Our Instructors

MARCIA SHAPIRA (Owner/Senior Instructor)
Marcia is a qualified Pilates teacher and a level 2 member of the Pilates Alliance ofAustralasia, with over 14 years experience in the fitness industry in Australia and overseas. Working for several years as a Personal Trainer, she came across Pilates and never looked back. "My fascination for Pilates comes from the sense of achievement I witnessed working with my clients and on myself. I define Pilates as being an intelligent method of exercise that fully explores the potential of our bodies."

Marcia underwent rehabilitation in 1994 due to multiple fractures in a car crash prior to her university years and also due to a bulged disc after her first child’s birth. She can appreciate the frustrations and difficulties one can go through when exercising after injuries and how debilitating pain can be. She believes exercise is the only way to fully recover from all injuries and has a special interest in post-rehabilitation.

Over the years Marcia worked with a variety of people from all ages and body capabilities, and she dedicates her time to constantly learn how to make her programs safe, effective and enjoyable. Marcia is passionate about helping others achieve a stronger and healthier body. She loves working with pre and post-natal as well as adapting Pilates to the specific demands of sports modalities.

Academic background: B.A.Phys Ed, Graduate Diploma in Exercise Physiology and Sports Training Certified by the Pilates Body Control Method in Israel, Certificate IV Pilates ITC, Certificate III in Fitness, Mat and Reformer Training - Stott Pilates Method in Australia.

MIYUKI FUKUDA
"Miyuki is a fully certified Pilates instructor with over 6 years teaching experience. She comes from a background of dance and first studied Pilates while pursuing a Dance career in New York, where she danced professionally for 3 years. She then moved back to Japan where she continued dancing and teaching mat classes for 2 years until she decided to complete her “Peak Pilates” comprehensive training. She worked in the Pilates Alliance of Tokyo for almost 4 years alongside Peak Pilates master trainers and was awarded excellent Pilates instructor of the year for two years in a row. Miyuki has a friendly outgoing personality, yet she is firm and determined and passionate about motivating clients to achieve their training goals.

JULIA CORDEIRO
Julia is a fully certified Polestar instructor since 2003. She trained and worked with Polestar master trainer Alice Becker in Bahia/Brazil and moved to Australia where she has been teaching since 2007. She first discovered Pilates while studying her degree in dance. Pilates has been recommended by her teachers as a way to improve her technique and performance. Through her practice she managed to overcome the limitations imposed by her postural type and sharpened her dance technique. Pilates increased her body awareness and her interest for human movement in way that no other exercise method have done before. Julia is passionate about watching the impact Pilates has on clients’ mobility, balance, strength, agility and flexibility. She loves the way Pilates can be adapted and modified to suit everyone.  

SIMONNE SMILES
Simonne comes from a background of classical ballet. She was trained at the Australian Ballet School and holds an Advanced Diploma of Dance. Simonne has danced professionally for various companies including Queensland Ballet, Bondi Ballet, Halberstadt Ballet and Singapore Dance Theatre. Simonne was first introduced to Pilates in the mid 90’s and used it as part of her conditioning and strength building program. From there her interest grew, and she began to see the benefits of Pilates both in terms of its strengthening benefits and also its therapeutic value as rehabilitation for both body and mind. In 2003 Simonne completed her Mat work Certification and began teaching mat work.

In 2004 Simonne decided to further her skills and completed a Full Certification in Pilates Instruction from Pilates International and since, upgraded her qualification to the Certificate IV. Simonne has also an extensive experience dancing and teaching Pilates overseas. Simonne works for two of the top studios in Sydney and has recently joined the team at Pilates Insight Studio.