Testimonials & Stories
Testimonials & Stories~ What Our Students Have To Say;
USPDF National Pole Dance Championship……
~Dave
The USPDF Championship provided the opportunity for a fun-filled trip to the Big Apple for several E-fit ladies. Erica S, Sam, Erica G, Cindy, Kim, Nadia, Wei Wei, Juggie and more took different routes to the same fantastic event. Don?t all roads eventually lead to world-class pole dancing?
Thursday was busy. After an all-day ride north, some dropped their bags and headed for workshops while others made their way to Lian Tal’s studio, Body and Pole. Lian offered a hospitable environment with an open bar, and four tall poles to play on. It was an evening of pole sisterhood. Though some gents danced too, this evoked a special applause and laughter from the mostly female crowd.
It was a pole free for all for any who wanted to dance and show off their latest stunts. The ladies were entertained by Allegra King, Miss Pole Dance Australia, Zoraya Judd, pro-status competitor, Kyra Johannesen and Becca Butcher, amateur competitors seeking pro status, Marlo, a top contender for Pole Superstar, and Michula Nunez, owner of Antix Fitness Studio. For those who stayed up into the wee hours, reigning 2009 USPDF Champion Jenyne Butterfly and 2009 Miss Trixter, Sarah Cretul, performed a few of their tricks.
Throughout the weekend, the E-fit ladies took different workshops in aerial hoop, silks at The New York Trapeze School, and pole instructed by Michula, Allegra, Brook Notary (USPDF judge), and Amber Richard (2009 USPDF West Coast Champion).
Time didn’t slow down Friday; it was another action-filled day. The USPDF amateur event featured six of the nation’s best competing for a single pro-status position. Mina Mortezaie took the top spot, Kyra Johannesen won runner up.
After everyone caught a deep breath and had a bite to eat, the ladies all met back at the Symphony Space for the USPDF’s main annual event. Twelve pro-status competitors danced off for first place. When the dust had settled and the smoke had cleared, Alethea Austin won the championship, Estee Zakar and Karol Helms took Miss Trixter and Miss Sexy, respectively.
Alethea’s artistic performance stunned the sold-out crowd from the outset. Handcuffed to the pole when the lights came on, she battled for escape. After several long holds, still cuffed, she executed a dramatic Death Drop. Finally freeing herself, she expressfully writhed from pole to pole with slow, stretched transitions amidst sustained, contorted polework.
The Miss Trixter winner, Estee, began her self-choreographed performance in a theatric outfit of a pair of wings and Venetian-style mask. Removing the mask and wings, her being is reduced to its core. She is challenged with a choice between two worlds represented by the static and spinning poles, the two poles magnetically pull her back and forth. A rare Shoulder Jump capitalized the beginning of her performance, several strong holds and spins mark the drama as she chose between the two worlds, and the end culminated in lengthy, sustained polework demonstrating her powerful strength and feminine grace.
On equal footing with Estee, Miss Sexy winner, Karol performed a sleek, slinky routine. Her gliding and flowing transitions, such as her newly displayed “Karol Roll” coupled with effortless flexibility in moves like the Hood Ornament and Goddess, positioned her in a coveted place.
The crowd was also blessed with two powerful guest performances. Donning a Medusa mask and carrying a rubber snake, Allegra King charmed the audience with fast inverted spins and moves. She also performed her flowing namesake climb, “The Allegra”.
The last performance of the night was left for Jenyne Butterfly. In her last show as 2009 champion, she delighted the crowd with elegance and strength. In an ever-expectation shattering routine including a fabulous, death-defying Jade Drop, Jenyne demonstrated that she is one of the best.
All in all, the E-fit ladies watched 20 performers give their all, and each and every one was no less than fabulous.
~Dave Backus
“I went to the Paramount in October……
~Aleisha
…… and watched the East Coast Championship! It was the first time I had ever seen anything like that and I was hooked. I was blown away at the athleticism and grace and knew that I wanted to try to learn to do that 
After the competition was over, I stopped at the E-Fit table and picked up literature…took a one time Exotic class and a one time pole aerobics class. Just from those two classes, I was empowered and am certainly hooked.”
Our sweet Candy is moving on to new adventures.
