Pilates Connection INstructors

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Level X Senior Master Instructor Trainer

After a successful career as ballroom dancer, Rhonda Celenza was introduced to Pilates as an avenue to strengthen and enhance her dance skills. Her first Pilates lesson was with Romana Kryzanowksa. Rhonda was certified as a Romana’s Pilates International teacher in 1995. Her desire to teach and perpetuate the Pilates legacy led her to open The Pilates Connection in Evanston, IL, in 2005. 

Rhonda is a Level X Senior Master Instructor and is the Midwest Region Director for Romana's Pilates International. She was personally chosen to become an Instructor Trainer by Romana Kryzanowksa herself and studied for many years with Romana and with Juanita Lopez. Rhonda prepares all apprentice teachers for testing in the Romana’s Pilates International teaching method. 

Rhonda teaches private clients, teachers, and apprentices at Pilates Connection and leads Seminars for the Independent Instructor Training Program at Pilates Connection and studios throughout the U.S. Rhonda is sought after as a teacher of teachers around the world.

Level IV Instructor Trainer

Owner, Pilates Connection  

A former professional dancer and dance teacher, Dawn was drawn to Pilates for the discipline of the method and its balance of strength and flexibility. After receiving other Pilates certifications beginning in 2004, Dawn began studying with Rhonda Celenza and Juanita Lopez in 2010 and was certified as a Romana’s Pilates instructor in 2012. 

Dawn has taught at private studios as well as master classes and workshops for schools and colleges in the Midwest.

Dawn became a Level IV Instructor Trainer in 2022; she became owner of Pilates Connection in 2023. Dawn feels grateful for a career that is personally challenging physically and mentally, allows her to help clients feel and move better, and helps to prepare the next generation of Pilates teachers.

Level IV Instructor Trainer

Chris found Pilates and immediately fell in love.  As an active person who loves skiing, tennis, and golf, nothing compared to how Pilates made her feel.  In fact, it made everything she loves to do easier, stronger, and more fun!

Chris began the Romana’s Pilates Instructor Training Program at Pilates Connection in Evanston in 2005 and feels that it prepared her, challenged her, and taught her everything she needed to know to become an instructor. She was certified in 2006.  Chris became a Level IV Instructor Trainer in 2022.

Chris has taught at Pilates Connection since 2007 and also owns and teaches at Pilates Studio 6 in Barrington. It’s the best job ever!

Senior Level V Instructor

Jackie began her Pilates training in 1993 as part of her BFA in Dance at Stephens College. She moved to Evanston in 1997 to study with Juanita Lopez. Her training seminars with Roxanne Richard Huang, Sari Mejia Santo, and Romana Kryzanowska grounded Jackie in the essence of classical Pilates. Jackie was certified as a Pilates instructor by Romana herself in 1998.

Jackie was also a professional modern, jazz, and tap dancer, teacher, and choreographer, receiving her MFA in dance from UW-Milwaukee in 2008. Jackie honed in on her desire to help people love moving to one-on-one Pilates lessons. She happily pivoted to exclusively training individuals, and is now delighted to join Pilates Connection, a studio deeply committed to constant learning.

Senior Level V Instructor

After exploring many different exercise systems, Sheila discovered Pilates in 2005.  She was certified as a Romana’s Pilates Level V instructor by Juanita Lopez in 2017. Sheila was motivated to teach so that others might experience the benefits in health and well-being that she finds in the work.   

Sheila has taught Pilates at Hubbard Street Dance Center, Chicago, Classic Pilates, Oak Park, and Pilates Practice at Ruth Page Center for the Arts, Chicago.  She has an MAEA from DePaul University and an MFA from Plymouth University, UK.

Senior Level V Instructor

Yeongyin’s journey with movement began in South Korea in 2014, where she first started training in contemporary Pilates. Driven by a desire to deepen her practice and understanding of the method, she moved to New York in 2017 to study the classical Pilates. She training under master teachers Cynthia Shipley, Sari Mejia  Santo, and Anthony Rabara, earning her Romana’s Pilates certification in 2018. Yeongyin later moved to Chicago and continued training with Juanita Lopez and Rhonda Celenza.

Yeongyin's path to Pilates was deeply personal; after being diagnosed with spondylolisthesis in 2013, she discovered firsthand the transformative power of the  method. Pilates didn’t just return her to her former strength and flexibility; it gave her a "new body" and a profound respect for the mind-body connection.

