Our Instructors
Lisa DelSignore
Director
Lisa DelSignore owns and manages Fluid Fitness, promoting health and wellness through GYROTONIC® training. As a dancer, she performed with several modern and tap companies, danced off-Broadway, in regional theaters, and on national and European tours. She began her GYROTONIC® work in 1989 while recuperating from a dance-related back injury. During this time, she studied with the creator of the system, Juliu Horvarth and master trainer Hilary Cartwright. In 2000, Lisa received her GYROTONIC® instructor certification. She is also certified on the Jumping-Stretching Board, Leg Extension Unit, GYROTONER®, Ladder, Archway and GYROKINESIS®. Lisa continues to expand her knowledge through periodic training updates and complimentary techniques.
In addition to GYROTONIC®, Lisa worked with Pino Carbone in Florence, Italy, teaching both his BodyCode System® and GYROTONIC®. Lisa is a certified instructor for the BodyCode System®. She is also a Certified Level 1 and 2 Power Plate® Instructor.
Efe Alibo
GYROTONIC®, GYROKINESIS®, Power Plate®
Efe Alibo became a certified GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Instructor in 2011. Over the years she has trained with several Gyrotonic Master Trainers including the creator and founder of Gyrotonic, Juliu Horvath.
Efe's aim is to guide her clients to achieve greater physicality in their daily lives through a deeper understanding of the unique mechanics of their body. Driven by this, Efe has taken courses in human anatomy to deepen her understanding of the body, in injury prevention and corrective exercises pattern. She is trained in all gyrotonic specialized equipment, and is a teacher trainer for individuals interested in becoming a gyrotonic instructor.
Felice Amera
GYROTONIC®, GYROKINESIS®, Power Plate®
Born and bred in Queens, New York Felice Amera graduated from the LaGuardia High School of Music and the Arts as a dance major and has a BS in Physical Education and Sports Studies from Rutgers University. A NYS licensed massage therapist and a certified foot reflexologist, her interest in movement and hands-on bodywork lead to her discovery of the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®. Completing her GYROTONIC® instructor certification in 2009, Felice is also a certified GYROKINESIS® and Power Plate® instructor, as well as being certified on the Jumping-Stretching Board, Leg Extension Unit, GYROTONER® and Archway.
She enjoys continuing to learn by attending training updates, exploring specialized topics and complementary techniques. It’s satisfying to have the opportunity to guide a client to a new awareness of their body, and help them to deepen the connections necessary to carry out healthy movement in a wide range of activities.
Juergen Bamberger
Master Trainer
Juergen Bamberger, authorized GYROTONIC® Master Trainer, is an internationally recognized educator and pioneer in the GYROTONIC® field. Since 1991, he has trained countless GYROTONIC® instructors around the world. He holds a BFA in Dance/Dance Education and his teaching experience encompasses more than 30 years. It is infused with his background in dance as well as the many schools of bodywork and movement techniques that he has studied and practiced. Juergen was on staff at the original White Cloud Studio in NYC. He was one of the first Master Trainers to be appointed by Juliu Horvath. From 1993-1998, he worked intensively within medical clinics in Germany and NYC, applying GYROTONIC® as Physical Therapy. Juergen is based in New York City and conducts teacher trainings in all aspects of GYROTONIC® internationally.
Alexandra Berger
GYROTONIC®, GYROKINESIS®
Alexandra Berger began practicing GYROTONIC® in 2001, introduced to the modality while pursuing her BFA in Dance from the Joffrey Ballet School/New School University (BFA, 2003). In 2007 she received her Level 1 certification after studying with Master Trainers Juergen Bamberger & Young-Ah Kim, adding her GYROKINESIS® Level 1 certification in 2009, also under the guidance of Bamberger & Kim.
Since these initial certifications, Alexandra has included in her scope of practice myriad supplemental courses, including all of the specialized equipment, GYROTONIC® Applications for the Fascial Body, GYROTONIC® Applications for the Pelvic and Shoulder Girdles, GYROTONIC® Psoas Principles, GYROTONIC® Level II, and GYROKINESIS® Breathing Intensive.
In addition to her GYROTONIC® practice, Alexandra continues to dance professionally. She has worked with a vast range of choreographers, including Pat Catterson, Ellen Cornfield, Merce Cunningham, Douglas Dunn, Roz Newman, Sally Silvers, and Dusan Tynek. She credits GYROTONIC® with her longevity in her performance career, and incorporates GYROTONIC® principles into her dance practice regularly.
Maryanne Chaney
GYROTONIC®, GYROKINESIS®, Power Plate®
Maryanne Chaney has studied GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® since 2000. She became a certified GYROTONIC® instructor in 2004 and a certified GYROKINESIS® instructor in 2012. As a dancer and choreographer, she has studied many forms of movement including ballet, modern and Irish dance as well as yoga and Alexander technique. She is continually inspired by the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® and strives to unite all of her movement knowledge and experience into teaching. Since 2008 she has had the pleasure of calling Fluid Fitness her teaching home.
Maryanne is certified in GYROKINESIS® Level 2, GYROTONIC® Level 2, Psoas Principles, Applications for Dancers Levels 1&2, Jumping-Stretching Board, Leg Extension Unit, Archway Levels 1&2, as well as the Power Plate®.
Carla Rigon
Master Trainer
Carla Rigon has been working with GYROTONIC® since 1998. She is a Master Trainer in both GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS®. Carla had the privilege of being trained by the founder, Juliu Horvath. She also worked with Pino Carbone, creator of the BodyCode System®, and served as his assistant in summer workshops from 2001-2003. Carla’s background includes training in music, Pilates, and diverse dance techniques.
