Polestar Principles
Brent Anderson PhD, PT, OCS, President and CEO
A licensed Physical Therapist and Orthopedic Certified Specialist for more than 13 years, Brent is a leading authority in performing arts medicine and Pilates-evolved techniques for rehabilitation. He lectures widely at national and international symposia and consults with professional dance companies, schools, and conservatories throughout the world. In addition, he owns and operates two of the nations most comprehensive Pilates conditioning and physical therapy centers. These highly successful studios have become the model for many other Pilates studios worldwide.
Brent received his degree in physical therapy at University of California, San Francisco in 1989 and is currently adjunct faculty at the University of Miami, Division of Physical Therapy. His doctoral thesis explored the impact of Pilates rehabilitation on chronic low back pain using psycho-emotional wellness and quality of life measures. Brent is a 15-year member of the American Physical Therapy Association for which he formerly served as President of its Performing Arts Special Interest Group. He is also a longtime member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science.
Contact Brent Anderson directly: brent@polestarpilates.com
Maree Seerden Polestar Pilates New Zealand
Maree Seerden is the Director and founder of the Pilates Body Studio, a Pilates conditioning and rehabilitation centre in the heart of Auckland city, New Zealand. This was the first Pilates studio to open its doors in New Zealand in 1995.
Maree has been a devotee to the technique since 1987, she started teaching Pilates based exercises in 1992 in London at the famous Body Control studios in South Kensington under the auspices of Gordon Thomson. Maree has multiple international certifications in Pilates.
Maree and husband Andrew are the New Zealand Licensees for Polestar Pilates. She is also an Educator and Mentor for Polestar Pilates. Polestar Pilates NZ was established in New Zealand in 2000.
Annual international travel and workshops keeps Maree networking within the Pilates community and they keep her up to date with the latest advances in the constant evolving Pilates method.
Dav Cohen, PT, Principle Educator
Dav was first introduced to Pilates exercise in 1992 while working in Los Angeles, California as a fitness instructor and personal trainer. His interest in the movement sciences and rehabilitation led him to pursue a Master of Science Degree in Physical Therapy, which he received from the University of Miami in 1998.
Since then Dav has worked in a variety of fitness and rehabilitation settings, including Orthopedic Physical therapy clinics, fitness centers, health clubs and Pilates studios. He has been a Principal Educator with Polestar Pilates Education since 1997 and is currently Director of Curriculum for Polestar worldwide. Dav has just completed 3 years living in Sydney, Australia as the Director of Educator Development for Australia and New Zealand. When not in Denver, Dav conducts Polestar Pilates teacher training workshops and seminars nationally and internationally.
Dav is dedicated to the continued evolution of the Pilates community and is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance. Through his work he hopes to help maintain the highest standards of Pilates education and information and foster a spirit of unity and professionalism within the industry. Dav is an avid mountain biker, snowboarder, surfer and scuba diver.
Contact Dav Cohen directly: dav@polestarpilates.com
Shelly Power, BS
Shelly is a Principal Educator for Polestar Pilates Education. She has taught for Polestar Pilates since its inception in 1992. Shelly trained with Polestar co-founders Brent Anderson and Elizabeth Larkam, as well as other master trainers in the US and abroad. She worked as a physical therapy aide with Polestar President Brent Anderson for 7 years, and later moved with Polestar to Miami in 1998. Shelly is co-founder of Polestar Pilates Miami, a Pilates-evolved conditioning, rehabilitation and physical therapy studio in Miami, Florida. She is pursuing certification in the Gyrotonic Expansion System with Angela Crowley. She has been a member of International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) since 1996 and is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance. Shelly danced professionally for 12 years with the Sacramento-based modern dance company Dale Scholl Dance/Art. She received her BS degree in Dance from California State University, Sacramento, where she served on the faculty from 1992-1998.
Contact Shelly Power directly: shelly@polestarpilates.com
Alastair Greetham, MCSP
Alastair Greetham has been a Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists for twenty years. He trained in the military, working mainly in the area of orthopaedic rehabilitation, where he had the unique opportunity of working with a young, fit population who needed to return to activity very quickly. His interests in sports and movement led him to study many different disciplines and specialise in movement and posture-related problems. Alastair is also trained in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. His interest in learning led to training in hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. He subsequently trained with Polestar Pilates Education to use Pilates exercise in a clinical environment and is now working to develop systems to unite his different areas of interest, in order to enhance healing and performance ability. Alastair is a Principal Educator for Polestar, and leads Polestar courses extensively in the UK, Asia, and Australia.
Contact Alastair Greetham directly: alastair@polestarpilates.com
Sherri Betz, PT
Sherri is a 1991 graduate of the Louisiana State University Medical Center’s School of Physical Therapy. Sherri began her career as a national gymnastics competitor and as a Group Fitness Instructor in the 1980's. Utilization of Pilates-based methods with a specialty in the treatment of the pelvic girdle and manual therapy of the spine are integral in her practice as a Physical Therapist and founder of TheraPilates® Physical Therapy & Gyrotonic® in Santa Cruz, CA. She has developed Women's and Corporate Wellness Programs for ergonomics, safe exercise, osteoporosis, nutrition, post-menopause education, cancer prevention, and low back pain. As an international Polestar Principal Educator, Sherri teaches an advanced program in Osteoporosis Management, and her extensive research on the treatment and prevention of Osteoporosis led to the development of The Osteoporosis Exercise Book: Building Better Bones book, and the following videos: Pilates for Osteoporosis, Pilates for Seniors, Dealing with Acute Low Back Pain and Pre-Natal Pilates. She was nominated for the APTA Clinical Excellence in Geriatrics Award in 2004. She was elected to the Board of Directors for the Pilates Method Alliance in 2003, served on the medical advisory panel for the PMA Pilates National Certification Exam, and co-authored The PMA Pilates Exam Study Guide in order to improve the quality and safety of Pilates Instruction.
Contact Sherri Betz directly: sherri@polestarpilates.com