Before Justin and I were married, he was a teacher at the studio. He taught adult and kids break dancing and hip hop classes. We had a horrible boss/employee working relationship. I thought he was cockey and irresponsible and he basically thought I was a bi**h with no soul :) After about a year, he quit and made a dramatic exit. I like to say that I fired him, but it's very debatable...
Two years later, we both found ourselves single and looking for true love. Once enemies, now soul mates. I'm still trying to figure out how that works. He asked me to marry him at Keys on Main in SLC in front of our friends. We've been married almost two years now and I don't know how I ever lived this life of chaos without him.
Anyway, I was searching the internet today and I found a video of a news story that the Standard Examiner did on Justin's break dancing class when he used to work for me. Enjoy!
French Kiss Fitness has been nominated in the "best dance studio" category at the Indie Ogden awards. The awards show is tonight at Ogden's Union Station. I really really hope we win! Thank you Indie Ogden for loving our city and allowing small businesses to showcase their products and talents with your help.
This is the most common question I get, so lets dive into it.
1. Stay away from lotion and oils the day of class! Especially on your hands and legs.
2. Wear shorts if you're comfortable with it. Wearing pants will only make you slide more. The goal is to STICK.
3. Shoes are optional. If you plan on dancing in shoes forever and ever, you'd better start learning with your shoes. They are much harder to dance in if you try to add them into your workout months later. Most students go barefoot.
4. Take off jewelry. Rings tend to scratch our poles.
5. A good sports bra goes a long way. Imagine that you are a mom of three kids and the "girls" aren't what they used to be. Now imagine yourself going upside down in an unsupportive bra. If you can't see the vision , it ends with your boobs on top of your chin :)
6. If you're self conscious of your stomach, wear a form fitting tank top so that your shirt doesn't rise above your head when you go upside down.
This outfit is a NO NO!
These outfits are perfect for your first pole dancing class.
And this outfit is WAY TOO MUCH for your first time :)
Over the past years, there have been so many students who have walked through the door, 5788 to be exact! There have been a few who have really stuck out for very different reasons. I thought it might be fun to tell a bit about a few of my favorite students from years past.
Dlynn.
Dlynn joined the studio back when we were on Harrison Blvd in Ogden. She wasn't particularly shy. Her personality was very vibrant and the students and teachers were very drawn to her. She was naturally a skinny gal, but I do remember looking at her in her booty shorts and sports bra one day. She was starting to become very defined. Her abs were killer! She could do every trick the teachers showed her. Dlynn was one of my best students. About a year ago, she left the studio to pursue a new hobby. Hunting! You will find hot body Dlynn in the rugged mountains of Utah with her husband looking for elk. Where ever your path may lead you, Dlynn, I wish you the very best and I hope that we get to see you again very soon.
Megan P.
I found Megan at an amateur pole fitness contest at Rumors night club. She got up on the pole when her name was called. In her jeans, she worked that pole, took 1st place and won a free 1 month membership to the studio. Megan has been one of my best friends ever since. She was a teacher at the studio for 2 years. She is now engaged and has a brand new baby. We are so happy for Megan and I can't wait for to start teaching again in 2013.
Davina
I'm not exactly sure how Davina found the studio, but I do remember noticing her in our Aerial Silk class. She was AMAZE-BALL's! Davina was such a natural. I remember one day in the studio, she brought in a big bag that held a turquoise silk inside. Her boyfriend had bought Davina her very own silk so she could practice at home. I was very jealous :) With the extra practice, Davina quickly mastered the Silk beyond most people in the studio. It was only natural that her next step was to become an instructor. Davina is in the military and I believe she still practices the art of Aerial Silk. We miss her very much.
Graham
Graham was our very first male pole students. He was outrageous and very funny! He didn't mind wearing the booty shorts like the girls and twirling his hips along to the music. Anybody who was around during my first year of business can't help but remember Graham. To this day, I still love Graham for his bravery and his ability to open up to a room full of women on stripper poles.
Amy and Tara
Amy and Tara came as a pair. They both worked at a local credit union and they didn't mind telling everyone in the office about their fitness fetish. Amy was very sultry and sexy and Tara was incredibly flexible. Long before we had flexibility classes, Tara was by far the most flexible student in class. I can't remember what happened to them, but I am sure that where ever they are in this world, they will be the feisty diva's that I remember.
