The Team

The Swissbody® Pilates Method

At Swissbody ® Pilates, we adhere to the original teachings of Joseph Pilates, while adding contemporary knowledge and adaptations to the original method. This allows us to perform exercises that are anatomically and biomechanically correct while in a supportive and personalized environment.

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Susan Pepper Arena

Second Generation International Master Pilates Teacher

Member of the Pilates Method alliance
Founder and CEO Swissbody® Group Sàrl and Director of the Swissbody Pilates Academy

Susan Pepper Arena was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and educated in South Africa. She studied Dance and Movement at the University of Cape Town and after graduating, became a professional ballet dancer, rising to soloist status. While dancing professionally, she continued her studies, majoring in psychology at the University of South Africa (UNISA) and later at the University of Geneva. Her early fascination with applying correct body alignment and strengthening as a means to reducing dance (and also sport) related injuries led her to study, in-depth, a range of related body conditioning methods. She soon discovered Pilates, which led to her training in the United Kingdom (Body Control Pilates^®), New York and with First Generation Pilates Master, Lolita San Miguel in Germany.

Over the years Susan has trained with many other devotees including instructors and physiotherapists from Australia, Hong Kong, England, Canada, South Africa and the U.S.A. She has evolved her own highly personalized correctional techniques based on her rich family heritage (she is the fourth generation to dance and work with movement as a perfect tool for rehabilitation) and in collaboration with medical doctors, physiotherapists and osteopaths. She has owned and successfully run the Swissbody^® Pilates Centres since 1998 and is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance^® (PMA^®). Susan believes strongly in the importance of continual training and in recent years has followed courses with other well known teachers such as Rebecca Leone, Pat Guyton, Brent Anderson and Eric Franklin. She has also completed a two year Master Mentor Certification course with Lolita San Miguel, one of the only two teachers certified by Joseph Pilates. Master Instructor, Susan Pepper Arena oversees the training and continuing education programme of the Swissbody® Pilates Academy and ensures its high standards and quality is rigorously maintained. Considered as a Pilates and movement specialist, Susan has often been interviewed for the Swiss newspapers Le Matin, La Tribune de Genève and Le Temps. She has also been interviewed by World Radio Switzerland and Radio Lac and has featured or appeared in Elle, Eidelweiss, L’Illustré, Chic and Exclusif Magazine. Susan was also the subject of a television programme featuring Pilates on Swiss television, “TSR”.

In November 2009, Susan presented the importance of the Pilates method for strengthening the lumber pelvic region at the 16th Symposium Romand in Lausanne for continued training and Physiotherapy. In October 2010, she was invited to present her studies of the pelvic floor and Pilates at an international conference for physical re-education, at the “Parc Floral” in Paris for “ORREK” and in December 2010 she started Pilates teacher training for the Swissbody Pilates Academy in South Africa. In May 2011 Susan presented two conferences:“The Pelvic Floor” and “Scoliosis” and gave a specialised Pilates class: “ The Pelvic floor, what to do and what not to do” at the International Pilates Day Memorial Conference in Munchenblad, Germany (Joseph Pilate’s town of birth). In the same year, Susan started giving courses to certified mid-wives for the continuing education section of the “Fédération Suisse des Sages-Femmes, FSSF”.

In 2012 Susan was highly honoured by Lolita San Miguel as she is one of a small group of Lolita San Miguel’s Pilates Master students who demonstrated the exercises photographed for her Pilates matwork and equipment teacher training manuels.

Susan continues to regularly present her work at international conferences. In early 2014 she taught her “Standing Workout” and presented “The Serratus Anterior and the External Obliques: The synergy” at the “FORUMPILATES CONVENTION 2014, Fiera di Bologna”. Later that year, Susan and her husband, Cav. Giuseppe Arena, began working for the Russian Olympic Committee preparing artistic ice-skaters for the next Winter Olympics. Susan regularly trains Russian World and Olympic artistic ice-skating Medallists as well as members of the junior artistic ice-skating team. Susan speaks fluent French and English.

Chi Ingledew

Guest Teacher

Chi, said like Chai tea, is full of energy and enthusiasm for life! Chi graduated with a BA Honours degree in psychology, drama, and education. While studying at Rhodes University in South Africa, she further qualified as a BASI (Body Arts and Science International) Pilates and Gyrokinesis Instructor. Her continued love to further her education has provided her experience in teaching and learning in Dubai, the USA, Italy, France, Spain, South Africa and now Switzerland. Her passion for movement is applied to all her different clientele’s needs. She has chosen to redo her BASI Comprehensive Pilates course numerous times, doing the Mentor Program with both Rael Isscowitz and Theo van der Riet, and participating in “Learn for the Leaders” in America and South Africa. An additional privilege has been learning from Joseph Pilate’s second-generation lecturers: Karen Clippinger and Brett Howard. Chi also has multiple certifications among top international Pilates lectures. She believes she will forever be a student in her element, soaking up all that there is to learn.

