Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Martinez also known as “Nessi”.
Hi Nessi, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my pole fitness journey in the summer of 2016 at Exotic Workouts studio in Palm Beach County and I fell in love with the athleticism and beauty of the sport. I have somewhat of an athletic background but the strength and flexibility required to do pole challenged and fascinated me. It quickly became a daily hobby for me, especially after getting a pole installed in my garage. A few months later into my journey I became a teacher at the studio, where I taught for about 5 years until earlier this year.
During my years as a student and a teacher, I realized how this sport was so empowering and gave students so much confidence. It can change your life and your outlook on it. Pole fitness is very versatile. It can be many things: sexy, strong, and acrobatic. I love the aerial community and started exploring other modalities, like Lyra and aerial hammocks. Aerial Fitness is so fun and freeing. I love flying or dancing in the air. It combines everything I loved growing up: gymnastics, dance, and ballet. I had found my passion as an adult and a new life purpose.
In the summer of 2022, I finally decided to open my studio with the help of my husband and partner, Chris. It was very daunting and scary but we leaped! We found a great location in Boca Raton and moved full speed with the demolition and build-out after signing the lease. That’s how AirDance Fitness was born. I was able to network and meet some wonderful teachers and students who became a part of my team, and for whom I’m so grateful.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There are many ups and downs with opening a studio. You need a lot of faith and patience, as well as consistently moving forward. There was a lot on the line, so all we could do is keep going, rolling with the punches as we faced obstacles. It’s tough opening a business post covid. It was hard to find people to help, get shipments on time, or get prices within our budget.
That’s why we are so grateful for friends that came through to help us when it came to resources, advice, and their time to help us build the studio. A lot of it is listening to your intuition and trusting that you are being guided by the universe and God. It could be the best and worst of times. In the end, the wisdom and knowledge you gain, as well as the great people you meet along the way, make it all worth it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about AirDance Fitness LLC?
AirDance Fitness is a pole and aerial studio in Boca Raton, FL. We just opened at the beginning of October of this year. As of right now, we offer Pole, Aerial Conditioning, Lyra Hoop, flexibility, and cardio & toning classes. We also offer Chair and Floor Work/Dance classes. Our studio is so versatile; the vibe is very welcoming and super encouraging and positive.
We realize how intimidating pole fitness can seem. We want to make sure students feel comfortable and have a great experience visiting our studio. I love the different types of classes. Our instructors are so talented and have so much to offer with their distinct backgrounds and charismatic personalities. I am so proud of the team we are building. We offer some Pole classes that are more about sport and power spins, but we also offer Lyrical Pole, which combines elements of contemporary dance, drama, and musicality.
We also offer exotic-style pole, floor, and chair classes, for students that love to feel sexy and wear platform heels and such. We just added an Acro Style Floor dance class, for students to be able to express themselves through lyrical dance and also learn acrobatic tricks on the floor. One thing is for sure, regardless of the type of class students choose, they’re all great workouts and fitness classes.
We strive to challenge our students and make sure they get properly warmed up, do conditioning exercises, and are safely guided through these tricks and moves. There is much more coming to our studio as far as more classes and more aerial apparatuses. We are building the type of studio I would like to take classes from every day, ha!
What do you think about luck?
I don’t know if it’s luck, but I would say I’m lucky to have found the great location we are in right now, and lucky to have networked and found such a great support team of teachers and students. It all happened at the right time when I found my pole teachers.
Also, before I decided on even opening a studio, I started going to Lyra hoop classes just to learn because I always wanted to. I guess you could say I was lucky to meet our 2 Lyra Hoop teachers, who knew many aerialists and sort of guided me into the Lyra Hoop modality for the studio, and who are so talented in many other ways too!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.airdancefitness.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/airdancefitness
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/airdancefitness
- Tiktok: @airdancefitness
Image Credits
Chase Rossman, C.D.R. Visuals, and @artstillinmotion
