A world-class team

Christine fell in love with the GYROTONIC Expansion System® after being introduced to it while studying as a dance major at Florida State University’s School of Dance. From practicing Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis methods as a supplement to dance training, she noticed improved strength and increased fluidity in movement from the many three dimensional movements and breathing patterns. It quickly became a fundamental tool for injury prevention and rehabilitation that supported her dance training. Her experience in dance includes performances in classical, contemporary ballet, and modern repertoire with The Tallahassee Ballet, World Ballet Inc., Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet School, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet Summer Intensive.

After receiving an MSc in Dance Science, Christine continues to concentrate her expertise on teaching movement using the Gyrotonic method and dance science research. She has presented research at the International Association of Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) Conference and continues to investigate ways to understand and enhance methods for dance injury prevention and performance enhancement. While teaching the Gyrotonic method she customizes programs to best fit clients’ needs and includes assessments to track progress. She specializes with artist athletes on strength and conditioning methods as well as rehabilitation. At the heart of her teaching, Christine focuses on using different techniques to help clients discover their greatest movement potential and become empowered by it.

Vicky Bauer joined the Urban Body team in 2017 after enjoying the studio as an active client. She began Pilates in 2011 under BASI trained instructor and dance teacher colleague Tamara Gililand. Mrs. Bauer is passionate about Pilates, and after teaching ballet for more than 35 years, she started her own certification process to help others the way she had been helped by the same breath-based movement.

Mrs. Bauer is a Registered Nurse and specializes in cardiac step down. She practices at Watsonville Community Hospital in the Telemetry Unit where she has been since 2015. Her prior appointment from 2008 – 2014 was at San Antonio Regional Hospital in Upland, California.

With extensive choreography and performance background, Mrs. Bauer has studied ballet and modern dance with influential teachers nationally and globally including Los Angeles, New York City, Utah and South Africa. She taught ballet, jazz and tap dance at studios and academies throughout Southern California and developed a pre-school dance program which was contracted to schools in the Inland Empire region of California.

Mrs. Bauer was born and raised in Fullerton. Married for over 30 years, she and her husband raised four children in Orange County until moving to Santa Clara Valley’s south county region in 2014. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Fullerton in Theatre Arts and Dance.

Shannon Adams, PMA®-CPT is a nationally acclaimed trainer and wellness consultant. After learning the healing and corrective benefits of the work post orthopedic surgeries – including two hip replacements – she founded Urban Body San Jose in 2016 as the only boutique studio featuring both Classical Pilates and The GYROTONIC® Method in the Bay Area’s largest city.

Mrs. Adams is a Pilates Method Alliance® Certified Pilates Teacher, licensed in both The GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Methods and completed Benjamin Degenhardt’s 360 Pilates. Prior to the wellness industry, she enjoyed a decade-long professional ballet career with the former Ballet San Jose.

Mrs. Adams is known for advocacy of investing in one’s body. She has been featured in media as a wellness industry thought leader and her stories and work have been covered widely in regional and national publications including Content Magazine, Gentry Magazine, The Mercury News and Pilates Style Magazine where she was a featured cover in 2014. In 2019, the Silicon Valley Business Journal named Mrs. Adams among the top 100 most influential women in the region. She is a frequent guest educator to companies, helping to promote movement and creativity in a healthy workplace environment.

A certified teacher in the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum in all levels, she also works with dancers throughout the Bay Area in Classical Pilates and The GYROTONIC® Method for cross-training, conditioning and rehabilitation from dance-related injury. Mrs. Adams holds a Bachelor of Arts from California State University Fresno and is involved in the community as a member of The Alameda Business Association, Silicon Valley Organization and Silicon Valley Capital Club. Mrs. Adams enjoys spending time with her family and adopted cockapoo and enjoys traveling.

Maria Yu came to Urban Body San Jose after a full career as a principal dancer with the former Ballet San Jose, where she enjoyed a seventeen year-long professional dance career.

