Our Board of Directors
Lara Foldvari
Founding President & Executive Director
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Lara has been dancing for over 50 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, 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.
Angela Isabelle Lucas
Founding Vice President
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Andrea Isabelle Lucas is the Founder & CEO of Barre & Soul. Her renowned barre method is informed by extensive training in Lotte Berk's technique, both under Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito in the United States as well as being one of only a few in the world to have studied one-on-one in England with Esther Fairfax, the daughter of Lotte Berk. Andrea is also the creator of Barre & Soul Academy teaching certification, author of “Own it All” and a keynote speaker passionate about making a difference in your life and the world around us. She has shared stages with Michelle Obama and Billie Jean King. Her writing and thought-leadership on business, women's issues and fitness have appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, xoJane, Entrepreneur, and more, and her barre method has been featured by Women's Health and the BBC.
Jennifer Maanavi
Founding Treasurer & Co-Chairperson
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A pioneering force in health and wellness and financial services, she has sculpted an illustrious career over two decades.
As the co-founder and CEO of Physique 57 since 2006, Maanavi has propelled the company into a global boutique fitness and media powerhouse with a footprint across all 50 states and four countries. In 2023, Physique 57 was celebrated as the top Barre Brand worldwide, the 2020 Industry Icon Award from Mindbody, and a Top 6 Beauty Brand in India by Vogue in 2022. The brand’s inclusion in Columbia Business School case studies and McGaw Hill textbooks speaks volumes about its pioneering, female-centric approach.
Maanavi‘s consultancy and advisor roles extend to strategic planning, revenue growth, business development, branding, turnaround strategies, and change management. She thrives as a fractional leader, consultant, and board member, explicitly guiding early-stage B2C fitness and wellness companies. Her roles as a Young President’s Organization (YPO) Chapter and Regional Board Member, Techstars mentor, and guest lecturer at Columbia Business School, and advisor to international ventures underline her commitment to the sector.
Recognized for her acumen in entrepreneurship and business strategy, Maanavi frequently graces major events as a speaker and has been featured in esteemed publications like Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg TV, Fox Business, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Inc.com.
She was honored with the 2013 Columbia Women in Business Distinguished Alumna Award.
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.
Stephanie Bradley
Secretary & Co-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.
Our Supporting Partners
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.