French Kiss Fitness has been nominated by Indie Ogden for the best dance studio in Ogden. If you think French Kiss Fitness is Ogden's best, please go vote for us. Here is the direct link: http://bestof.indieogdenutah.com/vote/
We are so excited to announce so many new dance programs this month including Hot Hula, Ballet Cardio Barre, Fly Gym, Meditation, Goddess Gathering, and now POLE ARIA!
Pole Aria is the fusion of pole and aerial silk. The silk is attached to the upper portion of the pole with a very safe device that also allows your silk to spin around the pole. Each student must complete Pole 1 and Aerial Silk 1 before taking pole aria.
Pole Aria Schedule:
Monday's 6:40pm (Ogden)
Tuesday's 5:30pm Ogden)
After a week of pure torture, the Ogden studio is back in action! In less than a week, we were able to make a transformation of epic proportions. Here's a list of key improvements made to the space:
- Larger main dance floor
- New flooring
- Drinking fountain
- Winches in aerial program to make for easy change of apparatus
- More aerial silks and hammocks added to accomodate larger clas ssizes
- Fly gym room added upstairs with 9 rigs
- 14 poles including 50mm, 45mm, and the new ultra skinny 40mm
- An incredibly unique bathroom you have to see to believe
- Retail store stocked with everything a dancer needs
We aren't finished yet! We have more retail coming, flat screen televisions in lobby, and just a few more surprises.
At both locations, we have a ton of new retail for our students including Pleaser Shoes. These platform shoes are very popular among our Exotic Dance students. They glow in the darkness of class and everytime you smack your legs together, they click! Platform shoes make class much more fun.
We have 8 new classes being added to the schedule in the coming weeks. Five of them will be categorized as "Premium" classes. These classes will only be offered to students who purchase the premium package at the studio. All pre-existing memberships are considered to be premium. Any memberships sold after October 22nd will be either a basic membership or a premium membership.
Effective October 23rd:
Basic Membership - Price TBD
Unlilmited access to: Acro Yoga, Aerial Silk, Aerial Hammock, Kickin' Cardio, Ass Class, Tummy Tuck, Pole Fitness, Exotic Dance, Jazz, Hip Hop, Kettle Ball Fitness, Hot Hula, Zumba, Pilates, and Be Bendy.
Premium Membership - Price TBD (only available at Ogden)
Unlimited access to: Basic Membership Classes, Ballet Cardio Barre, Fly Gym Fitness, Pole Aria, Meditation, and Goddess Gathering.
We are so excited to be able to offer these luxury classes. We will be the only studio in the state to offer the above classes! (with the exception of Ballet Cardio Barre).
Read on to learn more about the premium classes:
Fly Gym
Take flight in our specialized workout hammock designed for extreme comfort while you stretch and pose your way to fitness.
Ballet Cardio Barre
In this class, you will use traditional ballet barre's in a very non-traditional way. The barre will become your support beam that will help you jump, kick, and flex your way to long and lean muscles.
Pole Aria
Do you love the pole? Do you love aerial silks? This apparatus has both! You will get into the most challenging pole poses with such ease. With the use of fabric suspended from the pole, you are able to have extra support to help ease you into each pose with little to no help from the instructor.
Meditation
This isn't your regular meditation experience. Your senses will be pleased with projected images, and headphones with sounds to please your ears. You will be pampered with pillows, oven roasted blankets, and fresh water. If you want to open up in a way you've never experienced before, you have to try our one of a kind Meditation class!
Goddess Gathering
This class is a bonding class. Your instructor will lead the conversation as each student shares life experiences that may be useful to others in class. Everyone gets the chance to talk, and everybody learns! Together we become closer and open our minds to possibilities and change.
