Kathy Grant Scholarship
When we first met to discuss the best way for Control to contribute to the dismantling of the systemic racism that led to the recent death of Mr. Floyd, the latest in a long line of Black Americans killed by armed forces, it was an easy decision to elevate the voice and work of Kathleen Stanford Grant by creating a scholarship in her name. Kathy Grant is the only Black "Pilates Elder" and pioneered in more ways than just leading the instruction of Pilates.
This scholarship will go towards a full year's tuition of Real Pilates Classical Teacher Training & Mentorship at our studio. The person who graduates this year long apprenticeship and training will hold a certificate that affirms them as a 3rd generation teacher having learned under Alycea Ungaro who is a protege of Romana Kryzanowska. Romana, like Kathy, taught in Joseph’s studio as well as Carola’s studio. The history that links us all is rich, not simply because the closer you are to the genius that created this system the less distilled the product, but because the women that trained with Joseph Pilates to teach his method in those early years have changed lives and the fitness industry as we know it through their teaching!
We will raise money for this scholarship by teaching a weekly donation based class. Please follow this link to register and learn more about Kathy's accomplishments as we have embedded a brief history of her professional work in the class description.
The goal of this scholarship is to ensure more POC to not just enter, but teach and lead in this largely one-dimensional fitness world that is “Pilates” we created a scholarship in memory of Kathleen Stanford Grant who grew up black in a racially segregated country in the 1920’s dreaming of becoming a Classical Dancer. While piercing the white vail of Classical Dance did not happen in her lifetime she did pioneer in various other ways in the dance community and in business. She was the first black student enrolled in the Boston College Dance program and danced in the first racially integrated show on Broadway before being sidelined with an injury that she recovered from by working with the infamous Joseph Pilates. Kathy later went on to accomplish much more for other black dancers in the ballet world and taught the Pilates method to thousands upon thousands!
When Kathy died in 2010 at the age of 88, having shared her wisdom of how to hold ourselves in this world various teachers carried on her story and legacy. One of those women and teachers is Blossom Leilani Crawford, lovingly referred to as “The Prop Princess” and the trailblazing protege of Kathy Grant who shares this work with women like us so that we may also continue to tell her story.
We want Kathy Grant’s story to inspire the black community of every gender and background so that we can recruit teachers of rich backgrounds in hopes that the healing strength Joseph Pilates provided Kathy Grant, Romana Kryzanowska and countless others will not be something reserved for the few, but instead, be a gift of power through knowledge that we all share.