Jay Grimes is unforgettable for so many reasons. I’ve got my reasons, and if you’ve had the pleasure of meeting him, then you’ve got yours.
When Balanced Body kindly invited me to pay tribute to Jay, one thing was clear: a single post could never capture everything that made him so memorable. Rather than attempt the impossible, I invite you to remember Jay with me. I’ll begin the conversation and leave it to you to carry it forward.
Jay was the kind of man who helped many but was devoted to very few. He was difficult to impress and rarely influenced by outside opinions. So, it means something when I say that Jay was impressed by Joe Pilates, and more specifically, his work. I can’t tell you how many times he quieted relentless confusion about Pilates with a simple response, “Joe was a genius.”
Having taught Pilates to Jerome Robbins and danced for Bob Fosse, Jay understood genius as something set apart from the ordinary. He believed geniuses thought and moved through the world differently, and that their creations reflected that brilliance. They did not follow social norms; they saw the world through a different lens.
Of course, Jay stood far above the ordinary. He was brilliant, gifted, and entirely his own person. Yet as much as we admired him, Jay placed geniuses in a category of their own. He accepted that he might never fully understand the why and how behind Joe’s work. Yes, he studied and taught Joe’s method of Contrology for nearly 60 years. He was also an avid reader and a perceptive student of the human body, continually making new discoveries about health, well-being, injury rehabilitation, and disease. But rather than letting those discoveries distract him, he connected them back to Joe’s work. And instead of feeling elevated by what he learned, he was humbled by the depth of Joe’s knowledge, which proved to be far ahead of its time.
After Joe’s death, some teachers offered variations or improvements to Joe’s work. It goes without saying that Jay wasn’t impressed. I once asked Jay how he was able to keep such a clear remembrance of what he learned from Joe and Clara. He paused and became thoughtful. “Maybe it’s because aside from teaching in the 8th Avenue and 56th Street studios (alongside Joe, Clara, John Winters and Romana Krzynowska) I was teaching private students from my home studio”. He felt this protected him from outside influence and allowed him to stay grounded in Joe’s work.
I should add that Jay had an extraordinary memory for movement. As a dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and on Broadway, he was accustomed to cataloging movement. When asked about a Pilates exercise, I sometimes saw him turn inward, drawing on his sense memory. His answers often surprised me, and I would not know how consistently accurate they were until years later, when I came across a newly unearthed photo or video of Joe or his work. At other times, Jay grew impatient and quickly redirected us back to Joe’s teachings. His reason was simple: “I’ve never seen anything better than what Joe taught.” Of course, questioning philosophy is natural, but there will always be room for the wisdom of luminaries like Joe Pilates. Perhaps one day the human body will evolve so much that corrective exercise no longer benefits us. Until then, Mr. Pilates left us time-tested tools to fine-tune and maintain our bodies.
Jay will always be remembered for returning the focus to Joe, rather than garnering recognition for himself. For this reason, even those who’ve tried to discredit him failed because Jay embodied Joe’s work in his movement, his posture, and his teaching. Rather than ever claiming to be a master, he modeled the ideal teacher – one that remained an eternal student. Instead of aiming to create something new, he devoted himself to reviving the work of a man he considered to be untouchable.
So, as we celebrate the 16th anniversary of Vintage Pilates on November 1st, we also celebrate our director, the incomparable Jay Grimes. Our love and respect for him and his teaching will live on in perpetuity.
Note: Now it’s your turn. If you knew Jay, take a moment to remember him and share your thoughts with your Pilates community. If you never had the chance to meet him, stay close to Joe Pilates’ philosophy and work, and you will always find Jay there with you.
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Sandy Shimoda, BBA, MBA
Owner of Vintage Pilates
Sandy Shimoda is the owner of Vintage Pilates, a business that returns Joe Pilates’ method of Contrology to its origins as it was passed down by its founding director, Jay Grimes. She was certified by Romana Krzynowska and worked closely with Jay Grimes – both students of Joe Pilates. Sandy had the pleasure of consulting alongside Jay Grimes for his contribution to the Balanced Body Contrology line of Equipment. She offers private lessons, group training, and courses for teachers online, as well as in-person workshops worldwide. Sandy is the author of The Contrology Handbook: A Guide to Joe Pilates’ Method of Exercise available through her website www.vintagepilates.com or through Balanced Body.
