Dancer

Ursula has held a lifelong passion for music, dance and theatre. As a child she studied Classical Ballet, performed in various schools musicals and productions, including West Side Story and Addicted, and she was a member of The Peruvian Folkloric Dance Group.

Originally from Melbourne, Ursula relocated to Sydney in 2005 to concentrate on a career in Architecture and Interior Design. In 2007, after a long absence from music, dance and theatre, Ursula’s passion was rekindled when she joined Studio Verve Dance Fitness®.

Ursula’s strength and fitness escalated and she regained her confidence as a performer dancing alongside a supportive team of dancers.

Ursula believes dancing and music are the expression of her heart and soul, and she is delighted to be a part of Pole Evolution™ Dance Company’s Spiral Rhythms in 2010.

Dancer

After years of tiring and repetitive circuits at the gym, Miki Okuno turned to pole dancing purely for fitness in 2008.

More than just a fantastic way to build and sculpt muscles, pole dancing revived feelings of fun and exuberance akin to spinning on the monkey bars in the school playground. Miki rediscovered her love for ballet and jazz dance through the Lyrical Pole™ dancing routines learnt at Studio Verve Dance Fitness®.

Miki choreographed and performed an inspiring solo routine for Pole Evolution™ 2009. This afforded Miki invaluable experience on stage, something she hadn’t experienced since dancing in the ‘Nutcracker’ ballet in her teenage years.

Miki is honoured to be performing with Pole Evolution™ in‘Spiral Rhythms’. She believes the show will not only demonstrate the sheer strength and athleticism involved with pole dancing, but also showcases its artistic and innovative aspects which collaborate harmoniously to create the art form which pole dance has progressed into today.

Sharing these elements, together with the beauty and courage of dance with an audience, is a journey Miki is delighted and excited to be a part of.

Dancer

Laura started pole dancing in 2009 after being inspired by Studio Verve’s® instructor routine ‘The Beautiful People,’ performed at Carriageworks in 2008.

After the show, Laura wasted no time joining up for pole dancing lessons at Studio Verve Dance Fitness® and since then, she’s has never looked back.

Laura’s began dancing at the age of 8 and she has trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary and Acrobatics. Dance has always been an imperative part of her life, having taken part in many colourful eisteddfods and concerts where sparkly costumes were common place! Pole dancing has rekindled Laura’s passion for dance as she loves the physical challenge it offers and she has been amazed at her new found strength and fitness.

Taking part in Pole Evolution™ 2010 is an exciting opportunity for Laura to reconnect with her love of performance… and revisit those sparkly costumes!

Dancer

Sam unleashed her passion for pole dancing in 2008 in her home state, WA. Since moving to NSW in 2009 and discovering Studio Verve Dance Fitness®, she has had the opportunity to develop her technique and refine all aspects of her pole and lyrical dance skills.

Sam has had experience in theatre, as well as Hip Hop, Tap and Jazz dance, but pole dance has given Sam an increase in fitness, strength, a change in body shape and in self- confidence. The highlight of Sam’s week is training and rehearsals, and she has also been given the opportunity to share her passion with others by becoming a Studio Verve® PoleFit® Instructor and she loves teaching in a fun and carefree environment.

Sam is delighted to be included as a Pole Evolution™ Dance company dancer and looks forward to showcasing her advanced skills on stage at Spiral Rhythms 2010.

Principal Dancer & Guest Choreographer

As a classically trained dancer with over 25 years’ experience in performance, choreography and teaching, Jennifer has performed with the West Australian Ballet(Romeo and Juliet) and the Premier State Ballet (Shades, L’Invite, Suite en Blanc, Les Patineurs, Vivaldi No. 5, Don Quixote and Paquita), Studio Verve’s 2008 PoleFit® Debut at Carriageworks, Pole Evolution™ 2009 at Carriageworks and at various corporate events including the Ponds Skincarelaunch, Sentimental Productions at Town Hall, Fitness First launch of ‘The Edge’ on Spring St and the 2008 Australian Fitness Expo. She has also been actively involved in the television and music industries, having appeared in ‘Home & Away’, ‘Mission Impossible II’ and  featured on TV shows “What’s Good For You”, “Dancing With the Stars“, “2006 Australian MTV Awards“ and rock group Squire’s “Lonely Soul” and Cosima de Vito’s ‘One Night Without You’ music video clips. She has also appeared in various print media including The Daily Telegraph, Australian Women’s Health & Fitness Magazine and Time Out Magazine. Jennifer graduated from the McDonald College of Performing Arts where she completed a 2 year full-time Diploma in Dance and also attained her Advanced Certificate in Classical Ballet.

