Fletcher Pilates - Evolved from the Source
In 1948, a young dancer named Ron Fletcher walked into Joseph Pilates’ New York studio, seeking help for a knee injury. What he discovered was far more than rehabilitation, it was revelation. Ron immediately recognized in Pilates the same clarity, intention, and artistry that drew him to modern dance under Martha Graham. That discovery would define his life’s work and eventually reshape the Pilates landscape.
From Broadway to Beverly Hills, from the Ice Capades to international workshops, Ron carried the Pilates method into new territory, infusing it with rhythm, breath, and theatrical vitality. Today, under the direction of Kyria Sabin, the Fletcher Pilates lineage continues that evolution, honoring its origins while expanding its reach and relevance for a new generation of movers.
Who was Ron Fletcher, and how did he help shape the Pilates method as we know it today?
Ron Fletcher was one of Joseph and Clara Pilates’ most devoted students, a dancer, choreographer, and visionary who saw the body as an instrument of both strength and expression. After years performing on Broadway and choreographing for stage, film, and television — including a historic role as the first non–ice-skating choreographer for the International Ice Capades — Ron turned his focus entirely to Pilates.
He opened the Ron Fletcher Studio for Body Contrology May 1, 1972 on Rodeo Drive at Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California - the first Pilates studio on the West Coast. His clientele included famous socialites, actors, and performers who were drawn to his unique blend of discipline and artistry. Fletcher was also among the first to take Pilates education beyond the studio, leading workshops around the world and introducing thousands of people to the work.
The Fletcher Pilates tagline “Evolved from the Source” captures his legacy perfectly. While Ron consistently remained deeply rooted in the foundational “A-B-C's” of the Pilates method, as Clara Pilates referred to them, he consciously evolved method organically, based on his deep understanding of human movement and exploration of breath. The signature techniques he developed, including the Fletcher Towelwork®, Fletcher Floorwork®, Fletcher Barrework™ and the Percussive Breath™, emerged from a desire to teach movement that was both rooted in ABC’s and biomechanically sound, as well as organically alive.
What defines the essence of Fletcher Pilates and what makes it unique within the Pilates landscape?
At its core, Fletcher Pilates is movement-based, breath-driven, and artistically inspired. It honors the intelligence of the body and the elegance of motion. The approach is precise yet expressive, as well as technical, but never clinical.
Ron often said, “The Breath is the drumbeat.” That idea permeates every Fletcher movement and class. The Percussive Breath Technique established the breath into rhythm — an audible pulse that animates the body from the inside out. Movement and breath are inseparable, as the breath sets the pace and tone of the work.
Similarly, Fletcher Towelwork began as a simple teaching tool to help clients stabilize, organize and mobilize the shoulder girdle and then grew into an elegant, complete movement system that integrates the entire body. It’s accessible to everyone from professional dancers and athletes to individuals recovering from shoulder and chest wall surgeries, and can be practiced anywhere.
Based on the Pilates movement principles and rooted in the Graham technique, the Fletcher Floorwork incorporates full-body, 3-dimensional sequences that challenge alignment, movement articulation, spatial awareness, coordination, control and creativity, while the Fletcher Barrework brings the reformer program to a vertical standing environment, as Ron was the first to introduce a Pilates-based barre program in a Pilates studio and workshop setting.
Each of these innovations reflects Ron’s deep understanding of anatomy, his dancer’s intuition, and his insistence that movement should always be intentional.
How does Fletcher Pilates interpret the relationship between breath, control, and artistry?
Breath, control, and artistry form the foundation of the Fletcher approach. The work is about breathing the movement to life… allowing the breath to shape the motion, rather than simply accompany it.
Ron introduced the concept of the “goesintas” — the seamless transitions that link one movement to the next. These moments of flow are where technique becomes artistry. In Fletcher Pilates, you don’t perform isolated exercises; you experience a continuous, integrated dance of control and release, strength and grace.
Every inhale initiates expansion. Every exhale refines precision. It’s a conversation between the mind and the body.
