Elite Division Competitors
Born and raised in NW Indiana Amethyst dance journey started seriously in April 2011 at studio Venus. She attended her first open house and was hooked immediately after experiencing an intense and challenging calorie burning workout. Pole dancing has given her the strength, courage, and self-confidence to get through the hard times in her life. I would like to thank Paul and everyone at studio venus for being so supportive of my pole journey. After many weeks and years of dedicated practice completed she has been able to accomplish more than she ever imagined in the past year. This will be her first pole showcase. When she’s not on the pole she is an active participant in various sports and her church and Marching Hundred alumni band.
Kristina Green
Alicia is a senior medical student at the University of Missouri who also harbors a lifelong passion for dance. Since she was a young child, she has studied, performed, and competed in many styles, including ballet, tap, jazz, poms, hip hop, lyrical, and belly dance. She discovered pole dance via Muse Pole Fitness just over one year ago. Alicia immediately fell in love with this format not only for the increased strength it gave her, but also for the courage she discovered within herself in pursuing climbs and inverts. Alicia would like to thank Jordan Mazur of Muse Pole Fitness for being an amazing teacher and pole mentor, and for introducing her to this beautiful and expressive art form!
Alicia Ludden
Amy hung up her ballet shoes at the tender age of 4, after seeing her cousin come home in bloody pointe shoes. After that, it was a long dance drought until a few years after graduating from NYU, when she found pole dancing classes and quickly fell in love. She found pole dancing as a means of staying in shape and re-connecting to her sensual side and has found that it has given her enormous physical strength and conditioning– besides being ridiculously fun and continually challenging!
Amy’s goal is to build a healthy self confidence from within by helping her students gain strength, sass, and skills on the pole. She truly believes that all women are beautiful, that all hips are inherently sexy no matter what size, shape, or color– and that anyone can pole dance.
Currently she lives and works in Manhattan.
Aerial Amy
Fernando Rodriguez is originally from Port Huron, Michigan. He is a graduate of Lakewood School of Therapeutic Massage and attended Grand Valley State University as a dance major. At Grand Valley Fernando performed in professional works by Robert Battle, Thang Dao, and Pascal Rioult. He has guest performed with Grand Rapids Ballet Company in George Balachine’s The Prodigal Son, Owen/Cox Dance Group and Springfield Ballet in Sleeping Beauty as Prince Desire. Fernando has performed in theatre nationally and internationally in shows such as ‘Chicago: The Musical’, ‘Kiss of The Spider Women’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘West Side Story’. Most Recently Fernando danced the feature role in, New York City based artist, Kristeen Young’s music video titled ‘Get You Back’. He is currently dancing in his fourth season with Missouri Contemporary Ballet. Fernando has been training under Jordan Mazur, owner of Muse Pole Fitness, for the past year
Fernando Rodriguez
Johnny is a social justice advocate and budding information scientist in her late early 20’s. The quirky, self- proclaimed tomboy and trivia buff decided to embrace pole dancing as a new way to reconnect with her playful side. She credits her fanatical dedication to the thrilling sport to:
1) The unwavering encouragement of her beloved ones
2) The merciless coaching from her aerial mentors
3) And her addiction to youtube pole idols (if you’ve posted a channel, she’s likely “subscribed” to it by now).
Johnny’s stage persona is half go-go discothèque queen/half juke joint peeler. She had been a student at Empowerment Through Exotic Dance for just under two years until she moved away to further pursue graduate studies in Champaign-Urbana. Johnny is a vivacious entertainer, experienced competitive performer and she looks forward to giving you alll a good show.
Jhani Miller
Kelly Yvonne is one of the leading choreographers in the pole dance and fitness industry. To date, she has choreographed numerous award-winning routines for professional pole athletes, including Natasha Wang, Laura Martin, Nadia Shariff, Jennifer Kim, Karri Telford and many more! Since 2010, Kelly Yvonne’s pole dance choreography has been featured in competitions around the world, including the United States Pole Dance Federation (USPDF), California Pole Dance Championship (CPDC), International Pole Championship (IPC) and the American Pole Fitness Association (APFA). In 2012 she was named “Choreographer of the Year” by the International Pole Dance Fitness Association for Natasha Wang’s 2011 USPDF Championship routine inspired by the film “Black Swan”.
Kelly Yvonne
Heather and Candice a.k.a Akasha
Candice: I began taking pole fitness classes as a means of working out without becoming bored. Loving dance of all types I decided it was time to try pole. It was love at first firefly. Studio Venus gave me something so much more than just a great workout. It taught me how to find my confidence again and I have never looked back. With a studio that promotes finding your inner goddess, I haven't just gotten healthier, I have become stronger, inside and out. I am honored to represent Studio Venus in this competition with a simple routine that will hopefully encourage women of all skill levels to enter into future showcases.
