Try the nation's hottest workout trends at Pilates expo in Glen Head

At the second annual Long Island Pilates and Wellness Expo on Nov. 8 at the NYIT de Seversky Mansion in Glen Head, you can try one of the nation’s hottest workout trends on a mat, on a trampoline or with a national Peloton instructor. 

The expo, which drew 120 people in its debut last year at the Melville Marriott, is expected to attract a similar crowd this time around, including studio owners, instructors, wellness professionals and people new to the workout, says Melissa Marsigliano, 37, of Amityville, who is is organizing and managing the expo. Marsigliano began doing Pilates at the former Lucille Roberts health club in Massapequa in 2010. She resumed taking classes at Club Pilates in Massapequa and later at Pulse Pilates in Amityville after her pelvic floor therapist recommended the system following the birth of her second child in 2023. 

"As [Pilates] becomes more mainstream, there's an opportunity to look beyond the workouts and beautiful studios and ask what people are really looking for," Marsigliano says. "It’s a fun-filled, feel-good day."

Pilates, invented a century ago by the physical culture advocate Joseph Pilates, has seen a resurgence in the past five years. It’s currently the nation’s fastest growing workout trend, with the number of U.S. followers increasing by 40% to 12.9 million from 9.2 million, according to Sports and Fitness Industry Association figures.

An evolving movement

Pilates is taking off on Long Island, with an increasing number of studios opening here offering a wide variety of variations, says Nicole Lartigau, 35, of Long Beach, an instructor and studio owner who will be attending this year’s expo. Lartigau and her partner, Anthony Cardenas, 36, recently purchased existing Pilates studios, and now own Haus of Sculpt, in Seaford, and Pilates Haus, in Babylon, and are building a third studio, Haus of Heat, in Amityville offering the latest trend: Pilates in heated workout rooms. Says Lartigau of Pilates: "It’s forever evolving."

Whether you’re looking for an instructor who’s teaching the next big thing or sticking to classical Pilates, the expo is "a place to find your Pilates guru," says Dina Voigt, 58, owner and instructor at Balanced by Dina in Babylon.

Voigt, who describes Pilates as "full body conditioning with a focus on spine health, joint mobility, breath and overall health and movement," will be leading a "somatic" Pilates session focusing on breath and stretching, accompanied by her Labradors, Rocky and Nola. Voigt, who studied with some of Joseph Pilates’ earliest disciples, will be among the guest speakers in an expo panel discussion moderated by Jessica Sinclair, of Elmont, a former nurse and author of a self-published networking guide, "Network Like You Mean It: 10 Simple Tips to Achieve Networking Success" (2022). 

This year’s expo will feature a special guest, the Miami, Florida-based Peloton instructor and lululemon ambassador Johanna Ricouz. Ricouz will join the panel discussion, lead a Pilates class and stay for a meet-and-greet and photo session.

New at the expo will be a "Bounce and Burn" class where participants will work out by jumping on individual trampolines, led by an instructor from Dynamic Studio in Long Beach.

Throughout the day, a marketplace will feature 25 vendors selling and offering samples of the latest wellness, beauty, health, fitness and lifestyle product brands. Among the vendors will be a barista serving samples of espresso and coffee drinks made with the collagen protein supplement, a concoction that has gone viral in TikTok videos, Marsigliano says.

"Everyone will leave with swag bags containing giveaways from participating businesses," Marsigliano adds.

From mom to Pilates guru

Marsigliano, a Pilates TikToker with a total of more than 8,000 social media followers across three platforms, says she was drawn to the workouts after becoming a mother of two boys, which she says "really changed the way I looked at movement and taking care of my body." Marsigliano, who started doing Pilates 15 years ago and became a certified instructor last year, says the exercises have made her "more aware of my pelvic floor, core strength and how important it is to rebuild strength and reconnect with your body, especially after having children."

Marsigliano says she hopes those who attend the expo will realize that Pilates is not just about "physical strength" but also involves building "confidence and having a space where you feel like you belong." Adds Marsigliano, "I want someone to walk in not knowing a single person and leave feeling like they found their people."