This week’s featured instructor is Felicia Salzmann, one of our versatile instructors who teaches everything from silks to pole, to Exotic choreos and tricks. Felicia has been practicing pole for ten years and aerial on and off for nine years. She became an instructor at Aradia Fitness Calgary in December of 2017, but she began teaching years before that. While she lived in Florida for school, Felicia was part of the Florida State University Flying High Circus as a Spanish Web performer.

At our studio, Felicia is well known for her heart-pounding, sexy, and intricate tricks in her Exotic Flow classes. Her Exotic Tricks classes are also very popular. The classes she teaches are always challenging and have you coming back for more. She’s also the person to go to if your heels need some love after all the work they put in at our studio. Felicia customizes and glitters up heels to make them look as good as new or even better. Please give her a follow on Instagram and keep reading to get to know more about her.

Aradia Fitness Calgary featured Instructor Felicia Salzmann in Iron Cross on silks

What surprised you the most about pole fitness?

What surprised me the most is how it keeps growing and evolving with new styles and new tricks. Just when you think you’ve learned it all, there’s something new to learn! 

What is your current favourite pole/aerial move?

My favourite move will always be the classic inside leg hang or a fun yogini drop.

Do you have a favourite off the pole conditioning exercise?

My favourite off the pole exercises to do usually involve mobility and bodyweight training, yoga, contortion, and hand balancing. As well as classical forms of dance to keep up on cardio.  

What are your current pole and aerial goals for yourself and for your students?

My current goal for me and my students is to just keep growing and exploring the movement art and function behind pole.

How would you describe your teaching style?

My teaching style is, in two words fun and hard. I like to keep it light hearted in analogies and metaphors to help translate the language of pole into something the average person can understand while also presenting a physical and mental puzzle of interesting moves and combos to keep things exciting. 

What do you think students gain from being members at Aradia?

Students gain a number of things from coming to Aradia but I think the most important part is personal confidence and great support group.

Can you provide one piece of advice for students working through their pole journey?

My piece of advice – Never compare your chapter 1 to someones chapter 5. Pole/Aerial is a personal journey and everyone is different in when/what/how they progress.

Aradia Fitness Calgary featured Instructor Felicia Salzmann performing bridge on pole