• Ballet training from 4 through 12 years of age at Canyon Concert Ballet
• Latin Dance training (from various instructors) for 6 years
• Instructed Latin Dance for 6 years at several locations in Fort Collins, CO.

After a hiatus from Latin dance, I was yearning to learn a new form of dance and move my body again. Since I was 12 (years old) I have been an avid rock climber and I had wished there was a way to incorporate climbing and dance together. Eventually a light-bulb moment occurred and I realized pole dancing was my answer! Two of my loves (dancing/climbing) solidified into one. It's been a passionate magic ever since...

If I could tell our new students one thing it would be to enjoy the journey! Progression is not an overnight process. Some days at the studio you'll feel UNSTOPPABLE! Other days your body will turn against you. You'll feel slick, tired and in pain...but try not to beat yourself up. We all have our good and bad days. The glorious aspect of aerial dance is that we've all had amazing personal journeys to get to where we are today. There are no judgements when you walk through Vertical Fusion's doors. So go ahead, SHINE AND BE YOU!

Something most do not know about me is that I've had the West Nile Virus. Fortunately, my symptoms were not severe.

My favorite pole related memory occurs while working my first pole dancing routine at the APEX studio. Working a choreographed pole routine can be daunting at times due to the pressure and critique we put on ourselves. Melanie was helping me choreograph my routine and I was ready to do my first (very rough) run-through. After my run-through I remember feeling completely exhausted and out-of-breath. But once I dismounted the pole, I was greeted with tears of joy and enthusiasm from Melanie. After tears were shared I realized I was on the right track with my routine. Sometimes we're so hard on ourselves and we just need someone to point out how AWESOME we are.