Rebecca Oliensis

FOUNDER. movement artist. teacher.

Mission + The Work:

Rebecca loves to practice, explore, and share various modalities that facilitate mind-body awareness and growth. She is passionate about working with you in collaboration to meet you / your body where you are, addressing your unique body history and needs. 

Rebecca works with individuals ranging from 10 to 91 years old, of all fitness and wellness levels. She has helped people to move with and through pain, injuries, and other conditions, including: herniated discs, chronic back pain, arthritis, SI joint dysfunction, sciatica, joint replacement surgery, ACL repair, cerebral palsy, diastasis recti and other pre and post-partum needs, among others.

She also specializes in training dancers, and has experience teaching Pilates to professional dancers as well as dance students from the School of American Ballet, ABT JKO, Manhattan Youth Ballet, The Juilliard School, among others. Rebecca has co-founded of ‘Beyond the Barre, NYC: Pilates for Dancers, by Dancers’ as well as ‘East West Embodiment Collective.’

By reconnecting mind-body and rediscovering ease through pain-free movement, this work empowers you to recreate confidence and joy, in movement and in life.

Rebecca’s Background:

A lifelong dancer and mover, after 18 years of dance training Rebecca had a debilitating hip injury, followed by an unsuccessful major surgery. Pilates proved the most beneficial treatment for her recovery—enabling her to regain freedom of movement and the joy it brings.

The strength, stability, and awareness found through the holistic full-body movement practice of Pilates allowed her to develop more connection and engagement within her body than ever before. Eager to learn more and share this experience with others, Rebecca completed her Pilates Certification in anatomy, mat, and equipment through the Kane School of Core Integration, NYC.

As her work with clients and own healing journey evolved and progressed, she found herself seeking language and a deeper understanding to speak to the subtle body and energetic layers ever-present when working through mindful movement. She expanded her scope of practice with a 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training through NY Loves Yoga.

Rebecca’s teaching is supported by her studies in other movement modalities including Gyrokinesis, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, strength training, and a broad range of dance styles, including Ballet, Contemporary, Theatre Dance, Tap, and Jazz. She also studied Psychology, Creative Arts Therapies, and Creative Writing at The New School.

Current Offerings:

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Certifications:

  • Kane School for Core Integration, NYC — Certified Pilates Instructor. Anatomy, Mat, Equipment

  • NY Loves Yoga — 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training

  • Elevate Cooperative Education — Advanced Certification for Movement Professionals year-long Mentorship

Continuing Education:

  • Kinesthetic Anatomy and Biomechanics of Motion with renowned anatomist Irene Dowd,

  • Movement for Trauma L1 with Jane Clapp,

  • Traumatic Stress and the Breath with Jane Clapp and Jennifer Snowdon,

  • Pilates for Prenatal and Postpartum with Charlotte Blake,

  • Birth Strong with Dianne Graci,

  • Boundaries: Maintaining empathy and autonomy while working with mental or emotional manifestations in the physical form with Anna Vollmar,

  • Hip Me With Your Best Shot: Labral Pathology of the Hip with Kim Gibilisco,

  • Pilates for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Understanding Hypermobility with Ashley Matthews and Dianne Graci.