The new studio in the Koury Athletic Center, made possible through a gift from Elon parents Rick and Laura Needham P’19, will support both academic and wellness programs on campus.
Elon University on Friday dedicated the Needham Pilates Studio in Koury Athletics Center, a new facility that represents a collaboration between wellness efforts on campus and academic programs.
The new studio was made possible by a $50,000 gift from Elon parents Rick and Laura Needham, whose daughter, Alyssa, graduated in May. The studio takes the place of a former racketball court, and is outfitted with new equipment that will allow Campus Recreation and Wellness to expand the types of Pilates classes it has offered in the past.
“As the parents of an Elon dance alum who is now a professional dancer just launching her dance career, we appreciate the importance of Pilates in building strong, flexible and healthy dancers,” Rick Needham said in remarks read by his daughter, Alyssa, at the dedication event. “We hope all of you enjoy and benefit from this Pilates studio.”
Professor of Dance Lauren Kearns, chair of the Department of Performing Arts, explained that the Pilates method of body conditioning has long been integral in the professional dance world, as it focuses on executing with physical strength, flexibility, rotation and mental focus. It’s used as a crosstraining tool for dancers, as well as for rehabilitation, and the studio will also be used for pedagogical and research purposes, she said.
Kearns pointed out the six words adorning the back wall of the studio — breathe, center, concentrate, control, flow and precision. While being essential to the practice of Pilates, “they are emblematic of our campus-wide commitment to promoting wellness in our community,” she said.
The creation of the new studio will allow Elon to expand and modernize its group exercise offerings, which will have significant impact on the more than 1,000 students who participate in the program each year, said Larry Mellinger, director of campus recreation and wellness.
This space represents the opportunity to grow a vital program that contributes to the holistic wellbeing of our students, faculty and staff,” Mellinger said. “As we begin to reimagine the Koury Center as a space for holistic wellness that meets current and future needs of our students to help them thrive, this is an excellent first step in providing spaces that engage students, faculty and staff in activities that challenge and support them physically, mentally and intellectually.”
With their gift, the Needhams are encouraging Elon to explore a formal program to allow dancers to become certified as Pilates instructors, a professional achievement that would provide them with an additional source of income as they pursue professional dance careers following graduation. Alyssa Needham said she plans to pursue that accomplishment now as she begins her professional dance career in Los Angeles.
“I hope one day I can come back and teach a Pilates class in this space,” she told the crowd.
Along with providing a significantly larger space dedicated to the practice of Pilates, the Needham Studio includes a range of equipment including reformers, chairs, ladder barrels, towers and cadillac tables.
Vice President of Student Life Jon Dooley and Gabie Smith, dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, emphasized that partnerships between the Department of Dance and Campus Recreation and Wellness, with the support of the Needham Family, made the new studio possible.
“That collaboration is what makes Elon a special place,” Dooley said.