Our Pilates Instructors
In our studio in the center of Amsterdam Bodyvita has a team of several professional Pilates instructors at your service. Out trainers have different backgrounds and approaches, yet all share an extensive knowledge and experience in lifestyle counseling and health management.
Tatjana Plotnikova
Pilates Senior Master Trainer /Educator / Presenter Body & Mind Programme/
Founder of BODYVITA ®
Tatjana has devoted a large part of her life to the world of sports, in which Pilates has always played a major role. By combining the fundamental parts of primarily Polestar Pilates, Ground Control Pilates, the Franklinn-methods, she has developed her own unique approach to Pilates training. Her accessible and creative programs stimulate participants to realize their maximum potential, motived by her energy and perfectionism. read more :
Devon Ress
Pilates Senior Master Trainer / Model Trainer / Polestar pilates Mentor / Presenter
Devon left his birth ground in Canada to settle in Amsterdam for his study at the Rietveld Art Academy in 1989. Yet it was his other lifelong passion that lead to his education as fitness instructor, 14 years ago. Since his training with Polestar Pilates, Devon has been a personal and group trainer at many gyms in Amsterdam. The motivation of his trainees to develop their body and mind to their maximum potential, is what drives him. Devin believes that this result can only be achieved by having fun while training, whether it’s gained through solitary training or the stimulation of group exercise. reed more :
Andrea Derkse
Pilates Senior Master Trainer / Polestar pilates Trainer
As a certified primary school teacher and personal trainer, teaching is the main passion for Andrea. With a strong personal commitment to the development of her students, as well as a keen perception on when special attention is required, Andrea is the right trainer to stimulate your development at your own pace. Physical exercise plays a large part in her daily routine, giving her the natural enthusiasm that convinces others to do the same.
Monique Wetzels
Pilates Senior Master Trainer
Monique settled in Amsterdam for her studies in human movement sciences and ergonomics. From there on she specialized in physiotherapy and gained years of experience with rehabilitation exercises. Yet it was her own passion as a dancer and gymnastic that lead to her wish of becoming a trainer herself. Today, she has been employed by a large number of gymns and has helped with the development of an impressive variety of physical health and training programs. After witnessing the impressive results of Pilates training, she adopted this new specialty. It lead to the training and coaching of many different groups, from professional dancers to acrobats and other Cirque Du Soleil artists.
Madeliene Van Rossum
Pilates Master Trainer
As a little girl her mum took her to ballet class. There began her love for movement and fascination for the human body. Madeleine went to the local ballet school and enjoyed performing in the school presentations.After her ballet training, which she attended at the Conservatory of Brabant as a dancer and studied to become a ballet teacher at the Conservatory of Rotterdam, Madeleine danced with the International Dance theatre in Amsterdam. Over 25 years she enjoyed teaching in her ballet school The Dance Corner and supported the top of the ice-skaters of the KNSB. When this career came to an end, Pilates became her new passion. First in therapy and later as a certificated Pilates Mat teacher. She is convinced that this method brings you the result of using your body in a most satisfactory way.Currently she is teaching at several gyms and Pilates studios in Amsterdam and accomplish the Polestar Pilates Studio education.Central to her classes are efficiency, simplicity and effectiveness in how to perform the exercises. Within using conscious breathing it makes the training easier, lighter and joyful while you are strengthening your muscles in a flow. She aims to point you in the right direction to trust yourself in balancing your body and your mind.
Stefania Petroula
Pilates Master Trainer
Stefania moved in Amsterdam in 2013 to open up further her horizon and expand her knowledge. She studied in Greece Dance in the professional dance school “Niki Kontaxaki-Bakali ” and finished her studies in Chemical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens in 2012. In Greece she worked as ballet and contemporary dance teacher to kids and adults. Moving in Amsterdam introduced Stefania the Pilates method. After experiencing the benefits of Pilates, decided to follow the Polestar Pilates and nowadays she is a certified Polestar Pilates Trainer in Mat and Studio Education. Imagination, fun and coordination are the highlights of her teaching. Stefania is developing dance and art as a free-lancer, keeps on in exploring and educating herself through out disciplines of somatic practices and manual practices. “Through moving and exercising, together we will create an hour of mindful movement where body and mind can work in balance leading to better posture and more strength”. Stefania has been teaching dance since 2007 and Pilates since 2014 in several studios and gyms.
Turid Drame-Bazuin
Pilates Master Trainer / Polestar Mat Mentor
Turid’s classes are known for moving your body with joy while making it lean and strong. With a flexible spine, lengthened muscles, a good posture, breathing well and a strong core you stand in and look at life different. Turid loves to work with you on your level. Turid finishes the Polestar Education in 2014 and is Mentor of the Mat Education of Polestar. Teaching on the ingenious Pilates apparature like the reformer, barrel, chair, spine corrector and cadillac Turid finds incredibly inspiring as you can work in detail and precision.
Marina Bilterijst
Pilates Master Trainer
With her background as a contemporary dancer, Marina has a deep understanding of the body and a keen eye for correct alignment and movement. She loves to create a fun class with flow and variety.Marina, originally from the Netherlands, has lived in New York for several years, where she received her Pilates Mat certification in 2013 through Teri Steele. She continued her Pilates education with the Polestar Program on all apparatus in Amsterdam. In her classes, she is excited to pass on her love and appreciation for movement. By focussing on the Pilates principles, the goal in class is to have you leave the room feeling longer, lighter and stronger with more energy. She enjoys helping people to find a better understanding of their own body, to find relief in their joints and muscles and to improve their posture in daily life.
Violeta Gago Moral
Pilates Master Trainer
Violeta is a Pilates trainer and movement artist. She started doing Pilates in 2009 to recover from a dance injury. After feeling how effective the Pilates method was, she decided to pursue Pilates as her professional career.
She started practicing and teaching Pilates in her native city, Madrid. She also taught bellydance and physical theatre and performed professionally for 8 years.Violeta is a trainer full of energy and she loves to be in contact with other people. She believes that Pilates is specially powerful because of its precision and body-mind connection. She likes attention to detail but she aims to make her classes fun and easy going.
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Özlem Köşeli
Pilates Master Trainer
Ozlem studied economics in Turkey and moved to Netherlands in 2012 for a banking job. Shortly after moving to Netherlands she has started joining pilates classes. Felling in love with the method, she has finished the Polestar mat training in 2014 and comprehensive training in 2015 and teaching since then. She believes mindful movement makes people strong not only physically but also mentally. It brings awareness, enhance the balance and help us to regain control. She would like to help people reconnect with their bodies, help them discover what they are capable of in terms of movement and apply it to their daily life. On top of her certifications, she has completed workshops that focus on pilates for injuries, scoliosis, pre/postnatal pregnancy.
Maria Angelakopoulou
Pilates Master Trainer