She has represented South Africa twice for Ironman 70.3 World Championship and has since turned her passion to the trails where she has podiumed in The Africa Otter Trail Challenge, Expedition Africa 120 Drakensberg Adventure Race, War Trail and more recently Burra500. Her mental grit and physical talents have allowed her to endure multi-sports throughout Southern Africa for up to 4 days of non-stop racing, 26 consecutive hours of cycling, cross-country riding from Johannesburg to Cape Town and the 9 Peaks Challenge which includes 155km of trekking. Chi’s passion for cycling and adventure has provided her with the opportunity to become a leading brand ambassador for LIV bicycles, which promotes and supports cycling for women at all levels. As an enthusiastic and competitive athlete, she further educated herself through Ironman University to do Online Sports Coaching. 

Chi’s interests go beyond the physical aspects of how the body moves. In 2020 and 2021 she advanced her studies by becoming a Life Coach through the UK International Career Institute. She completed the widely acclaimed diploma in Counseling and Psychology. Chi runs her own business called EnerchiFitness where she offers in-studio and online Pilates, Sports Coaching and Life Coaching. In her free time, when she is not studying, teaching, or racing you can find her blog writing. 

Chi’s appreciation of the inter-relationship between the body and mind allows her to incorporate the ideal exercises to enhance your physical capabilities. 

Chi speaks fluent English

Jennifer Paynter

Director of Swissbody® Pilates South Africa

Master Teacher Swissbody® Pilates, Founder member BCP UK in SA

JENNIFER PAYNTER received her early professional dance training at the Elmhurst Ballet School in the UK. She subsequently performed in theatre and on television, and taught ballet within all levels of the RAD syllabi, firstly in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), then Johannesburg, and subsequently, over a period of 27 years, at her own studio in Cape Town. In 1965 Jennifer became an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dancing, and in due course a Life Member. In 1973, she was appointed to the RAD International Board of Examiners, and remained on the Board for 28 years. She conducted examinations worldwide, including many centres throughout Central and Southern Africa. Also during that period, she attained her RAD Advanced Teacher’s Certificate (Honours), followed by her RAD Advanced Teacher’s Diploma with Distinction (ARAD Tdip) in 1993.

From her earliest years as a teacher, Jennifer has concerned herself deeply with body conditioning to eliminate faulty patterns of movement and the prevention of injury — especially among dancers. But, as it was soon becoming obvious that the demands of dance were being ever more stringent, so the need for greater anatomical perfection was becoming crucial. So from 1969–1972 Jennifer studied Anatomy in Relation to Dance under the tutelage of Professor R P Trevor-Jones, Professor of Anatomy, Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, and later under the technical guidance of Messrs R Goldschmit and D Pollock (both orthopaedic surgeons) in Cape Town. During 1973 she conducted Body Conditioning instruction to members of CAPAB Ballet Company, Cape Town, and from 1988 to 1991 was Lecturer in Anatomy in Relation to Classical Dance at the University of Cape Town, Ballet School.

In 1996 Jennifer turned to Pilates to augment her skills in relation to the rehabilitation and prevention of sport and dance-related injuries. In 1999, soon after qualifying for her Body Control Pilates Teacher’s Certificate (UK), she relocated to Geneva to teach at the then newly-created Swissbody® Pilates Centre. During her eight year tenure there, Jennifer became a Master Teacher of the Swissbody® method, and was closely involved in the tuition of Swissbody® Pilates teachers with special attention to the study of functional anatomy. Jennifer’s specialised ‘Foot and Knee’ classes were to become so successful that they ultimately developed into a Swissbody® International Workshop for physiotherapists and sport and dance trainers, the first of which was held during June 2007 in Geneva where it has now become an annual event.

In March 2007 Jennifer returned to Cape Town to establish a studio under the Swissbody® Pilates banner situated within the Cape Academy of Performing Arts, (CAPA) Westlake complex, where she enjoys an excellent relationship through teaching within the faculties of Dance Conditioning, Classical Ballet and Functional Anatomy. She, however, remains firmly committed to her Swissbody® roots as she continues to be involved with the Swissbody® Academy and the Pilates training of young dancers…as well as offering specially-formulated classes to people from many other walks of life.

The Team

Susan Pepper Arena

Second Generation International Master Pilates Teacher

Markus Siegenthaler

Full level 6 certification, Master Instructor Swissbody Pilates Academy

Yukari Kami

Full Level 5 certification Swissbody® Pilates Academy

Sabine Hilsberg

Completing Level 5 Of The Swissbody® Pilates Academy

Véronique Pérusset

Full LEVEL 5 Certification SWISSBODY® PILATES ACADEMY, Second Generation Pilates Master

Chi Ingledew

Guest Teacher

Giorgia Profumo

Amy Ridgway

Completing Swissbody® Pilates Academy Level 5

Francesca Chiodi

Holistic Therapist

Jennifer Paynter

Director of Swissbody® Pilates South Africa