Erin Kerfoot – Candy to the E-Fit family – is finishing her post-graduate program at UVa and preparing to move on to the next stage of her life, which includes marrying Ryan, her longtime sweetheart (also known as “Dr. E-Fit”).
Candy has a Masters of Arts in Neuroscience from UVa, where she also has been teaching undergraduate courses and working on her doctoral research and thesis.
She started with Exotic Fitness Dance 3 years ago, by taking a Beginner pole class and choosing the stage name that fits her so well, Candy. She quickly progressed through all levels of the program to Advanced II Pole and Exotic III. But she wasn’t done there…Candy showed a desire to extend her E-Fit experience to instruction. She proved to become one of our valued instructors; sometimes sweet, sometimes kicking her students butts but always fun.
She also has truly blossomed as a performer and choreographer, appearing in E-Fit shows at Siips in Charlottesville and Bravo in Harrisonburg, and choreographing for these performances and for Advanced II pole class.
She has been the lead instructor in Harrisonburg, and a frequent instructor in both studios for private lessons and pole, exotic and lapdance workshops.
And did you know that she breeds and shows championship English Springer Spaniels? If you get a chance, ask her to talk about Justin and Parker.
Candy has “retired” from her E-Fit teaching position, but will be taking advanced pole classes with us for a few more weeks.
Everyone in the E-Fit family will miss her greatly as she moves on to new adventures. We wish her much happiness, success and sexiness in the future, and she will always have a home at E-Fit.
Thanks, Candy, for the all the things you do – for the drives over the mountain, for the organized video shoots, for the fantastic video covers, for your elegance and beauty, athleticism and work ethic (all rolled into one petite package.), for your friendship and support, for your inspiration and guidance.
And tell Ryan thanks for choosing all those great costumes!
Best wishes to you both …
… Exotic Fitness Dance.
Pole Vacation
~ By Aurora
“No one there thought pole dancing was ‘stripping,’ and everyone had a different story to tell of how they first got into this rising form of athletic art.”
When my alarm went off that Saturday morning at 5 a.m., I jumped up, wide awake with a big smile on my face. I was going to New York City to see the U.S. Pole Championships, and there wasn’t even the smallest part of me that wanted to stay in bed. And, I pretty much felt that way for the next three days.
The weekend began with seven of us piling into Desha-Biller’s van, and heading to Washington, DC, where we hopped a bus taking us to the Big Apple. Before we even got there, we made heads turn. To get us pumped up, we watched “Ms Pole Australia” on our laptops on YouTube, providing quite a shock to the elderly couple sitting behind Trixxxie and me. By the time we hit the city, we were ready for some live pole action.
The next day, we quickly got a sense for the type of crowd this show was drawing. As we waited for the doors to open so we could begin seating, we couldn’t help but make friends with everybody crammed in next to us. Pole dancers from far and wide! And pole dance supporters, boyfriends, friends, and teachers also filled the crowd.
Finally, we were in a room of hundreds of people that understood this passion. No one there thought pole dancing was ‘stripping,’ and everyone had a different story to tell of how they first got into this rising form of athletic art.
If I could use one word to describe the ladies performing that Sunday afternoon at the championships, it would be ‘inspirational.’ I remain in awe today, weeks later. For those of you E-Fit old timers, remember the platform stages we used to use for the poles? The stage these ladies performed on was not much bigger, and they had two poles on it. I wondered: How can they do anything without falling off the stage? How will they invert without kicking all the lights? Boy, was I about to learn that the world of pole dancing has no limit.
The first competitor blew my mind, as did the next 10 women. Spins, and turns, and lifts, and inverts. The transitions were flawless. The ladies had grace, poise, and above all, incredible strength. I believe there were multiple minute-long slots where my jaw remained dropped, mouth wide open. The first round was a required technical round, where the ladies used no props, and had to fit in a certain number of techniques, and remain on the pole for a specific amount of time. The second round was more artistic, and optional, where they had a chance to show off more moves, individuality. Both rounds were hands-down incredible.
In-between performances, we enjoyed MC entertainment, as well beautifully strong pole cleaners, who looked like they were having as much of a ball as we were.