Highlights of Mrs. Yu’s artistic career included lead roles in many classics including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, title roles in Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Copellia, and Firebird which was uniquely created for her. She credits Classical Pilates used as cross training to stay fit, healthy and active during the regular season and summer months off. After retiring from the stage in 2013, with the encouragement of Urban Body San Jose owner Shannon Bynum, Mrs. Yu earned her full comprehensive Power Pilates certification under the guidance of Power Pilates master trainer Allison Gonzalez. Additionally, she has completed Benjamin Degenhardt's 360 Pilates certification.

Mrs. Yu, the mother of three, teaches Classical Pilates and shares the effectiveness of the Pilates method at Urban Body San Jose. She’s a visual representation of the power of what Classical Pilates can do for the body. A Florida native, Mrs. Yu, her husband and their family live in the storied Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose. She’s actively involved in neighborhood activities and finds ways to participate in San Jose’s unique creative community.

Dana Burdick fell in love with the GYROTONIC Expansion System® with her very first arch & curl. As a client of Urban Body, Dana’s experience with GYROTONIC® quickly grew from love as a practitioner to a calling as a teacher. Besides providing an excellent way of gaining strength and mobility, Dana believes that GYROTONIC® method’s unique approach to movement provides a bridge for people to experience a sense of joy and deeper connection to themselves and the world around them. Dana’s goal for her clients is to build an enjoyable and powerful movement practice that they adopt not only in the studio, but in everyday life.Previously, Dana owned and operated IMInSync, a business that provided services to children and adults with disabilities. As a certified Interactive Metronome therapist, Dana worked with clients to improve timing, coordination, working memory, multitasking, motor planning and executive functioning. Dana is pleased to bring her expertise in the application of timing, coordination and motor planning to her clients in a GYROTONIC® exercise setting.

Dana has a degree in mathematics and worked as a software engineer for a decade before becoming a stay-at-home mom and homeschooling mother to her two beautiful children, now grown. Dana lives in Sunnyvale with her kids, her loving husband, a cat, a dog and fifty thousand bees, give or take. Dana Joined Urban Body San Jose in 2018 and is delighted to bring the joy of movement to her clients.

Nichole found Classical Pilates in 2012 after years searching for a safe way to get a great work out after a back injury. With injuries quickly in the rear-view mirror, Nichole dedicates herself to partnering with clients of all ages, sizes and skill levels to realize even their most ambitious goals.
Nichole emphasizes the importance of Pilates on our daily life, movement efficiency, and posture. She is keenly focused on understanding the specific unique needs of each of her clients, deeply understanding what’s important to her client, and what will most effectively meet each person’s goals.

Nichole has completed her Power Pilates 600-hour teacher training. She is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance. She completes her GYROTONIC® Level 1 training in 2020.
‍
Nichole moved to Silicon Valley in 1998 to open one of the country’s first “cybercafes," and is an Operations Manager for startups. She holds a B.A. from Vassar college. A life-long public servant dedicated to making San Jose an even greater City, Nichole presently serves as the Vice Chair of the San Jose Neighborhoods Commission. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband Jim and their calico Maine Coon cat.

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Andrea McGinnis began her dance training at an early age at the Evergreen City Ballet School, studying under the tutelage of Artistic Director, Wade Walthall.  At 15, she was invited to attend the San Francisco Ballet School, and the following year joined the San Fransico Ballet, where she danced in the corps de ballet. After her ballet career, she has continued to perform as a freelance artist, also delving into modern/contemporary styles. It was during her time with SF Ballet, that Andrea first discovered The GYROTONIC Method® (after numerous years of cross-training with Pilates), and began her journey in the movement system.

Having trained in GYROTONIC® for over 12 years, she became certified in both GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS®, primarily studying with master trainer Domini Anne. Andrea is also certified on GYROTONIC® special equipment Archway Level 1 and Jump-Stretch Board.  

