The Pilates Method Alliance held its seventh-annual International Educational Conference Nov. 1-4 in Orlando, Fla., drawing approximately 700 Pilates instructors for a weekend of moving, learning and celebrating the “Pilates is for Every Body” theme. An impressive lineup of teachers—Elizabeth Larkam, Jillian Hessel, Brent Anderson, Wendy LeBlanc-Arbuckle, Marie-Jose Blom-Lawrence, Madeline Black, Alan Herdman, Moira Merrithew, Julian Littleford, Michelle Larsson, Mari Winsor and many more—presented on a wide range of topics. PMA members also had the chance to take the PMA Pilates Certification Exam and shop for new equipment, apparel and services on the expo hall floor.

Beyond these business-as-usual happenings, the conference featured some exciting and newsworthy highlights. Read on for more.

1. Eve Gentry Documentary
Friday featured a screening of a new documentary about Eve Gentry’s life and her impact on the Pilates method. Gentry, a dancer who started working with Joseph Pilates to rehabilitate an injury, studied with him for 20 years and later taught in Santa Fe, N.M. She was extremely influential to many teachers working today, including Michelle Larsson and Suzanne Gutterson, who are interviewed in the film. The film, which is not yet available for purchase, includes amazing footage of Eve working with Joe after he helped her recover from a mastectomy. Check back with us for updates. This is a must-have for anyone interested in the history of Pilates.

2. Pilates in the Schools
Dawn-Marie Ickes presented an update on Pilates in the Schools, a pilot program with the goal of bringing Pilates programs to schoolchildren. The program is making progress and is running a number of studies with fifth and sixth graders throughout the country, but it is also in need of more volunteers and funding. If you’ve been looking for a way to give back to your community and make an impact on the health of our children, take some time to learn more about the program here or donate money to keep the program going here.

3. Blast from the Past: One of Joe’s Clients Looks Back
John Steel, a client and lawyer to Joe Pilates, was Friday’s featured speaker. He entertained and educated the crowd with colorful stories of what it was like to work out at the original Pilates studio in New York in the 1960s. According to Steel, Joe and Clara’s original studio was a much different environment than the ones we know today. There were no appointments, no talking to other clients, no water breaks, and you were trusted to leave $5 on the table when you left. There was also no criticism, just direct cues from Joe or Clara, and often a poke or nudge to get you moving correctly. Steel said you were expected to learn the exercises, along with all the machine adjustments, so you could do them independently as a continuous flow. “His mind-body thing was the heart of his [method],” said Steel. “He cared that you were absolutely in control of every muscle in your body.”

4. Changing Faces
This year’s conference marks a turning point for the PMA, as members bid farewell to Kevin Bowen, the PMA’s founding executive director. During his tenure, Bowen worked tirelessly to steer the PMA’s growth from a small meeting of Pilates instructors to a large international membership organization with a educational conference, certification exam and set of standards for the profession.

PMA members at the conference had a chance to meet and welcome new executive director Elizabeth Anderson to the organization. Anderson, an American who had been working in London in recent years, comes to the job with a background in conference production and project management. She has produced the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science’s conference, and has gotten to know the Pilates world as a part-time VP of International Licenses for Polestar Pilates Education.

Three new board members were also presented at the conference: Marie-Jose Blom-Lawrence of Long Beach Dance Conditioning in Long Beach, Calif.; Trent McEntire of McEntire Pilates in Rochester, Mich.; and Kathy Moran of Power Pilates in New York.

5. Pencils down! PMA test update
The PMA announced that it will be bringing its certification exam to South Africa and Germany in 2008. It is also working with Manuel Rodríguez Casanueva of Spain’s Pilates Wellness & Energy to translate the test into Spanish.

6. Shopping!
The PMA conference is always a great place to see the latest innovations in Pilates equipment. This year, Balanced Body showed off it new lightweight Pilates Arc™ (shown at right) that can be used as a spine corrector or placed over the shoulder rests of a reformer. STOTT Pilates showcased its new V2 Max Plus™ Reformer, and a new apparatus company, APT Pilates, debuted its new line of reformers. The clothing booths were constantly buzzing with instructors looking for new “work clothes,” and companies like OPTP, Power Systems and SmartSpine Works served as playgrounds for teachers trying out new Pilates props.

7. Giveaways galore
At our Pilates Pro booth, we continued our tradition of raffling off a bottle of  champagne to attendees. Glenda DeSimone of Nashville, Tenn., took home the bubbly. Balanced Body gave away equipment, and MindBody Online’s big prize was an iPhone. But what really had attendees buzzing was the chance to win a trip to Agriturismo Cascina Papaveri (aka The Poppy Farmhouse), a Pilates and cooking resort in the Piedmont region of Italy. Jessica Ree, who teaches at Pilates Garage in Brooklyn, N.Y., was the lucky winner. She’s shown here with John and Robyn Sims, owners of the property. Bon voyage, Jessica!