Charlotte Blake
Founder + Certified Pilates Instructor

Charlotte established Charlotte Blake Pilates to help people bring greater alignment, strength, and presence to their body and their lives. Charlotte’s passion for this work is fueled by her lifelong love for dance. After studying ballet and contemporary dance for many years, receiving her BFA in Dance from Purchase College, and navigating life as a dancer in New York City, she decided to pursue a career in holistic movement and wellness.

As a dancer, Charlotte struggled to take care of her self and her body. She developed a warped sense of body image and a toxic relationship with food, drastically fluctuating in weight. Pilates truly changed her life. Throughout her pilates training, Charlotte learned the importance of knowing how the body works. As she reconnected with her own body, she realized how much physical pain she had been living with and rediscovered how to stand, walk, dance, and move her body in a powerful and pain-free way.

Charlotte’s transformative journey ultimately brought her to a place where she now celebrates her life, honors her body, and loves her self in all her imperfection. Because of her experience, she takes the time to get to know each individual and determine what will best serve them and their body, listening attentively even when others haven’t. It is Charlotte's intention to help you better understand your body and your self so that you can stand firm in your power and embrace the beauty in your life.

Colleen Chilson
Certified Pilates Instructor

Colleen grew up a competitive gymnast and has been an avid fitness enthusiast her entire adult life. She discovered Pilates 10 years ago and fell in love with the practice. Pilates helped her to regain flexibility, increase strength and learn better body awareness. She eventually decided to leave the corporate fashion world to pursue her passion of helping others through the Pilates Method. 

Colleen completed her Pilates mat and apparatus certifications from the Kane School of Core Integration in New York City. She firmly believes in the mind-body connection and the healing power of movement. She enjoys working with people of all ages and fitness levels and likes to provide a challenging but fun and rewarding session that is tailored to the client’s individual fitness goals.

Katie Montoya
Certified Pilates Instructor

Katie was introduced to Pilates through mat classes as a teen during her early dance training in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It wasn't until she moved to New York City while pursuing dance that she first tried the Pilates studio equipment while recovering from an injury. Katie then studied and became a certified instructor in 2015 at Rolates Pilates under Roberta Kirschenbaum. She also studied kinesthetic anatomy with Irene Dowd of Julliard's dance faculty.

Specializing in classical Pilates with a contemporary approach, Katie focuses on injury prevention and recovery through proper body mechanics, efficiency of movement, and encouraging body awareness. Her favorite aspects of Pilates are its focus on quality of movement, flow, and the challenge of precision. Katie attended the University of California, Irvine where she received B.A.'s in dance and drama in 2011. She is currently performing in her eighth season with Treehouse Shakers, an NYC based theater company for young audiences.