About | pilatesbarreandjams

aboutus

I'm Teresa (She/Her Femme), Oakland, CA born and where I currently live. I have been teaching fitness since 2008 and ever since then, my goal has been to make movement available and accessible to the people who never felt comfortable walking into a status quo studio because the staff and participants would be a**holes if the person didn't fit the aesthetic.

JOIN THE STRONG SQUAD

As a Black queer femme and a former sex worker, I know what it feels like to be othered, so I opened Pilates Barre and Jams in 2017 to center Black, Brown and Indigenous humans as well as Queer, Fat-bodied, Non-binary humans and Sex Workers. It just made sense. Who would I be fooling if I didn't include the very peeps who have brought so much joy, love, support, and badassery to my life?

There is no such thing as a pilates body. The Fat Sex Therapist said, "Thinness is a White Supremacist beauty ideal". At Pilates Barre and Jams, feeling good, feeling strong, and being able to do functional movements pain free is our ideal.

So if you've always wanted to try Pilates and felt like you would never find a spot with weirdos and queerdos like yourself, your search is over. I look forward to meeting, laughing with, encouraging, and witnessing you.

Until soon,