Cleveland's Pilates master goes international

McCarty teaching Pilates in Venice, Italy. (Image courtesy of McCarty)

Local Pilates master Troy McCarty, owner and director of White Cloud Studios, has been dedicated to his craft since the early 1980s. Now, he has taken his passion and talent abroad, working as an international teacher for Balanced Body Inc.

McCarty discovered the world of Pilates while working as a professional dancer in New York City in the 1980s, eventually opening Cleveland’s first Pilates studio in 1992 in his Lakewood apartment.

As business boomed, McCarty found himself spending more time on the East Side, attending events with the orchestra or at the Cedar Lee Theatre.

“I soon moved [White Cloud] into a retail space and then opened up [studios] in Cleveland Heights and Chagrin Falls,” McCarty explained. He even moved his personal residence east, too.

Using a modern, “intelligently designed” machine called The Reformer, Pilates is a full-body workout that targets core muscles in the abdomen and back. According to White Cloud’s website, Pilates “relies on your own body strength, proper alignment, and careful technique . . . correcting the postural misalignments that frequently contribute to chronic back pain.”

White Cloud has continued to grow since the 1990s, diving into the worlds of professional athletics and international training. “We regularly work with the Cleveland Cavs. I also train other teachers to teach Pilates,” McCarty said. “We just had a visiting teacher from Italy [who wanted] to sharpen his skills, stay with us, and hang out at our studios for two weeks.”

As a master teacher for Balanced Body, a Pilates company, McCarty is familiar with the international Pilates community and recently returned from Istanbul where he trained new instructors. “I have taught in Seoul, Korea; London, England; Florence, Italy; Hong Kong and Beijing, China; Venice, Italy; Sitges, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; and I regularly teach in Havana, Cuba,” McCarty recounted.

McCarty credits his international work with strengthening his skills. “I get to be around other master teachers. I always bring back new ideas when I travel internationally,” he said. “I love working with new teachers from different countries [and] showing them my background in Pilates.” McCarty even trained with two instructors who originally worked for Pilates founder Joe Pilates himself.

While White Cloud Studios takes up much of McCarty’s time, he also enjoys cooking and photography, and resides in Cleveland Heights with his spouse and fellow White Cloud teacher and co-owner, Raudel Napoles. Together they have two dogs, Amigo and Onion, and love spending their time in the Heights.

“We love Cleveland Heights for the people that choose to live in this great city. We love that we are five minutes from great art and great music and delicious food. When I travel, I always enjoy coming back home!” McCarty said.

White Cloud Studios in Cleveland Heights is located at 2450 Fairmount Blvd. and can be contacted via e-mail (pilateshts@me.com) or phone (216- 229-3232). First-time clients should sign up for initial consultation classes to prepare them for full-on group Pilates.