her to undertake the Diploma of Professional Pilates Instruction. 

Like many Master Pilates’s clients, Kirsten spends a portion of her week working in an office job. She therefore understands the impact that this way of working can have on the body.  Kirsten is passionate about unlocking the potential for Pilates to help in everyday life, so that her clients are able to keep doing the everyday things they need to do in their lives with balance, control and alignment.

Laila Juntunen

Laila has been practising Pilates for over 20 years as part of her training routine for dance and competitive cheerleading. She achieved her formal qualifications in Pilates through Polestar Pilates, and has attended additional training focused on pre and antenatal clients. Laila also has ten years’ experience teaching dance and cheerleading.

Laila has a finely honed appreciation of the unique stresses which can be placed on the human body as a result of exposure to a range of different work and life situations. From her work in an office right through to her participation in national level sport and dance competitions, she has first-hand experience of Pilates’ exceptional benefits in strengthening and repairing the body.

Laila’s work with elite sportspeople, experience in aged care rehabilitation, and instruction in some of Melbourne’s leading schools, mean that she is able to provide a great Pilates experience for all in her care.