Our Story

We are proud to provide a welcoming and encouraging space where the community can discover the physical and mental benefits of Classical Pilates. We believe that the proven benefits of Pilates include balanced strength, stability, stamina, and stretch; supporting the activities in your daily life. Pilates helps improve your posture, develop better coordination, relieve stress and anxiety, and assist with injury prevention.

All of our Instructors are certified through a 600-hour apprenticeship training in the Pilates method and fulfill continuing education requirements and other learning opportunities to ensure a quality session tailored to the client’s needs. We offer instruction in Classical Pilates, TRX, Barre, and Spinning

In 2001, Cheryl opened her first studio after practicing and teaching Pilates since 1999. Since then Providence Pilates Center has grown from a single one-woman operation in a small space, to a team of nineteen experienced instructors teaching in different Rhode Island studio locations!

Providence Pilates offers a fully equipped Pilates studio with a focus on Gratz apparatus.

Today, Cheryl is a Teacher Trainer for the Power Pilates Method, and teaches all levels of certification to aspiring teachers from all over the world.

Your Providence Pilates Center Team

Cheryl Turnquist
Owner/Instructor

  • She teaches all levels of certification to aspiring teachers from all over the world, and serves as the Curriculum Committee Chair for Power Pilates.

    Cheryl regularly continues to further her education through The Vertical Workshop Master's program with Shari Berkowitz, the Red Thread with Kathi Ross-Nash, and The Classical Syllabus with MeJo Wiggin. Most recently she completed the Contrology Master's Program with Inelia Garcia of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

    Cheryl holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from Boston College. She has found that her background as a therapist has been invaluable to owning Providence Pilates and developing instructors that focus on health and wellness from a mind/body perspective. When not in the studio, she is most happy at home hanging out with her family and her three cats.

Amie Cunha
Manager Cumberland /Instructor

  • Amie has always had a passion for movement, and began her career in fitness just out of college, in 1997. Besides teaching Pilates, Amie also teaches TRX, barre, and indoor cycling classes.

    Amie was introduced to pilates in 1999 and was certified to teach in 2001. She loves the rehabilitation benefits of Pilates, particularly for older clients.

    After working at the Providence Pilates Center, Amie fell in love with classical pilates and was certified under the Power Pilates Program in 2013. She has been a teacher trainer for Power Pilates since 2018.

    Amie works with clients of all ages to help them feel strong and empowered in their bodies.

    Amie also holds a Master’s in Special Education. She loves spending time with her husband Russell, daughters Ava and Morgan, and their boxer Violet.

Sandra Benevente-Carey
Manager Providence/Instructor

  • When Sandra was first introduced to the Providence Pilates Center, she was immediately sold. After years of working out with heavy weights and Cross Fit types of exercises, Pilates was the perfect fit. It proved to be a challenging workout that also provided a mindfulness and attention to detail that she hadn’t yet experienced. She also noticed that the mild back pain that was attributed to a mild scoliosis had improved significantly.

    Sandra sought a certification through Power Pilates in 2017. She is consistent with her own self practice in addition to weekly private sessions, Master trainings, and Continuing Education classes. She has also taken several workshops with the Master Trainer Inelia Garcia of Authentic Method Pilates.

    After 20 years in the banking industry, she learned how to listen to clients and assist them in making decisions about their future goals. She applies that same philosophy when working with PPC clients and helps them meet their health and wellness goals. Her priority is to have all clients feel better than they did prior to their session.

    While she likes all types of activities, her favorite workout is the reformer. She believes it provides the best-integrated workout for the entire body.

    Sandra lives in Lincoln, RI with her 3 boys Aidan, Dylan, and Jack, husband Chris, and dog Luna.

Edwarda DeAngelis, Client Services Manager - Providence

  • Edwarda joined Providence Pilates in September of 2021. She brings several years of customer service experience to our studio after her prior career in banking. Edwarda has become an integral part of the Providence Pilates Family helping with scheduling, client outreach, customer service, development, tech issues, and even HR. If you need anything, Edwarda will do her best to help!!

    Edwarda resides in Lincoln, RI. When she is not serving the clients and employees of PPC, she enjoys taking Tower classes, spending time with her family, and shopping.

