Michelle Slauson

Michelle was born in Yokohama, Japan and lived in New Jersey until she was 5 before moving to Orange County.  She has been doing ballet for over 20 years and trained at Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy in Laguna Hills, CA.  She was also a member of the Orange County Ballet Theater and performed in numerous performances at the Sergestrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.  She also performed in Bizet’s Carmen the Opera, as a super, at the Sergestrom Concert Hall.  She recently graduated from University of California, Irvine in 2015 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and a minor in Biological Sciences.  After undergoing three ACL knee reconstructive surgeries on both knees, she couldn’t help but develop a passion for the physical therapy practice.  With nearly full recovery after each surgery, she realized how significant and miraculous physical therapy is.  She also found her love for Pilates, as it has a huge impact, not only in recovery, but also in injury prevention and overall core strength.  She recently completed her instructor certification in the classical Pilates method with Diane Diefenderfer, founder of Studio Du Corps in Costa Mesa.  Michelle designs her Pilates workouts with an overall balance between mind, body, core strength, fluidity and flexibility in order benefit a variety of individuals.  Currently, she is working towards going to graduate school to obtain a Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree.  In her free time she likes to go sport fishing, go to the beach and eat sushi!