Kym Costa

Owner Senior Instructor

Pure Pilates Chicago

Kym was a professional Ballet Dancer, having danced for the Civic Ballet at The Ruth Page Foundation in Chicago and freelancing with small companies around the US.  Kym studied with several prominent ballet companies, including the Joffrey Ballet and the Pennsylvania Ballet, and started teaching Ballet when she was 16. Kym used her strong background as a Dancer to transition into the Fitness Industry. As a Fitness Professional, Kym used her knowledge of movement to instruct various exercise classes, including step, hi/low, cardio dance, Ballet Barre, slide, sculpt, interval, stretch, Spin, circuit, water, walking, boxing, and treading. She studied anatomy, physiology, and proper biomechanics, receiving several fitness certifications, including NASM Personal Trainer, ACE Instructor, ACE Personal Trainer, AFAA Instructor, Spinning, N'Stretch, and CPR. Kym ranked nationally as a Sports Aerobic Competitor and coached and choreographed for other competitors while managing Group Exercise Programs at several upscale health clubs, managing teams of over 60 instructors. Kym was the Co-Captain and Choreographer for Reebok's Performance Team and traveled nationally to conduct master classes and present Fitness Workshops. In 1998, Kym turned her focus from mainstream fitness to the mind/body exercises of Yoga and Pilates. She received her first Pilates Certification from the Physical Mind Institute and devoted herself to Pilates and Yoga as a serious student as she had in Dance.   In 1999, while living in Los Angeles, Kym studied at the Yoga Place, YogaWorks, and The Yoga Centre. Kym has been fortunate to take workshops from several masters, including Anna Forrest and Tim Miller.  While in New York, Kym studied at Jivamukti Yoga Center, and in Chicago studied at Yoga View and 105F. In 2000, after completing close to 1000 hours of apprenticeship from the training centers in Chicago and New York, Kym received her certification in the Authentic Pilates Method of Body Conditioning, now called Romana's Pilates. She taught at the training center inside Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in Chicago's West Loop. Romana Kryzanowska was Joseph Pilates' protégé, and Juanita Lopez is Romana's highest-ranking instructor and a "Teacher to Teachers."  These two Masters are the teachers with whom Kym spent the most time shaping her teaching style and giving her the knowledge needed to maintain the integrity of the exercises and continue the "work."  Kym feels extremely grateful to have studied under Romana and Juanita's instruction. In 2005, Kym founded Pure Pilates Chicago, LLC, in a small room in the Garland Building in downtown Chicago. A couple of years later, she moved her business back to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, now an independent studio, where she remained until moving to her current location at 833 W Chicago Ave in 2019.  Kym tries to assess each student's body and mindset to communicate effectively and ensure her students learn in a way that best suits them. Her teaching style is kind and caring while educating students during movement and leaving them with a sense of satisfaction and, eventually, self-sufficiency. After 42 years of teaching movement and 25 years of teaching the Original Method of Pilates, Kym conitnues to strive to provide each lesson with precision & flow while using correct breath & control. The concentration needed to move from the center is the ongoing challenge and keeps workouts fresh, engaging, effective, and fun!