Instructor Spotlight: Tara!

Tara started teaching at UV last summer. She quickly won over our pole community with her expertise and positive outlook on life. Her students love her readiness to do/try anything and she keeps them motivated to push their limits in every class. She also has the added benefit of health and nutrition knowledge up her sleeve, which is an important counterpart of fitness training! Tara performs regularly and you can catch her at random shows around the city.

Name/nickname: Tara Mansler

What is your profession? Registered Holistic Nutritionist + Pole Dance Instructor

What got you into pole dancing?  I was going through my very first break up and was also dealing with mood related issues. I was studying psychology at the time and we learned about the benefits of working out in regards to serotonin and dopamine so in an effort to get myself out of bed and out of the house…I somehow chose pole dancing! I wish I could remember why.  Although, I’ve always been one to do things outside of the “norm” J

What makes you passionate about pole? Transformation. Pole has allowed me to grow into who I am today.  I used to be super shy and lacked confidence in myself.  Taking up pole dancing was completely transformative for me not just physically but emotionally and mentally too.  Pole is a test of physical strength, determination, self-belief and self-expression and I’m happy to say those are some of my most prominent qualities I have grown into.  I love that there is always something new to learn and aspire to with consistent challenge and satisfaction.

What do you love sharing with your students? I love connecting with my students and working with them to allow them to instill the values I listed above like confidence, self-belief and determination because I find these are critical components of the pole journey.  I always say learning something in pole is like 99% in your brain (an exaggeration, of course!) and fear is our #1 inhibitor.  The more we can recognize our fears and where they are coming from, the more we can break down goals or a trick, spin, technique to see where we can lay a more solid foundation, physically.  The mental game is up to you!

What makes you feel sexy? (Mood, music, clothing, etc) Mood, music, clothing, all of the above, they’re all definitely intrinsically linked for me.  Although if I was to rank them I’d say: 1) Music 2) Mood 3) Clothing

What is your fav pole move? Deadlift to Iron X. I like my strength based tricks!

What is your fav grip aid? Dry Hands for sure.

Fav brand of pole shorts? I love Mika Yoga Wear.  I don’t own too many pole outfits to be honest (that’s gotta change!). I’ve worn the Pole Hearted bottoms and I’ll definitely be purchasing those soon. They make my bum look super cute!

Heels or no? This is a tough choice.  My preference is no heels because it suits my style more and I am more comfortable doing certain tricks and transitions.  Although in the past year I’ve come to love wearing heels because of how they make me feel.  I’ve got a lot more comfortable in them but it’s a learning curve for me that I’m really enjoying.

Tara and friends, out in the wild. She might look like a shy girl in the back but she is fire.

Instructor Spotlight: Christine!

Christine is our unsung hero and a real hidden gem! She wandered into UV a couple years ago, and although she is quiet, she packs a real punch! This chick is strong and knowledgeable both on and off the pole! Christine takes her training seriously, taking workshops and classes any chance she can get. You know you will get the best possible care and attention in all her classes.

Name/nickname: Christine

What is your profession? Marketing Finance Manager

What got you into pole dancing? I took gymnastics and dance when I was kid, but I stopped when I was a teenager. As an adult I was looking to get active again, but I did not enjoy going to the gym. I happened upon pole and I was hooked!

What makes you passionate about pole? I love that it can be anything you want or need it to be! It combines the strength and power of gymnastics and the sensuality of dance. If you want to be sexy, embrace it! If you feel like working your tricks, awesome! I love that you adapt your pole journey to fit you.

What do you love sharing with your students? I love breaking down moves and providing tips and tricks to getting a move. I love sharing in students’ ‘Ah-ha’ moments or when they get a trick! I love being a part of their pole journey and see them succeed and get stronger. I also feel grateful to be able to share my choreo. I love experimenting with styles, music, and movement and it’s amazing that I get to share that.

What makes you feel sexy? (Mood, music, clothing, etc) It depends on the day! Often a hot outfit and dancing out it out to my fav rock songs.

What is your fav pole move? Ayesha (+all the variations)! It was a goal move and it just makes me feel so strong!

What is your fav grip aid? Dry Hands on brass, Dew Point on chrome

Christine is balancing like a champ!

Instructor Spotlight: Angie!

Our Russian exotic, pole ninja, flexi unicorn! Angie is such a special person and is crucial to functions at UV! Our resident social media expert and Pleasers heels guru, this babe does so much more for UV! We’ve never seen our pole unicorn in a bad mood, Angie is bright, energetic and loves doing crazy things-pole moves, dancing in the snow, acrobatics, you name it! Angie is a former ballerina turned pole dancer and has so much to offer students in terms of form, conditioning, flexibility tips and exotic movement.