As many of you know, we are going to begin a major remodel of the Ogden studio in about a week! This is very very exciting because it includes so many amenities that the students are going to love. Here is a list of the plans:
Expanding main dance floor
Adding drinking fountains
New wood flooring in front of building
Plasma screen schedule
Fly Gym to be added to second floor (www.flygym.com)
New SKINNIER poles! 40mm and 45mm poles for better grip
New paint
More mirrors
And a ton of new retail including dance clothes, aerial rigs, and shoes
If you have any time to spare and you would like to help with painting, construction, or decorating, please e-mail meagan at danceogden@gmail.com
We are so excited to add Hot Hula® to the schedule! Watch the promo video below to learn about how adding Hot Hula® can get you in shape while having a blast.
Before I opened this dance studio, I was a bank teller. I wore slacks, black loafer shoes, long sleeved shirts, and I had really horrible hair :) You would never recognize me.
The only highlight of my week back then was the Saturday that I spent volunteering for an animal rescue. I used to volunteer every week at the pet adoptions and they even talked me into taking home a litter of kittens that I fostered until they all found homes (which took about two years). One day, I was asked to go to a city shelter to pick up a pit bull that was going to be euthanized unless a volunteer from my shelter could pick it up.
I arrived in my two door honda civic and out walked a 120 lb chocolate pit bull named Sassy. She looked like a male, but I would later find out that she was all girl. I sat with her at the pet adoption event that day, and not one person even considered taking her home. She approached each prospective family with such energy and genuine love.
I asked the shelter volunteer if I could be her foster Mom. That night, she slept at the foot of my bed and snored so loud, I couldn't get an ounce of sleep. She was fat, lazy, and she looked like she could eat a human in one bite. She was perfect! The very next day, I officially adopted her. Today, she is 10 years old. She has a gray snout, she let's my baby crawl ALL over her, and she eats everything in sight. She walks right by my side without pulling on the leash, and she doesn't have any confidence that she can jump into my SUV by herself. I lift all 120 lbs every time we go for a car ride...even though I know she can do it!
We have a Halloween recital coming up on October 22nd and I think it would be so awesome if we could put on a show for all the pit bulls waiting to be adopted. This year, any donations we collect at our recital will be donated to the Weber County Animal Shelter. Please come support our dancers and the dogs.
If you're looking to add a four legged family member to the mix, please consider a shelter animal.
It's so crazy for me to walk into the studio every day and see all that we have accomplished. French Kiss Fitness started her life in an awkward space on Harrison Blvd in Ogden.
Then: 1 pole room with concrete floors and 6 poles. We used to use hair dressers mats to cushion our feet.
Now: 2 pole rooms. Wood flooring and professional grade crash mats.
Then: Aerial room with 1 rig. The old studio had a dropped ceiling. The aerial silk rigs would come through a cut out hole in the ceiling. We used to use a bean bag to cushion our falls :)
Now: Tall ceilings, 3 rigs, crash mats.
Then: The hardest move you could learn was a shoulder mount....maybe a gemeni if you were lucky.
Now: Handsprings, pole drops, spatch cock...and other unbelievable tricks
Then: No online reservation system. We had a sign up board behind the front desk. You could only take one class each week and it was a 4 week series. If you wanted to take an additional class, you had to pay extra.
Now: Really convenient online reservation system that allows you to bounce around the schedule freely.
Then: Classes were $100/month. It included one class each week.
Now: Packages starting at $25/month!
It is truly amazing how far the studio has come. We were one of the first pole studio's to open in the country 6 years ago. Now, pole studio's are scattered all across the world. It's such a great community to be a part of. Cheers to another 6 years!
Enjoy some pictures of the olden days :)
^ That is Becca without dreads ^
She has been with me since the beginning of time :)
We are so very proud this week to have two champions in the studio from this weekends competitions.
On Friday night, Charlee Wagner took 1st place in the Elite Division at the Great Midwest Pole Dancing Competition in Chicago, IL. The competition was fierce! Charlee came to the table with several new moves the pole world has never seen before. I was there to witness it first hand and I can't describe how amazing it is to see someone's hard work pay off. Love you Charlee!
VIDEO COMING SOON!
On Saturday night, student Kara Lee Clark won 1st place in the beginning aerial silk category at Utah's biggest aerial competition held by Onyx Aerial Fitness. She didn't tell anyone that she was competing...not even her teachers so we were not there to support her, but thankfully she got the whole thing on video. Kara has only been doing aerial silk for a few months and is already winning competitions. Wow! Kara also has an extensive background in dance including teaching and coaching drill team. She was actually my high school drill team coach at Roy High :) Go COACH KARA!
