Prime Movement Founding Member, Louise Knoop O'Neill, has spent her life in motion - experiencing life through motion.

Louise was first introduced to Pilates during a winter season at Alvin Ailey American Dance School in 1992. While keeping her focus on her instantaneous love of the Horton Technique, Louise qualified as a Dance Teacher & Personal Trainer and went on to dance professionally in Southern Africa. The need to know more about life and the body took her to Holland then London, where she worked in Human Resources at a flat-level Advertising Company while teaching dance and completing her Pilates apprenticeship with Gordon Thomson at his South Kensington Studio.

After further Pilates training in London and New York, Louise returned to her roots in Cape Town in 1999, pioneering the Pilates industry alongside the likes of Shari Rosenberg, Lisa Katz and Renee Watson.

Ever the insatiable learner and teacher, Louise stepped into her tenure as Southern Africa Director for Europe’s biggest Pilates teacher training organisation, Body Control Pilates, delivering comprehensive matwork and equipment courses throughout Southern Africa, collaborating with international teachers as well as presenting annually at The Body Control Pilates Conference at The Royal College of Physicians, London.

Being at the forefront of Pilates in Southern Africa earned her the role as President for The US organisation, The Pilates Method Alliance in Southern Africa - the only International Accreditation Agency.

Prime Movement was born of Louise’s ability to interpret a broad spectrum of movement and facilitate fear-free, honest movement education with a heartfelt non-denominational approach. A masterful Movement Educator and down-to-earth Life Coach, Louise continually expands her proficiency to embrace all aspects of being - from Somatic Movement Therapy to Life Skills Coaching, Nutrition and Natural Movement methodologies.

In her own body, her dedicated professional trajectory picked up a passenger along the way - a 10 year conventional and unconventional battle with chronic inflammation and knee pain. The last piece of Louise’s full recovery puzzle was adding fat to her fuel which prompted studying with Mark Sisson to implement Primal Health Coaching into her living, moving & being teachings. Her subsequent participation as Movement Director in The Big Fat Fix - the global documentary film Professor Noakes dubbed “Exceptional. The best health movie ever.” -  led to developing the Movement Protocol for UK bestseller, The Pioppi Diet.

Louise’s teachings access one’s innate wisdom. Her Life and Business Coaching sessions are said to be akin to “someone reaching their hand into your heart and setting it free”. 
They say that about her movement sessions too! Read more here.