Our Teachers
Passionate about maintaining the integrity and traditions of the Pilates Method.
Marilyn Levitt - Owner
Marilyn Levitt has been in the fitness industry since 1987. Since that time she has managed and instructed at many health clubs throughout Dallas. She has been a featured instructor for workshops and master classes across the United States. She has been a guest instructor at The Greenhouse Spa in Arlington, Texas, and Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico.
A former competitive bodybuilder, Marilyn has won two Gold medals in National and World Aerobic competitions. She was a select member of the Reebok Fitness Pro team and in 2004 was nominated by the American Council on Exercise as Group Exercise Instructor of the Year. She has appeared many times on the ABC affiliate Channel 8's Healthsource with Dr. David Winter and has been a featured fitness expert for the Dallas Morning News.
Marilyn studied and received her certification in Pilates with Karen Sanzo, Physical Therapist at Pilates Unlimited in Dallas, Texas. She has mentored other instructors and is committed to her own development as an instructor and attends Pilates and personal training workshops on a regular basis to continue to expand her knowledge of all aspects of fitness.
She works with clients that are seeking to improve their fitness level as well as individuals who have specific rehabilitation needs. Marilyn consults with several Physical therapists for clients that are referred for pre and/or post rehab of joint replacements and other surgical procedures of the spine.
Marilyn specializes in Pilates equipment and mat instruction as well as stability ball training, balance training, TRX suspension training, core strength development and resistance training.
Certifications:
2016 Pink Ribbon Program for Breast Cancer Survivors
Full Pilates equipment and Mat Pilates 2000
Pilates Unlimited, Dallas, Texas
Physical Fitness Specialist 1997
Cooper Institute of Aerobic Research, Dallas, Texas
Fitness Instructor 1990
American Council on Exercise
Our Instructors
At Core Pilates Dallas, we are committed to providing you not only the best in equipment, but the best in instruction. Please read about our instructors and their professional backgrounds.
Marie Chandler PT, NCPT
Physical Therapist, Polestar Pilates Certified Instructor
Marie’s passion has always been to help people improve their mobility and activity with exercise. With her roots grounded in 45 years of practicing Physical Therapy she served in various settings and a variety of roles in hospitals, outpatient clinics, home health and skilled nursing facilities.
As part of a tremendously successful tenure overseeing and developing the Performance Pilates Program at the legendary Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center since the early 2000s, Marie initiated her fitness training completing the Neuro-Core Kinetic certification in 2004 and a Mat Certification with Power Pilates in 2005. Her first Full Teacher Training Pilates Program was at Pilates Unlimited in 2007. In 2011, she received her Pilates Method Alliance Certification. Since then she successfully completed the Comprehensive Pilates Transition Certification with Polestar Pilates International in 2015. Currently she is an instructor/educator for the Polestar Pilates Comprehensive certification from 2016-present.
Eager to share and draw on her diverse background she designs programs for individuals with joint replacements, Scoliosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease as well as individuals with movement restrictions related to pain in the spine, hips, shoulder etc.
Pilates brings the possibility to help people age in a strong body.
The multidisciplinary approach is designed for women Pre-Post Natal to reclaim their bodies, athletes to perfect their performance and others who strive to improve their posture, capabilities and overall physical presence.
Marie is a Peer Educator with the American Bone Health Organization and serves on their Education Advisory Committee.
Over the years she has attended numerous continuing education work- shops and made several presentations to Physical and Occupational Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant programs in Texas.
For fun and adventure Marie spends time with her husband exploring the state of Texas as they participate in Trail Running throughout the Hill Country, Big Ben National Park, Ft Davis Mountains and Seminole Canyon.
Vennie Jones
2004 Certified Pilates Instructor with Karen Sanzo, PT
1993 Aquatic Certification from Cooper Institute of Aerobics
2014 Bootybarre Plus Certification from Tracy Mallett’s Booty Barre
Vennie has an extensive background teaching multiple exercise formats, including Pilates, Booty Barre, Bodhi Suspension, Aquatic Exercise (Deep Water and Shallow Water), and BOGA Board - “Float Your Mat."
As a movement specialist, Vennie has enjoyed working with a diverse group of people by training and encouraging those, such as athletes, young adults, new parents, empty nesters, and older adults. However, there are no limitations to Vennie's willingness to work with whoever longs to work with her. Vennie has a goal to help people fall in love with their bodies, and she believes that can be accomplished with anybody.
