Romana Kryzanowska passed away on August 30, 2013. Though she was ninety years old, and had been retired from the public for some years, those of us who had the good fortune to have trained with her were unprepared to see her go.
Romana was a student at The American School of Ballet in 1940 when an ankle injury brought her to Joseph Pilates’ studio. Joe said she was a “natural,” and she quickly became his star student and an assistant at the studio.
Over the years, Romana became like family to Joseph and Clara. She called him Uncle Joe, and continued to call him that name throughout her life. Even during a period of years when Romana lived in Peru after marrying Pablo Mejia in 1944, and raised her children Paul and Sari, she remained close to Joe, corresponding regularly through letters.
Romana studied and worked with Joseph and Clara Pilates until Joe’s death in 1967, and went on to teach with Clara until her death in 1977. She then carried on running the studio until the early 1980s, through several changes in ownership, names, and locations. Eventually, she went on to found Romana’s Pilates, where she taught Pilates and trained instructors well into her eighties.
Romana taught in New York for most of her career and traveled widely to train teachers. But Romana didn’t just teach, Romana was completely immersed in Joe’s work at the studio and she dedicated her life to learning, teaching, and preserving it. Her skill and joy in teaching Pilates is legendary, as was her passion for life. She inspired great devotion in her students, not only because of who she was and what she could do, but because she was 100 percent committed to them – each one was special to her. It was not always easy to be a student of Romana. She was demanding. She had high standards. She could be very tough. But she knew the work intimately, she knew how to really see a body, and she could bring that body into Pilates. She held a vision that was beyond what a student thought they could do — and she got them there, with a wink and a smile.
Romana had an incredible influence on the path Pilates has taken. Regardless of what Pilates lineage you train in, she is an important part of our Pilates history. She was brilliant and engaging, always smiling with bright and mischievous eyes — and how she loved a party — preferably with champagne and flowers.
I have been continuously impressed and inspired by the commitment and love for Pilates as an art and discipline, and for some a lifestyle, that Romana ignited in those of us who were lucky enough to be her students. I have seen first hand how that flame has fueled the respect for and growth of Pilates in the world. I can’t thank her enough for what I know has come into my life because of her. My hope is that generations of Pilates students will feel that connection.
It is my goal to teach Joseph Pilates’ system of exercise as it was taught to me by Romana, and I am honored to be part of such a distinguished lineage.
Na Zdorovie, Romana!