Carla received her Trainee Certificate at the Martha Graham School, and performed with the company at Spoletto Festivals, in Spoletto, Italy and Charleston, South Carolina. She has also danced with the New York Metropolitan Opera productions of Moses und Aron, Samson et Dalila, Parsifal and Turandot. Other performance credits include Richard Move's Martha @ Mother, Roots of Brazil, and Martita Goshen. Carla danced in Ghost Light, a feature film about the life of Martha Graham.
Billy Blanken
GYROTONIC®
Billy Blanken (Ball State University, Joffrey Ballet School) started his professional career as a principal with the Amy Marshall Dance Company before joining Les Ballets Grandiva. His credits include principal guest artist with Mobile Ballet, CoDa 21 of San Juan, Catherine Gallant Dance, Atlantic City Ballet, Northwest Florida Ballet, Ajkun Ballet Theatre, the East Village Dance Project, Northeastern Ballet Theatre, isadoraNOW, Ballet Mink Colbert, Project in Motion and many others.
In 2016 he founded Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre for which he is the Artistic Director. Billy has taught at Peridance, Rioult Dance Center, the Jakarta Intercultural School, the National School in Tirana, Albania, Gibney Dance, Northwest Florida Ballet, Logrea Dance Academy, and others. He is currently part of the ballet faculty at SUNY Purchase. He became a GYROTONIC® certified instructor in 2024 working with Master Trainers Carla Rigon, Juergen Bamberger and Justine Bernard.
Christa Thiesing
GYROTONIC®, GYROKINESIS®
Christa Thiesing is certified in GYROTONIC® Level 1, Level 2 and GYROKINESIS®, as well as all of the Specialized Equipment. A professionally trained dancer, Christa brings her love of movement and knowledge of the body to her teaching. Her clients range from seniors to teens, dancers, men, pre and postnatal women, musicians, and anyone who just want to move and feel good in their body.
Christa has also completed the Psoas Principles course, GYROTONIC® Applications for Dancers, and the Shoulder/Hip and Spine course. She has studied with Master Trainers Juergen Bamberger, Chantal Deeble, Erika Hassan, Miriam Barbosa and Angela Crowley. She is also certified in Pilates Mat.
Nellesa Walthour
GYROTONIC®, GYROKINESIS®, Power Plate®
Through GYROTONIC®, Nellesa has seen the ways the technique can continually open and change the body on many levels. Nellesa credits a GYROKINESIS® and Pilates practice with helping her maintain a well-functioning body throughout the demands of dancing with a full-time company and being on tour.
She trained on full fellowship at the Alvin Ailey School and dance credits include Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Nathan Trice Rituals, Disney’s The Lion King and the MET. In addition to teaching private clients, she uses GYROTONIC® and Pilates principles to improve her dance students' understanding of technique in their bodies. She is a graduate of Harvard College with a BA in Psychobiology.
Nellesa is certified in GYROTONIC®, Jumping-Sliding Board, GYROTONER®, Power Plate®, and Pilates Mat from the Kane School.
Vanessa Knouse
GYROTONIC®
Vanessa Knouse is a dance artist and teacher based in New York City. Originally, from Santa Fe NM, she trained at the School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet before earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She was introduced to GYROTONIC® in 2018 and it has transformed her approach to movement. She earned her GYROTONIC® certification in 2023 and has a certification in Vinyasa Yoga.
Vanessa has been a guest teaching artist at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, New Mexico School for the Arts, The Nightingale-Bamford School and Southern Vermont Dance Festival. She has been a rehearsal assistant to Douglas Dunn and Kimberly Bartosik/Daela and has assisted Patricia Lent in staging event versions of Merce Cunninghams' work.
Vanessa continues to dance professionally and has performed work with the Merce Cunningham Trust, Cornfield Dance, Graham Cole Dance, Bill Young/Colleen Thomas & Co., Ian Spencer Bell, Jody Oberfelder Projects, Douglas Dunn + Dancers and Susan Marshall Dance.
Elizabeth Auclair
GYROTONIC®
Elizabeth Auclair was a competitive swimmer and runner growing up, and later received dance training at the Alvin Ailey School and the Martha Graham Center. She performed as a principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company for over 16 years and continues to teach Graham technique and stage the ballets of Martha Graham for professional companies and university students worldwide.
Elizabeth began practicing GYROTONIC® in 1994 and it played a substantial role in sustaining her dance career, enabling greater systemic balance, flexibility, and range of motion. She became a certified trainer in 2020 under the guidance of Master Trainer Juergen Bamberger and has since completed courses in the Jumping-Stretching Board, the Pelvic Girdle, Psoas Principles, and GYROTONIC® Level II, part 1.
A longtime yogi and alumni of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, she finds that these modalities, along with dance, swimming and running, significantly inform her teaching practice as they naturally interweave and complement each other in beautiful and intuitive ways.
Mars Garcia Riegelsberger
GYROTONIC®
As a certified GYROTONIC ® trainer, Mars cherishes helping people learn more about their bodies while growing their strength, flexibility and achieving their goals. As a freelance professional dancer, Mars has rehabilitated injuries of their spine, legs, and scoliosis utilizing the GYROTONIC ® Expansion System’s principles since 2014, studying in the lineage of Juergen Bamberger, Efe Alibo, and Kathryn Milostan Egus.
Earning a BFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Mars studied anatomical alignment, movement science, and developed a curriculum for reprogramming movement habits. Having guested with companies such as Motion/Tribe, Delirious Dances, and GoodTroubleMakers, they performed throughout NYC (The Joyce Theater, Battery Dance Festival, Baryshnikov Arts Center), and abroad at the Bagnolet Conservatoire Municipal de Danse (France), Institute of the Arts, Barcelona (Spain), and the ACUD Theater (Berlin, Germany). They continue practicing and researching the GYROTONIC ® method as a pathway into sustaining flexibility and relieving tension migraines.