After leaving SF Ballet, Andrea became involved with the modality of Continuum Movement, and studied extensively for 2 years with its founder, the late Emilie Conrad. For the past 8 years, and continuing, she has also worked closely with the innovative somatic teacher, Cass Phelps. Inspired by these influences, Andrea also offers classes of her own in this field.
‍
Andrea is a Licensed Massage Therapist since 2012, and has enjoyed a thriving practice, based first in Hawaii, and then in Los Angeles, from where she recently relocated to join the team at Urban Body San Jose.

“I immediately fell in love with GYROTONIC®. It gave me an entirely new vocabulary and context for developing and experiencing my physicality. My kinesthetic capacity to feel and understand the mechanics of movement began to refine and advance in ways I had never before imagined. I discovered, from the inside out, new connections and anatomical pathways within my body and breath, which gave my dancing a new depth of fluidity, efficiency, strength, power and freedom.”

“Having personally worked through the healing and rehabilitation of numerous injuries in both myself and others, my experience and expertise as a practitioner, athlete, and artist comes first-hand. My movement philosophy is that the awareness and expression of the body is one of the most precious opportunities of being alive. It is a continual process of growth, to which there is no end of intricacy and advancement. I love working with all my clients to help them develop a greater sense of natural ease and embodiment that positively permeates into all aspects of their lives.”

Prior to becoming a certified Pilates instructor, Svea McMath trained professionally in ballet for over a decade, beginning at the former Ballet San Jose School before eventually moving to North Carolina where she continued her training. Ms. McMath experienced her first formal Pilates class from Shannon Adams when she was just ten years old, immediately felt the benefits and was inspired at that moment to one day become a certified Pilates instructor herself.

Being on the East Coast provided her the opportunity to travel to New York City to become certified by Power Pilates in Core Mat I & II. Ms. McMath was offered a traineeship with Pittsburgh Ballet as well as a personal invitation from Christopher Hird to train further at Sarasota Ballet. Her dream was to have a professional career as a dancer so she put further Pilates training on hold to pursue this goal. Her ballet career was abruptly cut short that summer with a stress fracture to her spine and it was soul-searching time. Uncertain of what step to take next in life, there was one constant in her heart: the joy and passion she had discovered for Pilates. Years after the original class which inspired her down this path, Ms. McMath completed The Power Pilates 600-Hour Comprehensive Apparatus Program under the tutelage of Patty Geiger and Stacie Dombrowski.

Ms. McMath teaches both ballet and Pilates drawing from her continued passion for the art of dance and movement, and her own past experiences in order to relatably work with dancers towards their own individual pursuits and goals. She is exploring new forms of dance as well, competing successfully in both ballroom and Latin. Ms. McMath is very excited to be back in the Bay Area and eager to share her passion for fluid, graceful movement at Urban Body San Jose. She will be certified in The GYROTONIC ® Method by 2019.

A native of Fremont, California, Naomi Sailors trained for many years at Ballet San Jose School (later Silicon Valley Ballet School) and was an inaugural member of The New Ballet’s Studio Company under the direction of Dalia Rawson. While training with the Studio Company, she was introduced to the GYROKINESIS® and GYROTONIC® methods by Shannon Bynum Adams, and fell in love with the work.
‍
Naomi joined Menlowe Ballet in 2017, and was promoted to Company Artist the following year, always using the GYROTONIC® Method as a form of cross-training for better performance. There, she has enjoyed dancing featured roles in ballets such as Michael Lowe’s It’s a Wonderful Nutcracker and Upstream. In addition to dancing with Menlowe Ballet, she is the Ballet Master for The New Ballet Company and School, choreographing original works for their dancers and serving as ballet and contemporary dance faculty. Naomi co-founded and continues to choreograph for em(body) Dance Project, a ballet-based contemporary dance company performing in the South Bay. Additionally, she is a certified ABT National Training Curriculum instructor in Primary - Level 3.
‍
Before becoming a GYROTONIC® trainer at Urban Body San Jose, Naomi was a dedicated client for many years. She has experienced firsthand the benefits of the system as a student and client in improving coordination, flexibility, strength, and muscle awareness in both dance and everyday life. Her goal is to help clients and dancers of all ages learn how to effectively and safely utilize their physical facility to achieve their goals.

