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JTP Teaching Team
Cheryl Montelle
With 38 years of teaching experience, Cheryl Montelle brings a wealth of expertise and passion to her Pilates practice. Cheryl’s journey began as a young dancer with scoliosis when she had the extraordinary opportunity to study under Kathy Grant, one of Joseph Pilates’s protégés and an acclaimed master teacher, in New York City.
Continuing her education in Los Angeles, Cheryl trained with renowned Pilates teacher Jillian Hessel. She became Jillian’s first hired instructor at The Well-Tempered Workout, where she taught for seven years. Cheryl later launched her own Pilates business, The Fun No-Nonsense Workout, with thriving studios in Studio City and West Hollywood, CA, employing a team of instructors as her business grew.
Following the birth of her daughter in 1998, Cheryl scaled down her business while continuing to teach at Pilates By The Park in West Hollywood and offering private sessions in clients’ homes. Her teaching extended to the Dance Department at CalArts in Valencia, CA, and The California State Summer School of the Arts (CSSSA).
Cheryl has contributed to the Pilates community as a featured writer for the Pilates Method Alliance magazine, The Hundred, and as an organizer of Pilates workshops, hosting master teachers like Wendy Arbuckle and Jillian Hessel. She has also been a guest instructor at events like the L.A. Pilates Intensive, where she represented the mat work of Kathy Grant and Carola Trier.
After teaching at Pilates and Arts in Joshua Tree, Cheryl partnered with Anastasia to become a co-owner of Joshua Tree Pilates.
Cheryl is inspired by helping students connect with their center through mindful breathwork and engagement of deep core muscles, improving posture and fostering a sense of well-being throughout the body. Her teaching encourages a deeper connection to oneself, which remains her greatest joy after nearly four decades in the field.
Anastasia Baratta
Anastasia Baratta (they/she) is a seasoned movement educator and coach with over 15 years of experience. Their work weaves together Pilates, somatic practices, and functional movement to support strength, mobility, and embodied awareness.
Drawing from studies with the Kane School, BASI Pilates, Tune Up Fitness, and the somatic lineage of Moshe Feldenkrais and Thomas Hanna—as well as meditation and breathwork practices—Anastasia offers an integrative approach to posture, alignment, and vitality. Ongoing workshops and continuing education continually inform Anastasia’s evolving style. Their movement philosophy is rooted in somatic sensing, neurological repatterning, and functional rotational movements—working from within to create lasting change. From this foundation, Anastasia has developed a unique intra-modality that extends beyond Pilates, weaving together primal movement, somatic repatterning, and mindful strength.
With a BA in Education, Anastasia is skilled at adapting lessons to different learning styles, making movement both accessible and engaging. At Joshua Tree Pilates, they create a supportive environment where each person’s unique body and journey are honored. Beyond the studio, Anastasia’s work as a death midwife and educator reflects the same commitment to presence, care, and transformation—reminding us that embodiment, in all its forms, is at the heart of living well..
Elise Kelley
Elise Kelley is a High Desert native whose love of dance and gymnastics first sparked her passion for movement and body awareness. She discovered Pilates four years ago and was instantly hooked—so much so that she became a dedicated student at Joshua Tree Pilates and is now completing her comprehensive instructor certification with Body Arts and Science International (BASI).
With a degree in Special Education and a thriving career as a teacher, Elise brings the heart of an educator into every class. She blends her knowledge of learning, her keen eye for detail, and her genuine enthusiasm for movement to create classes that are both supportive and engaging. Her approachable style and bright energy make her a valued part of the Joshua Tree Pilates teaching team.