The studio is full of incredible talent. Kara and Charlee join an elite group of French Kiss Fitness talent such as Becca Butcher (EMW Polarity Trixpert Winner, 2nd place winner Pole Fetish 2010 ), Tiffany Tremaine (Utah NGA Bikini Bodybuilding 1st place Champion, 1st place winner pro category Femme Fatale 2012), Caroline Dow (2nd place winner pro category Femme Fatale 2012), Michelle Sorenseon (1st place Ultimate Belly Dancer), and Chantel Fain (1st place winner advanced category Femme Fatale 2012) and many others who have mastered their dance craft. Great job French Kiss Fitness!!!
This last week, it was Charlee's birthday. Charlee is a teacher here at French Kiss Fitness :) Her Mom, Robin Kemp (also a teacher), thought it would be a good idea to have a mini birthday party at the studio. She surprised Charlee and her students with a pinata. Charlee was up first and broke it in one strike!
I am still missing video's from Chantel Fain, Summer Pettit, Kara Lamarr, and Melissa Kearns. If you have them, will you please e-mail them to me at danceogden@gmail.com? If you have any great pictures you would like to share, send them over as well :)
Thank you to everyone who came out and supported! Our sponsors were Dew Point, XPole, Bad Kitty Pole Fit, Pole Dance International Magazine, Voila Boutique, Club 366. We can't do it without our sponsors so make sure you stop by their web sites and give them some French Kiss love!
Here at French Kiss Fitness, our students love the Exotic Dance class. The room is completely dark with black lights reflecting off of the dance wear that our students sport each week. If you've never attended one of our exotic dance classes, here are some things you should know:
Glowing is best! Wear white and neon colors that will glow in the black light.
Heels make it fun. Wear your favorite high heels, or go for it and buy some bon-a-fied stripper shoes! There are several shoes on the market now that glow under our black lights.
Let your hair down. Many of the moves in our exotic dance class allow you to whip your hair and feel sexy.
The more skin the better. The great thing about our exotic dance class is the fact that nobody can see you. In the dark, the only thing that glows are your clothes. Your skin will look tan and flawless. Don't be afraid of the sports bra and booty shorts. You'll look great and feel great knowing that all of your flaws are disguised by your awesome outfit and the glowing of our black lights.
We try to provide our students with fun clothes they can buy for class. This week, we have brand new Ribbon Tie Side Shorts by Bad Kitty Exotic Dance Wear. We have them in neon pink, white, red, and turquoise. They are $24.95. Check them out!
Our Syracuse studio is alive and well! We have a full class schedule running 5 days a week including pole classes, jazz, hip hop, zumba, pilates, and more. We are waiting for an engineering permit that allows us to hang silks from the ceiling. That permit is very close to being complete. Aerial silks classes will be back before you know it and we will all be getting our exercise on with the fabric!
Master instructor, Becca Butcher, demonstrates our pole move of the week. This move is for our level 3 and 4 pole students. It's called the "Pike Spin".
For those who don't know, we have a spectacular class called "Be Bendy". The class was created by Charlee Wagner. She wanted to provide students with a way to become flexible. Not just flexible....really flexible!
She has the most unique stretches I have ever seen. You won't be sitting in splits or touching your toes in this class. You use partners, gravity, walls, floor, chairs and all kinds of crazy techniques that are very unique to Charlee.
Wow!
I don't show you this picture to discourage you. Not everybody wants extreme flexibility. Most of the students in class are doing the class because they love the way stretching makes their bodies feel.
Even if you aren't trying to be the next circus contortionist, here are some great benefits of flexibility: -Decreasing your risk of injury -Improve athletic performance -Improves Posture -Reduce risk of lower back pain -Increased blood and nutrients to tissues -Improved muscle coordination -Enhanced enjoyment of physical activities
So I ask... Why not aspire to be a little more flexible?
Today's Ass Class was pretty intense! Most of the class is done outside in the elements. We use our surroundings to get the best workout possible. Today, we did frog hops, parking garage stairs, tree hugging squats, and lots more. The ladies today were so much fun! We had lots of laughs, a ton of sweat, and the buns were on fire! We snapped a photo after a very intense set of jumping squats.
