Pilates in Hilton Head: Your Guide to Dancing Hammock

Nestled in Bluffton, just a bridge away from Hilton Head Island, Dancing Hammock Pilates + Movement Center (DHP) invites Lowcountry residents and visitors to move, strengthen, and decompress. It's a local favorite for those practicing Pilates in Hilton Head and Bluffton. DHP isn't just another gym; it's a boutique studio where contemporary Pilates, AntiGravity® aerial fitness, and Bellicon BounceFit combine to create a fun, safe, and effective way to move your body.

Owner Silja Meier Burns, a comprehensively certified STOTT PILATES® instructor, has over 23 years of teaching and practice experience. Wanting a method that relieved pain instead of causing it, she blended Pilates, aerial, and trampoline movement into what is now Dancing Hammock.

Why Choose Dancing Hammock for Pilates in Hilton Head

Professional Equipment and Evidence-Based Workouts

DHP is committed to quality and safety. Classes use professional Pilates equipment from Merrithew Health and Fitness, Bellicon® trampolines from Germany, and aerial yoga hammocks from Christopher Harrison's AntiGravity® Fitness, the original creator of aerial yoga.

Small group equipment sessions are capped for personal attention, and new clients complete private sessions before joining group reformer, tower, or chair classes. Each workout blends traditional Pilates with evidence-based movement, science and decompression techniques, emphasizing proper form, postural alignment, and gradual strength progression.

Variety of Class Formats

Dancing Hammock offers several ways to practice:

• Private sessions and groups: Book one-on-one, duet (2 people), trio (3 people), or small group (4 to 6 people) sessions with no experience necessary. Private mat classes are also available for up to twelve participants, including off-site options.
• Introduction to Pilates 3-Pass: A package of three private sessions designed for newcomers to learn the apparatus safely before joining group classes.
• Small group equipment classes: The schedule features classes such as Pilates for Power, Core Reformer, Yin Pilates for Stretch and Mobility, and Mixed-Equipment Circuit using reformers, towers, chairs, hammocks, and trampolines.
• Specialty training and education: DHP is an affiliated host studio for STOTT PILATES® continuing education workshops and is a Bronze level AntiGravity Fitness training studio.

AntiGravity® Fitness and BounceFit

What sets Dancing Hammock apart is its integration of aerial and trampoline-based movement. The AntiGravity® Fitness program uses silk hammocks to decompress the spine, improve flexibility, and build confidence in a zero-gravity environment. Classes in the hammocks can include techniques from AntiGravity® Fundamentals, Restorative Yoga, Aerial Yoga, and Pilates.

The BounceFit program adds a lymphatic-friendly mini-trampoline workout using Bellicon® rebounders. Integrated into group and private sessions, BounceFit promotes circulation and cardiovascular health with zero compression and low-impact, joint-friendly exercises.

Skilled, Certified Instructors

Education and safety are at the core of DHP's approach. The studio's certified instructors collectively hold thousands of hours of training across anatomy, functional movement, neurological education, scoliosis management, and rehabilitation. Each maintains continuing education and emergency protocol standards, ensuring you're guided safely toward your personal goals, whether in private sessions or small group classes. Meet the team.

Meet the Founder: Silja Meier Burns

Founder Silja Meier Burns brings decades of movement expertise to the Lowcountry. A former advanced ballerina and Class IV whitewater rafting and kayaking enthusiast, she has spent her life exploring how the body moves and heals.

She discovered the rehabilitative power of Pilates in Toronto, becoming comprehensively certified by STOTT PILATES® (now Merrithew Health and Fitness) in 2002. Over the years, she added anatomy, functional movement, scoliosis, and NeuroStudio training to her education. Silja is also an ACE-certified Personal Trainer with certifications in AntiGravity® Pilates, AntiGravity® Yoga and Restorative Yoga, and BounceFit. Her mission is to train more instructors for the region and inspire clients to "defy gravity" through movement. Read Silja's story.

Experience the Freedom of Movement

Dancing Hammock believes movement should unwind, decompress, and be fun. The studio's philosophy encourages clients to restore balance, relieve tension, and rediscover freedom through mindful practice, community support, and regular attendance. Emphasizing postural alignment and spinal health, DHP has become a leader in movement and Pilates in Bluffton and Hilton Head, South Carolina.

As Joseph Pilates and Christopher Harrison said, "We are only as young as our spine is flexible and our mind is open."

How to Get Started

• Try the Introduction to Pilates 3-Pass: Three private sessions to help beginners learn apparatus safety and movement requirements before joining group classes. See intro offers.
• Explore the schedule: Book group equipment and AntiGravity® sessions early; classes are kept small for quality. View the class schedule.
• Contact the studio: Call 843-757-5757 or email pilates@dancinghammock.com for private, duet, trio, or custom class bookings. Visit at 162 Bluffton Road, Suite 102-103, Bluffton, SC 29910, just minutes from Hilton Head Island.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of Pilates classes do you offer?

As many as 15 regularly scheduled classes are offered on professional Reformers, Towers, and Chairs. Mat work and small apparatus such as arc barrels, balls, bands, weights, fitness circles, and foam rollers are incorporated into most classes.

Do I need experience to join a group class?

Yes. New clients must complete at least one private session at the studio before joining all the group equipment classes. The Introduction to Pilates 3-Pass is the most recommended option.

What makes Dancing Hammock different?

Sessions blend traditional and contemporary Pilates exercises with AntiGravity® aerial fitness and Bellicon BounceFit, using professional Merrithew equipment and evidence-based techniques.

Who teaches the classes?

A certified and highly trained team of instructors with expertise in fitness, exercise science, functional movement, anatomy, and therapeutic exercise teach the sessions.

Where is the studio located?

At 162 Bluffton Road, Suite 102-103, Bluffton, SC 29910. Just a short drive from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

What is BounceFit?

A supervised mini-trampoline workout is integrated into sessions to improve lymphatic health and cardiovascular fitness.

Does the studio offer aerial classes?

Yes. Classes offered include repertoire from AntiGravity® Fundamentals, as well as AntiGravity Yoga and Restorative Yoga, AntiGravity Pilates, and more. Online teacher training is available through AntiGravity Fitness. Private AntiGravity parties are also available upon request.