A dual citizen of Brazil and the United States, Christina Maria Gadar is a New York certified Pilates instructor, having completed rigorous training under master teacher Romana Kryzanowska (who was personally trained by Joseph Pilates). Christina was introduced to the Pilates matwork at the age of fifteen while a student at the Boston Ballet. During her ballet training she was coached privately for six years by world-renowned premier danseur Fernando Bujones and had the honor of performing the solo “Raio de Luz” which he choreographed specially for her. She also studied extensively with Madame Tatiana Legat of Russia and Li-Chou Cheng of China. After receiving dance scholarships from the Massachusetts Arts Council and the School of the Boston Ballet, she went on to dance professionally with BalletMet under the direction of John McFall, Columbia City Ballet, and the Sarasota Ballet of Florida where she met her husband Filipp Gadar.

While dancing with the Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Christina started the Pilates apparatus work with Kathy Dandois-Boivin. Ten years after her initial introduction to the Pilates Method she began her Pilates certification under the tutelage of certified teacher trainer Roxane Richards-Huang before obtaining full certification directly from master instructor Romana Kryzanowska in New York in 2000. In addition to the yearly continuing education seminars, she makes it a priority to study privately with master teachers and teacher trainers. She has worked privately with all four Pilates master instructors in the world (Romana Kryzanowska and Sari Mejia-Santo of New York, Juanita Lopez of Illinois and Cynthia Lochard of Australia). In addition to the master teachers, she has studied privately with teacher trainers Roxane Richards-Huang, Anthony Rabara, Lori Coleman Brown, Cynthia Shipley, Janice Dulak and Jerome Weinberg.

Christina has resided in Sarasota since 1996 and has been specializing in private instruction of the original Pilates Method since 2000. She enjoys the balancing act of running her Pilates practice with the highest standards, while staying actively involved in the lives of her family, including her two children.