Our Team

Mr. Daniel Dittmar

• Owner and Head Instructor of Focus Pilates
• Polestar Allegro and Studio Educator
• Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement)

Daniel first came across the integration of Pilates with physiotherapy 12 years ago when he was living in Australia. He immediately realised the huge potential and great benefits this method could have on fitness enthusiasts, people undergoing rehabilitation and even elite sportsmen and women. Since then, he has been teaching Pilates and personal training for over 12 years in 6 countries, including the world's top destination spa, Chiva-Som in Thailand. This experience, combined with his Bachelor's in Applied Science (Human Movement Studies), has given him broad exposure to the health and fitness industry. His wide ranging exposure to various fitness training methods convinced him of the impact Pilates can have on a person's life. Thus, Daniel decided to concentrate on teaching and developing Pilates for fitness and rehabilitation.

Daniel shares "I strongly believe that our bodies have an inherent ability to heal itself and perform at peak levels without injuries, given the right environment, care and commitment."

Mr. Danny Yeo

• Polestar Allegro, Comprehensive Studio Certified Pilates Instructor
• Senior Pilates Instructor for Focus Pilates
• Polestar Pilates Mentor in Training

Danny connects with clients by drawing on his own experiences with a decade-long struggle with issues in his back, and the rehabilitative benefits of Pilates. He says: “Having put my own body through proper Pilates training, in tandem with other forms of exercise such as yoga and running, has helped me to understand what clients could be going through, the potential injuries that could arise, and to modify the exercises for them if the need arises.

Danny Shares "I particularly enjoy seeing the changes in my clients and getting positive feedback about how the programs I designed for them have increased their functional movements, and muscular or joint mobility. This translates to increased general well-being and confidence. Often clients will say that they feel taller, leaner and happy that they have done their bodies good."

Ms. Dawn Yeong

• Senior Pilates Instructor of Focus Pilates
• Certified Pilates Instructor (Pilates International)
• Polestar Comprehensive Studio Certified
• GYROTONIC®® Apprentice teacher level 1

After a decade of being a speech and drama and performing arts teacher as well as training teachers in these fields, Dawn Yeong, a double degree holder in art and social science, decided she needed a change but still wanted to teach. Following a lifetime of not exercising, she chanced upon Pilates in 2001 and after personally experiencing the transformative benefits of Pilates such as a better posture, a sharper mind, less aches and pains compared to her peers, Dawn chose Pilates for life and never looked back.

"I love the graceful yet challenging Pilates exercises as it encompasses an integrative range of movements with life changing benefits that one can enjoy even outside of the studio." she shares.

Ms. Debbie Mills

• Polestar Reformer and Matwork certified
• Polestar Comprehensive Studio trained

Originally from the UK, Debbie has been teaching aerobics since 1998 and started to realise the benefits of Pilates through teaching Body Balance which relieved her back pain. She has since devoted her time to mastering Pilates and now is fully qualified in Polestar Pilates Allegro and Matwork, and is also trained in the Comprehensive Polestar Pilates Studio repertoire.

Ms. Ille May Corder

• BSc. (Physical Therapy), Philippines
• Polestar Rehabilitation Certified Pilates Instructor

Working with clients at Focus Pilates presents Ille with the best of both worlds – the opportunity to make good use of her qualifications in physical therapy and Polestar Rehabilitation, as well as the ability to reach out and help people.

"Having a degree in physiotherapy gives me a better understanding of the human body and the different musculoskeletal conditions," she explains. "I am very mindful in helping students to transit safely from highly-supervised, one-on-one sessions to group classes. They will often also receive tips from me during classes, so that they can relate each exercise movement to simple activities in their daily lives, such as bending and lifting."

Ms. Karen Tan

• Studio Manager
• Polestar Comprehensive Studio trained

Karen discovered Pilates in 2002 and has become a Pilates enthusiast ever since. She found Pilates to be very beneficial to alleviate her lower back pain and it has given her greater body awareness, even improving her skiing!

After many years working as a regional tax consultant in multi-national companies, Karen decided to combine her coaching skills and her passion for Pilates to become a certified full-time instructor. And she has had no regrets.

