A native of Brooklyn, NY Diarra Cummings received her early education at the Professional Children’s School and The Dance Theatre of Harlem School where she studied on full scholarship. She began teaching the Pilates Method in 2008, following a career as a professional dancer touring the U.S. with The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Garth Fagan Dance, Alpha Omega Dance Company, and Sidra Bell Dance. While earning her B.A. at Columbia University, Diarra completed her teacher training through The Fitness Guru Teaching Lab Pilates Apparatus Certification (Lawson Harris) and earned additional certifications in pre/post natal Pilates (Brigitte Arle/ Rooted Boston), Complete Clubs (Pamela Warshay/Sage Fitness) and Progressing Ballet Technique (Marie Walton-Mahon).

Combining classical and contemporary Pilates exercises – as well as an understanding of the body gained from over 13 years of working with hundreds of clients – Diarra has developed her unique teaching style based on mindful movement with attention to correct alignment, clear queuing, kinesiology, and visualization in a challenging-yet-judgement free zone.