"By the way, those original pieces of equipment Romana brought to SUNY Purchase are still in operation daily!
Maybe if we practice our Pilates well enough our bodies will hold up as well as the Gratz Reformers have over the years."

- Simona Cipriani, Instructor
The Art of Control

STUDIO

To separate Studio, People, and Equipment for The Art of Control, it would unravel the essence of what The Art of Control is all about and its history!  As this story goes, Bill Bales, Dean of Dance at the State University of New York at Purchase (SUNY Purchase), personally invited Romana Kryzanowska to teach at SUNY Purchase in 1976; it would become one of the first satellite Pilates Studios...fulfilling one of Joseph Pilates’ dreams - to see Contrology taught in a school system. Well! As Romana is not one for doing things half-hearted, nor for settling for second best, she not only showed up ready to teach, but she brought along with her some of the original Gratz Equipment from the New York Studio!

PEOPLE

After graduating, Simona managed the Pilates Studio at Purchase for Romana and a friendship was kindled that would last for decades. After her years of managing the SUNY Purchase Pilates Studio, Simona set off on her own to open her own Studio and travel with Romana assisting her in Workshops both locally and across the globe. Seeing the Pilates program at SUNY Purchase fall dormant and Simona recognizing the importance of reaching out to a younger generation she petitioned the school to start the program up again. With Romana’s blessing The Art of Control at SUNY Purchase was birthed. This time not just as a class for Dancers, but as a fully credited Certificate Program issued by SUNY Purchase. The Certification Program has blossomed as “The Art and Science of Contrology Pilates Certification Program.” It incorporates Mat and full Equipment Certifications in the States and abroad!

Photography and Video Footage provided by Joseph DeRuvo Jr.
www.deruvophotography.com

EQUIPMENT

As one can imagine, there are a few threads running through this rather long history: a love for what authentic Pilates is and that of teaching the Method of Contrology, as well as the enduring quality of the Gratz Equipment that has been a mainstay of The Art of Control’s Studio. By the way, those original pieces of equipment that Romana brought to SUNY Purchase are still in operation daily! Maybe if we practice our Pilates well enough our bodies will hold up as well as the Gratz Reformers have over the years!