Emory Story

Emory has been in love with Movement since she was four years old. Spellbound by Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev doing Romeo and Juliet for The Royal Ballet, she was sent on a path that has ebbed and flowed throughout her life.
Dancing Classical Ballet all the way through childhood culminated in a Full Scholarship to the David Howard School of Ballet in New York City for 2 years. "I already new the Art form, but David Howard really taught me how to move: Dynamics, Precision, Efficiency of Movement -studying with him, I really understood it - it was ingrained in me."
Sidelined by an injury that proved to be pervasive and long term, Emory stepped sideways into Musical Theatre, learning to sing and act. Although discovering her Soprano voice after years of just playing at singing was delightful, she decided it was time to start a family.
With the birth of her son, Josh, everything changed. She wanted the focus of her life to be only him and so moved back to California, dabbling in Musical Theatre and Plays while Josh was little. A discovery of Jane Fonda's "feel the Burn" Workout routines, and a developing Yoga practice helped to maintain her body condition until her return to Ballet in recent years.
When her acting bug returned and drew her to LA after six plays in the Bay Area, she also added more Yoga into her life with classes in the Kundalini tradition and books on Hatha Yoga and Power Yoga.
To make ends meet, Emory decided to become an Interior Designer. "It kept my hand in the Artistic realm, and I was still able to work from home while raising my son." She has worked in that field for almost six years while finishing up the first stage of mothering - helping him take wing.
Upon being faced with Empty nest, Emory took up a long yearned for study of Argentine Tango and was immediately cast in a small show on the Westside of LA called Urban Tango. With the close of that show, a deep emptiness revealed the necessity to make movement the focus of her life. With Josh grown and happily independent, Emory is now free to pursue all of the movement styles she has been craving for many years.
"It was like coming home, to finally realize that who I am and what I need to be doing is showing people how wonderful movement can be, by doing it, by teaching it, and by exploring the Body / Mind connection. The body has a wonderful power to heal. Maintaining the dialogue with your own body is the most important thing you can do for your health and well being."
Fully Certified in Classical Pilates, Emory teaches private Pilates sessions on the Westside of Los Angeles. She is continuing to pursue movement training in Tai Chi and Qi Gong, studying the Mind / Body connection through her own investigation of Acupuncture and Herbs, Meditation, and of course, dancing Ballet and Tango!

Workshops

 Emory participates in Workshops regularly to add new exercises to her repertoire.

"One of the most wonderful things about Pilates is that there are so many variations. They keep all of my workouts very fresh. My clients tell me they are never bored by repetition."

Testimonials

"What is special for me about Emory's Pilates is that Emory combines attention to detail with her enthusiastic and upbeat approach. The result is a focused workout that I come away from feeling happy, and that I've done something special for my body. Emory insures I'm using each machine exactly as it was meant to be used, for each exercise. Most of all, I feel that Emory is truly passionate about Pilates and shares this love with her clients ,-."
~ Michael Caan - Inventor

"As a beginning student of Pilates, I am amazed at my ease of understanding through the talented teaching skills of Emory Story.
I feel so good after each class, stronger and more flexible each week.
Emory teaches with clarity and gentleness, with sensitivity to my limited capabilities, and with a rational order of exercises.
I would wholeheartedly recommend Emory to anyone interested in learning Pilates, at any level ."
~ Rosalee Sass - Retired UCLA Administrator

"Emory is a wonderful Pilates instructor. She has a deep understanding of and respect for the principles behind the exercises. Her manner is encouraging and supportive. I also appreciate her intelligence and the seriousness with which she approaches our sessions. I certainly would recommend her without reservation to anyone who is interested in pursueing Pilates."
~ Madeleine Seltzer Williams- Partner, Legal Search Firm

"I love working out with Emory! She is creative and enthusiastic and really focuses on alignment and technique. Each workout is challenging and customized to how my body is feeling on a particular day. I always finish the workout feeling energized, yet calm. Emory is truly a fabulous instructor."
~ Joy Sebold - Attorney

"Emory is a delightful, gracious and knowledgeable teacher. I always feel energized from our workouts."
~ Susan Fisher - English, Theatre Teacher

"Emory is a terrific Pilates instructor. She made me feel very comfortable and worked with my strengths, and helped to improve my weaknesses."
~ Amy Gorton - Publicist

"Emory is very good about explaining the principles behind all the exercises. She has a background in ballet, and was able to help me with the alignment of my feet, and to position my knees better. Pilates has changed my life because I now am very conscious of how I walk and stand so I don't re-injure myself. Emory is very knowledgeable, caring, and wants to help people get a better understanding of their body."
~ Barbara Trelles - Videotape Engineer

"The effort Emory has put towards customizing my workout to deal with my many body issues has been exemplary. She is constantly adjusting my workout as my range of motion and strength is improving."
~ Dana Batten - Electrician