A professional dancer has opened a new pilates studio in Torfaen. Olivia Ferrari, who attended St Alban’s RC High School, trained in London and graduated with a BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre.
She began dancing at the age of two, but her career was interrupted twice by snapped knee ligaments, each requiring long rehabilitation. During her university training, she discovered pilates – “I did a lot of pilates without realising I was doing pilates,” she said.
After her second injury, she decided to teach it: “It’s so beneficial.”
Olivia opened Ferrari’s Pilates Studio last month at Torfaen Business Centre in New Inn, in the same units as Blitz Media, on the right as you drive towards the tip.
She said the feedback so far has been positive: “Everyone feels comfortable and welcomed, which is my aim.”
Her classes are deliberately small – around 10 to 15 people.
“Some classes [with larger groups] can be overwhelming. I’ve gone to plenty of dance classes where you can’t learn properly or see the choreographer.”
‘Lo-impact’
“I can give them more attention. It’s formed a bit of a community. I run three classes- all beginner-friendly. It’s a low-impact form of strength exercise- with strength, flexibility, mobility, and stability- without excessive load on any joints. It’s fab for injury rehabilitation and prevention.
“Everything I’m doing, dancing, rehab and fitness. It’s all just combined and merged into one perfectly.”
During our interview, Olivia also thanked Torfaen Council’s sports development team, where she volunteered as a pupil, for taking her ambitions “seriously” at a time when others questioned whether dance and fitness could be a “proper job”.
Find out more about her studio on Instagram at @ferrarispilatesstudio