OUR PILATES TEAM

Three women standing together in a gym, wearing matching green sweatshirts and athletic leggings with one woman wearing white sneakers, another wearing white and maroon sneakers, and the third wearing blue athletic shoes, with fitness equipment in the background.

The Providence Pilates Journey

We are proud to provide a welcoming and encouraging space where the community can discover the physical and mental benefits of Classical Pilates. We believe that the proven benefits of Pilates include balanced strength, stability, stamina, and stretch; supporting activities in your daily life. Pilates helps improve your posture, develop better coordination, relieve stress and anxiety, and assist with injury prevention.

All of our Instructors are certified through a 600-hour apprenticeship training in the Pilates method and fulfill continuing education requirements and other learning opportunities to ensure a quality session tailored to the client’s needs. We offer instruction in Classical Pilates, TRX, Barre, and Spinning

In 2001, Cheryl opened her first studio after practicing and teaching Pilates since 1999. Since then Providence Pilates Center has grown from a single one-woman operation in a small space, to a team of nineteen experienced instructors teaching in three different Rhode Island studio locations!

Providence Pilates offers a fully equipped Pilates studio with a focus on Gratz apparatus.

Today, Cheryl is a Teacher Trainer for the Power Pilates Method, and teaches all levels of certification to aspiring teachers from all over the world.

Your Providence Pilates Center Team

Pilates isn’t just something we teach—it’s a way of life for us. With decades of experience and a deep respect for Joseph Pilates’ original method, our team is dedicated to sharing the practice in its truest form. This isn’t just what we do, it’s
who we are.

Cheryl Turnquist
Owner/Instructor

  • She teaches all levels of certification to aspiring teachers from all over the world, and serves as the Curriculum Committee Chair for Power Pilates.

    Cheryl regularly continues to further her education through The Vertical Workshop Master's program with Shari Berkowitz, the Red Thread with Kathi Ross-Nash, and The Classical Syllabus with MeJo Wiggin. Most recently she completed the Contrology Master's Program with Inelia Garcia of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

    Cheryl holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from Boston College. She has found that her background as a therapist has been invaluable to owning Providence Pilates and developing instructors that focus on health and wellness from a mind/body perspective. When not in the studio, she is most happy at home hanging out with her family and her three cats.

A woman trainer at Providence pilates center with long dark hair smiling and crossing her arms, standing indoors in front of shelving and blurred background.

Amie Cunha
Manager Cumberland /Instructor

  • Amie has always had a passion for movement, and began her career in fitness just out of college, in 1997. Besides teaching Pilates, Amie also teaches TRX, barre, and indoor cycling classes.

    Amie was introduced to pilates in 1999 and was certified to teach in 2001. She loves the rehabilitation benefits of Pilates, particularly for older clients.

    After working at the Providence Pilates Center, Amie fell in love with classical pilates and was certified under the Power Pilates Program in 2013. She has been a teacher trainer for Power Pilates since 2018.

    Amie works with clients of all ages to help them feel strong and empowered in their bodies.

    Amie also holds a Master’s in Special Education. She loves spending time with her husband Russell, daughters Ava and Morgan, and their boxer Violet.

Sandra Benevente-Carey, Manager

Sandra Benevente-Carey
Manager Providence/Instructor

  • When Sandra was first introduced to the Providence Pilates Center, she was immediately sold. After years of working out with heavy weights and Cross Fit types of exercises, Pilates was the perfect fit. It proved to be a challenging workout that also provided a mindfulness and attention to detail that she hadn’t yet experienced. She also noticed that the mild back pain that was attributed to a mild scoliosis had improved significantly.

    Sandra sought a certification through Power Pilates in 2017. She is consistent with her own self practice in addition to weekly private sessions, Master trainings, and Continuing Education classes. She has also taken several workshops with the Master Trainer Inelia Garcia of Authentic Method Pilates.

    After 20 years in the banking industry, she learned how to listen to clients and assist them in making decisions about their future goals. She applies that same philosophy when working with PPC clients and helps them meet their health and wellness goals. Her priority is to have all clients feel better than they did prior to their session.

    While she likes all types of activities, her favorite workout is the reformer. She believes it provides the best-integrated workout for the entire body.

    Sandra lives in Lincoln, RI with her 3 boys Aidan, Dylan, and Jack, husband Chris, and dog Luna.

Edwarda DeAngelis, Client Services Manager - Providence

  • Edwarda joined Providence Pilates in September of 2021. She brings several years of customer service experience to our studio after her prior career in banking. Edwarda has become an integral part of the Providence Pilates Family helping with scheduling, client outreach, customer service, development, tech issues, and even HR. If you need anything, Edwarda will do her best to help!!

    Edwarda resides in Lincoln, RI. When she is not serving the clients and employees of PPC, she enjoys taking Tower classes, spending time with her family, and shopping.