To Book a Workshop, Master Class or Private Session
M&M have taught artists who have performed on Broadway and in National and International tours such as “Hamilton”, “Cats”, “Fosse”, “The Lion King”, “The Radio City Christmas Show”, “Jerome Robbins Broadway”, “Hair” and dance companies including “Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre”, “Joffrey Ballet”, “Paul Taylor Dance Company”, “Ballet Hispanico”, “Hubbard Street Dance” and “American Ballet Theatre.” They have trained artists from Cirque du Soleil, The Rockettes, Pro Tennis Stars, NBA players, Olympic Gymnasts and Synchronized Swimmers, professional models, Olympic Chiropractor Steve Horwitz, Olympic track & Field competitors, Argentine Tango teams, Ballroom Dance Sport Competitors, Opera Singers, Pro Cyclists, Concert Musicians, pregnant women, as well as people recovering from cancer, hip, knee, ankle, back, abdominal and shoulder surgery, or suffering with MS, arthritis, asthma, fibromyalgia, anxiety & depression.
They tour internationally teaching workshops and master classes in Classical Jazz, Ballet, Theatre Dance, Musical Theatre, Gyrotonic®, Gyrokinesis®, Zena Rommett Floor-Barre®, The Art of Partnering, Yoga, Pilates and their own unique JOYOM® Total Body Workout™. Michael & Melinda have been featured in cutting edge health and fitness videos and publications including Mademoiselle, Fitness, Men’s Bazaar, Photo District News, among others. They are certified teachers in Gyrotonic®, Gyrokinesis® and have taught continuing education courses for Pilates Method Alliance.
Passing it on
Melinda is a Zena Rommett Certified Floor Barre Mentor and the model in Zena’s best-selling video. Melinda Jackson was first introduced to Pilates as a professional child specialty student at George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet. She got her union card as a professional child with New York City Ballet at age 11 where she was directed by Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine. She began rigorous private training 3 times a week with Carola Trier and went on to work privately with Romana Kryzanawska and Kathy Grant. She began teaching Pilates for Romana while recovering from knee surgery, as a teenage professional dancer, while on summer break from Frankfurt Ballet. Melinda taught for Joffrey Ballet, M&M American Dance Theatre and Zena Rommett. Melinda was one of the first people to work with Gyrotonic® Creator Juliu Horvath in the United States on his various original Gyrotonic® equipment and original floor work which later became Gyrokinesis®. Melinda has been coached extensively by renowned International Coach Geta Constantinescu.
Mentoring
Michael Kessler began Pilates study with Romana Kryzanawska while he was a scholarship student at Harkness Ballet in New York City. He was a co-creator of Mussawwir Gymnastic Dance Technique, with 6-time US Gymnastic Champion Toby Towson. Michael taught Contemporary Ballet for Dennis Wayne’s Dancers Company, Broadway Theatre Dance Technique, Ballet and Musical Theatre.
Michael had extensive study with Juliu Horvath and Geta Constantinescu since the mid 1980’s and is certified in Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesis®.
Workshops
M&M have taught workshops in Acting for Dancers & Acrobats and Functional Body Conditioning for Cirque du Soleil. M&M initiated and taught a Musical Theatre intensive course with an elite group of 250 dancers selected from all over the USA at Miami City Ballet, training them (some for the first time) in Gyrokinesis®, Functional Body Conditioning, Classical Jazz and Broadway Theatre Dance. They have also taught Musical Theatre & Zena Rommett Floor Barre® for Nevada Ballet Theatre and Tara Foy’s Elite Ballet Intensive in Las Vegas and White Cloud Opera Ballet in Rome. They continue to teach, mentor and coach privately and internationally.
Play Video