This Black History Month we are honoring one of the Black pioneers in the fitness industry, Kathy Stanford Grant.
“No matter where you go, you have to remember your center. You don’t do it physically, you do it mentally–do it inside. Let your mind direct your body. It’s really, really quiet. You got to know where your strong point is and as you get better, try and go to the weak point.” -Kathy Stanford Grant
Kathleen Stanford Grant was born August 1, 1921 in Boston, MA where, at an early age, she began her dancing career. She studied ballet in both Boston and New York City, becoming the first Black ballet dancer to attend the Boston Conservatory of Music’s dance program. Despite the prevalent discrimination in this space, she went on to dance in several Broadway productions including Finian’s Rainbow, one of the first fully integrated shows on Broadway. She later traveled with ballet companies around the world.
During a slow and painful recovery from a knee injury in 1954, Kathy was referred to Joseph Pilates in New York City. At the time Joe, originally from Germany, was utilizing his exercise methods in the professional dance space in New York after establishing his technique in Europe. The Pilates method originated when Joe was in forced internment in England during WWI, assisting bed-ridden patients with his unique form of movement and resistance. After WWI, his earned reputation briefly moved him back to Germany before he decided to take his work to New York City. New York would be where he would open his first studio, refine his method and create the Pilates method we know today.
After incorporating Pilates into her lifestyle, Kathy continued her work in the dance space as a dancer, choreographer and director, only later approaching Joe for an apprenticeship. Kathy is believed to be one of two students to ever be officially certified by Joe.
She became one of just a handful of first-generation pilates instructors taught by Joseph Pilates himself and went on to teach the Pilates method for over 50 years.. While she had many students, she never taught them a formal method but rather encouraged each of her students and clients to discover their own intuitions with movement using the Pilates framework.
Kathy Grant died in 2010 as a lifelong pioneer, an artist and a teacher to many. She never certified a student nor did she define a successor of her work. Blossom Crawford, one of her former students once said, “to know Kathy Grant’s work is to know her through the many people she taught.”
Check out our Pilates programs and LesMills Pilates classes!
Resources:
Kathy Stanford Grant: Pioneer. Visionary. Teacher, https://diversityinpilates.com/kathy-stanford-grant
The Origin of Pilates, https://www.pilates.com/origins-of-pilates/
A Message from Blossom, https://www.kathygrantpilates.com/home-page
