CHARLOTTE BUTLER PENENBERG / TOWNSPEOPLE/ PILATES INSTRUCTOR
Charlotte Butler Penenberg is a mother of two, wife, Pilates instructor and Owner of Streamline Pilates in Brooklyn Heights. Designed by Greek born Joseph Pilates, the Pilates method is a physical fitness system originally developed for WW1 veterans. The systematic practice focuses on using the body and mind while improving posture and flexibility. Today, Pilates is available to everyone and is a transformative experience for the entire body.
With twenty years of experience in massage and structural bodywork, Charlotte is every bit the woman you'd expect to teach Pilates: Statuesque, lean and classically beautiful. Though as the sublime apple fallen from an equally sublime tree (her mom) it's no wonder she's as fit as she is. Charlotte and her mom are mirrored images of one another that only get better with age. So despite Charlotte’s professional practice, her sylphlike silhouette has as much do with genetics as it does with Pilates.
I'm struck by Charlotte’s consummate elegance whether sporting yoga pants and a cropped leather jacket or traipsing through her tree-lined neighborhood in a coiffed, shoulder length bob. During a brief conversation lamenting a long winter, I was at once shocked and delighted to hear of Charlotte’s hidden talent: Rapping. Not to mention, Charlotte is adept at writing original rap songs and performing them, which up until now remains a well-kept secret. Though thinking back to a video she shared featuring our daughters learning to beatbox, I'd say she dropped a very large hint. Townspeople unveils the core strength behind a pillar of fitness and learns not to judge a book by its cover.
With twenty years of experience in massage and structural bodywork, Charlotte is every bit the woman you'd expect to teach Pilates: Statuesque, lean and classically beautiful. Though as the sublime apple fallen from an equally sublime tree (her mom) it's no wonder she's as fit as she is. Charlotte and her mom are mirrored images of one another that only get better with age. So despite Charlotte’s professional practice, her sylphlike silhouette has as much do with genetics as it does with Pilates.
I'm struck by Charlotte’s consummate elegance whether sporting yoga pants and a cropped leather jacket or traipsing through her tree-lined neighborhood in a coiffed, shoulder length bob. During a brief conversation lamenting a long winter, I was at once shocked and delighted to hear of Charlotte’s hidden talent: Rapping. Not to mention, Charlotte is adept at writing original rap songs and performing them, which up until now remains a well-kept secret. Though thinking back to a video she shared featuring our daughters learning to beatbox, I'd say she dropped a very large hint. Townspeople unveils the core strength behind a pillar of fitness and learns not to judge a book by its cover.
Charlotte Butler Penenberg
talks Rapping, Town and Takeaways:
TP: At what age did you discover rap?
CP: I pre-date rap and grew up on 70s pop. But there are few things funnier than a
middle-aged white woman rapping at a family function. And it surprised the pants off of my sister’s friends at her
40th!TP: Tell us of your hidden talent:
CP: I used to sing in a band for many years. These days I like to write songs for family members for special occasions.
TP: Do you still perform?
CP: Only every now and then when I have a
special occasion. I always enjoy it when I do though.
TP: As a mother of two, do you incorporate your rapping skills into everyday life?
CP: Yes—I often wake the girls up by
improvising a song or rap with lyrics just for them and what their day entails.
TP: Have rappers influenced your
performance style?
CP: Not rap so much—it’s more music for
me. To that end, I have to admit I
really love emotional old show tunes and classic night club songs. In college, I was a big Grateful Dead
fan and I’ll always have room for David Byrne and the Talking Heads.
TP: Do you write your own material?
CP: I used to and now as a gift to someone.
TP: Favorite song?
CP: Favorite song: I love all kinds of music
and have gone through my phases with each throughout the years. Off the top of my head today, “Georgia
on my Mind” by Ray Charles. But I
heard a high school student practicing “If Ever I Should Leave You” from
Camelot by the red stairs at St. Ann’s the other day and thought my heart would
crack open just hearing it again. I’ve been singing it ever since.
TP: Favorite lyric?
CP: “It’s not the pale moon that excites, me,
that thrills and delights me. Oh no, it’s just the nearness of you.” I sang
that to my husband at our wedding.
Or “Heaven, I’m in heaven, and my
heartbeats so that I can hardly speak, and I seem to find the happiness I seek
when we’re out together dancing cheek to cheek.” They don’t write them like
that anymore.
“It’s only a papermoon hanging over a
cardboard sea, but it wouldn’t be make believe if you believed in me.”
Or how about, “I don’t know how to love
him…?”
Don’t get me started…
TP: Are close friends aware of your
secret passion?
CP: Yes—most of them are—especially those who have
known me a long time and used to see me perform regularly. I don’t let my inner ham express itself
as often anymore.
Charlotte's Beauty Blueprint:
What time of day do you feel most
beautiful?
CP: Right after I’ve
showered and gotten myself together. I’m ready to go!
Describe your any day/ go everywhere
face:
CP: Bobbi Brown light bisque concealer and “clay”
cheek palette, Laura Mercier “blush” lip gloss. Maybe some black/navy eye
pencil or mascara if I’m feeling excited about my day.
What's in your make-up bag?
What's in your make-up bag?
CP: Kiehl’s lip gloss tub, Essie “ladylike”
nail polish, Laura Mercier Sapphire caviar stick eye color, Tweezerman
tweezers, John Frieda touch-up flyaway hair tamer and Bobbi Brown Art Stick in
Bright Raspberry just in case I’m feeling spicy. 3 big black hair bands and a
few uni-ball micropoint black pens. And an old ziploc filled with a half a
turkey sandwich from last Wednesday!
Charlotte’s Town: Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn, NY
Favorite Town Haunts:
Café: Le Pain Quotidien
Pizza take-out: Fascati on Henry Street
Cocktails with girlfriends: Lillet blanc on
ice with a lemon twist or rye and seltzer on the rocks.
Date night: late afternoon dinner and
drinks at the Gramercy Tavern front room bar followed by a movie. Home by 9:30p to watch an episode of
Homeland or Good Wife. Asleep by midnight.
Market: The Berkeley Bowl in Berkeley,
CA. There’s not another like it
anywhere I’ve found.
Sweet treat: Chocolate mousse, coconut
layer cake, red vines…I love to bake so that’s a tough one.
Sunday outing: Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and go on a
family pilgrimage wandering Manhattan.
Charlotte's Townspeople Takeaways:
Shower or bath? Shower
Coffee or tea? Tea only
Natural or treated? Natural--and doing my
best to hold on
Loose or fitted? Fitted
Heels or flats? Flat
Work out or work less? Work out when I can!
Finishing Quote:
"If my day
were a short story the title would read:
Much to do about Some Things!"
Interview by Crystal Granderson-Reid
Townspeople ©
Townspeople ©
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