Christine Toha fell in love with the GYROTONIC Expansion System® after being introduced to it while studying as a dance major at Florida State University’s School of Dance. As a result from practicing GYROTONIC® and Gyrokinesis methods as a supplement to dance training, she noticed improved strength and increased fluidity in movement from the many three dimensional movements and breathing patterns. It quickly became a fundamental tool for injury prevention and rehabilitation that supported her dance training. Ms. Toha’s experience in dance includes performances in classical, contemporary ballet and modern repertoire with The Tallahassee Ballet, World Ballet Inc., Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet School and Complexions Contemporary Ballet Summer Intensive.

After receiving an MSc in Dance Science, Ms. Toha continues to concentrate her expertise on teaching movement using the GYROTONIC® method and dance science research. She has presented research at the International Association of Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) Conference and continues to investigate ways to understand and enhance methods for dance injury prevention and performance enhancement. While teaching the GYROTONIC® method she customizes programs to best fit clients’ needs and includes assessments to track progress. She specializes with artist athletes on strength and conditioning methods as well as rehabilitation. At the heart of her teaching, Ms. Toha focuses on using different techniques to help clients discover their greatest movement potential and become empowered by it.

A resident of San Jose, Ms. Toha joined the Urban Body San Jose team in 2017 and is certified in GYROTONIC® Levels 1 & 2 as well as GYROTONER®. She is a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine & Science and the National Strength & Conditioning Association.

Jennifer Wada took her first Pilates reformer session in 2004 and immediately fell in love. Though a dancer and athlete for many years, this was the first time learning how to properly engage the core muscles that can be so elusive. With Pilates as a new staple in her life, it became clear that instructor training would be the next step. In 2007, Ms. Wada studied with Turning Point Studios and Balanced Body University to teach Pilates mat, reformer and all apparatus. A  comprehensive trainer in the Pilates method, Ms. Wada has been instructing since 2008 with a focus on private, duet and small group sessions for all levels. With an interest in stretching as well as strengthening, she helps clients develop a strong, well balanced body. Ms. Wada enjoys drawing from her experience in dance, athletics, and yoga to create a fun Pilates workout. Ms. Wada is a strong believer in cross-training and became Zumba certified in 2012. Pilates has been the key ingredient to living a healthier, more active life. She joined the Urban Body San Jose team in 2017 and teaches evenings and weekends upon request. Ms. Wada is a passionate animal lover and devoted mother and calls San Jose her home.  

Nicole Yip grew up in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado and was first introduced to the principles of Pilates when she was a young dancer as a part of her physical therapy for scoliosis. Struggling with an imbalancement of mobility and muscular recruitment, Nicole saw the benefits of Pilates when working to improve symmetry in her spinal strength.  
‍
Ms. Yip initially moved to California in 2005 as a professional dancer to join the former Ballet San Jose and over the past decade, has been asked to teach all levels of ballet with multiple dance studios in the greater Bay Area.  
After her career as a dancer, Nicole graduated from San Jose State University with a BS Business Administration concentration in Finance and enjoyed working on corporate sponsored projects and internships but ultimately returned to her passion of dance and fitness education.
‍
In addition to teaching Pilates at Urban Body San Jose, Ms. Yip is devoted to introducing the performing arts to young children. She is the owner of First Position Dance which offers on-site dance classes to preschools, kindergartens, and elementary schools primarily in the South Bay. Over the past decade, her program has provided the first dance class experience for many young children through an enrichment program in schools.
‍
In 2018, Ms. Yip joined the Urban Body San Jose team and is a fully certified comprehensive Pilates Instructor, successfully completing the 450 hour training through the beginner, intermediate and advanced system on all the apparatus.