Abbi Seward, Instructor

  • She has broadened and deepened her training over time and holds a post-rehabilitation certification through the Pink Ribbon Program to work with breast cancer patients and survivors.

    Abbi has also earned her Personal Trainer certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and took additional course work in TRX Suspension Training, Resist-a-Ball and kettlebells.

    When she isn't working with clients, Abbi is always happy to spread the word about the benefits of Pilates! Abbi can be found racing her sailboat in the warm weather or skiing in the winter.

Anna Lisa Wilkins, Instructor

  • After graduating in 2019 from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music with a BS in Ballet and Italian, Anna Lisa completed Pilates Mat 1 and 2 certifications. She completed her Power Pilates Comprehensive Apparatus Training in 2022.

    When she’s not dancing, she’s working as a Development Associate and Executive Assistant at Festival Ballet Providence. Anna Lisa teaches in both the Cumberland and Providence studio locations.

Ava Cunha, Front Desk - Cumberland

  • Ava welcomes our Providence Pilates students in the evenings at our Cumberland location.

    She is a student at Lincoln High School. She enjoys shopping and hanging out with her friends.

Cynthia Ventre-Hewitt, Instructor

  • After seeking treatment from a spine specialist, he also urged her to take up Classical Pilates. He assured her that the Pilates Method would help to improve spine alignment and build core muscle strength.

    Formerly a professional marketing, sales, promotion, and special events coordinator, Cynthia decided to become a Classical Pilates Instructor.

    Cynthia hopes to help individuals who have spine issues, back pain, and osteoporosis. She strongly believes through personal experience that a program of Classical Pilates exercises can build strength, mentally and physically, which helps to alleviate pain, suffering, and discomfort.

    Cynthia is Power Pilates Comprehensive certified and she continues to expand her ability and appreciation of Pilates through observing and taking classes from notable Pilates Instructors.

    Cynthia has a BA in Communications, Fine Arts in Voice from Curry College, and a MS in Mass Communications from Boston University. She resides in Providence with her husband and German Shepherd. Cynthia enjoys the fine arts, opera, music, exploring new wines, and visiting relatives in Tuscany, Italy.

Erin Cronin, Instructor

  • Erin took her first Pilates class over 10 years ago and was instantly hooked. She had explored multiple platforms of exercise in her 20’s after playing youth sports, but nothing felt right until Pilates. As her practice evolved, her body moved better, looked better, felt stronger and had more consistent energy levels throughout her daily life. She knew she wanted to share her passion for Pilates with the community and became an instructor, finishing the Power Pilates Comprehensive training program in 2019.

    Erin has been a licensed radiologic technologist for more than 15 years and has a good understanding of human anatomy and also has seen a fair amount of patients suffering from pain and injuries. As she teaches, she enjoys helping people feel stronger and encouraging them to work past their comfort levels to experience a sense of confidence in their movement and practice.

Gina Allard, Instructor

  • Gina completed the Comprehensive Training through Power Pilates at Providence Pilates Center with Cheryl Turnquist in 2018. Gina recognized her passion to teach Pilates after retiring as a laboratory scientist in 2017.

    Gina is available in Narragansett on all days except Tuesdays for private sessions as she is in Providence on Tuesdays.

Irina Rusetskaya, Instructor

  • She believes that Pilates is one of the safest exercises there is when done with mindful approach and proper body alignment. Seeing firsthand the changes Pilates was making in her own physique, she decided to pursue her training certification as an instructor in the classical Pilates method. Irina is certified in Mat I and Mat II and is currently in the Comprehensive Apparatus program through Power Pilates.

    Irina is excited to share her knowledge of Pilates and help people use movement to feel better in their lives.

    Irina holds a degree in Accounting from Bryant University.

    In her free time, Irina enjoys cross-country skiing, bike-riding and traveling with her family.

JoAnne Marcotte, Instructor

  • JoAnne started taking Pilates classes while training for a 100-mile bike ride, to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. After all those miles on a bicycle, she realized she needed something to help her stretch and feel balanced. She began with Pilates mat classes and quickly found that even though the class appeared easy and simple, it was anything but.

    She takes weekly lessons and attends numerous Power Pilates conferences, and other continuing education programs to expand her learning and practice. She is also NCPT (Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher) Certified.

