CAROLA TRIER
by Kathy Corey

Carola Strauss Trier was one of Joseph Pilates' most revered students and with Mr. Pilates blessing, In the late 1950s she was the first teacher to open a studio of her own.  Her studio for body conditioning and correction was called "a hybrid gymnasium/machine shop", by Dance Magazine.  The studio was a converted seven-room apartment in the west side of Manhattan. 

Carole Trier was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1913.  She was performing as a contortionist and roller skater before her 12th birthday. She studied at the Laban school with the desire to become a concert dancer.  Upon receiving her diploma from the Folkwang School in Essen, she toured Germany and France with professional cabaret acts.



In 1942, she was sent the Gurs, a Nazi-run detention camp camp in France with over 5000 Jews.  She managed to escape and following World War II, in 1942 came to the United States to continue her career as a dancer, acrobat and roller-skating contortionist.

After a devasitating injury, friends referred her to Joseph Pilates — and thus began her second career as a fitness instructor.  She continued her study of the body and furthered her anatomical knowledge at New York City’s Lenox Hill Hospital, where she aided Dr. Henry Jordan with patient rehabilitation and research. Trier combined her medical and Pilates experiences to develop various exercises and stretching techniques.



In 1982, Trier authored a book for children entitled Exercise, What it is, What it Does, which introduced and emphasized the benefit and enjoyment of exercising both alone and with friends.
Trier was an active teacher, lecturer, and practitioner.  She retired in 1988 and in 2000, she passed away at the age of 87.

Author: Kathy Corey