Instructors

spirit barre instructors

Dana – Spirit Barre Founder

Dana’s two strongest interests have always been fitness and animals. After graduating from Boston University and working in the corporate world, Dana discovered yoga and was an instructor for years before getting her masters degree from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. She moved to beautiful San Diego in 2004 and has worked for almost 2 decades in animal sheltering & welfare, zoology, and veterinary medicine. After attending barre as a student for about 5 years, Dana took the opportunity to train to become an instructor and has been enjoying teaching fun and invigorating classes since 2017. In 2020, Dana and her husband Torrey purchased Spirit Yoga, and then in 2021 created Spirit Barre. When not at yoga class, at the barre or managing a veterinary hospital, Dana likes to run, strength train, and walk her beloved dog (and Spirit’s official mascot) Armani.

Follow her on instagram: @gsleader4252

Tess – Spirit Barre lead teacher

At the ripe age of three, Tess began dancing and continued through College. While she loves all styles of dance, ballet has always been her specialty. She found Barre in 2015 right after graduating from SDSU and absolutely loved the workout. She likes how ballet positions are incorporated into each workout and enjoys the intensity of getting those muscles to shake!

Tess completed her Instructor Training Program through BarreBody Studios and has been teaching for over a year. Tess is thrilled to join the Spirit Barre team and bring barre back to the community! Her goal is to safely challenge those muscles and get you to reach new levels of strength.

Follow her on instagram: @tessklein

Lisa

Lisa moved to Pacific Beach from Long Island, NY in 2012. She has an athletic background of playing sports her whole life and continues her active lifestyle with a regular yoga practice and longboarding with her dog, Larry David! She’s been practicing yoga for over 10 years, and teaching since 2008, the same year she received her cert as a Massage Therapist . Being an experienced practitioner and instructor of both, Lisa utilizes her knowledge of the way the body moves and connects to the mind to create fun, innovative classes. She teaches multiple yoga classes at Spirit Yoga and now at Spirit Barre, where she has created a stimulating, energetic workout experience called Spirit Sculpt, a 45 min class where the music is upbeat, vibes are high and the booty is burnin’. Her favorite yoga class to teach is a Power Flow so you know you’ll be feeling the burn in all the best ways. Some of Lisa’s favorite life things include smiling, going upside down, acroyoga, eating,and laughing.

Follow her on instagram: @lisafasa

Courtney – Spirit Barre Manager

Courtney grew up spending most of her free time in the dance studio. She took classes in ballet, tap and jazz throughout her childhood. As she grew older, Courtney found a way to continue to dance, joining the cheer squad at her high school. As a young adult, Courtney entered the workforce but it didn’t take long for her to find that movement was what she was meant to be doing. She started her journey to teaching fitness in 2015 when she took yoga teacher training. From there she launched a career in the fitness industry, teaching yoga and yoga sculpt. As her career progressed, Courtney found herself drawn back to her roots and was inspired to teach barre and Pilates workouts. Courtney’s classes are formatted to incorporate both Pilates and Barre movements that are safe and effective focusing on alignment and functional movement patterns.

Follow her on instagram: @courtneyfordwellness

Samara

Samara’s love for movement and dance began at 3 years old. Performing on stage and learning choreography built her confidence from a very young age. She deeply values living her life for the present, and believes there is no better way to experience the present than through fitness and the performing arts. Samara studied Musical Theatre at Manhattanville College and performed off- broadway in New York City. She has an affinity for teaching Barre, is American Barre Technique Certified and teaches Barre classes in San Diego. As an avid educator and traveler, she taught English abroad in Israel and currently curates travel retreats to Greece, Belize, Iceland and Cuba. Samara is also an NYU Certified Coach, guiding her clients to set goals to live their lives at their highest potentials. She believes that mental and emotional health are equally as important as physical health. Samara is a true follower of her passions. She finds joy and excitement in change and leaning into new challenges to further progress her abilities personally and professionally.

Follow her on instagram: @samaraariel

Armani – Spirit barre mascot

Armani was adopted by studio owners Dana & Torrey in 2018. He was rescued from the streets of Tijuana where he was found with a shattered hip and many bite wounds. Now living the good life in Pacific Beach, he spends his days sleeping under Dana’s desk as she manages the veterinary hospital. He loves visiting Spirit (and is the official mascot…Insta-famous!) and you can often find him sitting on the benches in the front lobby or napping in his bed between his mom & dad’s yoga mats. He’s a little shy because of his traumatic time on the streets, but once he gets to know you, he’ll give you big smiles & wags!

Follow him on instagram: @armani_thedoodle

Chrissy

As a former long-distance runner, Chrissy stumbled into the barre life after an injury sustained during a marathon, and she has been hooked on barre since. In 2019, Chrissy completed her Instructor Training Program through BarreBody Studios and has been teaching in the studio or online for over a year. Chrissy’s mission with teaching is to make barre accessible, effective, and enjoyable for everyone — tapping into your strengths, honing in on your wellness goals, and helping to make your workout fun. Outside of the studio, Chrissy works in the nonprofit sector; focuses on her writing and passion projects; enjoys hiking, camping, and off-roading; and manages a six-week wellness program. Chrissy is excited to be a part of the Spirit Barre community and work alongside you to reach your fitness objectives.

Follow her on instragram: @barrewithoutabarre

Amanda

Amanda has always loved taking group fitness classes and can be found class hopping around gyms and studios. Being a former dancer, competitive cheerleader and gymnast, Amanda naturally fell in love with barre. With over 8 years of teaching experience, she holds multiple barre certifications and is AFAA group exercise certified. Amanda has taught various other class formats and has built a reputation of presenting a challenging class. While it is her hope that clients’ limits are pushed, she will never let you forget the importance of form and encourages clients to always do what is best for their bodies.

Follow her on instagram: @mandahowww

Heidi

Heidi is a San Diego native who began her fitness and wellness journey with barre classes in 2017. She immediately became captivated by its low impact style and rhythmic nature. Heidi became inspired to help others find joy in movement. She completed her barre training in 2019, a NASM personal training in 2020, and a nutrition coach certification in 2021. Her classes focus on creating a well functioning body-combining motions that are used in our daily lives, along with energetic music to encourage everyone to embrace the burn! When she is not at barre Heidi is experimentally cooking with new spices, improving her weightlifting records, or cuddling with her cats at home.

Follow her on instragram: @heidi.balangue

Britt S

Brittany has called San Diego her home since 2001. She stumbled across barre in 2013 and has been hooked ever since. After instructing hot barre for 3 years she is excited to get back into the studio as part of the Spirit Barre team!.