    “One of my favorite things about Pilates is its brilliance! The more I learn, the more I need to learn! I love that I am always teaching my mind and body how to be strong! And that’s fun to share with people!”

Joe Deleo, Instructor

  • Joe’s background is in Dance and Theatre, and he has been performing since he was very young. Joe believes that Pilates is an “exercise-in-context” for the performer, incorporating all aspects of movement, breath, control, and precision.

    He served as a Dance Teacher, Choreographer, and Chair of the Fine Arts Department at La Salle Academy for five years. He is currently the Assistant Principal at Lincoln Middle School.

    Joe holds a BA in Musical Theatre and a minor in Dance from Rhode Island College, where he was an active member in the Musical Theatre Company and the RIC Dance Company. He also holds an M.Ed. From Boston College.

Katie McNamara, Instructor

  • Katie has had an evolving twenty-plus-year career as a movement and Pilates teacher and has a Pilates certification through NPCP.

    Katie is passionate about teaching and was able to deepen her knowledge with live dissection workshops through Tom Myers/Anatomy Trains. Her dance background has highly informed her Pilates teaching, particularly within ideas of breath, healing, anatomic imagery, rhythm, balance, and the joy of movement.

    Katie also a BA in Dance and Anthropology from Connecticut College and an MFA in Dance Performance from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Lisa Charchafliah, Front Desk Associate-Cumberland / Instructor

  • Lisa finds that yoga really connects the mind and body in a way that makes you feel grounded and balanced. She completed her RYT 200 through Wild Wisdom Yoga in 2017. Since then, she has also been certified in A Barre Above and Barre Intensity for Barre classes.

    The smiles and sense of relaxation she sees in her students after class is the absolute best part of being an instructor.

    When off the mat, she loves spending time with her family, including her dog, Sophie, and cats Johnnie and Jameson.

Nancy Horne, Instructor

  • In September 2022, she attended her first intensive Power Pilates teacher training the weekend after she dropped her youngest daughter off at school. Nancy became fully certified in May 2023.

    Nancy holds a BA in American History from Harvard College and an MBA in Marketing from Columbia University. She lives on a pond in Wellesley, MA. When not teaching Pilates, Nancy is a business consultant specializing in Strategic Marketing and Product and Service Innovation.

Paul Runci, Instructor

  • Paul’s wife nudged him to give Pilates a try after she’d been practicing for about a year. “She said that whenever she started the morning with a Pilates workout, she felt taller for the rest of the day.” He tried it himself and was hooked from the beginning. He finds Pilates meditative and it allows him to be completely present.

    Paul lives in Providence and works in science communications. He earned a BA from Boston College, a MA in Law and Diplomacy from Tuft’s University, and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Maryland.

    In his free time, he plays Irish traditional music on the Irish flute and fiddle, makes wood-fired pizza, and inexplicably enjoys plunging into the balmy waters of Rhode Island in the winter months.

Sarah Vespermann, Instructor

  • Sarah began practicing Pilates in 1990 and started teaching in 2003. She was introduced to the Pilates Method by her aunt, Susan Whitlow, who trained with Ron Fletcher in the 1970s. She was certified to teach the classical method as taught by Eve Gentry through Michele Larsson of Core Dynamics in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

    Sarah earned a BFA from the University of New Hampshire and an MFA from Indiana University, both with a concentration in oil painting. She enjoys being creative, and is thrilled to be teaching and working with Cheryl and the great instructors at Providence Pilates Center.

Tracey Degaitas, Instructor

  • As the owner of the Body Firm Aerobics & Exercise Studio Tracey taught an array of group fitness classes.

    She has experience with Step, Toning, Kickboxing, Physioball (Resist-a-ball), Hi/lo Aerobics, and more.

    She has been certified to teach Pilates since 2004 and is Power Pilates Comprehensive Certified. She has an established clientele of private clients and also facilitates several group classes.

Trisha Marchetti, Instructor

  • Trisha found that Pilates not only helped increase her performance and flexibility but left her feeling stronger and free from her chronic lower back pain. Trisha strives to support students to feel the same; providing them with encouragement and motivation.

    Trisha spends her days as a reading specialist in a local elementary school. She is a mother, wife, and energetic spirit at heart. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor cycling, boating, hiking, and spending time with her family and dog.

