Melissa Wright is the founder and creator of MG Pilates and first discovered Pilates at the age of 15 whilst studying full-time ballet. At the time she can remember thinking how very different it was to anything else she had felt in her body.

In 1997 Melissa moved to London to pursue an career in dance and re-discoved Pilates at Pineapple Dance Studio’s in Convent Garden. It was here that she really began to understand the Pilates technique. In just a few weeks she saw and felt the benefits with Lesley Ackland as her instructor. It sharpened her technique, strengthened her body and alleviated the general low back pain and hip tightness that she was experiencing as a dancer. It just “made sense” in her body and on her return to Australia she embarked on a new journey to become a Pilates instructor to share this wonderful thing called “Pilates” with everyone else. Melissa became fully qualified in 2000 after completing an apprenticeship whilst studying Anatomy and Physiology.

From here Melissa then worked in numerous Pilates studios throughout Sydney and gained much experience teaching mat classes, swiss ball, working with traditional equipment and small apparatus. In 2001 Melissa went on to work for Carolyn Cole a Physiotherapist and studio owner in Sutherland. It was here that her Pilates teaching took on a whole new realm working with clients that had very limited range of movement due to pain, to triathletes and footballers. Working along side Vanessa Kirby and Carolyn Cole was invaluable to her career as a Pilates instructor and expanded her knowledge in injury management and pain prevention.

Melissa’s expertise extends to writing for Dance Train magazine, creating awareness of the benefits of Pilates for young dancers and professionals. After successfully establishing a solid clientele at Platinum Fitness First – Bondi Junction, she then went on to start her own studio in Erskineville, working with a wide range of people encompassing general body conditioning, rehabilitation, pre and postnatal support and movement analysis for dancers (performers) and athletes.

The studio grew to be very popular and three years down the track she expanded MG Pilates and moved to Henderson Rd, Alexandria. Now offering mat classes from beginner to advanced, mums and bubs and Pilates for dancers.

Melissa loves that Pilates can be adapted to suit the needs of anyone at any level, there is no such thing as can’t. It brings her great satisfaction to watch people change and let go of old movement patterns gaining mobility, strength, agility and length!