Gina Papalia

Gina Papalia lives in New York City with her husband and 2 young children. Gina was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1971. After graduating from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Arts Management, she moved to New York City where she continued her training at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and danced with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Ohio Dance Theatre, among other companies. While pursuing her career as a professional dancer, Gina studied Pilates under the two icons of today’s world of Pilates, Romana Kryzanowska and Bob Liekens, earning certification from the Pilates Studio of New York in 1996. Gina opened her first studio in 2000 at Tribeca Sports Center, which bloomed into her own studio that opened in Tribeca 2003, Grasshopper Pilates Downtown. Grasshopper has now moved to a new beautiful, airy, 2000 square foot loft in Soho and has joined forces with ZenGirl Fitness.Gina embraces each client individually and unconditionally, balancing a serious approach with a fun, friendly attitude. Her intention: to stay true to the traditional tenets of the Pilates method and to follow closely the logical learning process as originally conceived by founder Joseph Pilates.Gina, a professionally trained dancer, is particularly knowledgeable about the anatomy and the musculature of the human body. She knows precisely how the body works, how to learn to use it most efficiently – and how to make Pilates a pleasurable learning experience that’s simple, thorough and effective. Gina has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, in several issues of Pilates Style Magazine, the New York Times, Point, Self and Vogue.