ABOUT ILKA

Ilka Recker is originally from Germany, and in 1993 she moved to the Netherlands for her professional dance training at the Rotterdam Dance Academy (Codarts). Here she was first introduced to Pilates.
Captured by the beauty and effectiveness of the method “Pilates – Proprioception” was the topic of her final theses. After receiving her
Bachelor’s degree in Dance Education, Ilka worked as a professional dancer and still
works as a dance teacher today. Pilates helped her so much, that she was motivated to share her experience with others.

In 2001 Ilka completed her first Pilates certification and started teaching Pilates mat classes in a time when she was still performing. To focus solely on her Pilates teacher training she moved to New York in 2009. The next year she was a fully certified Pilates trainer through the comprehensive program at Power Pilates. This program was put together and led by the two Pilates Master Trainers Susan Moran and Bob Liekens, and the chiropractor Dr. Howard Sichel. Ilka remained in New York to work at the Power Pilates headquarters, where she continued learning from her two Master Trainers, the chiropractor, her colleges and clients in the workplace on a daily basis. She started as a trainer, then became senior trainer and was later invited to join the teacher trainer program. Additionally, Ilka took part in the Barre programs (Beyond Barre and Vbarre) as a trainer and teacher trainer, where she could combine her dance background with her Pilates expertise. 

During this time, she was an instructor for many educational and workout videos, as well as a demonstrator of classical Pilates and Vbarre.  2012 she earned her PMA®CPT (Pilates Method Alliance Certified teacher) title. In 2013 she was one of the presenters for Pilates and Vbarre at the Power Pilates Conference at the Javits Center in New York.

Ilka returned to the Netherlands and founded Old School Pilates in 2015. Under the umbrella of Old School Pilates, she organized the 1. Amsterdam Pilates Day with classes, lectures, demonstrations and film to inform and inspire people more about what Pilates is all about.

In addition to working with clients in her studio, Ilka still teaches at dance schools and academies. She also gets the next generation of Pilates trainers ready with the help of the teacher training programs and continuing education workshops she offers.

I consider the Pilates method a gift for life and I love sharing it.

Facebook-f Instagram