You Can Now Workout With A Notting Hill Carnival Queen

Proof that exercise doesn’t have to be boring to be effective, former Notting Hill Carnival Queen Juliana Campos shares her story and the unique Pilates class you’re going to want to book.

There aren’t many people who can say they’ve performed at five Rio de Janeiro Carnivals, been crowned Notting Hill Carnival Queen, and gone on to develop their own form of Pilates. But Juliana Campos can.

The Brazilian-born dancer, mum of two and former Notting Hill Carnival Queen is bringing a very different kind of movement to London – one that takes some of the energy, freedom and physicality of her Carnival background and combines it with more than a decade of Pilates training. Here’s why it might be the most fun way to workout this autumn.

From Brazil to Notting Hill Carnival Queen

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Campos grew up in Brazil’s vibrant Campo Grande, a hometown she equates most closely to “America’s Tennessee, what with all of its cowboys.” She also recalls a particularly athletic childhood, where she used to do “martial arts, gymnastics, volleyball and compete at a national level at swimming.” But, while dance was another early source of joy for her, Rio de Janeiro’s iconic carnival was initially frustratingly out of reach.

“My father was so religious that he wouldn’t let me go to Carnival,” Campos recalls. “I had to go to stay with my grandmother, feeling like I wanted to cry, while my cousins got to go!”

It wasn’t until she visited London in 2005, to pursue a career in sports journalism, that she first experienced Notting Hill Carnival (which takes place on the 29 and 30 August this year). She ended up dancing in it for years, and the contacts she made eventually led her back to her native Brazil to dance at five Rio Carnivals – even if her father still didn’t quite approve.

But the biggest highlight of her dance career was to come in 2017, when she was crowned Notting Hill Carnival Queen: “I competed against around 20 girls, dancing the samba, and won! I loved the atmosphere as well as the competition, which is all about how well you dance and, of course, how well you dress.”

How samba influences her role as a Pilates instructor

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“What I love about dance in general is that it’s not just about moving your body in the moment,” explains Campos. “To be the best – especially if you are dancing to be a Carnival Queen in full samba costumes, which are normally tiny bikinis with feathers and lots of sparkles – you need to train. If you want to look good, fit and healthy, it means eating well, avoiding alcohol and training consistently. It may just be one hour of dancing on the day but that one hour is everything to you.”

The connection between fitness and dance is what led Campos towards her full-time career in personal Pilates training, something she’s now been doing for 25 years. During that time she’s also been a WBFF European Champion (a type of fitness model) and has worked with high-profile private clients including Camila Cabello and the Abu Dhabi Royal Family. In fact, a class at Campos’ Knightsbridge studio is even a little taste of her homeland, with every class inspired by her wider Brazilian Movement Philosophy, a distinctive approach combining the technical foundations of Classical Pilates with the rhythm, fluidity and freedom of movement rooted in her Brazilian heritage.

“The philosophy includes five principles including spinal freedom, confidence, self-belief, Brazilian movement and body sculpt,” Campos reveals. That includes demand for getting the “best possible booty,” she says. “If you go to the gym in Brazil, you’ll see so many women doing leg elevations with weights, and it’s not just about looking good. Those sorts of exercises can help protect your lower limbs, your spine and your core. Plus, it can help you avoid back problems, as the glutes support the whole body,” explains Campos. “Both dance and Pilates are all about moving your spine too, and the story goes that Joseph Pilates first invented the movements while watching cats move and stretch. If you can keep your spine flexible, I really believe you can keep yourself strong and young. I even have a tattoo that says that: ‘young and strong’.”

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Campos is certainly a strong endorsement for that sentiment: she hardly looks close to the 50th birthday that she will be celebrating next year. “People say I look really young and I think that’s because I am mentally very strong and my studio is a happy environment,” she says. “I place a lot of importance on understanding the energy of – and connection with – my clients. I am not the type of trainer that wants to just punish the client and say ‘you have to do this’. If someone is not comfortable, I have 2000 other options for them to try, so they can enjoy the challenge. That’s why people tend to recommend me, and I gained most of my clients, including members of the royal family, through word of mouth.”

Campos also makes every session bespoke to her clients, from individuals that prefer a more reserved atmosphere (and the chance to hardly break a sweat) to those that love nothing more than joining her in a high-energy samba dance to warm up as if they were on the streets of Rio itself. “Warming up is so important and starting the session with some samba music is a brilliant way to ensure a really happy, positive environment,” she reveals.

The trainer has even passed on her love of dance – and her belief in its fitness principles – to her teenage daughter, who she’s taken to Notting Hill Carnival frequently so they can enjoy samba together. “She is more reserved as she grew up in the UK, but she can move, she can dance, and she has amazing posture. I’ve always taught her (as well as my clients) not to slump on the table because good posture can help you look and feel more beautiful and confident.”

Taking Pilates into the air

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Now, Campos is helping her clients challenge themselves even further, with the launch of the UK’s first Pilates Acrobático practice at her private Knightsbridge studio in London, starting from 10 September. Taking Pilates off the mat and into the air, the concept takes the principles of Classical Pilates and combines them with aerial and acrobatic movement, using fabric, swings and rings to work on strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and control.

Visually, it looks incredibly fun and dramatic (just like a Carnival procession in fact). But Campos is keen to stress that you don’t have to be an acrobat to try it: “Pilates Acrobático is a high-performance type of exercise and considering Joseph Pilates used to do acrobats – he even invented the trapeze table – it’s always been beneficial to combine them. But, it is not the circus! Most people have fears about challenging exercise, like going upside down, swinging or falling. They can be scared at the beginning, but as soon as they do one movement, they fall in love. Mentally and physically it is the best thing and they want to come back, some even everyday.”

“The class challenges the body in a completely different way,” she continues. “You’re building strength, balance, coordination and control, but you’re also developing confidence in what your body can actually do. It can be challenging as you have to work against gravity, but whether you are a teenager, middle aged or elderly, you can start at your own level and gradually discover strength and movement you didn’t realise you had.”

Ultimately, that’s the ethos that runs throughout all of Campos’ classes – that fitness can be tough but it doesn’t have to be a punishment, whether you are dancing as a Carnival Queen or trying to fly high as an aerial Pilates beginner. At the end of the day, it is enthusiasm that is key, so, if you are feeling motivated by the joy of movement Carnival inspires, Campos’ studio is the place to be right now.