Name/nickname: Angie J I don’t know if I have a nickname. I consider myself a unicorn with sparkles and kawaii attitude :P

What got you into pole dancing? Me, myself and I with encouragement from my husband. It intrigued me because at that time no one was doing it. I had recently stopped ballet because of studying and felt like something was really wrong with me. I was definitely depressed but didn’t want to ever admit it.I was missing dance and any sort of movement. It felt really strange to my body that I had stopped my dancing routine considering I was dancing since I was 5yrs old nonstop.  Acro and Flexibility wasn’t really a big thing back then or it was if you only wanted to become an Olympic athlete. When I was a little girl I didn’t know how to explain it but I remember I was always excited to demonstrate our ballet curriculum exercises at the barre and tangle my legs behind my head for no reason. All the other girls were bored of the barre but I felt so excited every time. They kept saying “Angie the crazy flexy girl” and I loved it! It was some sort of challenge that I was missing from my training. I was thinking to myself now it’s time to put this active flexibility to practice and work harder :P Pole was the closest thing to what I was comfortable with and knew for years..it was a barre..just vertical. 

What makes you passionate about pole?  The acrobatic-parkour-ninja-badass element if you want along with the freedom of body movement. Pole can be whatever you want it to be: sensual, lyrical, contemporary, acrobatic etc. The shapes and possibilities are endless. It still amazes me to see how far people can go and how quickly pole sport evolves.

What do you love sharing with your students? The journey, the excitement of accomplishment, the ups and downs  J With Pole now being competitive and at a very high level worldwide , we tend to forget the journey. I always say to myself “Take your time, work hard, breathe. Don't forget to practice moves you already know and work on your technique, extension and fluidity in favor of moving on to bigger tricks” .I also try to remind me and my students to celebrate small victories and our own development instead of finding flaws and comparing ourselves to others that in the end have different lifestyles than ours.

What makes you feel sexy? (Mood, music, clothing, etc) UV lights (uvpolefitness-get it?:P) socks and heels and moody music!That’s all I need J

What is your fav pole move? When I very first started pole dancing I was obsessed with Jade Split because I thought it was impossible to do. My ultimate favourites though are Rainbow Marchenko, Eagle and Spatchcock

What is your fav grip aid?  Probably Dew Point and Liquid Chalk by Mega Grip-both of which I can’t easily get my hands on in Canada :P

Fav brand of pole shorts? Rad Polewear because they always fit me perfectly and I know that is run by passionate people who had a vision

Heels or no? Angie of the past would have been like hell no..Now I’d say hell yes :D Let’s do it!!!

Our Violet is far right.

Instructor Spotlight: Miscia!

You probably already know Miscia because she is everyone's friend! Her bubbly energy spills over to improve the moods of all those around her. Her attention to detail and informative teaching style are incredibly helpful and work well with students of all levels. Miscia is also special because she is very real-you won't find sugar-coating from this babe! She loves performing and is a vet on the stage and in choreo classes.

Meet our girl and gain some of her helpful tips!

Name/nickname: Miscia

What is your profession? – Corporate Strategy

What got you into pole dancing? – A bucket list item

What makes you passionate about pole? – Empowerment: through pole I’ve achieved skills I never thought I could, and began to appreciate my body for what it can do rather than what it looks like. Everyone deserves that feeling.

What do you love sharing with your students? – Tips and tricks to refine your movement. Two people can perform the exact same routine and look entirely different – the devil is in the details when it comes to a beautifully executive movement. It’s not just about brute strength because let’s be honest – at the advanced levels everyone is strong knows the tricks. The moments in between is what ultimately defines a dancer who is beautiful to watch. Mastering and refining these transitions is a life-long journey.

What makes you feel sexy? (Mood, music, clothing, etc) – Being in the zone. Everything starts in your head.

What is your fav grip aid? – A warm day on a chrome pole. Real talk though: grip works differently on everyone depending on your body type so I encourage trial and error. Dry Hands is most people’s top choice and worth the investment especially for beginners who are starting to venture into more advanced movements.

Heels or no? BOTH! They’re essentially different dance forms; each with different possibilities for expression. Sometimes experienced dancers lean towards one or the other, but you’d be remiss if you didn’t train both!

Miscia is laying pretty bottom right.

UVPF-What is it all about?

The ending of a beginner spin: the backwards spin! 

Ultra Violet Pole Fitness is a pole dance and aerial fitness studio! We specialize in beginner to advanced pole fitness training, aerial fitness, sensual movement, and artistic strength. This means that there is something for every type of pole dancer/aerialist out there from ultra sexy floor work in 8 inch heels, to dead lifts, drops and acrobatic feats on and off the equipment (also in 8 inch heels if you wish). Interested in trying pole but not sure if it’s for you?? Read on and be sure to leave a comment so we can chat more!