One of her goals is to have her clients share her passion and enthusiasm for health and well-being. She strives to achieve this by creating a safe environment for her clients to explore and challenge their potential, working to integrate and improve their posture, spinal flexibility, muscle strength and connection to the core. "My clients come from all walks of life but we share a common goal: to be in control of our bodies so as to handle stress more effectively and relax more easily. In short, to have more energy for life," says Karen.

Always the encouraging coach, Karen enthuses, "It's a wonderful feeling to see the satisfaction in my clients when they achieve greater body awareness - when mind and body begin to work in perfect harmony!"

Ms. Michele Loh

• Polestar Comprehensive Studio Certified Pilates Instructor
• Polestar Pilates Mentor in Training

A longtime practitioner and certified yoga instructor of Hatha and Vinyasa yoga who was introduced to the precision and scientific foundations of Pilates in 2008, Michele brings a unique perspective and teaching style to Focus Pilates. Combining principles from the two exercise forms, she focuses on strengthening the inner core, so that the outer layer can move and function in optimal condition. In turn, this allows energy to flow freely throughout the body.

Her caring teaching style, keen eye for movement and attention to detail quickly puts clients at ease, and coaxes them towards improving their body awareness and alignment. She enjoys creating unique exercise modifications and tailor-made programs to develop each client’s core strength, correct muscular imbalances, as well as promote greater ease of movement and healthy biometrics.

Ms. Sun Bok

• Polestar trained Comprehensive Studio and Matwork
• Polestar certified in Reformer Pilates
• Certified Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer (FISAF INTERNATIONAL)
• Certified Fitness Instructor Course Level 1 (Singapore Sports Council)

Recurrent injuries sustained in the course of her work as a group exercise instructor led Sun to the study and practice of Pilates, which proved to be an indispensible tool in healing her body and preventing additional injury.

A typical session with Sun brings together her vibrant, energizing personality with an impressive range of knowledge garnered from her years teaching group exercise, personal training and Pilates. "Specializing in personal training allows me to customize exercises for a wide range of lifestyle, health and body types,” She points out. Above all, Sun’s ultimate goal is to heal her clients and make them feel stronger. “I emphasize the importance of safety, as well as of increasing body awareness and movement in common daily movements. The result is improved alertness, balance, flexibility and coordination."

Sunny Kort

• Polestar Comprehensive Studio trained

Sunny started taking Pilates classes to relieve the neck and shoulder pain that she acquired from her office job. However, she soon realized that in addition to a pain-free body, she has also improved her overall muscle tone, core strength, and body awareness. Encouraged by the positive changes that she has experienced, she decided to train full-time to be a certified instructor.

Kimberly Cheong

• Polestar reformer trained
• Polestar Comprehensive Studio trained

Kimberly has a particular interest in sport and exercise science and is currently completing her Sport and Exercise Science degree from Edith Cowan University in Australia. Kimberly is a qualified Polestar Reformer instructor as well as beingtrained in Polestar Comprehensive Studio series. The combination of being trained in the latest sports and exercise science training principles and the world renowned Polestar Pilates training program makes her perfect for training athletes and those just interested in improving their strength and fitness.

"My passion for teaching pilates is driven by the improvements my clients see in their own bodies; be it decreasing or eliminating pain, making movement fluid , or simply gaining awareness to how empowered their body actually is. Knowledge about the science behind movement and sport allows me also to enhance my clients' experiences in integrating pilates into improving overall physical performance."

Cindy Cheong

• Polestar Comprehensive Studio Trained
• Pre/Post Natal Pilates Mat – Centre for Women's Fitness
• Certified Instructor in Fitness Leader and Personal Trainer - FISAF

After being diagnosed with spondylosis due to extensive aerobics teaching, resulting in an excruciating pain on her lower back Cindy decided to build her core muscles through teaching Pilates matwork in order minimise her pain. Due to her own personal experiences Cindy believes that Pilates is very effective for rehabilitation and she looks forward to helping others with their pain and muscle imbalances.

