EDUCATION, MENTORSHIP, INSTRUCTORS
Upcoming Courses in Tacoma
with Angelie
* To be announced
Courses that we've hosted in partnership with Angelie Melzer and Balanced Body Education: Anatomy in Three Dimensions, Reformer 1, 2 and 3, Chair(s), Barrel(s), Cadillac
Let us know if there is a Balanced Body course that you'd like us to host!
Balanced Body Education in Tacoma led by Principal Educator Angelie Melzer
Learn more about Angelie by clicking on her full name above.
PILATES TACOMA
Mentorship-Program led by
Alease Frieson
Learn to practice and teach the system of Pilates on the mat with small props, 2lb weights, reformer, chair(s), barrel(s), cadillac, pedi-pole, baby chair, magic circle, foot-corrector and toe-corrector, through a series of intensives and private lessons.
Gain genuine community in practice and access to both of our studios for personal-practice, observation and teaching hours, 1:1 private sessions, and mentoring with Alease and other instructors in our collective.
Learn the somatic approach to teaching that sets us apart. Practice the original Pilates repertoire and learn to teach on both classical and contemporary Pilates equipment.
Private lessons twice a month with Alease
Duo or small group lessons once a week with collective members.
Group workout once a week with lead instructor
Access to our video library
Registration for Fall 2026
1 Year Program and
2 Year Program
is Now Open
email info@pilatestacoma.com to apply
"Alease truly stands out in her expertise and ability to cater to individual student needs. Every session, she assesses my short-term and long-term movement goals. This attention to detail ensures that everyone she works with feels supported and challenged. Alease excels in creating a customized experience that empowers students to achieve their personal goals. Whether you’re a complete novice or a seasoned mover, you’ll find a home here that nurtures your growth and celebrates your progress. Plus, the space is well-maintained and super cute, with plenty of space and equipment. Highly recommend!"
- Dr. Jacob's GOOGLE review
"I’ve had nagging discomfort in my mid and lower back for months and tried many other ways to relieve it and within my first 3 sessions with Alease… it has vanished. She is very intentional and observant (and obviously knowledgeable!) and this is helping me to relearn more functional movement patterns… I mean even breathing!"
- 2025 GOOGLE review
Pilates Tacoma Mentorship-Program led by Alease Frieson
Learn to practice and teach the system of Pilates on the mat with small props, 2lb weights, reformer, chair(s), barrel(s), cadillac, pedi-pole, baby chair, magic circle, foot-corrector and toe-corrector, through a series of intensives and private lessons.
Gain genuine community in practice and access to both of our studios for personal-practice, observation and teaching hours, 1:1 private sessions, and mentoring with Alease and other instructors in our collective.
Learn the approach to teaching that sets our program apart - centering movement-repatterning, and neuromuscular reeducation, pre-Pilates, Joe's original exercises on the mat and apparatus, along with variations from Alease's lineage. Learn to teach the system on both classical and contemporary Pilates equipment.
2 Private lessons each month with Alease
1 Duo lesson or small group class once a week with collective members.
Group workout once a week with lead instructor
Access to our growing content library
Pay monthly, every three months or in one payment!
Registration for the Fall 2026
1 Year Program is Now Open
email info@pilatestacoma.com to inquire and apply
"I’ve had nagging discomfort in my mid and lower back for months and tried many other ways to relieve it and within my first 3 sessions with Alease… it has vanished. She is very intentional and observant (and obviously knowledgeable!) and this is helping me to relearn more functional movement patterns… I mean even breathing!"
- 2025 GOOGLE review
"Alease truly stands out in her expertise and ability to cater to individual student needs. Every session, she assesses my short-term and long-term movement goals. This attention to detail ensures that everyone she works with feels supported and challenged. Alease excels in creating a customized experience that empowers students to achieve their personal goals. Whether you’re a complete novice or a seasoned mover, you’ll find a home here that nurtures your growth and celebrates your progress. Plus, the space is well-maintained and super cute, with plenty of space and equipment. Highly recommend!"
- Dr. Jacob's GOOGLE review
PILATES TACOMA Instructors
Julie started teaching Pilates as an apprentice in 2024. A Pilates Tacoma Mentorship-program Member since 2023, a certified GYROTONIC trainer since 2025 and a GYROKENESIS trainer since 2026 - Julie will get you moving!
