KAREN BARRANCO | TRAINER PROFILE
Platinum Fitness Summerland

Experience
• Sixteen years of professional dance and Brazilian martial arts.
• Seven years of providing Dance Therapy to adults and adolescents
• Five years of Pilates practise, one year teaching experience

Education
• Bachelor of Arts, Social Sciences, Minor in Dance, University of California at Irvine, 1990
• Master of Arts, Somatic Psychology Dance/Movement Therapy, Naropa University, 2002
• Pilates Certification, Core Dynamics of New Mexico, 2006

What do you love about Pilates?
As a Pilates Instructor I am able to provide safe and nurturing movement experiences that build an individual’s core strength, improve body alignment, and emphasize proper breathing techniques. I love creating specific exercise regimes tailored to suit each client’s individual physical strengths and challenges. Pilates is a holistic technique that builds, tones, and lengthens muscles, as well as promotes an overall sense of well-being and health.

What does your experience as a dance therapist add to your experience as pilates practioner?
My experience as a Dance/Movement Therapist and as a professional dancer of sixteen years helps to inspire creativity and awareness on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. Clients are encouraged to gain a sense of (kinesthetic) awareness of their own movement patterns, and then rebuild neural and physical pathways in a core-centered manner. This can be useful in all aspects of life and self-care.

Is pilates just for professional athletes or people with perfect bodies?
This system of exercise is so easy and safe to use that it is recommended for senior citizens as well as for professional athletes because it tones muscles, improves posture, and helps prevent bone loss. It is also excellent for pre and post-natal women. This is true because Pilates can help anyone develop body strength as well as help others recover body shape and tone after long periods of inactivity. Pilates will enhance the circulatory system, oxygenate the blood, and release endorphins which are responsible for the “feel-good” factor that people love about this method.

Rates Per Hour
• Private Sessions: $70.00
• Duets: $90.00
• Trios on Mat: $20.00 per person

Contact
karenbarranco@hotmail.com