Board of Directors
Lara Foldvari
Founding President & Executive Director
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Lara has been dancing for almost 55 years. At the age of four, she began her training in classical ballet at the Boston Ballet, then the New Haven Ballet. She is a Certified Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer through ACE (American Council on Exercise), with additional certificates in yoga (RYT200), mat Pilates, senior & aqua fitness.
The need for a Barre Fitness Alliance and support for the industry came as Lara trained and was certified in multiple barre certifications, including those from Barre & Soul Academy, Physique 57 Barre Academy, The Dailey Method, Barre Intensity, BarreAmped, the International Ballet Barre Fitness Association, and The London Method, where Esther Fairfax, the daughter of Lotte Berk, gave Lara her stamp of approval.
Lara has been teaching barre fitness classes since 2009 (the first barre class to be offered in Cheshire, Connecticut) and holds barre classes at her private studio, The BOG (Barre On the Go), as well as livestream classes. The BOG also offers videos on demand. She loves being able to virtually guest teach for friends and colleagues around the world.
Andrea Isabelle Lucas
Founding Vice President
Jennifer L.M. Henshall Director
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Jennifer has over 20 years of fitness experience -- almost a decade of those at the barre. She is trained in The ORIGINAL Barre Class by The London Method, where she was approved by Lotte Berk’s daughter, Esther Fairfax. She is also a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, an AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor, a Moms Into Fitness Prenatal & Postnatal Fitness and Nutrition Specialist, a NASM Women’s Fitness Specialist, a NASM Senior Fitness Specialist, Certified Studio Pilates International Instructor, Clinical Aromatherapist and author who discovered barre — her soulmate workout — while training for the 2016 Boston Marathon.
Prior to finding her place at the barre, Jennifer spent many years long-distance running and bodybuilding. Her current ongoing battle with autoimmune disease and osteopenia has changed her fitness focus to one that incorporates more mindful, purposeful and low-impact strength-based movements.
She is certified in a variety of barre techniques, including BarreAmped Bounce, Prenatal/Postnatal Barre, H.I. (High Intensity) Barre, Zen Barre, BOSU Barre Strong and Piloxing Barre.
A former communication professor and professional and mother of two daughters, Jennifer is dedicated to fostering a community where barre instructors, students and devotees can come together to share, create and maintain a strong connection between the mind and body through barre fitness.
Jennifer Maanavi
Founding Treasurer & Chairperson
Former Board Members
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our past board members, who helped shape the foundation of the Barre Fitness Alliance and furthered our mission to strengthen and unite the barre community.
Betsy Royster
Founding Secretary
Jill Dailey Founding Director
Stephanie Bradley Secretary & Chairperson
Andrea Lincoln
Director
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Founder of Barre Studio and passionate advocate for vibrant living, Andrea brings career alchemy to life through her multidisciplinary approach to holistic wellness.
With a deep-rooted love for movement and nourishment, she’s a Master Teacher in the Authentic Barre method, trained in its original London lineage.
Andrea also holds credentials as a Certified Holistic Nutritionist (CHN), allowing her to fuse fitness and nutrition into powerful, personalized wellness programs.
Her mission? To help people move better, feel stronger, and thrive longer.
Our Mentors
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Elisabeth Halfpapp
CoreBarreFit
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Lara Foldvari
Barre On the Go/Bare Barre
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Andrea Lincoln
Barre Studio
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Whitney Fortmueller
Rise Barre + Pilates
Supporting Partners
At the Barre Fitness Alliance, we believe in building a movement that extends beyond the studio. Our Supporting Partners play a vital role in helping us champion strength, inclusivity, and longevity in the barre world. These organizations and individuals stand with us—not just in name, but in purpose—amplifying our mission to make barre accessible, empowering, and impactful for everyone.
Elisabeth Halfpap
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Elisabeth began her barre fitness journey as an associate in Dance Education at the School of the Hartford Ballet. From that moment she knew this would become her life’s work. Trained in classical ballet, Elisabeth saw the future in barre training early on. She became a pioneer leading the Lotte Berk Method (LBM) in New York City, the Hamptons, and Los Angeles, attracting an eager audience looking to adopt a new fitness regimen. Following more than two decades growing the LBM business, Elisabeth became one of the founding partners at Exhale, where she developed the proprietary barre class as well as the cardio and yoga programs. With the barre industry’s growing admiration for the Exhale brand as the industry leader, Elisabeth co-created the Exhale Barre Teacher Training certification and Yoga Teacher Training programs and has trained hundreds of teachers. She also created a series of 12 barre videos and co-authored the Barre Fitness Book which has quickly become the industry’s revered bible. After helping to grow Exhale to more than 26 locations, the company was acquired by Hyatt, where Elisabeth was promoted to Senior Director of Mind Body Fitness at their Miraval properties.
Elisabeth has danced with the Mercer Ballet, Princeton Ballet, Hartford Ballet, and continues to perform as the “Dutch Mom” in Dances Patrelle The Yorkville Nutcracker. She is also an ABT certified ballet teacher in pre-primary through level 3.
With her sights set on leading her own classes and training curriculum, Elisabeth started CoreBarreFIt in 2019. She is a sought after authority and expert in the field, frequently appearing as an industry spokesperson on national media as well as an expert presenter at trade events. Elisabeth is excited to continue offering her unparalleled expertise to loyal fans through her own venture.
Fred DeVito
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Fred grew up as an active participant in all sports and could always be found on the athletic field. Armed with a BS in Physical Education and Health, Fred embarked on a career teaching phys ed in public school and offering personal training & group fitness instruction at local health clubs. Shortly thereafter, he joined his wife and partner, Elisabeth, and the Lotte Berk Method (LBM) team, as the world’s first male barre teacher. Fred continued on this journey for nearly two decades with LBM which eventually led him, along with Elisabeth, to a new opportunity with Exhale, as one of the founding partners.
Fred co-created the Exhale Barre Teacher Training certification and has been instrumental in training hundreds of teachers. He has created a curriculum to certify a growing legion of barre fitness professionals around the world. He is a regularly featured fitness expert on the national scene where he has written for numerous journals, magazines and publications on topics ranging from Stress Management and Benefits of Movement, to Tips for Living a Longer & Healthier Life. Fred also co-created a series of 12 barre videos and co-authored the Barre Fitness Book, the industry’s go to manual, which provides 100 at-home barre exercises from the fundamentals to more complex moves with a focus on building strength and improving technique. Fred offers sessions in Thai stretch, a dynamic bodywork therapy based upon yoga and Ayurveda practices, receiving his certification from the world renowned Lotus Palm in Montreal. With his tremendous interest in music, Fred has created a side profession as an accomplished jazz double bass player and parlays this talent to inspire the incredible playlists used in all CoreBarreFit classes.
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Callanetics® isn’t just another workout—it’s a game-changer. This no-impact method uses ultra-precise, controlled movements to fire up deep muscles, improve posture, and sculpt the body from the inside out. Though it shares some history with barre—Callan Pinckney trained with Lotte Berk and was the very first instructor at the original Lotte Berk Method Studio in New York—Callanetics is a powerhouse all its own. With its slow, focused pace, signature pulsing action, and laser-sharp attention to alignment and muscle engagement, it goes far beyond choreography. It’s transformation through control.
For barre instructors, adding Callanetics to your toolkit is a smart, strategic move. It deepens your understanding of the body, sharpens your teaching skills, and helps your clients get results they can feel and see—longer, leaner muscles, increased flexibility, and better joint health for the long haul. For barre instructors, adding Callanetics isn’t just an expansion—it’s an elevation of your teaching toolkit.
