Student Spotlight - Leah

Our Student Spotlight for October 2019 is our amazing student Leah!

Every other month we spotlight an Aradia Fitness Calgary student who we feel embodies our community of positive, supportive, powerful, and fabulous men and women. Just about every day of the week, Leah can be found at our studio dancing on the pole, spinning on the Lyra, or flying on the silks. She is an absolute natural; her progress has been outrageous. Leah works so hard and always shows support and encouragement to her peers. Here is her story.

Where are you from?

I was born in Manitoba, but Calgary is essentially my home town!

What is your favourite past-time? (Besides pole of course, haha)

It’s more than a pastime but I love painting and drawing! I am in my last year of art school, working towards my BFA in Drawing. I am also working on my Certification in Women’s Counselling and would love to find a way to incorporate the two in my future career.

What do you love the most about pole and aerial?

I love that it’s such a well-rounded means of getting healthier. The creative nature of the sport makes you reconnect with yourself and your body in such a unique way. I love that my fitness goals are no longer centered around aesthetic achievements that would often leave me feeling discouraged and ready to fall out of routine. Now I’m just focused on what I am capable of and the journey is so exciting, rewarding, and addictive! I also feel really supported and encouraged by the community, and am really honoured to be part of such an amazing group of people at Aradia and the pole community in general.

What is your favourite class at Aradia? What is your favourite move?

My favourite pole move lately is jade split! It’s one of the first moves I saw that I was really enamoured with, so it’s been really satisfying to work towards. It’s tough to choose a favourite class, I love my regular levelled pole classes because that’s where I see the most of my improvements and always learn something new! But I also love getting into my 8-inch platforms and doing Exotic Flow classes. I also like how restorative Aerial Flow is after a weeks’ worth of exhausting pole/silks/lyra classes.

What motivates you to keep coming to your classes consistently?

I would really like to try competing one day! As a kid I did vaulting competitively (for those who don’t know, vaulting is gymnastics on a moving horse. Yes, my mom liked putting me in unconventional sports lol) so I kind of missed competing and performing now that I’ve found a sport I absolutely love. It’s also just so easy to want to keep taking classes consistently. There’s a variety of different classes to take throughout the week and almost every day has a bit of something for everyone.

When did you start coming to Aradia Fitness?

I started at Aradia in May 2019 after living a very sedentary student life for multiple years and it has been exactly what I needed! Now I’m there almost every day and take multiple classes a day if I can, I wish I started sooner.

What surprised you about pole and aerial fitness?

I was surprised by how painful so many graceful and lovely looking moves were. It just goes to show how conditioned and powerful pole dancers really are both physically and mentally to make such intense moves look effortless. It’s a good feeling when previously painful positions become easier.

Why should someone join Aradia Fitness and start their pole and aerial journey today?

Pole and aerial sports have so much to offer, whatever it is you’re looking for! You will improve on whatever you perceive your weaknesses to be, and will find new strengths. The people at the studio come from all walks of life and everyone is very accepting and inclusive. I always leave the studio feeling inspired and energized (also very eager to come back). The atmosphere at Aradia is amazing and the classes are so fun and challenging! The studio is bright and beautiful, and the instructors and fellow students make it such a special and welcoming place. It’s improved my mental and physical health, and just my life in general drastically and I’m so thankful for Aradia!