No words can describe the elegance, control, strength and beauty of the winner of the U.S. Pole Championships, Janyne Butterfly. The whole audience gasped as she hung from the pole, using seemingly …nothing! What is holding her up? As I watched her lower her legs from an invert with absolute control and grace, all the while smiling at the judges, I caught my breath in awe of her core strength. Her creativity, beauty and artistic ability didn’t pass my notice either. As she spun around the pole in a long flowing sheer white skirt, to one of my favorite songs ever, I knew she had a lifelong fan. I jumped up to give her a standing ovation when she was named the champion.
And, as if all that weren’t enough, the ladies from the U.S. Pole Championships were super nice too, as we all discovered at the after party that night. And though the evening started off with attention on the competitors, it slowly moved away to all the pole dancing fans who started to get up on the pole provided for entertainment that night. That’s when I REALLY realized, there were no more excuses. Women in jeans, short women, tall women, curvy women, showing off what they had worked so hard to do, including most of the E-Fit ladies there that night. What an evening!
And as I lay my head down that night to sleep, still thinking about the competition, I couldn’t help but smile. I was inspired in more ways than one. I felt like I had started this trip with some of my classmates from E-Fit, and I was leaving three days later back to Charlottesville with new friends for life.
I could continue about those three days: Trixxxie and my fruitless adventures searching for ‘stripper shoes,’ Laci-Rose’s choreographing dance moves on the bus ride home to the amusement of other riders, tarot card readings, $17 eggs and toast, and seriously dirty martinis.
We all walked away that weekend richer. Richer in friends. Richer in inspiration. Richer in motivation. Richer in pole dreams. And every single one of us, felt like running straight to a pole. There was so much work to be done.
To make my final point I’ll say this past weekend, a short 2 weeks after that trip, I succeeded at doing my first cross-ankle invert. There’s nothing like a Pole Championship for motivation.
Aurora
~Advanced Pole student.
Siips Performance
Gemini’s Coming Out Party
~By Gemini
Stomach pains. Nerves. Feathers. Corsets. It ‘s one thing to perform in front of the E-fit ladies in the security of the studio, quite another in front of the everyday public. No one could understand why I was so nervous for our performance at Siips on February 13th. But I was, because I knew normal people would be there; people who haven’t been desensitized to women walking around in pasties and thigh-hi’s on a Saturday afternoon. Sure, I can fling myself around a pole in my underwear and 4 inch heels in front of guys operating cameras. But could I chair dance with a feathered boa in front of upstanding Charlottesville civilians? Suppose I threw my tie at a client from where I work?? When the song first started and we had to hold 4 different poses, my hands were shaking enough to beat an egg.
And then I had to walk the 4 steps that I continued to stumble on in rehearsal. So after that passed without a hitch, I calmed down a little, and as fellow dancer and E-Fit Instructor, Candy, said, “Gemini came out”! I had so much fun doing this dance! When it was done, I wanted to do it again. Rehearsing with my dance partners, Desha~Biller and Laci~Rose, was great. I never made it to any of the boa workshops offered by the Shergold Studio, so this was my first foray into dancing with one. I think I did pretty well.!
So, if Laci~Rose comes to you asking if you would like to participate in a performance, I say go for it. Sure you may get some jitters or barf once or twice, but it was worth it. And I got to learn a new skill too, which is always good, especially in today’s economy.
Penny Bashlor: Dancing Her Way to Better Times
Sometimes life hands you surprising and wonderful new adventures (like pole and exotic dancing!). And, sometimes, it takes you where you never want to go.
Penny Bashlor, an E-Fit Dance student knows better than most people how life can change on a dime. “I used to be a real fitness nut – from lifting weights to running — but then I got breast cancer and I wasn’t able to anymore,” reports Penny. But, not to be outdone, she decided to try dance in order to keep her fitness up, and started with ballroom dancing.
“But, then my son’s fiancé, Maile, discovered the Shergold E-Fit Dance program (pole and exotic dancing), and she talked me into doing it with her.”
“We had a blast,” she continued, noting it was something “cool” the future mother-in-law could do with her future daughter-in-law.
