Growing up in Wisconsin, Ashley earned the nickname “Upside-Down Ashley” from her parents thanks to her constant cartwheeling and handstands in the yard. Her passion for movement led her to competitive gymnastics in high school, where she also began coaching both gymnastics and dance — a journey that continued through college to now! Ashley discovered aerial arts in 2010 when she took her first silks class and was instantly hooked. She spent years training and performing on aerial silks and rope around Portland before falling in love with pole dance. Drawn to its versatility and limitless creative potential, pole soon became her primary apparatus.Known for her imaginative and theatrical stage presence, Ashley enjoys creating dynamic characters for her performances. She has competed with PSO for four years, earning four gold medals at Levels 4 and 5, and most recently placing 5th at Nationals in 2024. Outside the studio, Ashley is a high school Language Arts teacher who enjoys hiking, paddling, and snowboarding — always keeping a bit of that upside-down spirit with her wherever she goes.

Gemma grew up trying to emulate her older sister and took ballet, jazz and gymnastics, but it wasn't until adulthood that she would really appreciate dance. She started her pole journey in 2010 after a friend encouraged her to try a class: she was hooked and hasn't stopped dancing since. Gemma became an instructor in 2014 and is a graduate of the elevatED pole teacher training taught by Kyra Johannesen and is a graduate of Marlo Fisken's Flow Movement training.  She competed in the first ever Pacific Pole Competition in 2012 and was part of a group competition for Miss Pole Dance America in 2015, but has found that her true passion is in freestyle dance performance.  From exotic floor work to gravity defying tricks and elegant combos, Gemma's fun friendly and interactive style make her a favorite with students. When not pole dancing, Gemma likes to grow amazing fruits and vegetables in her garden, spend time with her family, and fly around on the lyra while also finishing up her degree in linguistics at Portland State University.

Wendy has been a pole dancer for nearly 13 years. She loves the combination of creativity and physical movement that almost makes you forget you are exercising. On top of performing she is passionate about helping people on their own pole journey because there are so many positives that carry over into everyday life. When Wendy is not pole dancing she is spending time with her husband and two boys.

Joshua began training in gymnastics as a youngster, winning several gold medals and 1st place All-Around in his division. In his late teens he discovered his passion for dance, joined several dance troupes and began to perform in ballets such as the Nutcracker. Guided by his natural kinesthetic intelligence and an innate love for the stage, he studied dance and theater at Humboldt State University and later at the prestigious Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. He received a BFA in Performing Arts despite developing an illness that drastically impaired his physical abilities during his senior year. After years of physical therapy and chiropractic treatment he was able to fully recover and went on to discover pole in 2014. With his previous aerial acrobatics experience, he took to the pole like a fish to water. He was the 2016 Pacific Pole Championship Bronze Medalist and 2016 PSO Men's National Silver Medalist. He is honored to be teaching and training at the AERO space, where he can share his talents, skill and experience with other pole enthusiasts and competitors.

Crystal, a Colorado native, studied dance as a child and continued in the performing arts as she grew up. In 2012, feeling enervated by her day job she longed and searched for something new to give her life. She went on a blind date with pole dance expecting to like it, but not expecting the healthy long-term committed relationship it became. She moved to Las Vegas in 2016 because she knew what she had with pole must be love and needed to pursue it further. She performed, trained and taught there for the next 3 years before returning to the place her and pole had their first date, Portland. Her most recent and most epic pole accomplishment was performing with her love, pole, and the iconic JLo in the Super Bowl LIV halftime show.

Alexandria is a Portland local and 3rd generation Oregonian with a passion for the performing arts since childhood. Alex has been pole dancing since she was nineteen years old. Performing award winning, international burlesque since 2010, she is very excited to bring her style of contemporary showgirl meets pole to Aero Space! When she isn’t practicing yoga and teaching dance, she is a busy mama. She's also an avid collector of books about ancient history and esoteric magic.

Amira is a visual and movement artist from SE Alaska. She's has called Portland her home for the last 10 years and has been passionate about pole dancing for 6 years. She has studied and specializes in Bellydance, Urban Fusion, and Aerial Hoop. She loves to creatively fuse together her many interests to create her own styles of movement and art. She is also creator and founder of her dance and circus troupe known as Circus Synatik.

Christie is a life long dancer and spent most of her childhood and adolescence training in ballet. She is grateful for the foundation that ballet gave her but longed to find a dance practice that encouraged innovation and free expression. Fortunately in 2012 she found pole dancing and never looked back! She continues to feel liberated by pole everyday. In addition to dance, she is a professional photographer, an urban farmer, and an animal lover.

Anne grew up in a small town in northern Michigan trying every extracurricular she could convince her parents to sign her up for, including baton twirling, competitive swimming, and shot put, but nothing stuck for long. In college, she spent a couple of years powerlifting, but like a lot of people, developed a more sedentary lifestyle when she got a desk job at a local tech company after graduation. Anne had always wanted to try a pole class but finally took the leap in 2017 and unexpectedly fell in love with it. She enjoys fluid movement - both contemporary and sensual - and firmly believes in keeping the “dance” in pole dance. She is passionate about making pole feel accessible to every body and is honored to have the opportunity to share what she loves with others. Outside of the studio, Anne keeps busy raising three kids and running the technology consulting agency she started in 2020.

