Instructor Profiles

Ellena Conland

Ellena has been teaching pilates now for eleven years, her experience spanning several different studios in various parts of the world. Her love of teaching pilates includes many areas, such as general fitness, pregnancy and post-natal, dance, rehabilitation, (particularly hip-replacements) and the teaching of others to be pilates teachers. Being from a dance background herself, she finds it satisfying to watch people unlock their bodies and discover the joy of movement for the sake of movement.

On returning to Wellington from London in 2001 to be married, Ellena established Performance Pilates Limited, at a time when pilates was really beginning to take off. The studio has been open since May 2002, and continues to uphold quality teaching standards, working and liaising with many health professionals to tailor classes to client needs.

She originally began doing pilates in 1990 with Craig Phillips (Clinical Pilates) while studying for a Bachelor of Dance Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. Having gained so much from the technique herself, she decided that she would eventually like to teach it. While still dancing professionally, she undertook an apprenticeship style training in 1996 with Maree Seerdon of the Pilates Body Studio in Auckland.

Heading to London for her O.E in 1998, Ellena was employed by Body Control Pilates U.K, now the biggest European pilates organization. In her time with them in London she opened and managed two studios, including the first pilates studio ever to be based in a health club in the U.K. She was a lecturer and examiner for Body Control's Teacher Training Mat and Reformer courses; taught pilates workshops; and was a teacher at well known author Gordon Thomson's Pilates and Rehabilitation Studio.

During her time in London, Ellena attended many courses and workshops, learning from many of the leading teachers and physiotherapists in the field. She continues to attend courses, and has completed through the American organization Polestar Education their Neuro-Muscular Rehabilitation course, and most recently their Advanced Spine course.

In the early part of 2004 Ellena was off on maternity leave, to be full-time Mum to baby Luke, who was born 18th January. She is now in the studio on a regular basis, teaching classes, and where able, doing workouts herself!

Davinia Dearmer

Davinia has recently returned from the United Kingdom after working in London as a pilates instructor and sports and remedial massage practitioner for the last four and half years.

Davinia comes from a background of science and dance, which includes 14 years of classical ballet training and achieving a Bachelor of Science Degree at Victoria University. After graduating, Davinia moved to Sydney where she commenced her training in pilates through Ulysses Pilates under the tuition of Vanessa Wood. She returned to Wellington to work at Pilates Exercise Specialists before leaving for London at the end of 2000.

In London she worked for various well recognized pilates studios, taught mat classes and had a number of private clients. Davinia did further training in pilates at Belsize Studio, and gained accreditation with the Pilates Foundation UK Limited. With a strong interest in sports injuries and general rehabilitation, she trained as a sports and remedial massage practitioner with the London School of Sports Massage, (LSSM). Over the last year in London, Davinia saw huge success in combining pilates with soft tissue manipulation.

Davinia was involved with the training of pilates instructors under the Pilates Foundation accreditation at Belsize Studio and was a regular tutor at the London School of Sports Massage. Workshops she took included: Pilates for Dancers; Pilates Exercise for the Massage Practitioner; Pilates for Pregnancy; and Postural Analysis and Remedial Exercise.

After giving birth to her daughter, Phoenix, in March 2005, Davinia has been on maternity leave and since working at Performance Pilates is enjoying using her extensive knowledge and passion to work with clients once again.