g r a s s h o p p e r p i l a t e s
downtown
 



Trainers
 

Owner 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.

 

Jennifer Nyp
has had a successful fitness career in New York City for over ten years. She is currently an avid runner and regularly practices yoga and Pilates. physical activity has always been a vital part of her life.
Originally from Nebraska, Jennifer found her first mentor at The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Bob Chase. An innovator in the fitness industry for over 20 years, Bob taught her to pursue personal health and fitness with a passion. Shortly after moving to New York City, she met Thomas Hogan, her Yoga mentor and teacher. Thomas took her under his wing and changed her life through the wonder and wisdom of the practice of Yoga.

She found a third mentor in Bob Liekens, with whom she studied classical pilates at Power pilates. Bob, is a true inspiration for all that know him. He reminds Jennifer to always ask more of herself and of her clients.
During her time at Power Pilates, Gina came into Jennifer's life. She immediately felt connected to Gina and cherishes her as both a friend and associate!

Jennifer has multiple fitness certifications, has taught group fitness, pilates and yoga classes throughout the city and has a dedicated private clientele. Her training philosophy is based in core work and cross-training. She's also a big believer of cardio to enhance results, health benefits and get that happy "buzz" that it comes with.

She is so grateful for all the beautiful people in her life and can't wait for all the new people she will meet in the new SoHo Studio!
www.zengirlfitness.com

 

Stephanie Macli
Fitness and health have always been a central focus in Stephanie's life. While acquiring a bachelors degree at Quinnipiac University she was introduced to Pilates and she instantly fell in love. She quickly recognized the changes in her body and the benefits to her health. Although she was an athlete all her life, Pilates was the only exercise that gave her the strength and stability she needed. She continued to practice Pilates while she worked in the corporate world and realized she wanted to share her enthusiasm for Pilates with others and help them receive the same benefits. Stephanie became certified through Power Pilates in New York City under the leadership of Bob Liekens and Susan Moran-Perich and began teaching Pilates full time with the goal to help her clients feel more youthful and fit through the practice. She also continues to take classes and workshops to further her knowledge and enhance her teaching. More recently Stephanie began to study health and wellness and became a certified Holistic Health and Wellness counselor through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and The American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). As a health counselor Stephanie takes a holistic approach to working with her clients one on one to help them reach their individual health goals, looking at not just what they eat but going beyond that to look at their lifestyle as a whole. Stephanie's mission is to make a healthy lifestyle easy for everyone to understand and achieve.

ph: 212.431.5225