Meet Maria Biondo of Nourish House Pilates

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Maria Biondo.

Maria, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Movement has been an intimate part of our lives since we were three years old from performing on the edge of our cribs to performing in front of esteemed audiences all over the country. As identical twins, we have a unique and rare relationship that allows us to work in harmony with one another innately.

Dance was recognized as one of the extraordinary places where we are able to use our twinship to have perfect harmony with one another because we are exact replicas of one another. We attended Texas Christian University together as Double Majors in Ballet and Economics (Caroline) & Communications (Maria). During our time at school, the dance school was putting together a Pilates Teacher Training Program as an additional “minor” for the dance majors to take advantage of.

We had always done Pilates as cross-training for our dance, but to be introduced as teachers was an exciting perspective we were passionate about and ready for. We were fortunate enough to audition and were admitted as 2 of 10 to the inaugural class of TCU’s Pilates Program.

This was the beginning of our Pilates teaching journey as we dove into over 800 hours of certifying curriculum, including anatomy, teaching, practice, and contraindications, and learned both contemporary and classical Pilates repertoire.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
We were a part of the graduating class of 2020, where we were set to dance with Sacramento Ballet upon graduation from college. We went home to Scottsdale, Arizona, for Spring Break in March of 2020 and were not able to return to our college campus due to the pandemic.

The course of our dance career changed drastically as the arts were one of the slowest professions to come back to normality post-pandemic. We graduated college in May 2020 as planned but had to change courses as the dance world was not up and running as we had hoped. We were not willing to find a “desk job” in place of our dancing, so we turned to Pilates as our full-time employment.

Not knowing what a full-time pilates job would or could even look like, we took a leap of faith and got to work teaching virtually and in person.

We’ve been impressed with Nourish House Pilates, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We solve people’s problems through form-focused movement. As classically trained ballet dancers and experienced Pilates professionals, we are focused on curtailing the sessions to the individuals’ goals and needs. Our experience as dancers tunes us into the fluidity of how the body moves.

Our experience includes, but is not limited to, young children learning to find coordination, professional athletes in the NFL, people with special cases of all variations, and everyday professionals looking to tone to our 93-year-old Papa! We are here to meet you where you’re at and guide your body to become the best version of yourself.

Our studio specializes in private, duets, and small group classes of 4, so whatever you choose to participate in, you will receive specific direction, modifications, and progressions to get the very most out of all you do.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
When we are challenged, we rise to the occasion. When we are stuck and bewildered, we seek out creative solutions. When we feel broken, we turn to the ones we love to help make us whole.

There is always light at the end, even when it seems dim. We are innovators, improvisers, and choreographers. We trust the next chapter because we are the authors.

Contact Info:

• Website: nourishhousepilates.com
• Instagram: @nourishhousepilates, @carolinebiondopilates, and @mariaelenadance

Image Credits
Josh Brewster Photography and Allison Armfield Photography