ABOUT RACHEL
A dancer's eye.
A teacher's depth.
A performer's standard.
I came to Pilates the way many dancers do — out of necessity.
During my training at UC Irvine, I was performing constantly and pushing hard. After major surgery, I needed a smarter way to rebuild. A teacher introduced me to Pilates, and everything shifted — not just physically, but in how I understood movement itself.
That knowledge carried me through years of professional performance — the Metropolitan Opera, the Equity tour of Dirty Dancing, Flesh & Bone, and more — and became the foundation of how I teach.
Dance is my lens. It's how I read a body in motion, sense what's working and what's compensating, and know the difference between movement that looks right and movement that truly feels right. Eighteen years of somatic bodywork and intelligent biomechanics are the tools. The dancer's eye + embodiment are what make them work differently.
Today I teach ballet and modern at CNU, work with private clients in Hampton Roads, and am building something new for serious movers and educators who want to go deeper.
If you take movement seriously and want more than another workout — you're in the right place.
CURRENTLY
Dance Faculty — Christopher Newport University
Ballet + Modern, Dept. of Performing Arts - Theatre and Dance
PERFORMANCE
Metropolitan Opera · Equity national tour · STARZ · Holland America
FORMER FACULTY
Joffrey Ballet School · Dance Teacher Web · TAPS · Millennium Dance Complex LV
TRAINING
BFA Dance Performance, UC Irvine
Italian Studies, UCLA
500-hr Pilates · MELT Method
LOCATION
Hampton Roads, Virginia
"The difference between movers who sustain long careers and those who don't isn't talent or technique. It's the intelligent work underneath."
Most training teaches you what to do. Rarely does it teach you why your body works the way it does — how your spine articulates, how your connective tissue functions, how your deep stabilizing system is meant to support every movement you make.
That gap is what I've spent 18 years learning to close. Not more reps. Not harder training. The intelligent, somatic work underneath — the kind that rebuilds from the inside out, prevents injury before it happens, and keeps you moving well for decades.
Training, performance & education
PERFORMANCE — NYC
The Metropolitan Opera
Susan Stroman's The Merry Widow
FACULTY — CURRENT
Christopher Newport University
Ballet + Modern·
PILATES
500-hr classical cert. Studio du Corps CA
Ron Fletcher work · 18+ yrs teaching
PERFORMANCE — THEATER
Equity National Tour Dirty Dancing
+ Holland America · A Chorus Line
FACULTY — FORMER
Joffrey Ballet School LV
Dance Teacher Web · TAPS · MDC LV
PILATES SPECIALIZATIONS
Neurological · Pre/postnatal
Barre · Lagree · TRX · Power Plate
Top 10 Pilates Anytime Instructor 2018
SCREEN
STARZ — Flesh & Bone
America’s Got Talent
EDUCATION
BFA Dance Performance + Bio & English Minors
UC Irvine · Italian Studies, UCLA
MELT METHOD
Levels 1–3
Hands + Feet · Top 5 instructor 2020
Rachel Bell Carpenter is a nationally recognized movement and wellness educator whose work centers on alignment-based strength, mindful movement, and recovery for real life. Grounded in a professional dance career, her approach reflects a deep respect for the body’s intelligence, adaptability, and need for care across seasons of change.
Originally from San Diego, Rachel holds a BFA in Dance Performance from UC Irvine and has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, toured nationally with Dirty Dancing, and appeared in the STARZ miniseries Flesh & Bone. She is a national award–winning Pilates instructor and currently serves on the dance faculty at Christopher Newport University.
With nearly two decades of experience, Rachel’s work is informed by Pilates, the MELT Method®, and somatic education. Her teaching is restorative, science-informed, and deeply human—supporting strength, mobility, and resilience while inviting people to move well, feel well, and live more fully at home in their bodies.
be kind. do the work. cultivate joy.
— Rachel Bell Carpenter