Today we’d like to introduce you to Kara Salerno.
Hi Kara, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
For me, movement and performing was innate. When I was 5 years old, I knew that I wanted to perform on stage whether it was singing, dancing, or acting. I trained in all styles of dance as a competitive dancer, then moved towards classical ballet with the dream of making it into a ballet company, and then on Broadway. As a pre-professional dancer, I trained at the top ballet schools all over the country and went away every summer from the age of ten. At 16, I left home to attend North Carolina School of the Arts as a Ballet Major to move me closer to my dream.
I was first put on a Pilates Reformer at age 14 by my ballet coach as I was training to become a professional dancer. I immediately fell in love with it and realized the benefits of Pilates to cross-train, strengthen, and prevent injury. I continued to do Pilates while at North Carolina School of the Arts when I discovered the Dean of Dance had Reformers outside of her office and was given permission to use them.
Upon graduating from high school, I was accepted into the Nashville Ballet and danced with the company for only a short six months, as my dream to be on Broadway came to fruition when I flew to NYC during Christmas break and auditioned for the national touring company of The Phantom of the Opera. At that time, I was the youngest dancer to be hired for the show, and went on to tour across the country for almost three years living my dream.
I then moved to NYC where I met my husband, performed in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular for multiple seasons, and at regional theaters including City Center Encores! While I had a lull in performing, I decided to go through Stott Reformer Pilates Teacher Training at Pilates on Fifth in NYC. I was always planning ahead and knew some day I could teach Pilates if performing didn’t work out or when my career ended. While I was completing my training, I received a call to join the Broadway company of Phantom, and went on to be contracted with them for the next 15 years. During those 15 years, I was also a part of the original Broadway company of Billy Elliot, and gave birth to my two daughters.
During that time, Pilates played an integral part in my life, as it kept me in shape to perform eight shows a week on Broadway (where I had to climb up and down 850 stairs per show), helped me prevent major injuries, and got me back in shape after the birth of my two daughters to continue dancing and performing. Due to the physical demand of performing eight shows a week, we had access to physical therapy for minor injuries, and it was there that I was always rehabbed through Pilates and on Pilates equipment.
In 2018, a freak accident at the theater (falling down the stairs, not dancing) ended my performing career. It resulted in meniscus surgery, where for the first time in my 18-year career, I was not dancing and had evenings and weekends free with my husband and daughters. During that time off, my husband was asked to move to North Carolina for his job. We had always talked about where we would want to land after my career on Broadway and NC was one of the places we considered. While this happened five years sooner than we would have planned, we couldn’t pass up a paid move and a new adventure.
I was still contracted with Phantom, and was in physical therapy three times per week after the surgery with the hopes of going back to the show and having a final performance to close out an 18-year career before we moved. Once again, I was being rehabbed on the Pilates Reformer and Cadillac. When I came to the realization that I needed more time to heal than time allowed, while devastating, I had to make plans for what came next. What was I going to do in NC? I had never not worked before. It was in PT one day while laying on the Reformer, that I said… I will teach Pilates, now is the right time. Unfortunately, I never got to have a final performance with Phantom.
I immediately went through the globally-recognized Balanced Body Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training in NYC with former professional dancer, Ann Toran, and completed two modules once in NC. I also sought out and secured a job as the Pilates Director at a large corporate gym prior to moving.
After moving and working for a short eight months, I realized that the corporate setting was not for me and I could not help people the way I had hoped. I never had intended to open my own business, but that was the only way to really help people and share my passion for Pilates in a more accessible way. While I never went to college, I had always been an entrepreneur.
I found a raw commercial space and in three months designed and built out a beautiful studio and Pilates En Pointe was born. I opened in December of 2019, a few short months before COVID hit. We survived COVID, and continue to grow and build a beautiful community, creating a safe space for people to take care of themselves.
Pilates En Pointe is a boutique studio offering personalized private sessions, semi-private sessions, and small group classes (with a maximum of six people). We have a fully equipped Balanced Body studio where we work on all of the Pilates apparatuses including the Reformer, Tower, Pilates Chair, Pilates Arc (a spine corrector), Jump Boards, Mat, and use many props including the Magic Circle, bands, and ball.
At Pilates En Pointe, we are not just teaching a fitness or exercise class. We are teaching people about their bodies, correcting postures, and alignment to help them be more aware of how they move in their daily lives to create healthy movement patterns and prevent injury. No matter where you are in life, we meet you where you are and can design sessions to accommodate all levels and abilities from the injured to the professional athlete. We have a fantastic team who is dedicated to providing the highest quality instruction. We get to know our clients and build relationships, community, and a safe space.
