Community Space in Riverwest

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Photo credit: Dave Zylstra

Sisters Sarah and Claire Moore

Sisters Claire (left) and Sarah (right) Moore

Sisters Sarah and Claire Moore were born and raised in Milwaukee. They attended UW-Milwaukee and left for different parts of the country but eventually ended up back in Milwaukee and now own The Pink House Studio (601 E. Wright St.) in Riverwest. The sisters emphasize the studio as an accessible community gathering space for people to try different yoga and dance classes.

When did the Pink House Studio open?

SM: We opened in 2007, so I guess 10 years ago now, and it was a super organic process. My sister, her partner and I did most of the remodeling, except we hired someone to help us do the floor. It had been a bar a long time ago. I lived here with my girlfriends in college.

CM: It took us five years to really create the space we wanted. It was visualizing it, then hacking down the walls, repairing the bathroom, redoing the floor and painting. There was a lot of damage too. It’s a nearly 120-year-old building.

Did you decide to paint it pink?

SM: It was already pink when we bought it. I asked people about the name (if it was confusing) because it doesn’t have yoga in it, but everyone in the neighborhood already knew this was the Pink House. We decided to stick with the name, even though I thought it wasn’t the best decision.

What is the mission of the Pink House?

SM: There’s a lot of emphasis in this culture on individual healing and doing yoga and movement for yourself, and the Pink House is really about doing those things together. Humans are social animals and if we really want to heal we have to come and create space together.

CM: For me it’s about service. I’m in a privileged position of owning a property I can do whatever I want with. I want to be able to give back to the community and give back to people who don’t have quite as much. It’s a healing and social place to come to. They can nurture their spirits and then pay it forward into the community.

Your website says you do not turn people away for lack of funds. Why is that?

SM: Our teachers are all independent contractors, so it depends on the teacher. I personally do not, and several other teachers won’t turn customers away. There are some individuals in the community who have a need but have very little money. I do a work exchange for some students, so they can take classes. Some teachers, however, expect students to pay, but they offer student rates or class packages.

CM: Some of our clientele are really in a place of need. They may be able for afford $5, but not $12. Their bodies are really in need. We had this opportunity to cherry pick teachers based on their approach and practice, which is also a privilege.

What are some classes you offer?

SM: We offer yoga classes, African dance class and once a month we have ecstatic dance, which is unchoreographed group dance. We often have song circles. I do a super gentle yoga for older women on Monday mornings. We also have this really beautiful thing called contact improvisation, which is a form of mediation and movement where you’re in contact with other people. A number of our teachers will use this space for private yoga classes and dancers will rent this space.

CM: I really believe there are different teachers for different people. What works for one person may not work for the next. I don’t work at finding a fit-all instructor or yoga class. I want to make sure there’s someone that works for each person.

When did you get into yoga?

CM: I got into yoga because I was a dancer. I came into yoga at 14 years old. I stopped because I could do almost everything, but when I came back to it later from a physical therapy perspective, I saw it was good for people. I’m a physical therapy assistant and I see the benefits.

For more information, visit pinkhousestudio.net.