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Michelle Fama
Founder

News journalist. Travel writer. Teacher. Published book author. Bakery owner. Small biz consultant… Michelle’s experience is a curious amalgam of big and small ventures, and corporate and startup-land.

But if you ask her what she is most proud of, it’s being the founder of Core Pilates NYC and co-creator of it’s famed teacher training program which quickly cemented its place as the industry’s leading certification program.

Since launching the brand’s first studio in NYC over 20 years ago, it has conducted teacher training courses around the world including Hong Kong, Rome, Chicago, New Zealand, South Africa and Los Angeles. Delivering an exceptional Pilates experience for clients means having the best teachers year after year, thus Michelle knew there was a need for an exceptional training program.  Michelle holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Journalism from NYU and received her Pilates certification under the tutelage of  Romana Kryzanowska and Bob Liekens at Power Pilates.

Jenn Lancaster
Faculty

You can say Core raised Jenn in her Pilates career – first as a student in our Mat Training Course, then as an apprentice  in our Comprehensive years later, becoming one of our most loved instructors and then serving as our Director of Education for 5 years. Now she is rocking Westchester as an entrepreneur,  founder and owner of her own studio, Pilates Solution since 2023. Jennifer is a trained dancer, dance teacher, and studied at The Boston Conservatory to receive her BFA in Dance performance before moving to NYC after graduation in 2008. 

She fell in love with Pilates soon after moving to the city where she discovered how beneficial it was to her dance career and the overall wellness and strength of her body.  Jennifer continued her studies deepening her knowledge within pre/postnatal Pilates, the Advanced Work on the Mat and Reformer/Cadillac. 

“I feel so honored to have been a part of so many people’s journey into the world of teaching classical Pilates as a director and now faculty at Core.” 

She believes Pilates is for EVERY body type and instills confidence in those who work with her. Jennifer loves Pilates, meeting new people, and leading the way toward an inspiring career in Pilates for all students and apprentices.

Carrie Campbell
Lead Faculty

With over 20 years of teaching experience, Carrie Campbell, PMA® CPT, has been featured in several Pilates DVD’s, training manuals and has been written up in Womens Health, Fitness Magazine, Us Weekly, Quest, and Allure and has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show and the WB news.

Formerly a professional ballet dancer, Carrie was introduced to Pilates in 1992 as part of her physical therapy to help her rehabilitate chronic dance injuries. She has studied with master teachers such as Bob Leikens, Susan Moran, Phoebe Higgins, Romana Kryzanowska, Alycea Ungaro and Ron Fletcher. She was comprehensively certified in both mat and apparatus through Power Pilates NYC in 1998. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hunter College with a degree in Psychology and Biology in 2000. She has studied anatomy, injury rehabilitation and pre and postnatal fitness in great depth. She is also certified by Beyond Barre®, Healthy Moms®, Bella Bellies®, and American Council on Exercise® and has infant, child and adult CPR/First Aid certifications. Before joining Core as lead teacher trainer, Carrie taught teacher training and continuing education workshops across the U.S. and internationally for Power Pilates.

Nikki Hung
Faculty

Nikki received her certification from the 600-hour Comprehensive Immersion at Core Pilates NYC and joined the teaching staff/faculty after graduating. She discovered Pilates while searching for a low impact exercise to complement her weight lifting routine; after regularly taking classes at Core, one of her favorite instructors recommended she take the leap and enroll in the program. Nikki integrates her cross-training perspective into her teaching and likes helping apprentices develop their own unique teaching style.

Before becoming a Pilates instructor, Nikki studied film/TV production and English literature at New York University and worked in a variety of fields including magazine publishing and museums.

Amanda Vandaventer
Faculty

A self-proclaimed science nerd turned Pilates fanatic, our dear Amanda has been part of the Core family for almost a decade now. After graduating from Georgetown University and on a path filled with doctors, labs and science she felt something was amiss. Always into movement and fitness, Amanda loved her Pilates practice and her instructor, a Core grad, recommended she begin at the Core studio and to see if teaching might be what she’s been looking for. She enrolled, excelled, loved her new career and soared from there, becoming the Pilates coordinator at Equinox and having full teaching shifts. Always a Core client and connected to the studio, Amanda transitioned into management at the studio, becoming the Director of Education. She is currently part of our faculty and works closely with new teachers, mentoring them through their first year.