Ass class is offered:
Monday's 8-9pm (Ogden)
Thursday's 11am-12pm (Syracuse)
At French Kiss Fitness our class reservations are done online. You reserve your space through our website for class and you can also see how many people are registered for that class. Recently, there has been a problem that has presented itself. Students register for classes that they think they MIGHT want to take. Then, the day of class, they decide for one reason or another that they are too busy to take that class. Thus, leaving an empty space in class.
This is more harmful than you might think. When a potential student is looking at our class schedule, they might think that our studio is too full for them to join because every class is full. In reality, it's the semi-committed students who are holding a place in class, only to cancel an hour before the class starts. In fact, our classes are really only half full.
I really hate to implement a fee for this problem, but it has to be done. Starting July 1st, the following fee's have been put into place.
No Show Fee - $5
Reserving a place in class, but not coming.
Late Cancel Fee - $3
Cancelling your reservation less than 3 hours before the start time of the class.
When you give us less than 3 hours notice that you won't be attending class, we aren't able to notify other students of the open spot in class. It basically creates an empty space in class that we aren't able to fill.
I appreciate your understanding. Please be considerate of students who are eager to attend class. If you aren't able to attend your reserved class, please remove yourself from that class as soon as possible. It helps out the studio, your teachers, and fellow students.
Tracie has been coming to the studio since February 2012. That same month, she signed up her daughter for classes as well. The two of them can be seen at the studio almost 5 nights a week and they are die hard dancers/polers/aerialists. Not many mother/daughter duo's come through my doors and this duo is certainly one of my favorite!
When Tracie first started coming to the studio she told me how her boyfriend didn't like her pole dancing. I couldn't imagine why any boyfriend of a gorgeous and confident woman wouldn't like the idea of her taking some fun classes that might also spice up the relationship. Needless to say, he's not her boyfriend. Tracie has moved on to a man that can handle her sense of adventure!
Here are some pictures that Tracie sent to me recently:
In this photo, Tracie is showing off her moves underneath a bridge. We don't plank, we chopper!
I made this video for the studio 5 years ago when we first started teaching pole. Keep in mind that our pole "vocabulary" was very limited because we were in uncharted territory. Literally. So the moves are easy, but my students and I had so much fun!
At the time, I probably only had about 20 students so I knew everyone by name and I always put all the students in our video's. Once a month, I would go out to dinner with my students, kids were welcome in class, and I knew all the husbands and boyfriends. Overall, it was a very tight knit community.
Now we have thousands visit the studio each year so it's impossible for me to put my personal touch on everything like I used to. It's fun to see this video and go back to memory lane.
The location seen in the video was my first location on Harrison Blvd in Ogden. We didn't have money for wood floors, so we painted the concrete and used barber shop mats for padding. I laugh sometimes when I think of the silly ways I used to teach and the environment that we pole danced in.
It's no secret that I had a baby just under a year ago. I have struggled to fall back in love with my pole. I keep comparing myself to the pole dancer from 2 years ago. This week, I finally accepted that I have to start back at the beginning and work my way to being a good pole dancer again. I thought it would be a fun idea to video tape my freestyle once a week and show you my progress. So here we go folks!
-Meagan, owner
French Kiss Fitness
This special boot camp is designed for girl who is serious about losing weight. You will be pushed harder then you've ever been pushed before. The workouts include mega-cardio, weight training, endurance challenges, team work, and more!
4 weeks
Starts July 16, 2012
Syracuse location
Tuesday's 5-6pm
Thursday's 5-6pm
Saturday's 11am-noon
*attend as often as you can. 100% attendance is not mandatory.
- 3 days per week
- weekly weigh in and measurment
- before and after picture
I highly encourage students of French Kiss Fitness to take pictures so they can reflect on their progress. It's also a fun way to showing friends and family how well you are doing in class. These pictures come to you from a student named Terryn.
Thanks for the pictures Terryn!
If you have pictures from classes taken at the studio that you would like to share, please e-mail them to danceogden@gmail.com
Summer time is an aerialists favorite time of the year. It's a chance to get outside the studio and dance from trees, monkey bars, and bridges. All aerial apparatus are capable of being hung outside if you can find the perfect spot.
