Meet The Instructors

Hilary Santana

Founder & CEO

Pilates, Aerial, Bungee, Barre, TRX, Yoga, and Burlesque Instructor

Hilary is the Studio Director and Owner of Little Apple Pilates. She specializes in working with clients in a post rehabilitation style of training for correct techniques and postural analysis.

Hilary trained under Doctor of Physical Therapy, Noelle Dowma, owner of Kinesphere Physical Therapy in Kansas City. She began her teaching at Pilates Performance & Rehab in Topeka, KS where she worked dominantly with prehabilitation clients and clients released from rehabilitation who still felt that they needed help.

She currently is a performing aerialist who puts on grand shows locally with the aerial troupe, Flight Risk. She intertwines her love of anatomy and learning by teaching college courses through Kansas State University and allowing other instructors to learn with a regular group of students to polish their teaching styles. She is available for new clients as a master trainer.

In her free time, you can find her playing with her son outside, reading books, traveling to foreign countries and spending time with friends.

Certifications & Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with a Public Health emphasis from Kansas State University, Certified Polestar Pilates Practitioner, Certified Pilates Instructor, the first Certified Bungee fitness instructor in the state of Kansas, HARDCORE Barre certified, TRX Certified, 200-hour RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher)

Follow Hilary @hilaryks9

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Vanessa Hager

Studio Manager

Yoga & Burlesque Instructor

Vanessa began her journey with yoga in Spring 2018 to help decrease her anxiety and depression. After two years of practicing and realizing how yoga has positively impacted her life daily, she gravitated towards taking the 200hr certification to learn more about the practice.

Throughout the 6-month course of the certification, Vanessa enjoyed creating yoga sequences and learning to teach poses. Once the course ended, Vanessa knew she wanted to teach classes and help others benefit from yoga: increase mobility, learning to be present in the moment, or just learning to have fun.

Growing up, Vanessa took all types of dance classes ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, lyrical, and theatre. She also enjoys attending workshops in the Kansas City area when she has the chance. Vanessa has gotten to learn from a variety of very well-trained choreographers who have extensive training and/or worked with Elaina Paige Thomas (Talent Management & Production in KC), Joel Truman from ABDC, and various dancers/choreographers that have been on SYTYCD.

In her free time, Vanessa enjoys traveling, trying new food spots, and spending time with family & friends.

Certifications & Qualifications:

200 hour RYT

Follow Vanessa @nessahager

Heather Ryan

Barre Instructor, TRX Instructor

Heather was born and raised in the Manhattan area. She grew up in rural Riley County north of Manhattan and attended Kansas State University to earn her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education. She fell in love with Barre and Little Apple Pilates Co in search of a spark to get back into a fitness routine after a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection and heart attack at the age of 34 made exercise something to be feared. She had returned to running, but needed strength and core training without lifting weights. Aerial Hammock, TRX, Pilates, and Barre were a perfect match. Heather has been certified to teach by Barre Above since Feb. of 2019. She has also completed training in TRX Suspension Training and Barre Intensity. She completed her Barre Intensity certification in 2022. She loves to teach others and through her own experiences show that we can do things that we never thought possible. Heather is also a wife, mother of 2 very active kids, and elementary school library media specialist in Junction City.

Certifications & Qualifications:

Barre Above Certified, TRX Suspension Training, and Barre Intensity Certified

Follow Heather @specialkofks

Lisa Rubin

Certified Barre Instructor and Certified Trampoline Instructor

Lisa found her way to Barre in 2013 when she experienced lower back pain from 2 bulging discs with spinal stenosis in between. From the beginning, she was hooked on the workout that gets more challenging with more experience. After years of taking Barre and Pilates classes to strengthen her core, Lisa has been essentially pain-free in her lower back. She is motivated to continue working on her barre practice while encouraging others to find inspiration at the barre. Each of her classes incorporates different props and choreography. She enjoys cooking, traveling, trying new fitness classes, and watching college sports. Lisa lives by the motto “learning never goes out of style!”

Certifications & Qualifications:

Barre Intensity® Certified Instructor, JumpSport® Trampoline Certified Instructor, Certified Pre- and Post-Natal Group Fitness Instructor, TRX® Suspension Training Qualified Trainer, TRX® Yoga Certified, AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor, 200 Hour RYT, Barre Intensity Certified Advanced Instructor

Raeann Mayer

Pilates Reformer Instructor

Raeann was born in Manhattan and has stayed to obtain her Bachelors and Masters in Kinesiology at K-State. She has been certified as a personal trainer for 3.5 years, has taught group fitness classes for 4 years, and got CrossFit L1 certified this year. She enjoys reading, being outside, and doing things with friends in her free time. She loves training people to encourage them to do more than they thought they could do and likes the variation of exercises during training.

Certifications & Qualifications:

Personal Trainer, and CrossFit L1

Vivian Price

Kukuwa African Dance Fitness Instructor

Vivian is a K-State graduate with a BA in Theatre. She has studied Dunham Technique modern dance through Alvin Ailey Extension NYC, West African Dance at Djoniba Dance and Drum NYC, as well as taken several West African dance master classes. She is an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor

Certifications & Qualifications:

ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor

Mary Kohn

Aerial Silks Instructor

Mary has been doing Aerial since 2018, two months after Little Apple Pilates opened. She started on hammocks, moved to lyra, and has now found her home on silks. She believes fitness should be fun and inspiring. After twenty five years of yoga she's found her inspiration in the air. Aerial combines strength, grace, flexibility, and performance into a workout that truly feels like play. Join Mary for a Silks or Trampoline class.

Follow Mary @maryekohn

Lilli Bolte

Pilates Reformer Instructor

Lilli is a Kansas girl at heart. She moved from Wichita to Manhattan in 2018. After years of volleyball and weightlifting, she found Little Apple Pilates through K-State and fell in love. She has several years of personal training experience and focuses on adapting exercise to each unique individual. Lilli graduated with her Bachelor’s in Kinesiology in 2021 and is thrilled to return to Little Apple Pilates to teach reformer.

Certifications & Qualifications:

B.S. Kinesiology, and National Academy of Sports Medicine — Certified Personal Trainer

Mellissa Rundus

Pilates Reformer Instructor

Sydney Brinneman

Aerial Instructor

Sydney has been practicing Aerial for the last 6 years. She has performed in many Aerial shows such as: Christmas Shows, Halloween Shows, and the Parody Show.

In 2023 she performed in the aerialympics and won 1st place at aerialympics regionals, and 3rd place at aerialympics nationals.

She enjoys teaching Aerial classes to children, college students, and anyone who wants to try it.

She also teaches a conditioning and stretching Aerial class.

Follow Sydney @Sydneyaerial

Jessica Daniella

Burlesque Instructor

Jessica was raised in a nomadic lifestyle, but finally settled in Kansas in 2015. She fell in love with fitness, and became CrossFit Level 1 certified in 2016 and later pursued her personal training certification in 2021. Jessica began competing in powerlifting in 2020, and has since competed in several strongman competitions as well. She’s always had an interest in dance, and stumbled upon Little Apple Pilates Company.

She loves to inspire others through dance, and teaches that dance is possible for people at any and all levels. In her free time Jessica can be found spending time with her daughter, dancing with her dog, lifting in the gym, and writing poetry/music.

Certifications & Qualifications:

CrossFit Level 1, Personal Training

Follow Jessica @jessthemess23