Ron’s background as a dancer clearly shaped his approach. How does that artistry live on in Fletcher Pilates today?
Ron’s years with the Martha Graham Company gave him a deep appreciation for the emotional and expressive power of movement. That influence is alive in every Fletcher experience. Moreover, he quickly recognized the correlation between the Graham contraction/release and Pilates exercises such as the hundred and the stomach massage. He married Pilates’ approach to balanced, symmetrical physical conditioning to Graham’s grounded, visceral approach to movement and dance. He seamlessly blended structure and artistry, allowing students to feel both the precision and the freedom of movement.
How does the Fletcher lineage preserve authenticity while continuing to evolve?
We’re very intentional about balancing reverence for tradition with openness to evolution, blending classical with contemporary approaches. Our education clearly distinguishes what stems directly from Joseph and Clara Pilates and what Ron developed, with Clara’s blessing - evolved from the source.
Our Fletcher Foundations Course provides both new students - as well as seasoned teachers - an educational opportunity to understand the 4 foundational pillars that support a well rounded Fletcher Pilates Teacher:
Foundational Movement, Pedagogy, Anatomy and History
This solid foundation enables students to embody the work and develop a deeper understanding of the Fletcher Fundamentals, teaching techniques, history and anatomy before advancing to our comprehensive Program of Study. It’s a progression that ensures quality, consistency, and depth while inviting individual exploration and growth.
This structure keeps the Fletcher Pilates lineage alive. Our educational curriculum remains pure in its classical intentions and principles yet flexible enough to speak to those seeking a more contemporary approach to the method.
For someone stepping into a Fletcher class for the first time, what should they expect?
A Fletcher Pilates private session and class usually begin and end in standing and centering — a practice Ron used to refer to as “taking inventory.” It’s a moment to arrive, breathe, and notice how you feel - and to reassess at the end before leaving the studio and returning to your life. Students often take note and comment on feeling taller, lighter, more connected at the end of class.
Throughout the class, you’ll experience precise, breath-driven continuous movement that engages the whole body. Expect focus, rhythm, and moments of artistry… the kind that leave you not just stronger, but more alive in your body. Fletcher Pilates asks you to move with intelligence and imagination. You’ll leave feeling integrated, energized, and centered — the way Ron intended.
On a personal note, what first drew you to Ron’s work, and what continues to inspire you today?
The first time I experienced a Fletcher session, I was hooked. Even the simplest movements demanded my undivided attention, focus, curiosity, and awareness. It was the first time I felt fully challenged, mind and body, and the first time I understood that movement could be both disciplined, challenging and joyful.
When I later met Ron in 1991, after taking sessions at his studio in Los Angeles with Diane Severino, everything about the work clicked. Ron used to say that when something made perfect sense, it spelled "M-O-T-H-E-R.” That feeling of rightness, of being part of something deeply authentic, has stayed with me ever since. It continues to inspire my teaching, and it connects me to every student and teacher who experiences this work.
Ron later invited me to direct his lineage and lead his legacy forward - an honor of a lifetime.
Looking ahead, how do you see the Fletcher legacy evolving?
Our new program structure makes the Fletcher work more accessible to people at all stages - from seasoned professionals to those just discovering Pilates. The goal is to offer pathways for exploration, growth, and mastery that didn’t exist before.
Looking forward, I see a global community that continues to expand, one that celebrates Ron’s legacy not as a chapter of history, but as a living, breathing tradition. The Fletcher style of the Pilates method has always been about traditional and evolution. And that evolution continues today.
Kyria Sabin studied directly with Ron Fletcher for more than 2 decades, and is the Director of Fletcher Pilates, the only school endorsed by Fletcher. She leads the international Fletcher organization, overseeing its educational programs, faculty, and global community.
Honoring the origins of the Pilates method, Kyria continues to disseminate
Ron Fletcher’s evolutionary vision, guiding its conscious evolutionfor generations to come.