Sky Spallone
Faculty

Sky completed her Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training at Core in 2012 and has been a member of the Core family ever since! 
 
In the following years she has continued to develop her interest in holistic modalities, studying to be a Full Spectrum Doula at Ancient Song in Brooklyn, completing her 500 hour Yoga Teacher Training at ISHTA Yoga in Manhattan, studying to be an Evolutionary Astrologer with Steven Forrest in California and ever deepening into her love for art, particularly acting and writing. 
 
Sky is so grateful for the solid foundation Pilates has provided in her life in so many different ways! She is honored to work in the Teacher Training program at Core to help students strengthen their own foundation. Her hope is always to help hold space for each person to shine in all that makes them incredible people as well as teachers. 
 
 

Nadia Duncan

Nadia completed her 600-hour comprehensive Pilates certification through Core’s training program in 2021. She immediately began teaching Pilates on a full-time basis, while concurrently fulfilling her administrative responsibilities as the General Manager of Core from 2021 to 2022. Nadia works with clients of diverse ages and experience levels, ranging from young dancers to seniors recovering from injuries. Her instructional approach emphasizes precision, fluidity, and economy of movement. In 2024, Nadia was hand selected to join the esteemed teacher training faculty at Core Pilates NYC. She also serves as a curriculum consultant and teacher trainer for Pilates Artists United, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing classical Pilates education to Broadway dancers.

Beyond her Pilates practice, Nadia is a singer, actor, dancer, and aerialist. She holds a BA in Theatre and Opera Performance from SUNY Purchase College and an MM in Musical Theatre Performance from NYU Steinhardt.

Nikki Hung
Faculty

From Core client to instructor, Nikki was certified through Core’s Comprehensive Program after one of her favorite instructors suggested she enroll. She was fortunate to join the teaching staff and upon graduating in 2018, and later becoming part of the faculty team. She has been at Core ever since.
 
Nikki discovered Pilates while searching for a fitness modality that would complement her weight lifting background. She quickly realized the benefits of classical Pilates–both as a standalone exercise and in combination with other types of fitness–and continues to incorporate cross-training in her own routine and teaching. Nikki loves helping clients and new teachers improve their strength and confidence, no matter their fitness level or experience.
 
Before finding her way to Pilates, Nikki worked in diverse fields including publishing, event management, and museums. She graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Film & Television Production and English Literature.

Michelle Bradshaw

Michelle grew up as a dancer and discovered Pilates as a complement to her dance training. After graduating college, she continued her Pilates practice through classes at Core, which helped in her decision to shift into a fitness career. She first pursued a personal training certification through ACE and worked as a personal trainer with Equinox for many years, before eventually returning to her first love and becoming a comprehensively-certified Pilates instructor through Equinox. 

Michelle approaches her Pilates instruction with a deep appreciation for the classical system and a curiosity for modern applications. She has experience in multiple movement modalities and brings that knowledge to her teaching. Michelle continues to educate herself on the body and the optimal ways in which to move it, which will always keep her coming back to Pilates. 

Joining the Core Pilates NYC staff and faculty has been a full circle moment for Michelle, having originally started her consistent Pilates practice with the studio. She loves the energy of the instructors, students, and apprentices here and is always excited to contribute to that!

Sarah Ruback
Anatomy Instructor

Dr. Sarah Ruback, is a therapeutic movement, stress management, and mindfulness expert. She currently serves as the CEO of St. Christopher’s Inc. where she focuses on integrating therapeutic and expressive therapies in a trauma-informed setting.   Sarah holds a doctorate from Fordham University, Masters in Fine Arts MFA in Acting from the Yale School of Drama and a 600 hour Pilates Mat and Comprehensive training certification from yours truly, Core Pilates NYC. She’s the former director and an integral part of our program’s development and curriculum.

She leads our Anatomy in Clay courses to all students enrolled at Core and serves on the Board of the National Pilates Certification Program.

Her Creds: Ed.D., MFA, BFA, ACE, NCPT, TCI, YMHFA, CPR, & MRS. Other training/certs: MELT Level 5 Instructor (Advanced), Teacher’s Assistant for MELT, Red Cross CPR Instructor, Youth Mental Health First Aid trained, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention instructor, Comprehensive and Mat trained Classical Pilates instructor, TRX, Spinning®, Ballecore®, Pink Ribbon Program®, Core Data I Anatomy in Clay®, FAMI (Functional Anatomy for Movement & Injury)

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