Tidbits and Factoids about Joseph Pilates’ Life and Work; Strack’s Facts: Pilates History Uncovered
Pilates lovers are invited on an adventure back in time with Strack’s Facts: Pilates History Uncovered With Author Cathy Strack.
Enjoy these tidbits about Joseph Pilates’ life and work, discovered by author Cathy Strack while conducting research for biographies on Joseph Pilates, Romana Kryzanowska, and other first-generation Pilates teachers.
The series was originally presented ran from April through June 2021, and featured weekly posts on @pilatay, which were also shared via email to Pilatay.com subscribers
The series kicked off with an Instagram Live interview with Strack, hosted by Pilatay Founder and Managing Editor Tracy Belcher, on Thursday, April 8 at 6pm EDT. Strack discussed some of the most memorable discoveries she made while researching Joseph Pilates. You can check out that interview here.
STRACK’S FACTS: JOE’S FIRST JOB WAS AS A BREWERS APPRENTICE.🍻🍻🍻
IMAGE: COURTESY HIGHBROW MAGAZINE
“Our image of Joe is this burly guy working in his studio, day and night. But he was a teenager once in search of his first job. He would have finished his compulsory education when he was 14 years old, and this is when he said he started to work on developing his method of exercise. But he still needed a regular job or a career to make money to support himself and his interest in fitness. When he was 16 years old he left home and moved to a nearby town where he began to apprentice for a brewer. He moved around to several different breweries over the next few years, and along the way continued to develop his exercise techniques.” -Cathy Strack
Joseph Pilates and Clara courtesy Highbrow Magazine
STRACK’S FACTS: ONE OF PILATES MOST PRIZED COLLECTION WAS PERSONAL LIBRARY.📚📚📚
PHOTO: JOE’S BOOKS COURTESY CATHY STRACK
“Joe supplemented his physical work by reading up on the mental aspects of living a full and healthy life. His personal library contained books on a wide variety of topics including anatomy, psychology, philosophy, sports, politics, sexuality, and culture. The value he placed on his books can be inferred from the fact that he marked most of his books with a bookplate signifying ownership. We know that he read these books based on the notes he wrote in the margins and other markings such as underlining important phrases. This also puts to rest the falsehood that he didn't understand the English language as all of his books were in English. (Special thanks to Sean Gallagher for giving me access to Joe Pilates library.)” #cathystrack
Some of Joe's books. Courtesy Cathy Strack.
STRACK’S FACTS: IN THE CAT VS. DOG BATTLE, JOE WAS DECIDEDLY A CAT PERSON. 🐈🐈🐈
“It’s not that Joe didn't like dogs, but he definitely enjoyed watching cats. He often talked about his observations of cats; "I began studying animals, too, those in the zoo as well as those in the wilderness. I soon discovered that animals had a wonderful system of keeping fit. You never see a big cat out of shape. With just a little daily stretching and balancing on the rocks and benches in its cage, a lion or tiger keeps itself in condition." And, "You've seen a cat turn and turn about till it got itself into a perfect curl of deliciousness-the 'kitten coil'? That's how we could sleep-at perfect rest within a circle."” Cathy Strack
Cathy Strack's Cat, Billy
STRACK’S FACTS: JOE WAS A TRAVELIN' MAN. 🌎🧳
(PHOTOS: EVELYN DE LA TOUR AND TONY CARLINO (TONY THE BARBER). COURTESY CATHY STRACK.)
“I used to think Joe spent all day, every day, working in his studio. But this is not true. In my research I have uncovered trips to California to visit friends, St. Louis to visit his brother, Atlanta to set up a possible second Pilates studio, parts of Florida to visit friends and promote his exercise method, and once he went to Cuba! On another trip, he went to dancer Evelyn De La Tour's home in Maine, and spent two weeks training her on his portable reformer. Closer to home, Tony Carlino, Joe's barber, recalled seeing Joe and Clara at the local Pittsfield/Lee county fair. I am sure I will uncover more trips as my research continues.” - Cathy Strack
Evelyn De La Tour Courtesy Cathy Strack
Tony Carlino, Joseph Pilates barber. Courtesy Cathy Strack.
STRACK'S FACTS: AS TEACHERS GO, JOE WAS ROUGH AND GRUFF; CLARA WAS STRONG BUT REFINED; HANNA (STUDIO ASSISTANT) WAS FRIENDLY AND JOVIAL. WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO BE YOUR TEACHER?👇🏽
PHOTOS: HANNA SAKMIRDA, PILATES’ STUDIO ASSISTANT, AND JOSEPH AND CLARA PILATES. PHOTOGRAPHS FROM LOVE ALL AROUND, THE ROMANA KRYZANOWSKA BIOGRAPHY, WITH PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR, CATHY STRACK.
“Opera singer Nedda Casei only wanted to work with Joe. She worked with him foor seven years, three times a week, and she always appreciated how hard he made her work. In talking with Nedda, she did not seem very impressed with Clara. Or maybe Nedda had a crush on Joe! Other clients preferred to work with Clara because she was calm and reasonable, yet firm. Clara was known to be methodical and orderly in how she taught the exercises. Paul Mejia, world class choreographer and Romana's son, enjoyed working with Hanna and he described her as jovial and loud! So again, I ask, of the three teachers, who would you want to work with?”
STRACK’S FACTS: PILATES LOST HIS RIGHT EYE WHEN HE WAS BULLIED AS A CHILD.
“This story was later verified by Joseph Pilates brother, Fred. He confirmed that when Joseph was 5 years old, he was hit with a sharp stone that caused him to lose sight in his right eye. Joe went on to have a career in boxing, but can you imagine? A one-eyed boxer! And perhaps that is why he didn't drive a car as his field of vision would have been compromised. A few years ago it was discovered that Joseph Pilates had also invented an eye chart for exercises. The man thought of everything.”
