Rachel Speck
Owner and Artistic Director
Rachel Speck was born in Carlisle, PA where she started dancing ballet at 3 years old at one of the best ballet schools in the world, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. At the young age of 15, she moved to Miami all by herself to dance and train at Miami City Ballet. Rachel performed an abundance of classical works and Balanchine ballets throughout her schooling and professional career. Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet is one of the only ballet schools in the world with the rights to perform George Balanchine’s works. Rachel has had the opportunity to perform Balanchine’s Nutcracker every year from the time she was 5, and has danced almost every role from an Angel to the Sugar Plum Fairy and everything in between.
Other Balanchine works she’s performed include, Diamonds, Walpurgisnacht, La Valse, Raymonda Variations, Seranade, Who Cares, Allegro Brilliant, Concerto Barocco, A Midsummers Night’s Dream, Don Quixote, and Divertamento to name a few. She has also had the opportunity to perform many Marius Petipa works which include the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Paquita, one of the 3 slave girls in Le Corsaire, Giselle, Coppelia, and more. Rachel was put on pointe at only 7 years old which normally isn’t recommended, but she was extremely strong and ready. A lot of these roles she performed at only 9 years old on pointe.
After Rachel retired from dancing professionally, her biggest fear was becoming out of shape and losing her ballerina strength and tone. She quickly got into the fitness word and became a certified personal trainer and continued her certifications with Pilates, group fitness, and nutrition. Rachel taught and trained at numerous gyms in Miami which include Crunch, Ironflower, Equinox, Sobe Fit Body, and Ultimate Sports Institute to name a few. In the midst of teaching at different studios, Rachel decided to start her own fitness company, Speck Fitness, in 2011. In the beginning, it was just a private personal training company, but over the years it’s evolved into so much more. From private training, to bootcamps, to classes, to ballet classes and private lessons, to dance conditioning, to a fitness brand with apparel, equipment, and three DVDs, to now having a permanent home in Weston inside Ultimate Sports Institute as a professional ballet school and fitness studio.
Rachel is also the creator of the world-famous workout, Tendu Toning®️. When she retired from dancing and got into the fitness world, she realized that strength training actually made her a stronger dancer. Her whole life though she was taught that weights and working out was bad for dancers, so this was something she needed to share with other dancers. She began creating a workout blending ballet moves with fitness moves to help dancers get stronger in the things they do every day, but without bulking the wrong muscles. She also noticed that all of the exercises helped her fitness clients achieve long, lean muscles like a dancer. She named the workout, Tendu Toning®️ to show the fusion of ballet and fitness since tendu is one of the most basic ballet steps you can do. There are now three Tendu Toning®️ DVDs/videos available, a certification program, equipment, apparel, and of course classes and private classes for adults and dancers of all ages. Rachel is the real deal when it comes to ballet and real ballet training.
Lexie Bazzano
Jazz, Contemporary, and Tendu Toning Instructor
Lexie grew up in Kaysville, Utah and trained at Creative Arts Academy. She is well versed in contemporary, jazz, ballet, hip hop, ballroom and pom. She grew as a convention dancer taking classes from some of the best instructors at Jump, NUVO, 24seven, NYCDA, LADM and The Dance Awards. She has experience in the commercial dancer world, dancing in a Fabletics commercial as well as a music video and a movie. After high school she joined the Weber State Dance Team where she was awarded 2018 All American collegiate dancer and 2018 NDA D1 national hip hop champion. In 2021 she made Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders and is hoping to continue in to her second season for 2022. She has always had a clear drive for dancing and teaching others. Combing dancing and fitness to help others create a well rounded healthy body is something she is very passionate about.
Austyn Bazzano
Ballet, Contemporary, and Tendu Toning Instructor
Bradley Dunlap
Ballet Teacher
Bradley Dunlap grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and began training at Cleveland City Dance with Paul Wilson, Linda Adolphi and Sarah Savelli, and continued at Cleveland School of Dance with Gladisa Guadalupe. He attended summer programs with full scholarships at Blue Lakes Fine Arts Camp with Jefferson Baum, The Rock School, Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the School of American Ballet.
During his training, Dunlap toured Germany and France with the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp International Ballet Ensemble at age 14.
He was accepted to Miami City Ballet School with a full scholarship in 2004 and became a student apprentice in 2005, a company apprentice in 2006 and was promoted to the company in 2008.
In 2011, he was a dancer in PBS’s Great Performances “Dance in America: Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine and Tharp.”
Dunlap has performed around the world including at the Koch Theater at Lincoln Center and New York City Center (NYC), Kennedy Center (DC), The Music Center (LA), and Théatre du Châtelet (Paris).
Dunlap served as Company Representative for 4 seasons, starting in 2017. He also served on the Re-Entry Task Force for MCB and Dance/USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dunlap choreographed “Everybody Step,” for MCB’s “To Miami, With Love,” in 2021 and “Rondo alla Turca,” in 2023.
