Eve Gentry (1910-1994) was born in San Bernardino, California. She studied dance in Los Angeles where Martha Graham saw her perform and then offered her a scholarship in New York City. Eve danced with Henya Holm’s company from the mid 1930s through the 1940s, until she founded her own dance group “Eve Gentry Dancers.” With the help of other notable dancers, Eve founded the Dance Notation Bureau in New York in 1940. Eve was a faculty member of the High School for The Performing Arts, and later taught Pilates at the Tisch School of the Arts Theater department. Among other achievements, Eve was given the “Pioneer of Modern Dance Award” from Bennington College.
As a professional dancer, Eve came to Joe and Clara’s studio because she was having knee and back issues. After studying with Joe, she began to teach Contrology at his studio from the late 1930s until she moved to New Mexico in 1968. In Sante Fe, New Mexico she established the Institute for the Pilates Method of Conditioning. She lived there with her husband until the end of her life, leaving behind a great legacy in modern dance and Pilates.