And, the fitness aspects of the program did not disappoint, Penny says. Recently, she had to find a new primary care physician and when completing their form, including questions related to exercising, 50 year old Penny wrote “pole dancing.” She happily reports, “My new doctor thought it was the coolest thing she had ever heard!”
Regardless of the breast cancer, Penny says she is now feeling better about herself than when she ever did when younger. “I didn’t feel this feel good about myself when I was young and had the younger body,” she notes, reporting greater flexibility, strength, and self confidence as primary gains from learning various exotic and pole moves.
But, Penny (and the entire Shergold dance family) lost Maile to a tragic car accident last year, almost ending her E-Fit dancing. She says, “I had a hard time thinking about continuing to take classes after we lost Maile. But, everyone at the studio– especially the Shergold instructors – were so supportive of me, saying they understood if I needed to stop.”
Erica Shergold, E-Fit Dance Program Director, offered to give Penny some private lessons, at no charge, until she felt she wanted to rejoin the group. Instead, Penny rejoined her class. “Their support was overwhelming,” noted Penny. “I felt I could honor Maile’s memory by continuing. And, I am so glad I did.”
As most women who take E-Fit Dance classes attest time and again, the fitness and self confidence benefits are wonderful. But, they also will tell you it is the women they meet in the program that makes the classes so special.
Penny adds, “I know the dancing has helped bring me through this hard time,” she says. “I can’t imagine NOT doing this now.”
Desha~Biller
Sam “Desha~Biller”
I’ve been taking E-Fit pole class since May of 2006, eight months after my son was born. I’ve always been pretty confident and comfortable in “real” life but I must admit, trying to do “sexy face” (an E-Fit exercise) still makes me giggle. Taking classes in the E-Fit program has given me new challenges (I love the physical ones). And, finally learning to master a new move is exhilarating! The mental challenge of projecting my E-Fit “alter ego” is a bit harder. Having confidence that is paired with sensuality is my nemesis, but it is something I am improving. It requires a level of comfort, autonomy, and support from my fellow E-Fit ladies.
And the women I’ve met are the most amazing thing from the program. The ladies I started class with have become some of my best friends. Their compassion, enthusiasm, and love of “the pole” has given me endless smiles and keeps me looking forward to shared adventures, even outside of class. When I went into labor with my second child I found out they had been planning a surprise baby shower for me. But after having my little girl at home that evening, just hours after she was born, my E-Fit pole friends came over, to welcome her into the world and shower us with gifts and hugs!
I get some very blank expressions sometimes when I try to describe what I love about the classes and why it has become my passion But it’s just like motherhood. Sometimes you just can’t explain it. You just know you love it.
~Samantha Jones, mother of 2, fitness and E~Fit Dance Instructor, age 33….
I first heard about the pole dancing class through some friends who were taking it, and my first thought was I want to do that just so I can say “Yea I can pole dance.” Now I can say that, but it has become more to me than just a phrase. It is a great and unexpected work out that takes me out of the gym. And I never thought that I could feel sexy while working out. I am stronger in my core and upper body and my flexibility has greatly improved. I have never doubted my confidence in myself but the class has provided a whole new sense of confidence in me. I look forward to the classes and to trying something new and different each time.
~Alison Bowns - aka “Phoenix”
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Gemini
Less than two months after moving to Charlottesville, my husband and I divorced. I found myself in a new town at a new job with few friends. Two women at my workplace were taking a pole dancing class and were always practicing their “hip rolls”, among other moves, while at work. They sounded like they were having so much fun! A few months later, when another co-worker expressed interest in taking the class, I enrolled. That was four years ago, and I am still dancing and love it!
I am turning 40 years old this Spring, and pole dancing has helped me maintain my flexibility, has increased my upper body strength and provides a break in my weekly running regimen. Just as importantly, for my heart and soul, I have met women who I now call dear friends.
I don’t even want to consider what my life would be like without the efit program. I credit pole dancing for getting me through my divorce. It got me out one night a week, boosting my energy and lifting my spirits. And, have I mentioned how well I strut in 4 inch stiletto heels?
I am so thankful my pole classes are based here in little ol’ Charlottesville.
“Gemini”- Licensed Veterinary Technician.