Alyssa
Alyssa found her passion for pole in April 2012. Coming from a background of musical theater, she found it filled her need for performing and fell in love with the athleticism and beauty of it. Several other things came with it however, including confidence, increased self-respect, and becoming close friends with her classmates and teachers. She loves watching dancers of all skill levels and firmly believes there is something to learn and apply from every dancer. Currently, Alyssa enjoys focusing on the theatricality and fluidity of pole dancing, striving to make every trick appear beautiful and fun.
Benson Twins
Viva La Murte
Terri Smith-Mack
Kanita & Denita Benson known as The Benson Twins Started Pole dance and fitness in 2008. It was a curiosity after watching video of Vakiesha Wimberly (Skittles), Jenyne Butterfly, Leigh AnnOrsi, and Felix Cane. After a Pole show at their Birthday Party they started to receive Special request for Pole Shows in Detroit surrounded area, nationwide and now International. Working their regular jobs and teaching private classes during the week; in addition to, the weekends out of town bookings, time management definitely plays a huge part in their everyday lives. Pole dancing has taught The Benson Twins that intense cardio and muscle building workout in the art of Pole dance helps build women confidences within themselves. Their amazed at what use to be negative in the eye of some has quickly became more socially accepted. The Benson Twins are Definitely Excited and Honored to showcase and be a part of a wonderful experience at the Studio Venus Pole Festival.
Viva La Muerte is a pint-sized powerhouse performer from Chicago & Producer of Hot & Heavy Burlesque. She has been featured in HUSTLER magazine and on Jerry Springer & America’s Got Talent. For nearly 6 years she has traveled the US & Canada performing burlesque and a year ago branched out into the pole world. Known as 'The ass with the most sass' you can always expect a no holds barred rockin' good time from her performances.
Lee also known as Luvlee started pole dancing in November of 2008 after coming upon an intriguing video of Jamilla Deville. After seeing many other videos that night and realizing that many women all around the world had poles in their homes, the next question was just what kind of pole to get. She is mainly self taught but enjoys visiting many studios for their workshops. She has just started performing and loves it. When she is not pole dancing, she is making people look and feel fabulous at the salon. She always says, " Pole dance is what you make it. It can be beautiful, sexy, or even art." She likes all styles and trys to incorporate all styles in her performances. She lives by the phrase , "Point your toes and own it!!!!"
My name is Ebonie Quint & I am a local hoopdance instructor & performer from Crown Point, Indiana. Graduate from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. I acquired lessons in dance at Purdue University & Indiana University Northwestern. This artistic method of movement began for me in the summer of 2010. As soon as I started to craft hoops and learn moves, the whole 'hooper' thing came on pretty strong. To have a creative outlet that is so addicting & actually beneficial for your body and mind is something I never imagined possible for myself. The hoop helped me find my sense of motion. Anyone can help tap into their own sense of organic movement with a hoop. Along with a connection to self, you will find the greatest people spinning in circles. The friends I have made these past couple years hooping has brought me lifelong relationships. Teaching someone to master a move is almost as gratifying as learning one yourself. I love sharing my joy of hooping with anyone who is interested in learning, just let me know! :) I also am a Fire Dancer, Hoop Artist & Party & Event Entertainer.
Ebonie Quint
Wendy has been pole dancing for 16 years. Her style is marked by her extreme athleticism, sensuality and her passion for dance as a form of self expression. What drew her to pole dancing was her awe of pole dancer's artistic yet powerful presence. Completely self-taught, she was hooked at first spin; discovering it was a great form of expression in addition to being a great resistance training workout. Wendy believed that by combining her extensive background as a personal trainer, her years as a fitness and gymnastics competitor plus her years of pole dancing; that she could create an environment for other women to experience pole dancing as a workout and an art form. Since 2005 she has opened three locations of NY Pole Dancing where she created a systematic, progressive approach to teaching that reflects her understanding of the need to create a foundation of strength, technique, proper bio-mechanics and muscle memory before advancing to more complicated skills. Her success as a studio owner has created such a buzz in the industry that she was brought in as the pole dance expert for Germany's version of America's Next Top Model hosted by Heidi Klum. She was also recruited by Tony Award winning Jerry Mitchell as a pole dancing consultant for Peep Show, currently running in Las Vegas. And, she's been a guest on the Montell William's radio show as a pole dance expert.
Wendy Traskos