A protégée of Eve Gentry, Suzanne Gutterson is the personification of the power of Pilates: Now 90, she shows no signs of slowing down.
Pilates Style: Tell us about your childhood.
Suzanne Gutterson: I was born in New York City, but grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC. I started taking dance lessons—ballet and tap—when I was five. I danced wherever anyone was willing to tolerate seeing a kid dance, which included tap dancing on a wooden platform at a local radio station. In my teens, I danced in theaters all over town. During World War II, I performed with the USO, warming up the troops before such headliners as Jack Benny and Ina Ray Hutton and her all-girl band.
After that, I spent a year in New York studying dance, voice and acting. Realizing a need for more formal education, I went to Bennington College in Vermont, where I studied modern dance and choreography with Bill Bales of the Dudley-Maslow-Bales Trio.
PS: What did you do after college?
Suzanne: I was married right after graduation. My husband worked for IBM, and we moved around a lot. I would teach dance at a local studio or even open up my own. When we moved to Long Island, NY, I opened two studios—one in Port Washington, the other in Locust Valley. Being close to Manhattan gave me a wonderful opportunity to study more dance, including at the West Side YMCA with various members of the Alvin Ailey company, doing a lot of Lester Horton Technique and Afro-Cuban, moving to pulsating drum beats. I loved it. I studied ballet with Richard Thomas, where I met Bruce King, who besides being a dancer, turned out to be a Pilates teacher.
I wanted my technique classes with young children to include more expressive improvisation. With good luck, I found exactly what I wanted at the 92nd Street Y with classes in creative movement for children, taught by the best in the business—Bonnie Bird and Virginia Tanner.
Denne historien er fra January - February 2017-utgaven av Pilates Style.
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Denne historien er fra January - February 2017-utgaven av Pilates Style.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Finding New Momentum
Overcoming obstacles caused by the pandemic, the virtual version of this popular festival still achieved its goals.
Carola Trier's Extraordinary Journey
In his authoritative biography of the first woman to open a studio, Reiner Grootenhuis delved into her personal papers to tell the harrowing story of her time in a prison camp during World War II.
Racism in the Pilates Industry
Incidents of police brutality and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests have shed a bright light on systemic racism in the U.S., including in the Pilates industry. Here, Black instructors share their experiences.
For Self-defense
Moves of the Month
Comfort Food Made Healthy
This fall, cozy up to tantalizing comfort food that’s also healthy. A new cookbook from Kristin Cavallari shows you how.
Pilates Postcard
A Pilates teacher shares how the method is making waves abroad.
The Ultimate Gift
One year ago, Kahley Schiller’s life was completely upended by an extreme health crisis. But thanks to her 20-year Pilates practice, the 40-year-old was able to recover quickly.
Revelations
For Sarita Allen, a star of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and a protégée of Kathleen Stanford Grant, Pilates was key to her decades-long career.
Meaning WITHIN THE Movement
The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine help you go deeper into your practice, promising plenty of play along the way.
PILATES IN THE HOOD
Though she’s trained many top stars, Kim Carruthers says she’s most proud of her work as the founder and director of a nonprofit bringing the method to underserved communities.