I first got into e-fit dance as a joke with my son’s fiancée. We thought it would be a hoot (and it was) to have 2 generations doing something thought of as “racey”. After the first class I wanted to quit because I didn’t have the strength in my core or arms to keep up with the younger crowd. Now a year later I can climb to the top of the pole easier & faster than some of the younger women. I’ve lost 10 pounds and I’m much more toned. I feel sexier and more confident. As I explain to my friends we’re not doing this to go out and get a second job; it’s just a fun, demanding workout that brings our group closer together. There’s no competition, just a lot of fun, hard work, comradery and support. It’s a great way to stay in shape for those who don’t enjoy the traditional work outs.
~ Penny, registered nurse working in an area hospital
Spinning Back Into Life: Carrie Hopwood, Certified Paralegal
Two and half years ago Carrie Hopwood was involved in a freak car accident, where a deer, struck by another car, crashed through her windshield. With severe head trauma, doctor’s prognosis for Carrie was not good that first day. But, Carrie not only regained herself after months of recovery, she found a new take on life.
“Life is short,” she says. “My accident was a wake-up call to get out-of-the-box a bit.” However, when she agreed to a friend’s offer of doing something “fun and different” and it turned out to be pole dancing classes, she wasn’t quite sure what she’d gotten herself into.
“I froze,” Carrie admits. “It was way out of my comfort zone. I was a nervous wreck the whole drive to the class.” But, her nerves dissipated quickly. “Halfway through that first class,” she says, “I fell in love with it.”
Carrie is not fond of the spotlight, she offers. “I am uncomfortable performing in front of people in any fashion. Even on my wedding day, I didn’t want people watching me,” she says. But, she says that the pole dancing classes that she’s taken are so “female-friendly, non-judgmental and extremely supportive,” that her confidence grew.
“I love that the class is all for me,” Carrie says. “Of course, my husband likes it. But, it isn’t about him. It’s for me.”
While she readily admits she “never, ever in my lifetime” thought she would learn to pole dance, she says she feels stronger, more powerful and more open to life because of it.
“If you can just get past walking in that first time,” she offers, “you will be hooked. It is nothing but positive. Because, it doesn’t matter how good you are or if you are the best, you will be supported and feel good.”
Mother-Daughter Teams to the Dance Floor!
~ Chardonnai
If your mother asked you to take pole dancing lessons with you, would you? Would your mother even ask? Cool mom, Christine Brown, mother to college-student Candyce, did just that.
Christine first heard about the E-Fit Dance program through a co-worker. “I was scared to death in the beginning,” she admits, but was convinced by her friend it would be fun. “I loved it from the first class. I met such a nice bunch of ladies, all of different ages and sizes. I just started having fun.”
After completing her first beginner pole dancing class, she decided to ask daughter Candyce to join her. “I had so much fun, that I thought we could have that fun together,” said Christine. At that time, Candyce was attending Virginia College University (VCU) in Richmond, but began driving down I-64 every Thursday night to join her mother on the dance floor.
“We were already very close,” says Christine. “So, it was fun to do this class with her. She helped me because she’s more of a dancer.” In high school Candyce was on a dance team, was a cheerleader, and did gymnastics. “She helped with some of the practicing,” adds Christine. “And, she loved it so much she is looking for a class in Richmond.”
But, class wasn’t the only thing they shared.
“We did the video shoot together,” says Christine. “I, personally, took the beginner class three times. But, it wasn’t until the third time that I danced during the E-Fit video recital.” (At the end of each 10 week class, where choreography is taught, students have the option of having the dance they learned videotaped in a private, professional setting.) “I was scared to death because I felt silly. Normally I don’t walk around sexy. So, it was a stretch to dance before a camera that way. But, I did it for the fun of it, and it was great to have Candyce there doing it with me.”
Christine says she would tell any other mother that this is a fun, unique experience. “The classes attract all different sizes and ages – from college students to grandmothers. And, the women are just fun. If you are going to take that class, they are going to be fun people. [My daughter and I] had the best time together.”
She also adds that, even without the mother-daughter experience, she found she just felt great when she left each evening. “One time I had the worst day at work, and I went to class in a bad mood,” she admits. “When I finished class, I was so much better. It just takes you away. My daughter, too. I think everyone should try it. It does make you feel better about yourself.”
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