Jerome "Jay" Grimes
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Jay Grimes | |
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| Born | Jerome Grimes March 25, 1940 Bourbonnais, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 29, 2024 (aged 84) Studio City, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Dancer, Pilates teacher |
| Known for | First-generation student of Joseph Pilates |
Jerome "Jay" Grimes (March 25, 1940 – July 29, 2024) was an American dancer and first-generation Pilates teacher.
Biography
Jerome "Jay" Grimes was born on March 25, 1940, in Bourbonnais, a village in Kankakee County, Illinois. He was one of four children; son to John A. and Lucile E. LaMontagne Grimes. By age 15, Grimes was working professionally as a pianist and studied at Roosevelt University, with the renowned Swiss-American pianist and composer, Rudolf Ganz.
Dance
While attending Roosevelt, Grimes took his first ballet class. He eventually moved to New York and danced with the American Ballet Theatre, under the direction of Lucia Chase.
Grimes performed on Broadway and on national tours for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Fiddler on the Roof, Applause, On the Town, and Irene. [1][2] He worked with influential choreographers including Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins.
Pilates
In the 1960s, Grimes's dance career led him to Joseph Pilates and his exercise method, then known as Contrology. He credited the Pilates method with keeping him injury-free throughout his demanding time on stage.[3] Grimes became a student at the original Pilates studio on 8th Avenue in New York City, where he trained with Joe and Clara Pilates, and Joe's right hand man, John Winters. Joe asked Grimes to assist at the original Pilates studio on 8th avenue in New York, and after Joe Pilates's death in 1967, Grimes was asked to teach alongside Clara and Romana Kryzanowska at the studio's new location on 56th Avenue, in New York's upper west side.
Grimes relocated to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, at the request of Clara Pilates, to open a studio on the West Coast. The initial studio investment plans fell through, however, Grimes remained in Los Angeles, where he further developed his reputation within the classical Pilates community. He worked with a wide range of students, including celebrities such as Ava Gabor, Katharine Ross, Ali McGraw, Candice Bergen, Barbara Streisand, Marilu Henner, and Joan Collins. [4][5] As a former client of Joe Pilates, Grimes was a sought-after presenter for conferences and studio visits all over the world.
In 2010, Grimes became director of https://www.vintagepilates.com Vintage Pilates in West Los Angeles, to focus on reconstructing the elements of Joe's original 8th avenue studio environment. He also helped develop and participated in programs for teachers such as "The Work," and "The Method."
Teaching Philosophy
In a 2008 interview with "Pilates Style Magazine," Grimes insisted that Pilates was not a form of rehabilitation or therapy, but a complete method of corrective exercise. He argued that modern reinterpretations resulted in the dilution of the Pilates work into fragmented, overly analytical routines. Grimes asserted that Joe Pilates had already refined the method up until his death, and that no further changes were necessary.[3] He coined the term "two-way-stretch" to describe the quality Joe Pilates demanded from his students.
Grimes was particularly outspoken about what he viewed as the overemphasis on equipment, especially the Reformer, cautioning that the apparatus should support the mat work, rather than replace it. "If there is a secret, it is probably the least-understood aspect of the Reformer, which is that the last inch of the carriage coming in is the most important part of the exercise."[3] He often reiterated that Pilates is more than a method of exercise; it is a way of life.
Grimes also emphasized that Pilates was not originally created for dancers and that Joe Pilates himself had little interest in the dance world. He maintained that Joe developed his work with boxers in mind, and opened his studio near Madison Square Garden to be close to fighters, not dance studios. Grimes was often critical of the modern trend of catering the method to a dance aesthetic, stating, "You can bring Pilates to dance, but don’t bring dance to Pilates."[6]
Death
Grimes died on July 29, 2024.
References
- ↑ "Fiddler on the roof | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
- ↑ "Internet Broadway Database".
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Siri Galliano. "It’s About the Work." *Pilates Style Magazine*, May/June 2008.
- ↑ Doheny, Kathleen (December 18, 1996). "Power Within Pilates". Los Angeles Times. p. 1. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ https://www.pilatesseattle.com/blog/jay-grimes-the-pilates-teachers-teacher/ Jay Grimes: The Pilates Teachers’ Teacher. Pilates Seattle International. 2007.
- ↑ https://www.pilatesintel.com/2020/11/pilates-wisdom-from-jay-grimes-ana-caban/ Pilates Wisdom from Jay Grimes. Pilates Intel. 2020.
External links
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