Pardis came to Pilates through her background in dance and dance ethnography. After dancing for 15 years, she began doing Pilates to maintain her flexibility, strength and movement for dance. Pardis has taught various forms of dance— Afro-Haitian, modern, jazz and Middle Eastern. She is currently a Medical Anthropologist and a professor of Anthropology at Pomona College. She is interested in questions concerning the body, it’s rehabilitation, and in mind-body connections. She has trained in Power Pilates (in New York City) and in Winsor Pilates.