Her rigorous training included Jazz, Contemporary, Pilates, Plyometrics, weight and strength training and Anatomy. On completion of her studies at McDonald College, Jennifer had the exclusive opportunity of training extensively with the Argentine Ballet Company under the guidance of Lidia Segni (Company Director), Raul Candela (Principal Artist) and Laura Alonso (Director of the Cuban Ballet Company). Returning to Australia, Jennifer furthered her studies atEcole Classique; undertaking an intensive one year full-time Classical Ballet program where she gained her Teaching Certificate and received a Distinction from the Royal Academy of Dance. She has since taught at many dance schools including Osborn Academy of Dance, McCarthy Dance Academy, K & N Academy of Dance and Ravenswood Private School. Taking time out to pursue a career in the travel industry, Jennifer undertook her first pole dancing lesson whilst living in London where it was starting to emerge as a new form of fitness. She pursued this interest upon her return to Australia and her love for dance was once again rekindled. In 2004 Jennifer founded Studio Verve Dance Fitness® and in 2005 she successfully pioneered her PoleFit® program into Fitness First. With her passion and infectious love for dance she has inspired women of all ages and fitness levels to embrace dance and nurture their physical and emotional well-being. Her proudest artistic achievement is the creation and production of the sell-out show “Pole Evolution™” held at Carriageworks December 2009 subsequently leading to the inception of Pole Evolution™ Dance Company. Jennifer’s mission is to provide talented dancers with an opportunity and an outlet for creative self-expression, motivating company members to reach their fullest potential.

Dancer

Before beginning pole dancing with Studio VerveDance Fitness® in 2007, Radha had very little strength and was very apprehensive at the thought of going upside down; she never even hung on the monkey bars at school!

Pole Dancing has enabled Radha to conquer these fears and PoleFit® has increased her physical strength and self-confidence.

Spiral Rhythms 2010 will enable Radha to achieve her goals of choreographing her own routine and share her passion for dance with others.

Radha feels lucky and excited about dancing with Pole Evolution™ Dance Company as she feels she is a part of a new era in modern dance that is only just beginning.

Principal Dancer

Since commencing classes out of curiosity, Carmen has been studying pole dancing at Studio Verve Dance Fitness® since 2006 and she has developed into a passionate dancer with a strong desire to push new boundaries both in fitness and flexibility.

Complementary to her pole dance training, and as a means to further develop strength, Carmen has undertaken classes in Aerial Silks, Burlesque and Lyrical Pole™ classes associated with Studio Verve®.

In 2008 Carmen performed with fellow Pole Evolution™ dancer Gwendolyn Kam in a self-choreographed piece for Studio Verve Dance Fitness®’s annual performance at Carriageworks.

2009 saw both dancers join forces yet again to perform ‘Alone’ (self-choreographed) and ‘Apologise’ for Pole Evolution™ 2009.

Carmen is grateful and excited to be part of ‘Spiral Rhythms’, a production that she hopes will be a unique experience, allowing her to further her skills and techniques and she is looking forward to continued success with both Pole Evolution™ Dance Company and the Studio Verve® team.

Principal Dancer

Gwendolyn joined Studio Verve Dance Fitness® in 2006 for mere entertainment, and this quickly set off towards a different direction of fitness and a whole new level of core strength and flexibility. Gwen attributes most of her dancing abilities from exposure to Lyrical Pole™ dancing classes at Studio Verve® and Pole Evolution™ annual performances.

Having been provided with the opportunity to be part of Spiral Rhythms in 2010, Gwendolyn is proud to be able to contribute to the show’s success yet again and commits herself to a strict training regime to maintain stamina and flexibility. As a seasoned Pole Evolution™ performer, Gwendolyn understands the expectations of delivering a fantastic experience for the audience exceeding that of prior years.

Honoured to be a part of a production that is growing each year, Gwen is grateful for the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with fellow company members and share the joys (and pains!) of preparing for the show.

Principal Dancer

Phoebe has been dancing since the age of four. With a strong background in Classical Ballet, her training also encompasses Jazz, Contemporary and more recently Aerial Silks and Acrobatics. She completed the Australian Dance Assessment Program (ADAP) in 1998 and then began teaching Classical ballet.

Phoebe’s professional credits include: performances with Ballet D’Action (1992), Studio Verve Dance Fitness®’s Promotional Dance Clip (2008), Australian Fitness Expo (2008) and Pole Evolution™ Show (2009). She has also danced in various music video clips which have appeared on Australian TV. Phoebe was featured on Channel 9’s “What’s Good For You” and in The Daily Telegraph’s article “Top 5 Ways To Get Fit in 2010”.

Phoebe is a proud member of Pole Evolution™ Dance Company and a senior instructor at Studio Verve®. With five years of PoleFit® experience under her belt, Phoebe is excited to entertain audiences this year with a Contemporary solo piece and a collection of awe inspiring group performances.

Principal Dancer

Emily’s love of performing began early when she joined her local theatre company as a young actor. She went on to study drama, communication and film at University and has acted in several Australian films. After graduating, Emily moved to Sydney to pursue her media career where she currently works for Foxtel.

Emily’s passion for dance and performance was rekindled in 2007 when she started dancing at Studio Verve Dance Fitness®. She has been studying pole dance ever since and has experienced a huge increase in strength, body confidence and dance technique. She performed at Studio Verve®’s annual shows in 2007 and 2008, she has undertaken acrobatic and contemporary dance classes through Studio Verve® in order to further her dance repertoire and she also represented the studio at the 2008 Fitness Expo. 

Emily now shares her positive experience with others as a PoleFit® Instructor.

Emily is thrilled to be a Pole Evolution™ Company Dancer and she believes Spiral Rhythms 2010 is a unique opportunity for her to not only exhibit her pole dance skills, but also fuse these with traditional dance, performance artistry and her love for taking the stage.