Meet Our Team
Tabatha Koylass, Owner and Master Teacher
Tabatha is a certified and comprehensively trained Pilates Instructor. A former professional dancer, she has been practicing and teaching dance and Pilates for over 25 years. She brings to her teaching a deep understanding of tailoring individualized exercises and classes and teaches students of all ages and abilities whose goals range from weight loss, marathon and triathlon training, to general health and fitness.
She developed tabPILATES to ensure that the embodiment of the method could be taught and utilized for a wide variety of clientele and that it goes beyond just teaching exercises or leading classes.
In 2009, Tabatha opened tabPILATES and Bodyworks Inc. in the Woodlawn community of Chicago with the purpose of expanding the teaching and practice of Pilates, yoga, dance-based movement, exercise, and healing body arts to the people in her community.
She specializes in translating the classical Pilates work into a method that supports, nurtures, and enhances the lifestyle of those she is surrounded by daily, which has become her calling and passion.
Katherine Dorn, GL-CMA, MFA
Kat is a self-motivated hard worker dedicated to helping people improve their lives through movement. After earning her MFA in Dance, she decided to further her knowledge of human movement and earned her Certificate in Movement Analysis from Columbia College Chicago.
Kat continues to deepen her understanding of movement through her Pilates certification at The Lab Pilates in Chicago. Kat's classes draw from her background in dance, movement analysis, and Pilates in order to help her clients experience and practice the ease of functional movement.
SHANELLE TAYLOR, BFA, FAFS, CPT, NS
Shanelle Taylor currently serves as the Health & Fitness Coordinator for the University of Chicago’s Athletics & Recreation Department, where she supervises the Personal Training and the FitChicago staff since 2018. Her prior experience includes roles such as Fitness & Wellness Director at the McCormick YMCA, Movement Enhancement Specialist/Personal Trainer at Phenomenal Fitness in Chicago, and Program Instructor with the Chicago Park Districts.
In 2005, under a mentorship program sponsored by the Chicago Park District, she completed her Pilates Foundations & Equipment training with Tabatha Koylass. She served as the Studio Manager and taught both equipment and mat classes with tabPILATES until 2007. Now, with over 15 years of experience within the Health & Wellness industry, Taylor returns to tabPILATES as a certified and comprehensively trained Movement Enhancement Specialist, Nutritionist, and Personal Trainer.
Shanelle brings to her teaching a deep understanding of the biomechanics of human function. This skill allows Taylor to provide a customized approach to her work, tailoring each exercise to service the client’s individual needs.
Tyler Thompson, BFA
Tyler grew up being trained in classical dance where Pilates was always a part of her conditioning practice. While attending Rutgers University for her BFA, she was exposed to equipment Pilates through the dance department's Soma Center. Upon graduating, she decided to pursue her comprehensive certification.
In 2019 she completed the McEntire Training Program and became fully certified. Since then, she's gained a deeper appreciation for Pilates and its healing capabilities. It's her passion to expose more people of all ages to the benefits of Pilates and get people moving in a healthier way.