Tracie Finan, Instructor

  • Since beginning her career in fitness, she has moved from teaching aerobics, to owning her own aerobic studio, to being recognized as one of the nation’s premier instructors and presenters and she is excited to bring her experience and expertise to Providence Pilates.

    Tracie’s love of dance fitness led her to finding the benefits of Pilates including improved balance, flexibility, strength, control and body awareness. Tracie reached her goal of becoming a certified Stott Pilates instructor, and she has been certified for more than 15 years. Tracie’s Pilates training included Mat Pilates, Intensive Mat Plus, Reformer, Cadillac, Stability Chair, Ladder Barrel, Arc barrel, Spine Corrector, Intensive Reformer, Advanced Reformer Injuries & Special Populations, Toning Ball, Total Barre, Cueing & Modifications, Clients with Postural Issues on the Reformer, and more. Tracie is also trained to teach BalleCore, BalletTone, Barre Sculpt.

    Tracie's innovative and invigorating group fitness choreography is nationally recognized and allowed her to claim two AAU National Sport Aerobic Championships. She appeared on local and national television including ESPN2. Tracie is the featured presenter in following Urban Rebounding videos: Dance Bound, Kick Bound and Resistance Rebounding. For BodyRev, Tracie is the featured presenter in the Rev & Rebound section of the BodyRev Variety Video. She appears in the Freedom Exercise System video series.

Blake Sigman, Instructor

  • Blake grew up active, participating in youth and high school sports. In his thirties he became an avid runner and cyclist for both the physical and mental benefits. Unfortunately, these activities often created injuries and nagging issues due to imbalances and tightness. This prompted a recommendation to incorporate Pilates into his fitness routine. After one session he noticed he was standing taller and was more aware of how he moved. The workout felt good, which was a new concept for a marathon runner! It was clear that he needed the benefits that Pilates provides.

    Additionally, he was back in the Pilates studio two weeks post-operation beginning to rebuild the upper powerhouse with small movements and keeping his lower body moving while protecting the areas that were still recovering.

    In 2020, his life grew sedentary as a result of the pandemic. With no other explanation he suffered a stroke that left him with a vision impairment and sensation issues throughout his right side. This motivated him to prioritize using and maintaining his physical abilities over all else. With an existing love for practicing Pilates, he decided to begin a transition away from his desk job to the Pilates studio to deepen his own practice and to work with others to develop and further their own.

Kellie Wreschner, Instructor

  • During her own self practice she began to see significant changes in her physical abilities but also experiencing a strong emotional connection to her body.

    Individuals need different methods to nurture and energize their bodies. Pilates has many benefits both physically and mentally. No matter where an individual is in their fitness journey Kellie believes that pilates will enhance your life for the better.

Leslie Vazquez, Instructor

  • Leslie danced professionally with Moving West Repertory Dance Theatre in Boston, Theatre Expansion, and Polynesian Fusion. She continues to perform by singing, dancing, and acting in community theater and local films. She also enjoys choreographing musicals around Rhode Island.

    Having a strong core has allowed her to perform more often with less injuries – she never thought she’d still be performing in her 50s.

    Leslie plays the fife and is a Private in the Pawtuxet Rangers Fife and Drum Corps. When not performing or teaching, Leslie works as the Operations Manager at Automated Health Systems, the company that manages the HealthSource RI contact center. She also enjoys photography, hiking, and biking. She lives in Warwick with her husband, Ron, and dog, Bella Rose.

Neil Shelton, Instructor

  • Neill trained at an elite level in the Pairs discipline with his sister Lara, qualifying for the USFS National Championships multiple times. Following their time as amateur competitors, Neill and Lara embarked on a 12+ year professional career, performing Principal Pair Soloist roles with companies all over the world, both on land and at sea.

    Neill has a Comprehensive PowerPilates certification, which he completed at Providence Pilates in 2022, and continued his education with an Inelia Garcia workshop in 2023.  He is so excited to be a part of the team at Providence Pilates. A true believer in the Method, Neill loves to help his clients of any age and level move better; whether that means getting out of bed and down the stairs, or stepping into a spotlight of their own.

    When he isn't on the ice or in the studio, Neill enjoys riding his bicycle, playing with his dog Skeeter, and long walks on the beach at sunset.