Comprehensive Pilates Teacher
Studio operator / owner since 2014
Pilates Tacoma founder 2018
Tacoma Movement Center founder 2025
Pilates Lineage Alease Frieson --> Meli-Tashi Happy --> Tara Stepenberg --> Eve Gentry --> Joseph Pilates
Mentors Balanced Body Edu. Principal Educator / Master Trainer Angelie Melzer
and
Pilates Educator, Author and Historian Christina Gadar
Neuro Studio Level 1 Teacher specializing in Pilates for neuro-muscular conditions such as, spinal-cord injuries, Myopathy, POTS, Parkinson's disease, Fibromyalgia, Occipital Neuralgia, Multiple sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Parkinsons
GYROTONIC® Trainer certified January 2021
Learn more about Alease's GYROTONIC® education and offerings here
Alease's journey into Somatics and comprehensive Pilates practice began in 2011 when she first met Meli-Tashi Happy. In 2014, they co-founded Integrated Pilates Tacoma. After years of mentorship and apprentice-teaching hours, she completed an additional comprehensive, 600-hour, Somatic-Pilates teacher training in 2016. By 2018, she independently established a small studio downtown Tacoma where she continued to practice and hone her approach. There, she quietly built a business off of referrals from clients and medical professionals. That same year, she spent six months working at the private Pilates studio of Chiropractic Dr. Lissa Grannis with her clients. Dr. Grannis sought her out after seeing Alease's impact on a shared client.
Alease has predominantly worked with private clients since 2014, but for three years, she served as faculty to a local ballet school where she offered Pilates as dance-conditioning to three levels of academy dancers and Creative Movement class to four- to six-year-olds. She enjoys creating effective cross-training experiences for athletes of all ages.
In 2020, Alease expanded her movement vocabulary by enrolling in the inaugural Beyond Elements GYROTONIC® scholarship program founded by Justine Bernard, PT, DPT. She became a certified GYROTONIC® Trainer in January 2021 and has taken a GYROTONIC® course every year since - continuing to deepen her understanding of the pedagogy and repertoire through practice.
Alease's approach to teaching Pilates, Somatics and the GYROTONIC® Expansion system is rooted in her commitment to community wellness and healing through embodiment-practices.
Julie Rivera
Angeli Cruz
Alease Frieson
Angeli Kiana is a Seattle-born Pilates instructor and former professional ballerina whose work is deeply rooted in discipline, artistry, and transformation through movement.
She began her ballet training at age 8 through Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s highly selective DanceChance program, earning a full scholarship and advancing through the school on merit. She later entered the Professional Division and, in 2015, made history as the first female DanceChance student to be offered an apprenticeship with Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Throughout her training, Angeli was awarded scholarships to some of the most prestigious institutions in the world, including the School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet School, and Miami City Ballet School. She further expanded her artistic experience internationally as a guest apprentice with Semperoper Ballett in Dresden, Germany, where she had the opportunity to perform abroad.
With a professional dance career spanning over a decade, Pilates remained a constant foundation in her training, eventually becoming her path forward after retiring from dance. Her personal postpartum healing journey deepened her connection to the method, inspiring her to pursue formal training through Balanced Body.
Angeli brings over 15 years of Pilates experience into her teaching, blending classical technique with a refined, intuitive approach shaped by her elite dance background. She specializes in intentional, intelligent movement that emphasizes alignment, strength, and the mind-body connection, with a growing focus on emotional healing through movement.
Her classes are known for their elegance, precision, and empowering energy, inviting clients to reconnect with their bodies, build strength from within, and move with confidence and grace.
My journey with Pilates began during my dance and choreography studies at Riverside Community College (2001–2004). There, under the mentorship of Josephine Deardorf at the Eleanor H. Crabtree Pilates Studio, I completed comprehensive training in beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels across all major Pilates apparatus, including mat, reformer, chair, barrel, Cadillac, and floor ballet. I had the opportunity to assist in the piloting studio’s future certification program.
In 2008, I furthered my education with Stott Pilates in New York City, focusing on beginner and intermediate mat and reformer training with Tara Gregorio and Olivia Sadeler. I also received private mentorship in using arc barrels, foam rollers, resistance bands, and other Pilates accessories. During this time, I taught reformer classes and open sessions at Chelsea Piers and led mat Pilates classes at various venues, including Sedona Fitness, the YMCA, Lucille Roberts Gym, and for private clients.
Since moving back home to Washington in 2017 and restarting my fitness career post-COVID, I’ve deepened my knowledge through a comprehensive mentorship program with Alease at Pilates Tacoma. This program has reinforced my expertise through rigorous personal practice, observed teaching sessions, and one-on-one mentorship, ensuring a thorough understanding of all apparatus and levels. I have completed my mat, reformer, and barrel training at the beginner and intermediate levels. I remain an active mentee in a comprehensive mentorship-program with Alease at Pilates Tacoma.
Jofia Ross