Photo by Jenna Westra. Courtesy Amelia Heintzelman.
Tickets: $0-$25, pay what you can
Purchase Tickets
Sun, May 4 at 3PM (w/ Sophia Parker)
Sun, May 4 at 6PM (w/ Glenn Potter-Takata)
Mon, May 5 at 7PM (w/ Lena Engelstein)
Comedy Pilates is a fitness parody, an interview series, and a workout. As instructor and host, artist, choreographer, and certified Pilates teacher Amelia Heintzelman guides humbling exercises while interviewing select participants (maybe even you!) about life, work, and art. Special guests and surprise performances will keep you guessing. Using CPR’s suite of film equipment for a live, multi-camera shoot, each class will be filmed and subsequently edited into a 10-minute Hot Ones-style episode, archiving these intimate and vulnerable conversations between creatives while embracing humor, clumsiness, and humility in the service of physical and professional optimization. No Pilates experience needed, be ready to sweat, costumes welcome.
Comedy Pilates will be a 1-hour class, and will be filmed. Please bring your own mat, and wear clothes (or a costume) that you can move in. There is no shower available at CPR, and please note that there is limited private changing space.
CREDITS
Conceived and directed by Amelia Heintzelman
with Leah Fournier, teaching assistant; Tess Michaelson, dramaturg
Special guests:
Sophia Parker, dancer and dramaturg (May 4 at 3PM)
Glenn Potter-Takata, media designer and artist working in performance (May 4 at 6PM)
Lena Engelstein, dancer, performer, and choreographer (May 5 at 7PM)
Additional Performers: Sofia Engelman, Em Papineau, Skjold Rambow, Justin Sterling
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Amelia Heintzelman is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Her work has been shown at CPR – Center for Performance Research, Draftwork at Danspace Project, Lubov Gallery, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Pageant, and Snug Harbor. Her work has been supported by residencies and grants through Atlantic Center for the Arts, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, UCross Foundation, and University Settlement. Most recently, she has worked as a collaborating performer for Jesi Cook, Ayano Elson, Deborah Hay, evan ray suzuki, and Alexa West. She is on teaching faculty at Movement Research and Pageant, and sometimes/rarely teaches Comedy Pilates. www.ameliakh.com
Sophia Parker is a dancer and dramaturg from Berkeley, CA. She received her BFA in Dance from Fordham University/The Ailey School. Sophia has dramaturged works by Scottie Harvey, Amelia Heintzelman, and Sacha Vega. Most recently, she performed in and dramaturged G R A P H, a new work by Sidra Bell, which was presented by The Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of their Flight Into Egypt exhibition.
Glenn Potter-Takata (Bronx, NY) is a Japanese-American media designer and artist working in performance. His practice is somatic-based, utilizing butoh, improvisation, media equipment, and consumer materials to create performances around the body as a historical site in post-internment America. Preoccupied with the consumer culture runoff from the Japanese archipelago, Glenn juxtaposes the materiality of consumer detritus with his interests in Buddhist concepts of emptiness and Western notions of nothingness. Both rigorous and playful in his process, Glenn incorporates aspects of Buddhist philosophy and pedagogy into his work, but also sometimes performs wearing a giant Pikachu costume. glennpottertakata.com/about
Lena Engelstein is a dancer, performer, and choreographer. Her work has been dubbed “The High Weird” by critics and lauded as “subtly campy and hilariously queer” by the Brooklyn Rail. She has been part of the interdisciplinary performance collective CHILD, headed by Lisa Fagan, since 2019. Her recent work with Fagan Friday Night Rat Catchers premiered at New York Live Arts in March 2025 and their previous piece Deepe Darknesse was presented in Live Arts’ 2024 Live Artery festival. She has performed work by Alexa West, Barnett Cohen, Brendan Drake, Chafin Seymour, Falcon Dance (company member, 2018-present), Isa Spector, Owen Prum + Lili Dekker, Miguel Alejandro Castillo, and Third Rail Company (Then She Fell company member, 2019-2020). Engelstein has created new works with performer and director Magda San Millan and choreographer Jo Warren. She choreographs for and performs with the band Lou Tides. She has taught dance technique, improvisation, and directing at SUNY Brockport, Colorado Mesa University, Barnard College, University of Maryland, and The Field Center. Lena holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Colorado College. www.lenaengelstein.com