Cindy believes "Pilates, builds muscle from the inside out, unlike gym workouts which buld muscle from the outside in. All Pilates movements have definite points where the body should be at all times improving mind/body awareness. But for me, it heightens even my emotional awareness which is crucial when I have to juggle with so many domestic roles in my day-t-day life."

Ms. Dragana Obajdin Head Physiotherapist and Pilates Instructor specializing in musculoskeletal disorders

• Associate Degree in Physiotherapy by Medical College Belgrade, Serbia
• Clinical Pilates and Polestar trained Pilates Rehabilitation Instructor

Dragana is a very experienced Physiotherapist with more than 21 years experience treating patients using physiotherapy. She specializes in treating different musculoskeletal disorders that affect the back, neck, upper and lower limbs, sports injuries and neurological deficits.

Dragana took up Pilates and completed courses in Clinical Pilates and Polestar Pilates to complement her physiotherapy training. She is able to adapt Pilates exercises for her therapy programme, especially for patients with back and neck issues.

She has found Pilates instrumental in speeding up a patient's recovery period. It also gives long term benefits including strength and flexibility, good balance, alignment, body awareness with motor control and helps reduce pains and improves a person's quality of daily and sports activities.

Ms. Adele Ang Senior Physiotherapist specializing in sports and musculoskeletal physiotherapy

• Masters of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy by University of Melbourne
• Polestar trained in Pilates Rehabilitation

Having spent ten of her 14 years as a physiotherapist practicing sports medicine, Adele has a wide-ranging experience in treating sports injuries of swimmers, badminton players, marathon runners and track and field athletes, among others. Of these ten years, five were spent at the Singapore Sports Council where she worked with national athletes. With the surge in interest among Singaporeans in running and endurance sports.

Adele is well positioned to help rehabilitate those who have sustained injuries due to their sporting activities so they can return to their sport in top form.

Ms. Catriona Dourish Physiotherapist

• BSc (HONS) Physiotherapy from Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland
• Polestar Pilates Rehabilitation trained

Catriona has many years experience working in a large teaching hospital with many specialist departments.

Working with specialists including back and pain specialists in the UK has enhanced her knowledge of conditions and treatment skills while inspiring her to progress further as a physiotherapist.

Catriona’s biggest motivation is to help others by playing a key role in guiding them on the road to recovery. She has a specific interest in incorporating Pilates into her Physiotherapy treatment to raise awareness of the value it provides to rehabilitation and injury prevention.

Ms. Christine Koh Physiotherapist

• Doctor of Physical Therapy by Chapman University, California, USA
• Bachelor of Science Kinesiology by San Diego State University, California, USA

Christine earned her clinical doctorate in Physical Therapy and undergraduate degree in Kinesiology (Study of Human Movement) from California, USA. She practiced as a Manual Orthopedic Physical Therapist in an outpatient clinic for close to 2 years in Northern California, USA. She takes pride in providing the hands-on treatment needed to speed recovery and improve patient's proprioceptive and kinesthetic awareness during movements and in various positions. She also believes strongly in patient education and patient empowerment. She uses Pilates exercises and aquatic therapeutic exercises to facilitate strength, balance, and postural training. Christine also has other clinical experience in Pediatrics, Neurology, and Gerontology.

Though she spent 11 years in the United States, Christine was born and raised in Singapore. She is excited to be back in her home country and eager to share what she has learned overseas. Meeting and working with people from all walks of life is what Christine enjoys the most about her career. She loves coming up with creative, fun, and specialized personal treatment programs for her clients to suit their different lifestyles and to enable them to achieve their individual goals.

Mr. Justin Mok Remedial Sports Massage Therapist

• ITEC Diploma in Anatomy, Physiology & Massage (UK)
• CIDESCO Int'l Diploma in Face & Body Treatment (Switzerland)
• Sports Massage Level 1 (Singapore Sports Council)

Justin is a highly motivated and holistic massage therapist with eight years experience in the spa and wellness industry, including experience with renowned award-winning spas. He is skilled in various face and body disciplines, which includes sports and deep tissue massage, traditional shiatsu massage, Swedish massage, aromatherapy massage and hot stone massage. Being passionate in healing work, Justin was a finalist for 'Best Tourism Host - Spa Category' in Singapore Tourism Awards 2008.