Yeongyin is pursuing a Doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture and Herbs). She loves integrating this "inside and out" approach to health, helping clients truly connect with their bodies.

Level V Instructor

With fourteen years of dance experience, Emma was naturally drawn to Pilates. An Evanston native, Emma started taking ballroom lessons taught by her dad in 2010. Eventually she found her passion for hip-hop and competed for seven years. In 2019, she started teaching hip-hop to K-12th graders and continued until 2022. That same year, she started taking Pilates lessons at Pilates Connection and loved it right away; she became a certified Romana’s Pilates International instructor in 2023. She is excited to continue to grow in her Pilates journey, which shows clearly in her passionate, energetic, and fun approach to teaching.

Level V Instructor

Movement was always part of Jamie’s life. She started dancing at a young age and continued all the way through college as she earned her BS in Zoology. Even the first season of her corporate career was very physically demanding. However, after taking a senior leadership role, she started spending her days sitting and slowly felt the pain of poor posture as her core muscles weakened. She tried all different types of exercise and nothing really stuck until she discovered Romana’s Pilates in 2014. Through diligent application of the system, she became stronger, feeling better than ever. The results were so profound that she wanted to learn and share Pilates with others and decided to start her teacher training at Pilates Connection in 2022 and was certified in 2023. Jamie passionately believes that Pilates can literally help any body. She is especially dedicated to helping others counteract the many challenges that our computer-centric lifestyles place on our bodies.

Level V Instructor

Lu  has been active throughout her life. She started taking Pilates lessons with Rhonda Celenza at Pilates Connection in 2015. She enjoyed the systematic and disciplined approach of Pilates, finding that it greatly enhanced her strength, posture, and overall fitness. Wanting to share her passion for Pilates with others to help them benefit from this wonderful method of exercise, Lu began teacher training with Romana’s Pilates International at Pilates Connection and became a certified instructor in 2025.

Lu believes Pilates is for everyone and is committed to helping her clients become more fit, stronger, and more flexible. She is fluent in English and Chinese and teaches in both languages. In her spare time, Lu enjoys hiking and tango dancing; Pilates certainly helps both activities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in medicine from Peking University in China and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Level V Instructor

Throughout her life, Francisca has been curious about exploring different forms of movement and discovering what the body is capable of. It was during her final year studying Industrial Engineering in Chile that she discovered Pilates and quickly fell in love with the method. She appreciated the way Pilates awakens a unique sense of body awareness. Through Pilates, Francisca discovered a new way of connecting with her body and bringing greater intention and presence to movement. Upon moving to Evanston, Francisca began studying at Pilates Connection and was certified as a Romana’s Pilates International instructor by Juanita Lopez in 2026.

Convinced that Pilates can help people improve their quality of life, Francisca continues to deepen her knowledge of the method with the goal of sharing the benefits of this beautiful discipline with others. She hopes to help people discover the connection, awareness, and confidence in movement that first inspired her.

Level V Instructor

Mia was born into Pilates. As Rhonda Celenza’s daughter, you could say Mia’s first Pilates lesson was in utero. She grew up in the studio, imagining the Ladder Barrel as a fort, and the Spine Corrector as a boat. 

Mia was certified by Juanita Lopez as a Romana’s Pilates instructor in 2026, driven by a desire to share in the transformative impact this method has on people’s lives. 

Before becoming a Pilates instructor, Mia earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado Boulder and worked in stock market analysis. Looking at cost-benefit, she believes Pilates offers a return on investment that’s hard to beat! 

Level V Instructor

After retiring from a successful 30-year career as an AT&T systems technician, where she mastered complex problem-solving across a variety of technical roles, Reda transitioned her precision and dedication into the world of health, wellness, and giving back. A graduate of Columbia College and fluent in American Sign Language, Reda brings a unique depth of communication, focus, and connection to every environment.

Movement has always been a central pillar of Reda’s life. In the early 1990s, she danced with the New Breed Dance Company. Decades later, her athletic journey evolved into elite-level fitness as a professional bodybuilder. Her passion for Pilates sparked in 2018 after becoming a client of her sister, inspiring her to guide others in building strength, alignment, and mindful movement. Reda was certified as a Romana’s Pilates International instructor by Juanita Lopez in 2026.