TEACHERS
Nina Pearlman
she/her
Nina Pearlman is the owner and founder of The Body Los Feliz and has been a Gyrotonic & Gyrokinesis Trainer, and most recently Pre-Trainer, for the past 14 years. She began her study of movement at a very young age as a dance student at the Los Angeles Ballet Academy. She later received her BFA in Dance from the Alonzo King Lines Ballet BFA program in association with Dominican University. During her BFA, Nina was introduced to the Gyrotonic method by master trainer Debra Rose, and immediately felt the transformational benefits. Nina went on to study more extensively with master trainer Kathy Van Patten and became a fully-certified Gyrotonic trainer.
During her 11 years in the Bay Area, Nina danced professionally with numerous companies, such as the Oakland Ballet and Bay Pointe Ballet, and performed in a variety of movement and music projects. Nina also taught Gyrotonic classes at The Seed Center in San Francisco and independently with clients.
In 2021, Nina moved back to Los Angeles and opened the Body Los Feliz in the hopes of creating a safe space where people could explore, learn, move, and feel good in their bodies within an inclusive, diverse community.
As a teacher, Nina combines her intuitive understanding of the physical and emotional body, with her lifetime of dance training, to create a unique workout experience for each client. She loves figuring out how individual bodies move, the challenges and gifts that they hold, and creating individualized movement plans to help her clients reach their goals. Nina works with a variety of clients across many age groups, from professional ballerinas and high-level athletes, to new moms, people pre/post op, artists, performers, and people who just want to keep their bodies moving. Nina loves it all!
Alina Bolshakova is originally from Riga, Latvia where she began her training in professional ballet. Dance brought her to the US to continue her training and begin her dance career.
During this time Alina was introduced to GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® by her dear friend and Gyrotonic pre-trainer Devon Dionne.
Gyrotonic exercises has opened a whole new world of understanding movement and connection to the body, as well as healing and strengthening abilities that the system provides to people.
Alina is a certified trainer and has completed Gyrotonic level 1 and 2, Jumping Stretching Board, GYROTONER®, Pre/Post Natal Applications, and ARCHWAY™ courses.
Alina truly enjoys helping people to gain flexibility, strength, and healing through this incredible body of work; she is looking forward to working with you.
In 2013, Noa accidentally fell in love with the Gyrotonic Expansion System while searching for solutions to debilitating chronic pain from a decade-old injury. The system has allowed her to live almost pain-free, and consistently enriches her quality of life with its ability to heal, strengthen, and build a sense of freedom in the body.
Although her studies of Gyrotonic initially focused on self-practice, Noa soon realized how much joy it gave her to use the method to help others. Her highest priority is to help clients find and resolve what is standing in the way of reaching their movement goals. Noa is dedicated to guiding clients through their own transformative journey, using the movement system to help them find ease, space, and strength in their bodies.
With her theater background, Noa brings a unique awareness of the connection between muscular tension, emotion and the nervous system, creating a safe space for clients to release blockages from both body and psyche.
Noa has experience working with dancers and high level athletes, pre/post natal women, MS, Parkinson’s, as well as a wide variety of spinal issues ranging from scoliosis to simple disc compression/degeneration, sciatic pain, frozen shoulder, tight neck and shoulders, and the dreaded text neck. Her own movement background includes ballet, rowing, and running.
She completed her Gyrotonic foundation work at Body Evolutions, NY, is licensed to teach on all equipment, and has consistently pursued further education both domestically and internationally, always looking for new ways to delve deeper into the work.
Sarah Lozoff is a certified Gyrotonic trainer, as well as a lauded Intimacy Director for theatre and dance. As a second generation dancer, Sarah trained at Miami Conservatory (now Armour Dance Theatre) and nationally renowned New World School of the Arts, in Miami, FL. Professionally, Sarah performed soloist and principal roles with Ballet Rosario Suarez, directed by Cuban prima ballerina, Rosario "Charin" Suarez. For twenty five years, Sarah taught ballet for professional companies, conservatories, public schools, and outreach programs. Over the last ten years, she's also choreographed and provided movement direction for theatre productions across the country, as well as intimacy direction for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, RudduR Dance, UNCSA, and American Ballet Theatre.
In 2018, Sarah chose to add the Gyrotonic method as another speciality, as it’s made a huge impact in her own health and wellness journey. She trained in Miami, Minneapolis, Boulder, and Los Angeles with master trainers Mari Kasich, Rich O’Connor, Adrianna Thompson, Jenn Depalo-Peterson, and Jane Gotch. Her rich movement and teaching background has given Sarah an optimal knowledge base and deep insight for Gyrotonic. Her clients have said, "Sarah is an experienced teacher, hands on, funny, and warm. You will leave feeling taller, longer, breathing deeper, wrung out and activated but in a therapeutic way." "I always feel restored after a session with Sarah, and I'm learning things about my body’s patterns that I can apply to all my other movements." Sarah enjoys working with a full range of skill levels, aiming to meet clients where they're at, while fostering integration of new, healthier movement patterns.
With 19 years combined teaching experience in dance, Pilates, The Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis methods, Liz Mensah (she/hers) believes deeply in the power of movement and has the intention to transform lives. Liz spent twelve years as a professional ballet dancer, performing and touring with The Joffrey Ballet and Ballet Memphis. Like many dancers, Liz discovered Gyrotonic after a dance-related injury that required her to stop dancing for nearly a year. After her first Gyrotonic session, Liz was struck by what she felt—her body was beginning to heal itself, gently unwinding and releasing years of tension, pain, and blocked energy.
Inspired by the profound results of that first session, Liz’s natural curiosity and love of learning led her to become a certified Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis teacher. Years later, she still approaches her work with that same curious and passionate energy. Driven by her collaborative spirit and guided by her vast body of knowledge, Liz empowers her clients to connect with themselves on a mental, physical, and energetic level. She believes deeply in the reciprocal relationship that exists between teacher and student, and knows that when she embarks on a healing journey with a client, she heals herself as well.
Liz has experience working with people of all ages and ability levels, including neurodivergent individuals and those who have experienced traumatic brain injuries. She specializes in working with performing artists and athletes at all stages of their careers, people with joint hypermobility conditions, and older adults.
Los Angeles born Natalie McCall is a performing artist and educator. Her love of movement extends to her own work teaching Pilates and dance throughout Southern California.
Natalie is a certified Gyrotonic Trainer and Gyrokinesis Trainer. She studied at the Marat Daukayev School of Ballet and later attended the training program at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, where she first experienced the Gyrotonic Method. The benefits of Gyrotonic were so powerful and vital to the maintenance of her body as a professional dancer that she became a trainer to further understand the Gyrontonic principles. Natalie seeks to help clients create a greater sense of connection with mind and body, while building internal strength and balance.