Not only has Vennie learned how to train others to move through a creative, adaptable training program like Pilates, but she also encourages the body as a whole to challenge routine, seek creative variations, and practice what is alive. Together Vennie and her client enjoy cultivating a practice that provokes energy surplus. A practice where we become all that we can imagine.
When Vennie is not training clients, she will most likely be found spending time with her loving husband of over 40 years or one of her precious grandchildren.
Alyssa McCullough PT, DPT, OCS
Physical Therapist, Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, Polestar Pilates Certified Instructor, LSVT Certified
Alyssa started her journey as a Physical Therapist in Philadelphia, PA in 2014. She worked in an outpatient physical therapy clinic, which treated numerous diagnoses and varying levels of fitness. Her patient population included deconditioning, post-operative joint replacements, chronic pain, Parkinson’s, moderate to high-level neurological conditions (stroke, TBI), semi-professional/professional athletes, and semi-professional/professional dancers. It was at this clinic where Alyssa was introduced to the reformer and quickly began to integrate Pilates into her plan of care.
In 2020, Alyssa completed her Practitioner of Pilates for Rehabilitation certification through Polestar Pilates and moved to Dallas, TX. She continues to work as a full-time, outpatient Physical Therapist in Dallas at a clinic with a Pilates reformer. She also started her career as a Pilates Instructor teaching group classes and private sessions at a variety of studios including Club Pilates and Lifetime Fitness. These experiences opened her eyes to the importance of utilizing Pilates exercises and Pilates principles to improve the quality of life for everybody.
She hopes to create meaningful experiences for every client by using her expertise to develop individualized exercise programs and restorative movements that achieve client goals.
Alyssa maintains her own physical health by running, Pilates, and resistance training. Recently, she has taken up mid to long-distance walking at a moderate pace with her Corgi, Ralph.
Grace Croxton
As an avid mover from a very young age, Grace began her Pilates journey at age 14 to help supplement her intensive ballet training. Grace was captivated by the internal strength and awareness Pilates helped her acquire, supporting her body and mind through the physical demands of her dance career.
Grace graduated from Texas Christian University in 2020 with a BS in Strategic Communications and a BFA in Dance. Over the course of her collegiate dance career, she completed a 650-hour comprehensive Pilates certification with additional courses in anatomy, special populations, and the history and repertoire of classical Pilates.
Over the course of her teaching career, Grace has worked with many individuals with specialized needs and modifications, such as, joint replacements, spinal limitations, Scoliosis, Osteoporosis, pre and post-natal clients and more. She has created and implemented specialized movement programs for professional dancers, NBA and NFL athletes, professional golfers, and the everyday professional looking to move functionally through their daily goals and activities.
Outside of her Pilates practice, Grace enjoys boxing, strength training, and working out with her boyfriend who is a personal trainer.
Shelley Estes
Shelley Estes, B.S.E., Dance
PMA Certified Pilates Teacher
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Group Exercise Instructor
TRX Certified
Shelley brings over 30 years of experience as a Pilates Instructor, fitness/wellness professional, gymnastics coach, and professional dancer. Movement and the education of movement has been her primary focus as she empowers her students to empower themselves. Shelley’s Pilates education includes some of the most prominent training programs in the country including Pilates Unlimited with Karen Sanzo, and Balanced Body where she is a faculty member and master instructor teacher trainer.
Over the years, Shelley has worked with a wide range of clients from athletes to the general population, cancer patients, dancers, many with musculoskeletal issues and varied back pathologies. Designing programs to meet the individual needs and goals of her clients is both fun and rewarding! One of the highlights of her career was teaching Pilates to the dance majors at Southern Methodist University for 8 years as an Adjunct Lecturer, and teaching Pilates to the Highland Park HS Girls Golf Team for 4 years. In addition, Shelley has been a Specialty Week Presenter at Rancho La Puerta Spa in Pilates since 2004, and a co-presenter with Larry Lane for the popular Broadway Week.
Rooted in the Pilates fundamentals and movement principles, Shelley believes that good biomechanics, body awareness, proper breathing and motor control are the keys to finding success. First Move Well, then Move Often!
