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Babette Lienhard
Janelle Thompson
Jennifer Pollack
Michael Young
Babette Lienhard
(Pilates Instructor)
Babette has been teaching mat Pilates and Pilates one-to-one and two-to-one instruction in studios in Westport and Norwalk since 2003. Her philosophy caters to the “Natural Spine-Tailbone Connection” method of training.
Babette graduated from Simmons College in Boston and began an extensive career in retailing that spans over twenty five years. She began at Bamberger’s (which later became Macy’s) on their executive training squad. Over the next twenty years she rose to Group Vice President of Merchandising. Over an additional five years, she branched out to other companies within the industry and also ran her own consulting and product development company. While working in retail, Babette joined a health club in New York and signed up for a Pilates mat class after hearing about all its benefits.
She found it difficult to catch on in a class atmosphere so she decided to work one to one with a Pilates instructor and in an instant she was totally hooked. She stayed with Pilates as her main source of exercise. Then in 2001, with her daughter starting high school, she decided it was time to make a major career change. Babette wanted to pursue something she was passionate about so she spent an intense year and a half receiving Pilates instruction and training and she obtained certification from the Physical Mind Institute in NY to teach mat Pilates and individual training on Pilates equipment. Wanting to excel in her new endeavor Babette also studied movement and anatomy for a full year with Irene Down. When she’s not at Pinnacle Babette is most likely participating in a Pilates workshop to further enhance her knowledge and skills.
Janelle Thompson
(Pilates Instructor)
Janelle Thompson Biggs has been a life long student of dance and physical training. She began her studies with Pilates in high school. Pilates became an important strength training method for Janelle during formal ballet training. She has performed and studied with the New Haven Ballet, the Nutmeg Ballet, The Dance Theatre, The Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Eva Dean Dance Co. Janelle also performed and trained with independent choreographers like Hedi Latsky, Sean Curran, Michael Tracy, Doug Elkins, Merce Cunningham, and Marjorie Mussman. During Janelle's dance career Pilates became an important means to keep up her strength, flexibility, and rehabilitation from injuries. Later in her dance career, Pilates classes actually became a requirement to stay in some of the dance companies she toured and danced for.
A certified Pilates instructor through The Physical Mind Institute in NYC, she graduated from Roger Williams University with a degree in dance with an emphasis on ballet and modern dance. Further studies in dance took Janelle abroad to London where she studied and trained with Anna DuBoisson and Bill Louther. London is where her serious training with Yoga began. She is currently pursuing both an advanced Pilates certification and a Yoga certification at The Physical Mind Institute. Janelle is also studying Bartenieff Fundamentals and Gait Analysis. These two methods will be used in conjunction with her Pilates training in taking this body-mind awareness outside the gym into everyday life.”
Jennifer Pollack
(Pilates Instructor)
Jennifer Pollack brings a varied background of professional dance, shiatsu massage and Pilates Training to her understanding of the human body. She was first introduced to Pilates in 1991 while studying modern dance in NYC. In 1996, Jennifer completed her first Pilates Certification (600 apprenticeship hours) with Romana Kryzanowska. Since then she has taught at Power Pilates studios in NYC, Canyon Ranch in Arizona and locally in Connecticut. In July 2008 Jennifer re-certified with Power Pilates in order to deepen her own understanding of the Pilates Method and to share this knowledge with others. The classical system of Pilates' goal is to restore the natural curvatures of the spine (including a "neutral pelvis"), by strengthening the deep core muscles. This in turn allows for a balance of strength, stretch, stamina and stability in each individual.
Michael Young
Owner and Executive Chef of Valencia Luncheria
At the tender age of 21, Michael became chef of Buckaroo’s, specializing in south-western cuisine. Here, he quickly became adept at kitchen supervision, calculating food and labor costs, and menu design, thus adding a new dimension to his restaurant repertoire.In 1994, Michael began working with Douglas Rodriguez at the three star nuevo latino restaurant, Patria in Manhattan. Under the tutelage of this renowned chef, he received the "Rising Star Chef of the Year" award by the James Beard Foundation.
This experience helped him during his tenure as a consultant for Erizo Latino, a 70-seat seafood restaurant in the heart of Soho. During this time, he was also the Executive Chef of the Doral Park Avenue Hotel. For his efforts of being responsible for all American food and beverage styles for the hotel, as well as the training of kitchen staff members, he received the "Chef 2000" award from "The American Tasting Institute". While Michael has garnered a well-rounded resume encompassing every aspect of the restaurant industry,
it is his food which best defines him. The owners of a then-yet-to-be- established southwestern restaurant in Aspen, Colorado were so thoroughly impressed by him that they invited him to consult for their designing team.
As the Chef de Cuisine, he created the theme and menu for Blue Maize, which catapulted the restaurant into its present luster.
Michael's reputation brought him back to his hometown of New York City and he was promptly presented with the immense challenge of revamping a hip, kosher restaurant whose food was generally considered sub-par, The menu of Lansky Lounge has been transformed into whimsical fantasy, featuring such delicious innovations as battered sole coupled with traditional kasha, a dish that excels in both presentation and taste. In 1999, excited to work with the nuevo latino style that he learned under Douglas Rodriguez, Michael became Executive Chef of Habana in South Norwalk, Connecticut. Working for Habana provided Michael with the opportunity to truly test his skills as he was offered the position of Executive Chef at its new sister restaurant Ocean Drive. In October of 2004 Michael opened his own restaurant, Valencia Luncheria and shortly thereafter through fate began collaborating with Pinnacle Health & Fitness, LLC on their nutrition program. Nutrition counselor Debbie Levin develops personalized meal plans for individual clients or families and Michael prepares the meals and delivers them fresh to Pinnacle.
203-255-6674
1849 Post Road East, Westport 06880
info@pinnaclehealthandfitness.com
Debbie Levin or Philip LiCastri