Business roundup: Get fit at new businesses in Rancho Bernardo

The Plaza at Rancho Bernardo has two new studios for people who want to learn Indian classical dance or how to fence.

Bharatha Natyam, a form of South Indian classical dance, will soon be taught in a studio at 16769 Bernardo Center Drive.

Rohini Herur said she founded Laasya School of Dance at her Rancho Bernardo home in 2001. For many years she taught the dance form as a volunteer in the community, but turned it into a business in 2015.

“I’ve been teaching in Rancho Bernardo at my home and renting different places when I needed a larger space,” Herur said. “Now I will have a … permanent studio.”

Herur, who started studying Bharatha Natyam as a young child in India, said “I love how the art form looks. As a child, that is what drew me to the dance form. I got to know it due to the jewelry, costumes, colors and flowers in the hair, then started learning how to be expressive and that the pieces show emotion. That is what makes me stay.”

Bharatha Natyam has three components, she said. They are pure dance — the footwork, hands and eye movements; emotional storytelling — the expressions and focus of the dancers; and the storytelling — how the dance moves and expressions combine.

Her students range in age from 5 years through adults. For details, visit laasyasd.com.

The fencing school at 16775 Bernardo Center Drive has new ownership and a new name. About a month ago, Edoardo Ciulli and James “Jim” Roberts bought Elite Fencers, which had been in The Plaza since 2018, and renamed it Elite Fencers Club International.

“We’ve brought in world-class coaches … to train and inspire local youth,” according to Ciulli. “San Diego has only a handful of fencing clubs, and access to high-level coaching is extremely limited. Our goal is to change that — to bring world-class training to the local community, and to give kids the tools and mentorship to reach their full potential, both in the sport and in life.”

The sport of fencing is rapidly growing, especially at the collegiate level, with NCAA programs at Ivy League schools like Princeton and Yale, as well as top-tier universities like UC San Diego and Columbia, Ciulli said.

“Elite International Fencers Club gives young athletes a chance to pursue those opportunities right here at home,” he said. “This is about more than fencing. It’s about opening doors, building community and offering a pathway to success.”

The new coaching staff consists of two Olympic champion fencers from Italy — Dorina Vaccaroni and Andrea Cipressa.

Vaccaroni is a three-time Olympic medalist. She won gold in foil team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, silver in foil team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and bronze in individual foil at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Cipressa is a 1984 Olympic gold medalist in team foil and former head coach of Italy’s Olympic foil team, who led the team to three Olympic medals from 2013 to 2021.

Also on the coaching staff are owner Roberts, an American coach with over 20 years of experience that included producing 20 state champions and 40 All-State fencers at Fairfield Fencing; Mikyung Lim, a former Korean National Team fencer, Asian Games medalist and national team coach with over 30 years of elite fencing experience who taught at the former Elite Fencing since its 2018 opening; and Vladimir Ernesto Prieto Cordova, a former Venezuelan National Team coach and Fédération Internationale d’Escrime-certified referee with over 17 years of international coaching experience, including World Cups and Olympic qualifiers.

Ciulli said the club’s members range in age from 5 to 55 years and include those new to the sport and just trying it out to advanced competitive fencers. Members are welcome regardless of skill and fitness level.

“People can join any time,” Ciulli said. “We give private and group lessons, from beginning to advanced. Whether they compete is up to them.”

Those new to the sport or just trying it out have the option to rent the needed equipment from the fencing club. Those committed to the sport can also buy their equipment, which Ciulli said can be “very expensive” — in the $2,000 range.

Tentative plans are for an open house to be held in early December. For schedules and other details, visit eifencer.com.

The former Souplantation at 17210 Bernardo Center Drive, across the parking lot from the Rancho Bernardo Library, is being renovated.

The restaurant closed when the entire Souplantation buffet-style restaurant chain went out of business in spring 2020. This was early in the COVID pandemic when health restrictions meant its business model of self-serve food was no longer possible.

Mario Martinez, a leasing agent for the property with Revolve Growth Partners, said the building was recently purchased by Dr. Melanie Wang, who will be taking 4,000 square feet of the building for her orthodontic practice. A lease is pending for the building’s remaining 3,000 square feet.

According to her website, Dr. Melanie Orthodontics, Wang opened her first practice in 4S Ranch in 2007 in the 4S Commons Town Center. She also has a practice in Rancho Santa Fe. Wang is likely to move her practice from 4S Ranch to Rancho Bernardo in April 2026, Martinez said.