Can anyone try a class?

Absolutely. There are no prerequisites required for Pole Basics! We run several other all-level classes and are happy to offer these to our students:

·      Pole Basics (level 1)

·      Exotic Elements (sensual movement in heels)

·      Strength and Flexibility (yoga based conditioning and mobility)

·      Beginner and all-level Lyra (aerial hoop class)

·      Beginner silks (aerial class)

·      Flexibility

·      Dance Conditioning (a class that will focus on mobility and agility to improve coordination and strength)

·      Floor Work (sensual movement off the pole)

·      Twerk Fusion (a booty shaker!)

·      Chair Dance (sensual and lyrical/contemporary movement!)

What does a class entail? What will be we doing in class?

Each pole/aerial class is an hour long and consists of several main components: warm-up, conditioning, tricks, spins, sequences, cool down, stretch, and sometimes more. You will be working on building strength so you can engage the correct muscle groups to lift your own body weight. Absolutely NO experience is required! You don’t need to go to the gym or weight lift in order to do well in class. We will provide all the necessary tips and tools to get you moving and lifting in no time. Pole Basics is our level 1 class and will work agility, coordination, mobility and strength. Our aerial classes are currently all level, except for Intermediate hoop.

What are some of the benefits of pole dance?

Where do I begin? Let’s start with the health benefits. Most of our clients live fairly sedentary lives, sitting all day for their jobs with little physical activity. While we may not work cardio the same way you would on the treadmill, weight-bearing exercise is crucial to healthy bodies. We always work endurance and movement in our choreography classes, which can be a nice alternative to cardio! Our instructors are trained in safety and very qualified to help you maintain proper form and avoid injury. While we have made pole accessible to all, we must still respect that it is an acrobatic exercise that consists of dynamic and sometimes difficult movement. You must remain alert and aware of your body position and immediate surroundings in every class.

One of the main attractors is the emotional health benefit of pole. This freeing art form encourages a welcoming and non-judgmental environment. UV gives a warm welcome to all who inquire about classes. We care about our community and are happy to add a personal touch to your experience. The need to step away from “real life”, work on improving physical and mental health, is major. You must always take care of yourself before others! Pole fitness will offer you much of that and more! Eventually it will become a big part of your life and we will be seeing quite a lot of you, we can’t wait.

A personal message about my physical experience with pole dancing:

“Pole fitness has definitely helped me tone up. I was always a person of relatively small size, but I noticed muscle definition, increased energy levels, posture correction, core strength, and flexibility increase within just a few weeks of starting classes. Posture was a huge one for me and I notice a lot less pain in my neck and back than before I started.

There is also the social benefit! I’ve met some lovely people via teaching and running a studio and I meet more every single day. It is really an amazing community of like-minded people who enjoy the more sensual side of dance and acrobatic side of working out. When are you starting?

What do I need to bring to class?

You will need to wear shorts and a comfortable, form-fitting shirt that allows plenty of movement. Shorts are necessary, as your skin will help you stick to the pole in climbs and sitting positions. Always bring a bottle of water with you, and come ready to learn! You are more than welcome to bring a training log to take notes and we encourage it.

For aerial classes, please refrain from wearing jewelry, zippers, buttons, drawstrings, loose or baggy clothing, hoods, or any other hard item that may be attached to your clothing. These may tear at the equipment or your skin. A leotard and tights is recommended, however, form-fitting clothing that is comfortable is fine!

Why should I go to UV?

Here at UV, we take a lot of pride in our community. We offer support, a non-judgmental environment, and welcome everyone. We care about our clients. At UV we want to take the time to assist you with working towards your personal fitness goals and enjoying the journey towards your goal. Ensuring your exceptional experience and your safety are our top priorities. We are excited to be a part of your journey.

UV offers quite a unique class experience. Our carefully constructed curriculum is designed to build the fundamentals skills to becoming a safe and strong pole dancer. Conditioning takes place at every class to improve your strength and build agility, along with flexibility training to encourage ease of mobility and prevent muscle soreness. Strength and flexibility are your main comrades when perfecting your movement, with proper form, a safe mindset, and attention to detail being the next level of foundation in terms of building skills and injury prevention. Artistic flow and clean lines will complete your movement and top off all of your skills.

Come and dance your way into a fit and healthy lifestyle!

Ready to begin? Check out our schedule here.

More questions? Please contact us.

UVPF has two convenient locations in Uptown Toronto and Leslieville. We are always dreaming up ways to improve our current spaces and expand to offer you even more.

#teamuv out on the streets!