- How did you initially form the relationship with the School of American Ballet (SAB)?
Jean-Claude West (of Functional Footprints fame) told me about Marika Molnar (a PT working with SAB), and what amazing work she was doing with dancers, students & Pilates. I met Marika at IADMS in the early 1990s. Marika worked with NYC Ballet and SAB and used Pilates for rehab and prehab. Marika and I connected as Balanced Body had the Clinical Reformer, which is designed for clinicians doing rehab work, and it fits all body sizes– kids, women, and men.
SAB ordered equipment in late 1990s/early 2000s, and it was placed with Marika in her Physio room at NYC Ballet, as she was able to create space for the equipment. SAB dancers went to the NYC Ballet to see Marika for rehab and prehab work on this Pilates equipment. - BB Equipment has stood the test of time (with SAB. This is a testament to the quality of BB Equipment and personal relationships. What is STILL being utilized after 20+ years in this space?
The original equipment was a Reformer, a Clinical Reformer, a Wall Tower Unit, and a Combo Chair. All of those pieces were still being used and in good working order until the room was closed in June 2025 for renovation. - How have Pilates/Balanced Body kept SAB dancers moving, dancing, and performing at the highest level?
The reason the Pilates program has grown at SAB is because it has produced positive results. Dancers dancing better, longer, and staying healthy. Today, as part of their renovation, SAB created a separate room to house all their new equipment… back then, it was two reformers in a corner. Pilates has become part of their progress through both their work and life. - Anything else you’d like to share about BB/SAB relationship and your excitement at holding Pilates on Tour NYC at SAB all these years later?
The relationship between the Balanced Body and SAB keeps dancers healthy and dancing longer. Because SAB is positioned as pinnacle in the dance world, it is an awesome example of the effectiveness of Pilates.
I am incredibly excited to bring POT NY to SAB. NYC is a hub in the US. Lincoln Center is a cultural hub in NYC. Pilates was born in NYC and, in many eyes, keeps the cultural center humming. Bringing Pilates on Tour (POT) NYC to the best venue in the best city where Pilates originated and first prospered enables BB to create a truly unique, immersive experience for our POT guests.
If it weren’t for dancers like Martha Graham and choreographer George Balanchine, Pilates would not have survived to become what it is today. Dancers wouldn’t have done Pilates if it didn’t produce results. They’ve kept it alive, not for vanity or social reasons but to enhance their performance. To dance better, and prolong their career, which is a whole different set of reasons for doing Pilates. With so many options for ways to condition, and access to the best of best in training – they choose Pilates. Very similar to why we see so many high-level athletes choosing to do Pilates today.
20 years ago, to do an event at SAB wasn’t possible. Facilities weren’t big enough and BB was too small. We’ve come full circle and I couldn’t be more excited!
Ken Endelman founded Balanced Body in 1976 after a Pilates instructor visited his furniture store in Hollywood, California and asked him to build an improved version of a Pilates Reformer. At the time, there were less than a dozen Pilates studios worldwide.
After several months studying the Pilates methodology and the original apparatus built by Joseph Pilates, Ken designed a modern Reformer that was reliable, safe and user-friendly for contemporary practitioners. This resulted in a new career for Ken, and a revolution in the mind-body exercise community. Under Endelman’s leadership over the past 45+ years, Balanced Body has grown into the world’s largest resource for Pilates equipment and education.
Endelman has collaborated with Pilates educators, studio owners, fitness club operators, physical therapists, athletic trainers and home users to create equipment that combines Joseph Pilates original designs with our modern understanding of human biomechanics. His innovations have been awarded over 43 patents in the United States and hundreds more worldwide.
Balanced Body’s motto – Movement Changes Lives – supports Endelman’s goal to make Pilates a part of everyone’s lives. Today, Balanced Body promotes the benefits of Pilates at more than 20 conferences per year. Endelman has authored articles on a wide variety of topics relating to both technical and business aspects of Pilates equipment and programs, was a 2018 guest lecturer at the University of Hong Kong School of Science and Technology and is a frequent presenter at Pilates and fitness conferences around the world.
A longtime member of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science and the Pilates Method Alliance, Endelman has completed in-depth educational seminars with a number of renowned Pilates senior master trainers. He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles. He’s also passionate about building a sustainable company for future generations —and “walks the talk” by cycling to work nearly every day!