The Pilates Industry has exploded recently and there are so many studios popping up with 12-20 Reformers using loud music, crazy lighting, etc. As a dedicated professional who has been practicing Pilates for 29 years and teaching for seven, this makes me so frustrated, because that is not a safe setting and people are not actually doing Pilates. They are taking an exercise class on a piece of equipment, where they are not being taught the principles or foundations of Pilates. While it may be a good workout, it is not Pilates. People have taken the name because it is popular, created something else, but are still calling it Pilates. I ask people to do a bit of research because there is a huge variance in what is being offered today, and not all Pilates is equal.
At Pilates En Pointe, we are teaching real Pilates with a classical foundation and a contemporary take that is driven by movement science. With the small setting at our studio, and through private sessions, we teach to the bodies in front of us, adapt in real time, and correct form and alignment, so each individual is always working right for their body to truly reap the benefits of Pilates.
With my professional dance background, 29 years of self practice, globally recognized comprehensive teacher training, anatomy, and experience working with all kinds of bodies for over seven years, I have a keen eye for spotting muscle imbalances, compensations, alignment issues and restricted movement, which allows me to truly help clients on a deeper level than just teaching fitness. It is so rewarding to see someone walk and move better than when they came into the studio.
While running, managing and teaching up to 25 hours a week is extremely demanding and not easy, it is a very rewarding experience and I have met so many wonderful people over the years because of it. I can’t imagine my life without movement because movement is medicine! Just like ballet, Pilates is a system and it works! I love sharing my passion with others to help improve their lives.
I also recently launched Pilates En Pointe On Demand, where people can get detailed Pilates instruction from a professional studio in the comfort of their home.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing in life is easy! There are always bumps in the road and struggles. While those times can feel defeating and bring on self doubt and question why we’re doing something, it also those times that help us grow. The biggest struggle as a studio owner is finding quality instructors that share the same passion I have. I have very high standards because that is who I am, and I want to offer the best. There have been many times that I ask myself why am I doing this, but then just when I need it, an opportunity or something comes up that ends up working out. Owning a business is a constant rollercoaster and there is a lot of outside noise like social media that can bring on a lot of pressure. I have had to learn to drown it out and just keep doing what I am doing, which is offering high quality instruction, and caring about my clients.
While COVID was a huge hit, I didn’t look at it as a struggle because we were a new business and I had the momentum to keep going, building, and keeping clients engaged. It was definitely a setback but I was determined to not jump solely on the virtual fitness bandwagon, because more than ever, I knew people needed human connection and have a physical studio to go to where clients could get a way from their problems or life for an hour was more important than trying to pivot and build something else.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Other than everything in my first (very long!) answer, something I am proud of is that I was able to live my dream and become a mom and build a family at the same time. I never thought it was a possibility. I was very fortunate to be able to have the support of my employer, husband, and family to do both. And, now to own and run a business and have my girls see that while it is a lot to manage and juggle every day, if you put your mind to it, you can do anything.
What sets me apart from other Studios is that we are not a franchise or global chain with fancy marketing trying to sell memberships and fill a spot on a Reformer. I am a local Apex Mom, with a lifetime of experience in movement and fitness that truly cares about each person that walks into my Studio. My focus is on teaching and delivering quality over quantity.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was not a normal kid. Like I said previously, at five years old, I knew what I wanted to do. At ten years old, I was taking 20 hrs. of dance classes per week, voice lessons, and performing. I had my first professional job at four years old when I was in a Sonic Drive-in commercial with Frankie Avalon and modeled for Dillards. I had the performing bug in me and had a passion for expressing myself through movement and dance. I went away every summer from the age of ten to summer dance intensives. Being away from home at such an early age made me extremely independent and self sufficient. I had a drive and work ethic that most kids don’t, and while some people would say that I was lucky in life, my family and I sacrificed a lot for me to be where I am today. I put in the work and it paid off. In fifth grade I had to write an autobiography and I wrote that I would one day be in a professional ballet company and then when I was too old to do that, I would be on Broadway. Because of my determination and always seeking out opportunity, I fulfilled both by the age of 18.
In addition, I was always an entrepreneur. At age eight, I was teaching ballet lessons to friends or neighborhood kids that wanted to learn for $5 per session out of my home. Looking back now, I laugh because who would pay an eight year old to learn dance?! While on the National Tour of Phantom at 18-21 years old, I took over managing the car transport for the company to move our cars around the nation. I also have a passion for baking and started a baking business “The Dancing Baker” while I was on Broadway, designing and baking cakes, cupcakes, and cookie trays for events and occasions. This mindset allowed me to open my own professional business as a Pilates studio owner. My mom always says… I don’t let grass grow under my feet.
Pricing:
- New Client Intros at Pilates En Pointe $120 for 2 Private Sessions ($60 per session) discounted rate
- Group Classes $30-$37
- Private Sessions $82-$94
- Semi-Private Sessions $52-$64
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pilatesenpointe.com
- Instagram: pilatesenpointellc
- Facebook: Pilates en Pointe
- Other: https://www.pilatesenpointe.com/on-demand
