Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 6:49 PM
To: Luisa

"After retiring from the military after 22 years of service, I
attempted to maintain my regular work outs. But constant lower back and
neck pain made it difficult. A friend recommended that I do some work
with Luisa. After just one session my back felt better than it had in
years, and additional sessions helped even more. " -Brad

1998
To: Luisa

Luisa Meshekoff has an remarkable style and sensitivity to balance the needs of any professional athlete, especially baseball players.  Her diverse background as a professional dancer, yoga teacher, and Gyrotonic instructor can provide any level of athlete the body awareness, education and conditioning they need to safely and effectively practice and perform at their own bodies' highest capabilities.  Her teaching methods cover injury prevention, effective warmup strategies, offseason training, and in-game techniques.  

I have worked with Luisa both before, during and after professional baseball seasons with the AA and AAA affiliates for the Tampa Bay Rays, including Les Leones del Caracas.  With her instruction, I had the best overall season of my career in 2007.  

Brian Henderson

Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 5:27 PM
To: Luisa

Luisa,

     You have helped me so much in becoming aware of my  body's old
habits and how to introduce it to new ways of moving. Originally, I 
came to you due to a shoulder injury that persisted over a year. After
just a  couple of sessions, I was in the shower and realized it did not hurt.
I had had persistent pain for a year when trying to reach my back to scrub
it, but now I  only feel it from time to time, and I believe future sessions
with you will rid  me of the problem completely!

     You are also helping me to learn things about my  body and how I can
rethink what I do, how I move, etc. I am now consciously  working on
giving my body options when standing, sitting and moving.

     I think your work is so important for people who  have problems or
issues with their bodies and how they move.

     Thank you!

Bart  Birdsall

From: Gawain Bantle [Gawain@loveoftango.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 1:41 PM
To: Luisa
Subject: Re: asking a favor

HI Luisa,
Yes I will try to call you and am feeling as bit post pregnant. Lets 
talk about everything then on the phone. Here my blurb about Carla:

After Carla had a session with Luisa her Tango was much more relaxed 
and fluid. Her movements seemed more conscious to her and  awake  
which in turn affected her balance which was more centered and more 
solid while at the same time more fluid.

Hope that helps. I did give them a big hug though they only had a 
faint memory of you. If they would see you face I a sure they would  recognize you.

Hugs

Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2006 7:03 AM
To: luisa
Subject: Re: literature

I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to improve his or her
dancing. I dance both ballroom and Tango, and have developed habits that
have led to muscle imbalance and affect my smoothness on the floor. Since I started this program, I find that I now move through intention and
thought rather than force of habit. I feel more in balance, control and
silent on the dance floor. No wasted effort, total connection to my partner.

                                     Mack Sprouse

To Matt Aversa and Juliu Horvath,   My name is Anne Dwyer,

I teach Pilates at the Equilibrium Studio in Detroit. I took five  Gyrotonic pre-training sessions with Sebastian last March, in anticipation  of a second training opportunity. However, even after my sessions with Sebastian I felt uncertain about proceeding on my own.

Our studio has a beautiful GXS tower, yet only three of the original workshop participants remain to use it and we have no training resources in Michigan. Last December, Luisa Meshekoff gave a week of sessions at Equilibrium. When she understood my interest she immediately invited me to observe her work. I spent about 20 hours observing and had two hands-on sessions with her that week.

Although the body of work is tremendous, I feel I have a better sense of where to begin and am even more inspired to pursue education in this technique.  Luisa has many strong points, she is an excellent and tireless teacher. I was very impressed with her consistency regarding

the choice and execution of the exercises, while adapting them to each client's personality,

experience and body type. There was strong logic in her decisions, she was systematic, yet each sesson  was fresh, intuitive and quite accurate.

Luisa's knowledge is such that she can work beyond a routine or standard approach, which keeps Gyrotonic

engaging and invigorating for the client and the instructor.

I am sending this as an –email because Luisa is in New York now. I would be glad to send a letter if you require it, or to answer any questions you may have regarding this issue.

Sincerely and with respect,

April 10, 2002

To whom it may concern:

The Dance Project provides a safe noncompetitive exercise and exploration environment in a world where perfection and criticism are the norm.  At The Dance Project, the emphasis on self - care and self - listening dominate over pushing and forcing the body. 

All body shapes, sizes, and ages are treated equally with compassion and respect.  The opportunity to learn and to grow is presented as a path towards self - discovery.  Integration of holistic studies and a systematic approach to fitness ensure that The Dance Project’s technique is unique in its ability to provide healing and recovery.  The calm peaceful atmosphere, the studio’s vast, and artistic décor provide a sanctuary for the stressed and harried lay person or professional dancer alike.

