Instructor Spotlight: Tahnee!

Introducing miss Tata Gabor! This babe is an avid performer and is ready for anything. Tahnee is everyone’s friend and is such a sociable and supportive babe to all her friends and students. It’s a surprise that UV is the first studio she has taught at-Tahnee is great in front of a group and has a solid understanding of acrobatic and movement fundamentals. Her specialty is what we like to call “strong sexy flow”, a combo of sensual movement, strength and connectivity. Catch this girl on Sundays teaching Beginner Lollipop and Spinning Pole Choreo and on Mondays teaching Fusion/Pro!

Name/Nickname:

Tahnee/Tata

Pronouns:

She/Her

What is your profession?

Digital Marketer, Costume Producer, Costume/Wardrobe Stylist in film

What got you into pole dancing?

Took a beginner 10-week class at Flirty Girl Fitness in 2005 for fun with a couple of girlfriends. I was more into dance at that time until 2010 when I discovered aerial circus arts and did that for a few years. Then I went back to school and couldn't afford training. But when I was somewhat able to afford to train again, I walked into a pole studio and their intro offer was in my budget so I signed up. The rest is history.

What makes you passionate about pole?

I love the variety! All the different forms and ways to express yourself, from super athletic/acrobatic to ultra sexy/sultry to lyrical/contemporary. The problem-solving of tricks as well as the creation of new tricks and combos being created all the time. And meeting people from completely different walks of life, all over the world, because of our love for pole. 

What do you love sharing with your students?

I love trying to innovate and teach new ways of combo-ing pole tricks. I also really enjoy teaching choreography.

What makes you feel sexy? (Mood, music, clothing etc)

Being in shape and active makes me feel sexy.  

What is your favorite pole move?

Anything showcasing flexibility or flips and drops. 

What is your favourite grip aid?

Dry hands with a touch of shaving gel.

Favourite brand of pole shorts?

I don't really have a favourite brand. I tend to use bathing suit bottoms.

Heels or no?

Depends on my mood and the type of choreo.

Tata and Angie chillin' #uvwildflowers

Instructor Spotlight: Czarina!

Czarina is a longtime instructor and dear friend of our owner, Elisa! Czarina was teaching almost 10 years ago when Elisa wandered over to checkout some downtown pole studios. Czarina embodies everything you imagine the perfect yoga instructor to be: calm, efficient, knowledgeable, strong and flexible! Her yoga based strength classes will have you moving through exercises you never thought your body would be able to do. All who attend Czarina’s classes usually fall in love! They are almost always full, so grab a spot as soon as you can!

**Edit: Czarina moved out of Toronto in May 2020. She is still currently teaching at our Virtual Studio so check it out to hang with CZ!

Name/nickname: Czarina

What is your profession? Yoga teacher

What got you into pole dancing? My yoga teacher introduced me to it! I did a small class with a few other yoga instructors at her loft, from then on I was hooked!

What makes you passionate about pole? It challenges me so much.  My body was so conditioned to doing only one kind of movement.  I enjoyed being able to do a different discipline with a whole different skill set.  It really started to allow me to branch out to learn other forms of movement.

What do you love sharing with your students?  My trials and tribulations loll.  I share with them the knowledge that I have learned over the years the mistakes that I made and how I overcame them, the struggles that I still have, I just love to share the idea of movement in general. 

What makes you feel sexy? (Mood, music, clothing, etc)  Dancing when there is no one else around :)

What is your fav pole move? Anything involving handstand and the pole!

What is your fav grip aid? Grrrrip

Fav brand of pole shorts? lulu

Heels or no? Nope :)

Instructor Spotlight: Maryana!

Your students want to hear from you! Tell us why you love pole and what makes you feel sexy.

Where do I begin with this babe! Maryana is our resident heel clacker, specializing in clacks of all volumes and heels of all sizes! Her choreo is fire and you can watch her creative movement at all our showcases because she is always the first to sign up to perform! She is entertaining on stage and you can definitely tell she is at home up there. Her lovely demeanour and support of her Violets are some of the things we love about her! She will totally be that stage mom cheering you on from the sides no matter what.

Name/nickname: Maryana aka Marley

What is your profession? Oh boy!  I am a theatre professional, specializing in event management, front of house, and box office operations.

What got you into pole dancing? Me.  I decided to treat myself on Thanksgiving of 2015.  It ended up being the best thing I’ve ever done for myself, and I haven’t looked back since. 

Oh, and I saw a gif of a kitten on a pole, and I was like “same”.

What makes you passionate about pole? It only brings out the best in me: creativity, kindness, patience, and, of course, muscles.  Pole is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done, and it makes me feel powerful, like a badass assassin with her own fashion channel.  And as a happy bonus, pole helped me on my journey to better mental health.

What do you love sharing with your students? The little details and the small things.  Tricks are amazing, but character, presence, and connection are phenomenal.  Eyelash batting, hair flipping, finger tapping goodness.  Mm-mm.

What makes you feel sexy? (Mood, music, clothing, etc) Music: heavy metal, rap, and trap

Clothing: tiny shorts and a bra, thigh highs, and a loose top…  oh, and KNEEPADS!  Gotta protect ‘em wibbly wobbly knees

Mood: sunset, curtains open, LEDs on, lights dimmed, favourite Spotify playlist on

What is your fav pole move? Marley: always and forever.

What is your fav grip aid? Determination.  And Dry Hands.

Fav brand of pole shorts? Bad Kitty Brazils, Bad Kitty Itsy Bitsy Bottoms, PoleHearted (love you, JLau), random bikini bottoms.

Heels or no? I tag team between 3: #teamboots, #teamclearheels, and #teamsocks

Maryana is the one praying for your soul in the middle. <3

Instructor Spotlight: Rocio!

Our lovely girl Rocio traveled all over the world last summer and came back a certified yoga instructor and pole enthusiast! She was back in the studio like she had never left and even had some new skills to boot. Her zen energy and attention to detail are necessities when it comes to sharing what she loves about pole with students! Catch Rocio on Fridays for Yoga Pinch Play!

Name/nickname: Rocio/Ro

What is your profession? Yoga Instructor

What got you into pole dancing? I'd always wanted to try it. I loved the way pole dancers moved as well as the strength aspect of it.  I found UV online and attended a class. I was hooked ever since!

What makes you passionate about pole? I love love love pole dancing! I feel like everything else disappears. It's a great way to challenge your body and push your own limits. It's also a great stress release. It's amazing.

What do you love sharing with your students? Energy. Vibes. Support. Connection.

What makes you feel sexy? (Mood, music, clothing, etc) Everything about pole makes me feel sexy and confident. UV feels inclusive and supportive. It's a place where I've learned to love my body the way it is and appreciate how strong it has become.

What is your fav pole move? Do I have to pick just one? Right now I’m loving shoulder mounts.

What is your fav grip aid? Dry Hands!

Fav brand of pole shorts? I'm all over the place with pole wear at the moment.  Whatever makes me feel comfortable and sexy.

Heels or no? YAAAASSSS. The higher the heel the better!!!

Rocio is reaching up to the heavens for more zen yoga power.

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.