The Studio
To rise: relevé.
In ballet, relevé means to rise onto the balls of the feet with strength and control. It became the name and the promise of a studio built to help every client rise with strength and move with intention.
Philosophy
Where ballet’s discipline meets the Pilates method.
At RLVÉ, we believe every lasting transformation begins with a strong foundation. For us, that is the timeless strength and grace of the Pilates method.
The precision, control and stamina of classical ballet mirror Pilates in striking ways. RLVÉ brings the two together: movement that is precise, intentional and rooted in the six principles of Pilates, designed to build strength through control, balance and breath.
“This is a space where movement becomes art.”
The six principles
Breath
Movement begins and is carried by the breath.
Concentration
The mind leads; the body follows with full attention.
Centering
Strength radiates outward from a stable, engaged core.
Control
Every movement is deliberate. Nothing is left to momentum.
Precision
Small details of alignment create lasting change.
Flow
Exercises connect with grace, ease and rhythm.
Kendall Ciantar · Owner & Instructor
Meet Kendall
Precision, energy and heart.
Originally trained in classical Russian ballet, Kendall is a fully certified STOTT Pilates instructor and the owner of RLVÉ Pilates Fitness. She brings expertise, precision and high-energy motivation to every session, delivering challenging, well-rounded workouts designed to strengthen, balance and empower.
She discovered Pilates through her dance program at Wayne State University, where it was essential cross-training for performance. She fell in love with its precision, control and intensity, qualities that closely mirror the discipline of ballet.
After a brief professional dance career, Kendall realized her love for Pilates had only grown stronger. She has taught Pilates full-time since 2022, inspiring and challenging clients ever since.
The road to RLVÉ
2018
Kendall is introduced to reformer Pilates as cross-training in the dance program at Wayne State University.
2019
She begins formal STOTT Pilates certification through Equilibrium, apprenticing at Wayne State.
2022
Graduates with a BFA and becomes fully certified in May, then teaches close to 30 hours a week across seven studios.
2023
RLVÉ Pilates Fitness is scribbled into existence with a pen and a crumpled piece of paper.
2025
In January, a one-room private reformer studio opens with a single apparatus. Within the year, one reformer becomes four.
2026
On January 5th, RLVÉ opens its doors as a full studio in the heart of downtown Howell.
A letter to RLVÉ
“In 2023, RLVÉ Pilates Fitness was born, scribbled into existence with pen and a crumpled piece of paper. At the time, it was just a concept, a quiet promise to myself that I would someday begin… and finish.
In January of 2025, I opened a one-room private reformer studio with a single apparatus. Less than a year later, with the help of another incredible instructor, that one reformer became four.
I promise to always lift those around me. To help them rise. To help them relevé.”
Kendall Ciantar