My experience with Luisa has been restorative and has allowed me to address my eating disorder of 25 years from a different perspective.  Especially for women in our appearance – driven society, her gentle yet thorough approach is a welcome change.  The Dance Project’s programs support self-awareness, acceptance, empowerment, as well as physical strength and beauty.

Regards,
Rae T.
Student

August 18th, 2000

To Whom It May Concern,

My daughter, Sarah, has been a student of Luisa’s for over a year now.    It has helped her immensely, not only with her dancing, but more importantly with her self-esteem.  Dance studios can be brutal and Sarah’s experience was exactly that. The Dance Project is the only professional studio in this area, the other studios cater to kids and young teens. They are competition studios, where only the trophy is important and the level of education embarrassing. Sarah fell prey to the self-defeating emotional atmosphere and became anorexic when she was 15 and almost died a year later.   Her weight had dropped to a mere 50 pounds for a girl 5’10” tall.  We had tried many different therapies with her, including antidepressants, hospitalizations, and psychotherapy, with little success.  Although she finally agreed to start eating again, she exercised constantly in order not to gain weight.  She would be up all night on a treadmill, or spend every night of the week in dance classes, until she practically dropped from exhaustion. 

The Dance Project is a sensitive holistic approach that is about the individual. It offers dance education, anatomical awareness, and a nurturing environment. Unfortunately, the University couldn’t provide good dance education and a healthy atmosphere, so we are ever so grateful that Luisa’s facility exists in Tampa.

Sarah has learned to relax and reduce her anxiety through yoga and the GXS training.  She has healthy interaction for the first time with dance. The Studio allows her to connect with her art, people her age, and professional adult dancers, which Sarah says, “keeps me out of the psychiatrist’s office.”  Although she still works out everyday, it’s not the catabolic aerobic exercise she previously subjected herself to.  She has learned so much about the body and dance from Luisa and the guest artists that she brings in, that she has developed a better perspective on what is important.  Her ideas have shifted from desperation to balance and she is looking forward to beginning the teacher’s training with the GXS.

 Now, at age 21, she is a picture of health and self-assurance, attending college, (not majoring in dance), and devoting herself to her son, Dylan.  Words cannot express how grateful we all are to Luisa for helping to bring Sarah back to a healthier lifestyle and giving her the self-esteem to build a life for herself and her son. There are many young dancers with similar experiences in this area, (I imagine all over) I can only hope that they manage to find the Dance Project in time.          

Thank you, Luisa
Deb and Larry Hagoman

Luisa asked me to relate some the experiences I had at the dance project and specifically how that environment helped provide a major creative outlet for me. and a "saving grace" from the debauchery of the Tampa city scene. At 22 I was living and working in Tampa setting tile floors vending on the streets of Ybor city and teaching and after school program of martial arts in Brandon county, needless to say that was enough to wear someone's spirit down but on top of it I was drinking myself to death and overall not in step with the right crowd. Artists Unlimited was my art studio where I would paint when I had the energy. I caught word that the dance project had some large canvas to get to young a rid of and that's how I met Luisa. She and I were fast friends and upon learning of the yoga I asked to trade for classes and I would clean up or this or that. Actually Luisa extended herself quite a bit to me (more than I reciprocated). That floor area provided for me for art, and the yoga, as well as being in the presence of someone who was like ya, in the spirit of art and design,  and would confirm you can do that! End of story, stop the delay now get to it!  This was the kick in the pants and wake up call that I needed.  Luisa’s drive is inspiring and it caught me and helped transform my life. The fact that she saw something in me that I couldn't yet see and didn’t give up was reassuring and I began to be more serious about my art and myself. Unfortunately I was already in too deep as far as the scene I was a part of. They were in too deep as well! I became more distant from this though just proud to be a part of something creative, part of the Dance Project. I had the opportunity to help Luisa with some of her shows. Most of all I had the feeling that I could do it. Be valuable (be successful as an artist and as a person).

Luisa left for California for a week, we discussed before she left that it was time for me to break connections with the crowd that still had my attention. Take responsibility for myself. I shifted and got this itch to be back somewhere safe, change my surroundings, somewhere where I could build a career. So in literally one night I packed everything and headed back to cape cod. On arriving I received a phone call from on of my old crowd, the building we resided in and worked out of was raided by atf the night after I left.  Tampa. Wow, can you say providence?? They raided the place with semi automatic weapons, dogs burst the door down the whole nine. But thanks to intuition, and listening to someone like Luisa, who made me feel like I could do anything, provide for myself, I made decisions that weren’t heading me for destruction. She gave me the space.  the physical space to do art and the emotional space to see what I was really capable of  for myself . Well I managed to get out just in time .

Anyway thanks for listening,  if ya need any clarity of stuff,  Luisa has my phone and I’ll be happy to relate or expand these things to ya more