STRACK’S FACTS: JOSEPH PILATES MOVED MORE THAN 25 TIMES WHILE HE LIVED IN GERMANY. ZERO TIMES ONCE HE MOVED TO 939 EIGHTH AVENUE IN NYC.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHY STRACK. JOE'S STUDIO IS IN THE CENTER BUILDING, SECOND FLOOR, MIDDLE SET OF WINDOWS, JUST ABOVE THE WORD BREAD ON THE AWNING.
“For the first 16 years of his life Joe Pilates moved over 18 times. He moved around as a young working adult and once he was married he continued to move. There are many possible reasons for these moves, but none have been confirmed. We don't really know why he and his family moved so much. In contrast, once he came to the U.S. he landed at 939 Eighth Avenue and never moved again. At this address he had the perfect set up of the Pilates studio and an apartment in the back for he and Clara to live. Perhaps he finally felt at home.” #cathystrack @cathycincinnati
STRACK’S FACTS: JOSEPH PILATES’ FAVORITE CANDY WAS MOUNDS AND ALMOND JOY.
📸 JOSEPH PILATES IN HIS EXERCISE SHORTS IN THE SNOW.
“We know this from a woman named Beverly who used to visit Joe and Clara at their cottage near Jacob's Pillow in the Berkshire mountains. Beverly's older brothers used to help Joe around the property with cutting grass and other projects. Beverly got to spend time with Clara and eat some of the candy from a bowl they kept in the kitchen. Beverly's mother took lessons from Joe at the NYC studio and recalled how Joe would run around the block, in the middle of winter, in his shorts. She thought Joe was a "kook" but enjoyed his exercises.” #cathystrack
STRACK’S FACTS: "A MAN IS AS OLD AS HIS SPINE IS FLEXIBLE...A WOMAN AS OLD AS SHE LOOKS IN THE MORNING." -JOSEPH PILATES
PHOTO COURTESY CATHY STRACK
“Yup. He actually said this in a newspaper interview in 1961. (It was in the World-Telegram - swipe to see the article, courtesy @cathycincinnati) Sexist to be sure, but how many of us still fight off those old stereotypes? And in Joe's defense we know that he worked men and women equally hard during their exercise sessions. So let’s stay flexible and looking our best each day. Thanks to Pilates!”
STRACK’S FACTS: JOE DOCUMENTED HIS WORK IN A SERIES OF BLACK AND WHITE FILMS.
PHOTO: CATHY STRACK
“Joe, Clara, Romana, and some random clients can be seen demonstrating the Pilates method in a series of films recorded from the 1930's to the 1950's. Joe used the films to demonstrate his method to groups of professionals outside of the studio setting. Joe can also be seen with his brother Fred demonstrating self defense techniques. They wore gladiator outfits and carried heavy shields. These films are a treasure trove of information about the exercises and teaching methods on the mat and across many of the apparatus. Power Pilates sells one version of the DVD and Mary Bowen sells a similar yet different version. Here I am holding one of the shields used in the films-thanks to Sean Gallagher for sharing the opportunity to touch Joe's stuff; it was very heavy!”
STRACK’S FACTS: JOE PILATES PLANNED TO BUILD AND RUN A PILATES TRAINING CAMP IN THE COUNTRY, BUT ALAS IT NEVER HAPPENED.
PHOTOS: JOE IN SKIVVIES PHOTO COURTESY OF MARION ROGERS.
“He knew he needed to train other teachers to carry on his method, but first he needed facilities to do so. Joe enjoyed teaching the dancers at Jacob's Pillow in the Berkshire Mountains and thought it was an ideal location for his camp. When he couldn't buy the original Jacob's Pillow, he decided to create his own camp. Here he is working on the foundation for one of several buildings that were never completed on his property adjacent to Jacob's Pillow. His original workout shack did survive and is being refurbished by Sean Gallagher. It will house a museum and have working Pilates equipment.”
ABOUT STRACK’S FACTS
This April through June, Pilatay takes Pilates lovers back in time with Strack’s Facts: Pilates History Uncovered With Author Cathy Strack. This series presents tidbits about Joseph Pilates’ life and work, discovered by author Cathy Strack while conducting research for biographies on Joseph Pilates, Romana Kryzanowska, and other first generation Pilates teachers.
The series will run from April through June, and will feature weekly posts on @pilatay, which will also be shared via email to Pilatay.com subscribers.
The series kicked off with an Instagram Live interview with Strack, hosted by Pilatay Founder and Managing Editor Tracy Belcher, on Thursday, April 8 at 6pm EDT. Strack discussed some of most memorable discoveries she made while researching Joseph Pilates. Watch the interview here.
ABOUT CATHY BARKER STRACK
Cathy Strack is the author of the Romana Kryzanowska biography, Love All Around, and she is currently conducting research for two more books: a biography about Joseph Pilates featuring stories about Joe as told by the people who knew him; and a book about the lives of other first generation Pilates teachers. Cathy is a Pilates teacher based in Cincinnati, OH. Her book, Love All Around, was nominated as a best Pilates book in Pilatay’s Best of Pilates 2019.
Visit Cathy at cathystrack.com.
ABOUT PILATAY
Pilatay is a Pilates lifestyle blog and brand that celebrates the Pilates method in a fun and inclusive environment. Visit the blog at Pilatay.com for resources for Pilates teachers and students; Connect with fellow Pilates lovers at @pilatay; Shop for Pilates specialty items at The Pilates Shop by Pilatay. For more information, email Tracy Belcher at hello@pilatay.com. Subscribe to the Pilatay newsletter for program announcements, reminders and store sales.