Before I danced, I wanted to save dogs.

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.

A look in the past

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 :)