If you’ve been searching for Pilates in New York City, you’ve likely come across all kinds of offerings: contemporary fusion, mat classes, classical Pilates, reformer workouts, and more. The Pilates world can be confusing for anyone trying to understand what’s authentic and what’s been adapted.

If you've been researching Pilates studios, you’ve probably seen a lot of labels—"classical," "contemporary," "fusion," and more. It’s easy to feel confused or even misled.

This August, master Pilates instructors from across the globe are gathering in New York City. Not just to teach—but to honor a woman whose name and method changed lives: Romana Kryzanowska.

We don’t use Gratz apparatus for aesthetic or nostalgia.

We use it because it was made with the method, for the method – and that matters.

Romana Kryzanowska didn’t set out to become the heir to a movement method that would span generations. But when she first stepped into Joseph Pilate’s studio as a young ballet dancer recovering from injury, something clicked. Her dedication, intuition, and strength caught Joe’s attention - and she never looked back.

In the late 1960s, Donald Gratz—an MIT-trained engineer and son of Gratz co-founder Frank Gratz—partnered with Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph Pilates’ protégé and chosen successor. Their shared goal? Preserve the design integrity of Joe Pilates' original apparatus.