Renato Penteado
Renato Penteado was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he began his dance training at the age of 7.
In 1998, he competed in the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was invited by Miami City Ballet Founder and then Artistic Director Edward Villella to join the company, where he was promoted Principal in 2004.
Throughout his career, Mr. Penteado has danced nationally and internationally in numerous classical, neoclassical, contemporary and modern works by world renowned choreographers, such as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Alexei Ratmansky, Paul Taylor, Christopher Wheeldon, John Cranko, Justin Peck, Edward Villella, Liam Scarlett, Sir Frederick Ashton and many others.
In 2016, Mr. Penteado was nominated and voted the winner of Dance Magazine’s Readers Choice Awards for Best Male Performance.
In addition to his performing career, Mr. Penteado has taught extensively as a faculty member of Summer Dance Programs throughout the United States and was until recently part of the faculty of Central Pennsylvania Ballet under the direction of Darla Hoover.
Evan Ambrose
EXPERIENCE
Ballet 22, Oakland, CA — Company Artist
2020- 2021 & 2021-2022 Season
Performed Classical & originated in new contemporary works en pointe as well as flat. Worked with world renowned choreographers such as Annabell Lopez Ochoa, Omar Ramon De Jesus, Myles Thatcher, & Durante Verzola.
Oakland Ballet, Oakland, CA — Company Artist
2021 – 2022 Season
Originated in a new version in Graham Lustig’s, Grand Pas De Deux(The Nutcracker). Performed all over the Bay Area from The Paramount stage in Oakland, CA to local schools in the area.
Alabama Ballet, Birmingham, AL— Company Artist
2019-2020 & 2020-2021 Season
Performed Dennis Nascht Elvis Ballet: Blue Suede Shoes, George Balanchines: The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, & Graduation Ball
EDUCATION
The Rock School For Dance Education, Philadelphia, PA
2018-2019 School Year, 2016 & 2018 Summer Program
Attended with a Full tuition scholarship & Full room/board.
Charlotte Ballet, Charlotte, NC – Trainee
2017-2018 School Year
Worked with the legendary Patricia McBride, along with other notable teachers, Mark Diamond, Jean Pierre Beaufeaux, Laszlo Berdo, Dwight Rhoden, & Valentina Kozlova.
Huntsville Ballet School,
2017-2018 School Year
Participated in YAGP, performed alongside the professional Company, & was in level 6 (highest in the school)
Performed as a Guest Artist:
San Jose Dance Theatre Dzul Dance (NYC)
Palmetto Dance Conservatory (SC)
Notable Repertoire Performed
Gulnare: Le Corsaire
Ali: Le Corsaire: Grand Pas De Deux
Lucien: Paquita
Don Jose: Carmen (Roman Oller)
Heartbeats: Pas Couple (Myles Thatcher)
Spanish: George Balanchines: The Nutcracker
Captain Hook: Peter Pan
Beth Nunez
Tendu Toning Instructor
Beth’s background in dance and cheer led her to enjoy group fitness classes. Twenty-two years ago, her instructors encouraged Beth to become an instructor and the rest is history. She finds it very rewarding to help others overcome injuries and reach their goals while enjoying fun yet intensive workout programs.
Certifications and workshops:
AFAA Primary Fitness Instructor
AFAA Personal Trainer
AFAA Kickboxing
YMCA Aquatic Fitness
YMCA Aquatic Safety Assistant
Indoor Cycling
Mat Science I & II
Group Resistance Training
Practical Yoga Instructor Training
FuzeCraze
Tendu Toning
TRX Group Fitness Training
Silver Sneakers
Instructor Training Performance Pilates
Fitlife Reebok Core Pilates
“If you expend your energy, it comes back to you in abundance.”
“No one was ever upset that they went to the gym.”
“Work hard, play hard.”
Olivia Lallouz
Tendu Toning, Yoga, and Ballet Teacher
Olivia has been dancing since she was five. From the ages of 10-18 she did competitive ballet attending multiple competitions and summer intensives. She attained her Tendu Toning certification at 18 years old and has been practicing the techniques since. She also enjoys yoga and Pilates, which she incorporates into some of her classes as well.
Addison
Tendu Toning Instructor and Assistant
Addison was born in South Florida and began dancing at 3. Almost immediately she fell in love with classical ballet which has been her primary focus and passion ever since her first dance class. Addison has been dancing at Speck Fitness since 2018 and attends the prestigious North Broward Preparatory School on a dance scholarship, where she focuses on ballet, and many other genres of dance including contemporary, jazz, lyrical and hip-hop. For the past several years Addison has attended summer intensive training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Addison is the youngest certified Tendu Toning instructor and loves to train people of all ages and experience.