Originally from the UK, Claire moved to Portland in 2014 and started pole dancing as a way to get in shape and get out and meet new friends. What started out as a bit of fun quickly became a full-blown obsession and she was thrilled to start teaching her own classes in 2016. Over the years Claire has competed and placed in the PSO NW pole competition in Seattle (3rd place in level 3 exotic, 2018) - and become certified in the ElevatEd level one pole teacher training. A life-long lover of music and dancing, Claire is most interested in tapping into her flow state while pole dancing, and connecting with the music. Pole is her passion, and her biggest inspirations are her students and the pole community in Portland and beyond.

Jessica, “Cricket”, AKA that person hanging off of her friend’s shoulders, came across a pole first in a friend’s apartment. She immediately threw herself upside down and then quickly realized she had no idea how to get back to the floor other than just flopping to it. Time to take a pole class! Jessica had no previous experience of dance, gymnastics, or even an inkling of true athleticism. She was the type of person who signed up for sports just to socialize and would end up stopping at a friend’s house to eat cereal during her cross-country practice runs. Pole, however, brought out a hidden athlete, and she continued to explore a wide range of aerial apparatuses, quickly building strength and eventually even a little grace! Jessica especially loves doubles pole and putting together silly routines that combine comedy with strength tricks. Jessica is certified in XPERT Pole Fitness Levels 3&4. Outside of her pole life, she is an operating room nurse, mom, burrito connoisseur, certified personal trainer, lover of all things outside from climbing mountains to rafting, and is on track to apply to veterinary school!

Born and raised in Boise Idaho, Matt's pole journey started with a search for a sport that would bridge the gap between fitness and fun. Like so many others, after his first class fell in love with pole and aerial arts. With no dance, gymnastics, or really any kind of sports background he knew all too well how challenging starting can be, but with dedication and determination, he committed to growing as an artist. After a year and a half of constantly hanging around the studio and joining in every performance opportunity that came his way, he was offered a position as a pole and lyra instructor in Boise. He soon fell in love with teaching at the intro+beginner level and helping new dancers get hooked on the sport -- always striving to help his students conquer their fears, hesitations, and stubborn moves to the best of his ability. He hopes to always continue to grow as an athlete, artist, and teacher with the help of the amazing community he's found through pole.

Jayne started dancing at the age of three and found her first love in ballet. The characters andstorytelling gave her an opportunity to break out of her shell as well as an outlet to explore herself and her relationship to the world around her. After giving up dance to pursue graduate studies and start a career, Jayne found herself in need of a creative outlet in a safe, supportive community. She found pole by accident in 2016 when a silks class didn’t work with her travel schedule – and she never looked back. Pole combined the grace, strength, and storytelling she loved about dance with the challenge of creating movement and flow in a truly three-dimensional space. She started teaching in 2020 and loves nothing more than to help students connect with their bodies and express themselves through dance and pole work. After an adult ASD diagnosis, Jayne also started exploring how to use her experiences to connect with neurodivergent students and meet their learning needs. When not in the studio, Jayne spends her days running a program for a local non-profit and her nights relaxing with her husband and dog.

Shay they/them first discovered pole in 2018 and fell in love with the freedom of expression it brings and the amazing community of humans it attracts. Being able to grow and explore has brought them so much joy but it’s the people they’ve met along the way and made connections with that really enticed them to stay! When Shay isn’t climbing a pole they’re climbing trees for their family-owned tree service called Down To Earth Tree Care!

Kate has been a lifelong dancer with a childhood and adolescence of ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and more, under her belt. However, she had never felt empowered in movement until she started pole dancing. When she started pole in 2017, Kate immediately fell in love with the freedom that pole gave her to explore her own style of movement, and the new form of self love that pole provides. Kate has gone on to win two consecutive gold medals (PSO 2022 Level 3 Exotic, PSO 2023 Level 4 Heels), but much prefers the loving community of the Portland pole scene to the competition stage. Aside from pole, Kate is a major cat lover, an avid baker, and uses her day job in pursuit of greater equity and justice for Oregonian

Shay has spent most of her life in the Portland metro area, exploring various sports and styles of dance before finding her true passion in aerial arts. Inspired by a friend’s mother, she took her first pole class in the summer of 2020 and quickly fell in love with the art form. Her journey expanded in the summer of 2021, when she began performing in a club setting, building her skills both on and off the stage. Since then, she has refined her craft, adding Lyra to her aerial repertoire and working throughout Portland and Miami. She brings a unique perspective to her teaching, blending the energy of both club and studio environments to create a balanced and engaging experience for her students. When she’s not on the pole, you can often find her practicing on her Lyra. Outside of her work in aerial arts, she is a dedicated fashion student and proud pet mom to her dog and cat.

Sydney has been pole dancing in 2019 and loves the strength, confidence, and creative expression that pole represents. She started her pole journey without any prior dance experience and is passionate about ensuring that people from all backgrounds feel welcomed and included in the pole community. She is especially passionate about creating a thriving community within each class and creating modifications as needed for dancers of all levels.

Outside of pole she enjoys climbing, biking, and spending time with her 2 dogs

Originally from Los Angeles, Hayley has been in love with dance and the performing arts for as long as she can remember. She grew up immersed in ballet, contemporary dance, and musical theatre. Through pole dance she has found strength, confidence, and a truly encouraging and accepting community. Ask her to put it simply and she will tell you that for her pole has been the most powerful medicine—healing, empowering, and transformative. Off the pole, Hayley has spent the past 12 years working in the mental health field. Her teaching style mirrors her work in mental health: compassionate, body-positive, and all about meeting students where they are. She’s passionate about creating classes where students can move in ways that feel supportive, playful, and true to them. She is looking forward to seeing you in the studio and can’t wait to help you discover the life changing magic of pole.