Ly LeStudio Owner | Pole InstructorI was born in the north but raised in southern Vietnam where I earned a college degree in linguistics and spent 4 years working in the marketing profession. In 2011, I moved to California with my husband to continue my education and start my life over. Being in a foreign country with no friends, family, knowledge about fitness, I was much a couch potato – I would go to school, sleep, eat, and watch TV. My husband encouraged me to try different activities like rock climbing, hiking, etc… but nothing stayed with me longer than a couple of months.
In the summer of 2012, I took my first pole class after watching Felix Cane perform her first winning pole routine in the Australian championship. But with no prior dance, gymnastics, or fitness training background, I found (and still do) pole dancing to be very intimidating and extremely physically and mentally challenging. A year later, I met Kelly Yvonne in a workshop and she completely changed my perspective about pole. Deciding to pursue my pole dreams, I travelled to Los Angeles for a couple of months where there was a huge network of pole dancers in order to eat, sleep and train for pole; several hours a day, seven days a week. That was when my pole journey truly began. I started teaching pole in 2014 and continued training and educating myself with various types of dance and fitness including yoga, ballet, contemporary dance, gymnastics, rope, lyra, and especially pole. I am certified by X-Pert and ElevatED, and studying about kinesiology and exercise sciences. The road is long and rocky but it always reminds me that anything is possible with passion, dedication, blisters and hard work no matter what sizes and shapes you are. I hope you will join me and everyone at our studio on this wonderful pole journey. |
Celeste BanaagHandstands | Lyra | Pole InstructorI'm a bit of a dorky tomboy who loves to live life upside down. When I'm not standing on my hands or hanging by my feet from some aerial apparatus, you can find me nerding out on one of my many hobbies.
Prior to starting pole, I was a martial artist. I started with a traditional style of Tae Kwon Do. After earning my black belt I branched out to other styles. I trained in both Inayan Eskrima and Sanshou which I practiced religiously and eventually started teaching. After a decade and a half of martial arts, it was time to try something new. I started Bikram yoga and discovered the beauty of stillness and simple movements. It was this newfound fascination with functional movement that led me to explore other avenues to develop flexibility, strength and balance. This landed me in my first pole class in 2015. It was love at first invert. IG: @sillycelycircus, @sillycelycrafts |
Kelsey BuenoPole Instructor | Heels FloorworkI was a pole vaulter for 8 years where I competed at the D1 collegiate level at Washington State University. When my track career ended, I decided it was time to get back into my passion for dance so I thought I'd give pole fitness a shot just for fun. I expected it to be mostly sexy dancing and a little bit of spin technique, but my expectations were quickly blown away as I watched the instructor demo some advanced inversion moves on the pole. And it was at that moment that I knew, this was it; This was going to be my dance outlet.
What I love most about pole is that it's a challenge both physically and artistically. I love that it allows me to combine my strength from track and passion for dance. But above all else, my absolute favorite part about pole is the community and the diversity of people that walk through the door. If I’m ever having a bad day, I know that being around my pole people will always cheer me up. Outside of work and pole, you can find me hiking, adventuring, and traveling to anywhere and everywhere I can get to. IG: @kpbueno |
Nicole WongAcro YogaPole has presented me with so many opportunities that had never even crossed my mind before the last couple years. Long story short, I developed arthritis at an early age and spent many years barely able to walk. Never in my life did I think I would be able to endure any type of physical activity, much less flipping around several feet up in the air. Building up muscle from pole has allowed me to find joy in several types of circus arts, including my second love, partner acrobatics.
What I love is how they teach you to control your body to create beautiful forms of art. Even more, how it helps you build so much trust in your community that they become your family. Honestly, I tried pole in hopes of finding an individual competitive sport, but I never would have gotten this far without the endless support from my pole family. IG: @_nelyse |
Keesha BuenaventeJazz / ContemporaryI began dancing at the age of ten in Salt Lake City, Utah. Shortly after starting my training, I had the honor of dancing in the Nutcracker with the greatly renowned company of Ballet West. Realizing my love of ballet and wanting to pursue the path of a professional dancer, I trained with companies such as Houston Ballet, Princeton Ballet, and ARC Dance Productions.
I have over fifteen years of experience teaching ballet, jazz, and tap to competitive and non-competitive dancers. Currently I am the founder, director, and choreographer of D’Vinity Dance Company in which I train children and adults in styles such as salsa, cha cha, bachata, jazz, hip hop, ballet, heels, and acro gymnastic. I have many dance accomplishments including over nine world titles competing in salsa, cha cha, and bachata. After my dance partner quit (to become a fireman) because of my height and size, I have found it difficult to find a new partner. So I recently discovered pole- an art from of strength, fitness, power, and flexibility with no judgement on height, size or looks. It’s a great feeling to have your dancing community be your dance family. IG: @keeshadia |