Here is a great outdoor aerial picture to inspire all of you aerialists. Get outside and dance!
If you already have a membership, please pass this info on to your friends and family. Buying a groupon deal is a great way to get introduced to the studio.
Meagan here. I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who comes to the studio. I greatly admire your ability to see past the scary exterior of the studio's image and take a chance with the pole. So many men and women in Utah have ideas about the studio and pole dancing, but most of the time they are wrong. I'm not here to say that we don't get a little rowdy and sexy every once in a while, but for the most part, the studio is about fun and fitness.
I know of some women in our walls who haven't told a soul about their involvement in the studio. Then there are other women who rave about us at work and church. Each one of you are brave and amazing in your own way. Thank you for the support you give the studio and your teachers. French Kiss Fitness is a small business that survives on her student's love and kisses :)
Thank you for 6 years in business. Cheers to 6 more!
This month's teacher spot light belongs to Tiffany Tremaine!
Tiffany Tremaine was born and raised here in Utah. Three years of high school dance and one competition is the only previous dance experience she has had. In August of 2009 she took a chair dancing class at the studio, on her way out the door, she peeked in the "pole room" and immediately knew she wanted to pole dance. Since then she has trained hard to build the strength she was lacking to try the more advanced pole moves she found online. Tiffany also won a pole competition title during the summer of 2011.
Recently, Tiffany has been training and competing in Bikini Body Building and has already won a title! Tiffany is a true gem in the studio. She is definately one of our most enthusiastic teachers here at FKF. She is great at making students feel like their fitness goals are attainable.
Thank you Tiff for three years of dancing!!!<
Her pole idols include: Felix Cane, Estee Zaker, Becca Butcher, and Jenyne Butterfly.
Over the past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel with my dear friend Becca Butcher to Los Angeles to see Charlee perform. Charlee is a teacher here at French Kiss Fitness. Becca has been Charlee's mentor for the past year so it was very important to both of us that we were there to support Charlee in her first big pole competition.
Let me tell you a little about this competition. There were only two women invited to represent the USA, one of them was of course Charlee. The rest came from Russia, Australia, and Japan. Becca has attended dozens of events like this, and she said this one had the toughest competitors she's seen so far.
We flew out and stayed with my brother in law who offered up his home. Free sleeping quarters. Bonus! When we landed in the airport, Becca saw a Police bullet bike. She loves bullet bikes. So naturally, she had to get a picture with it :)
The morning of the competition, we wen't to breakfast on the 3rd street promenade and had the yummiest meal I've had in a long time. Then we headed over to the Santa Monica pier to meet up with some pole friends from South Africa. And what do you know? We found another parked police vehicle. This time, it had a surf board on top of it:)
The competition was at the Circus Disco in West Hollywood. Very cool place! I volunteered to help at the door checking in people who bought tickets. I got to greet everyone who came to the event. My favorite part was meeting the famous pole people. I met Steven Retchless (america's got talent), Natasha Wang, Jamilla Deville, Felix Cain, Fawnia, David Owen, Anjel Dust, Honey, and so many more amazing pole dancers.
There were four categories in the competition. Groups, Duo's, Women, and Men. Here are my favorite routines in each category of the evening.
Groups:
Jagged USA- 1st place
Doubles:
Sergia & Jennifer USA - 2nd place
Male:
David C Owenn USA - 3rd place
Video not available (what a shame, because it was AMAZING)
And in the female category, of course my favorite was our girl Charlee Wagner.
Charlee Wagner USA - 1st place
Yes! Charlee won the whole thing. The competition was so intense. There were four girls who really stood out and Charlee was the judges favorite. When the winners were announced, I was sitting by her mom Robin. The two of us fell apart when her name was read as the winner. I had a moment where I realized that we have some of the best talent in the world right here in Utah. That's crazy!
By the time time it was over, Becca and I were exhausted. We woke up the next morning only to find out that our flight had been changed to a different airport. We rushed to Burbank California, hopped on a small plane and came home to our families :)
Next time, I hope we can take more teachers and students. It was really a life changing experience that every pole enthusiast should experience.
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