MEET OUR TEAM
JENNIFER ISRAEL OWNER
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Jennifer was born in Boston, MA where she began dancing at the age of 2. Her formal dance training began at the following renowned studios: The Jeannette Neill Dance Scholarship Program, The Ballet Theatre of Boston and Boston City Lights Hip Hop Company. Jennifer accepted a dance scholarship to attend Hofstra University in Long Island where she would commute to Manhattan for Broadway auditions. Through this dedication she juggled schoolwork while appearing on the Tony Awards for Broadway's Footloose. Shortly after Jennifer was selected to be a Miami Heat dancer. With great success she was then chosen to be a lead in Disney's The Lion King and shortly after the dance captain and company manager for Royal Caribbean International. Having established herself as a successful working performer in the industry, Jennifer accepted leading roles in West Side Story (European tour) and performed in the original cast of Jerry Mitchell’s Peep Show in Las Vegas where she understudied Kelly Monaco and Holly Madison for the lead role of Little Bo Peep. Jennifer was the stuntwoman in The Sirens of TI under the direction of Kenny Ortega and Travis Payne. She also choreographed several Vegas shows and performed with Cirque Du Soleil. Jennifer was wildly successful in Las Vegas and even had her own billboard. She was a headliner for Ivan Kane’s 40 Deuce in Vegas (Mandalay Bay), Hollywood (Café Was) and Revel in Atlantic City.
After a move to Los Angeles, Jennifer appeared in commercials, television shows and performed on stage live with major artists in the recording world such as Justin Timberlake, Kid Rock and Christina Aguilera. While in California, Jennifer found a Barre workout that she would fall in love with. This love of a dancer styled workout motivated her to become certified in Barre. For the last six years she has been teaching and has found helping her clients achieve their fitness goals through a workout that has its roots in ballet is more rewarding than any performance she was in. Jennifer is honored to be able to bring her personal twist on Barre & Dance to the Upper Montclair area. |
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STEPHANIE DEPERSIO
FITNESS DIRECTOR
BARRE & CARDIO BARRE INSTRUCTOR |
Stephanie was born in Texas, but raised in north New Jersey for most of her life. Fitness has been a big part of her life since her early 20s and was a barre student for 3 years when she decided to become a certified barre instructor. Stephanie is very passionate about the health and wellness industry, and is so happy to be with you on your journey to your best self! Stephanie’s classes will challenge you, and push you to be the strong person you are, all while having fun!
Stephanie is also a licensed hairstylist and freelance makeup artist. |
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CHRISTINA CRUZ
STUDIO MANAGER
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Christina is thrilled to be teaching at Hit the Barre! Like most dance teachers, Christina began dancing at the age of 3. Having a passion for musical theatre, ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical were always her favorite styles of dance. After graduating from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s in English and Psychology, she decided to go back to school for Musical Theatre at Florida School of the Arts.
Christina attended Montclair State University where she received her MA in Theatre Studies. Post graduation, Christina expanded her dance background to include ballroom dancing. Christina is a certified ballroom dance instructor and judge through the United States Terpsichore Association in American Rhythm, American Smooth, International Standard and Latin. She is also a member of the National Dance Council of America. She is thrilled to be able to share her love of dance and fitness with her students. |
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ELENA RUSSO
DANCE, BARRE & CARDIO BARRE INSTRUCTOR
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ELENA began training at Dance Force where she was trained in various styles such as ballet, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop. At the age of 16, Elena began teaching classes and choreographing. She continued her training at Montclair State University specifically studying modern and ballet, while frequently making trips into the city to take classes at Broadway Dance Center. While at Montclair she performed in works by Stacey Tookey, Sara Hooks, Christian Von Howard, and understudiedPolkaby Mark Morris. Most recently she was featured in Rick Ross’s music video as a model.
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SOPHIE ROBERTS-POWELL
VINYASA YOGA INSTRUCTOR
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Originally from the UK, Sophie has lived in the US for almost ten years and practised
yoga for twenty years. As a writer and researcher in the corporate world, she found she lived a lot in her head. Through deepening her yoga and meditation practice, Sophie developed mental and physical strength, stability and flexibility. The practice has helped lessen symptoms of imbalance, such as anxiety and fatigue. She enjoys sharing the techniques of vinyasa-style yoga with her students, who often report similar benefits. She loves experimenting, and enjoys the challenge of exploring, refining and deepening yoga poses with students. Sophie also teaches Barre, which, with its different rhythm and emphasis on small, precise movements, is a great complement to the flow yoga style. |
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ASHLEY HERNANDEZ
DANCE INSTRUCTOR & BARRE INSTRUCTOR IN TRAINING
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Ashley was born and raised in Clifton, NJ and began dancing at the age of 5 at Dance World Academy. Ashley is also a working actress and a music video diva appearing in videos with J Balvin, David Guetta & Bebe Rexha.
Ashley is very excited to be teaching dance at HTB and training to teach Barre too! |
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APRIL LEWANDOWSKI
GUEST INSTRUCTOR
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April was born and raised in Northern New Jersey, where she lives with her husband and son. She is a seasoned fitness instructor with a background in modern jazz and Pilates. April has been teaching fitness classes for many years throughout New York City and Northern New Jersey at New York Sports Club and LA Fitness. When she took her first barre class, she immediately fell in love and added a new certification to her resume. April is now teaching exclusively at Hit The Barre, and she loves bringing her knowledge and experience to class every day!
April is also a certified, freelance makeup and airbrush artist. She has worked for MAC Cosmetics and Sephora, and she is also the team makeup artist for HTB Dance Company. |