Entrepreneurship in France
Meeting with Sandra Muller, Dancer, Choreographer, Pilates Teacher and Founder of Fluid'Pilates in Paris. Sandra is a generous, courageous, independent and determined young woman. She sheds light on her entrepreneurial journey and her motivation to pass on her knowledge of the body and movement in her Pilates classes.
Tell us about yourself, the places, the values that influenced the woman you have become? I was born into a middle class French family. My parents gave me a sense of work, to respect the people around me, to be open-minded and to accept differences. I grew up in an environment where the notion of effort and work was important. I saw my father get up very early in the morning and come home late at night, because he had a lot of responsibilities as an entrepreneur. I saw him invest in his work and fight for the things he believed in. Every day he was determined and his will to be independent made him persevere even if it was not easy. It was very educational for me and gave me the courage to build my career as a dancer-choreographer-teacher of Pilates. When you are an entrepreneur, you have to be aware that your turnover can vary from month to month and remain confident in the future. My family gave me a taste for independence, to defend what we like to do, to move forward at all costs and to fight to embody our aspirations.
What motivated you to become a dancer and create your Pilates Studio? My great-grandmother and my grandmother were passionate about musicals. In my childhood, we watched the shows together at the Lido, the Moulin Rouge, the Crazy Horse and I marveled at the choreographies of Redha's company on the opening of the show "Champs-Elysées". I was also lucky to have an amazing dance teacher. Nicole Mirey taught me to dance very rigorously and with passion. I was able to explore all styles of dance with her and I did my first French Cancan at 12 years old under her direction. I quickly felt that I liked it and that I wanted to become a professional dancer and to earn my living using my passion. I completed my professional training at the Rick Odums Institute (modern American dance education) and obtained my state diploma as a Jazz-Dance teacher. These years were pivotal because they allowed me to discover that knowledge of anatomy should be linked to practice. During my experience at the Paradis Latin, a Parisian Cabaret, I made some wonderful encounters, especially that of élise, a dancer like me. It was when I visited her in Australia, where she now lives, that Pilates became obvious. That was more than ten ago already!
Can you tell us more about your relationship with the body? During my training as a dancer, I followed the teaching of Isabelle Ridez, classical dance teacher who reconciled me with my body. It allowed me to accept myself as I am and to detach myself from the skinny aesthetic that has imposed itself in the world of classical dance. It is essential for dancers to feel good about their body, because they are regularly performing on stage. At the time I didn't know that I was going to become a revue dancer and that I was going to find myself in "thong and glitter" every night on stage! It was my biggest challenge! When I teach Pilates, it is fundamental for me that people feel good about their bodies and respect their abilities. There is no right or wrong, there is accuracy in what we do. You always have to listen to your body and ask yourself the right questions: does my body allow me to go further in the posture today? You have to be indulgent with yourself and accept that each day our performance is different.
What is essential for you in your Pilates classes? My teaching is based on the knowledge and understanding of the body associated with movement. The goal is to regain body awareness and to connect to oneself in the present. All these concepts brought into a course give people an anchor and circulates energy. In my classes, we visualize our body, so we strengthen ourselves to go further! It is essential that my students understand what their body is made of and how it works. Pilates has a real impact on people's lives, on their state of mind and the way they approach their daily life.
What are the values and commitments that are at the heart of your business model?Transparency and sincerity! I don't sell dreams to people! I support them in becoming aware of their body and I allow them in the long term to exceed their limits and to create more fluidity in their life. I am committed to helping my students progress at their own pace and with respect for their body and their morphology. With this pandemic, I can no longer teach in the studio, so I have adapted to the current constraints by offering online courses and tutorials on anatomy. It is important for me to share with people what I can give them to face all challenges with confidence, especially at this time!
Difficulties encountered when working in the world of Well-Being? There is a lot of competition and the Wellness landscape has exploded in recent years. Unfortunately, some proposals are not always of good quality and I recover a lot of injured people. The main challenge is to gain people’s trust. I am committed to transmitting a fair, gentle and honest practice. In my lessons you will find learning and humor to have a good time and that Pilate becomes a real moment of pleasure.
How do you see the future, expansion, projects? I adapted my lessons digitally on Instagram @fluidpilates and on Zoom. I will be launching my online course platform in the spring. The lessons will be accessible in replay, to offer flexibility in terms of schedules and allow everyone to practice when they want. There will also be a blog section to address topics that are close to my heart, invite people to share on the theme of Well-Being and a Forum section for discussions. I would also like to open a place that would bring together courses in body practices, acupuncture, osteopathy ... and develop a network of practitioners to be able to work in synergy and offer people quality care. It would also be necessary to rethink sports lessons at school and in my crazy dream, get an appointment at the Ministry of Education to offer them ideas! Feeling good about your body and mind is essential if you want to build a better world.
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