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
Jill Dailey
Founding Director
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Jill Dailey is a true innovator of the barre fitness revolution on the West Coast. A degreed Kinesiologist, Jill found that her true passion was helping people transform their lives through fitness and mindful movement. Jill trained in Pilates and became an early trainee of the famed Lotte Berk method. Taking what she learned from her experience and through Lotte Berk mentorship in New York City, Jill brought her version of barre to California. In 2000 Jill opened her first Dailey Method barre studio in San Francisco’s Marina District.
As the fitness industry has evolved Jill has shifted her focus from
franchising studios to training teachers, coaching fitness professionals to develop their own unique programs and nurturing a strong class and program-based online platform. Her goal is to continue to make aligned movement accessible to as many people as possible.
Over the years Jill has cultivated a strong, all-female-driven company that provides a healthy work/life balance for everyone on her team. She strongly believes finding balance makes for a happier and more fulfilled life overall.
True empowerment comes from giving people confidence, community, and inner strength and that is what The Dailey Method is all about.
Jennifer Maanavi
Founding Treasurer
Stephanie Bradley
Secretary & Chairperson
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As a fitness studio advisor, Business Consultant Stephanie Bradley partners with motivated fitness and wellness studio owners to formulate a customized plan focused on business process improvement, financial solutions, budgeting, training, and revenue growth. Having been a wealth management analyst (earning her CIMA from the Wharton School of Business) and franchise Barre studio owner for five years, Stephanie is uniquely positioned to create effective sales processes, assess value-based pricing based on your KPIs, assist with organizational structure, and get to the root of the issues—all based on authentic, relatable, and data-driven feedback.
Stephanie is known for her southern wit and straightforward approach when it comes to working with her clients to create a win-win. She feels it's vital to have a clear understanding of the numbers to take the fear out of the process and ensure more focused decision making across the board as you move forward.
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
Marianne DuCharme
Director
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Marianne has been a fitness enthusiast for most of her adult life, but it wasn’t until she discovered the Barre workout that her approach to movement transformed. The intense focus on form, alignment, and the mind-body connection helped her train more efficiently and strengthen her core, ultimately eliminating the chronic low back pain she had endured for years.
That profound shift inspired her to share Barre with others. Her passion for mindful movement eventually led her to Mat Pilates, which mirrors Barre’s emphasis on proper form and functional movement. She trained through Balanced Body in beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of Mat Pilates.
Marianne began her Barre training with The Dailey Method but relocated to London before completing it. While abroad, she continued to deepen her practice through self-training and Mind Body classes, further reinforcing her connection to form-focused movement.
Upon returning to the San Francisco Bay Area, she completed several local Barre trainings and began teaching. A pivotal moment in her development came during her training in Miami with Definitive Barre, a format she felt elevated her technique and teaching to a new level.
Marianne has served as a Master Barre Instructor for The Bay Clubs of California and has taught at various studios and corporate settings including Samsung Semiconductor, Hitachi, Facebook, and several Silicon Valley startups.
In 2018, she began living bicoastally between the San Francisco Bay Area and Tampa Bay, teaching classes on both coasts. Two years later, she launched her own online Barre & Pilates studio: Beyond the Barre by the Bay, affectionately known as B4. Through live and on-demand classes, she continues to share her passion and commitment to high-quality instruction and connection.
Marianne is known for delivering authentic Barre experiences and cultivating an inclusive virtual community where members feel empowered, supported, and inspired. One of her signature formats, Kitchen Sink Barre, cleverly uses a kitchen sink in place of a mounted barre, making the workout accessible without compromising technique, perfect for exercises like “seated flat back chair.”
Now, as she joins the Board of BFA, Marianne is eager to help elevate the Barre format and advocate for the education and ongoing development of fellow instructors. She strongly believes that instructors must be well-trained to deliver safe, effective, and meaningful classes and that a supportive community is key.
Marianne truly believes in, and actively promotes living a life that is Happy, Healthy, and Fit.
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.
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.
