Instructors

Founder

Angela started poling in 2012 after she was invited to go with a friend who had a Groupon. She was instantly hooked beyond repair! However, with two small children and a career as a pharmaceutical chemist, there just wasn't time to drive an hour each way to the nearest pole studio. So she and her husband created Aerial Arts Fitness to bring pole fitness to this part of the state and provide a safe and fun atmosphere to continue training. Angela's dance training started in 2009 when she began belly dancing as a creative outlet and a way to increase coordination. She danced and performed with Studio Desmeen until the close of that studio in 2015.  Angela is an Xpert and ElevatED certified pole instructor. She mostly teaches private lessons and an occasional Acro Balance workshop. She also co-instructs our AAF Instructor Certification Program with Jenn.

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Outside the studio, Angela is an avid equestrian and enjoys many disciplines with her mare Tanzia and has recently started training and competing in equestrian vaulting. 

Owner

Jenn started poling with us in the summer of 2013. When we introduced Lyra in the studio she immediately knew she had a passion for the hoop! She is a certified aerial hoop instructor through Atmosphere Fitness. She teaches our Lyra (aerial hoop), aerial hammock, silks and static trapeze classes. Jenn is also a skilled flying trapeze artist! Jenn played an integral role in getting our studio through the COVID-19 pandemic and took on the role of Studio Manager in 2020.  Her dedication and great ideas keep our studio running smoothly. Jenn also co-instructs our AAF Instruction Certification Program with Angela.

Rachel has been dancing since the age of 8 and has been part of the AAF family since 2018 when she joined the dance troupe. Over the last two years, she has found her passion for pole and aerial hammock, and has trained on every apparatus in the studio! She loves the wide variety of classes that the studio offers. She enjoys teaching Beginner Pole Dance and Aerial Hammock and loves watching her students grow and learn. Outside of the studio, She is a tattoo artist.

Ashley has been taking pole classes at AAF since shortly after the opening.  She instantly fell I love with pole and couldn't wait to learn and accomplish a new challenge.  Ashley is married to her husband Joel for 14 years and has two daughters, Bryn (12) and Camryn (9) who also love to do all the aerials!  She grew up dancing (ballet, tap, jazz, modern) and on stage doing community theater.  Ashley is now a pediatric physical therapist and works with physically challenged children in a school setting.  Ashley has never stopped loving all things fitness and continues to share her passion with everyone in her classes. She is the choreographer for our Troupe and also teaches Introduction to Pole Dance and her signature class Pole Strong. Besides pole and  choreography, Ashley loves to run and fly trapeze.

Julie started taking aerial classes at AAF in 2016. She was looking for a fun and different approach to build muscle and stay fit. She had been an aerobics and kickboxing instructor for 15 years. She fell in love the very first class! Currently, she works as an ultrasound technologist. She is a Navy veteran of 20 years and mother of 4.  Julie has a passion for pole fitness and dancing and feels extremely lucky to be able to share this passion as an instructor. Julie is CirqFIT Pole Teacher Certified and she teaches Beginner and  Intermediate Pole Dance and Hell on Heels. 

Hazel and Cashew are the most popular instructors at the studio! They will be the first ones to great you at the door!  If you have allergies or fears of cats- please let the studio know and we will make sure they are in their room.

McKayla is the studio cat wrangler.  

Liz took her first pole class in the summer of 2018 and was immediately hooked. She burned through a 5-class package and immediately signed up for an unlimited membership. She has tried every apparatus AAF has to offer and has taken over 1000 classes, but her love has always been pole. She dreamed of becoming a pole instructor and completed the first Aerial Arts Fitness Instructor Certification in 2021 to make that dream come true. She now teaches Introduction to Pole Dance and Introduction to Heels classes. 

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Before starting pole, Liz was going through a rough patch after finishing her master's degree. She had lost her spark and was lonely and unhappy. Through pole and AAF, not only did she find a great place to work out, but she found her passion and has made some of the best friends of her life. It's not an exaggeration to say that pole and AAF changed her life, entirely for the best!

Madison started her aerial journey in the beginning of 2021.  She was afraid of going upside down but that would not stop her from reaching her goals! You can find Madison in the aerial room instructing aerial hammock, Intro to silks, and Flex & stretch.  She is currently working on her YTT200 hour program. In the fall- Madison will be instructing bungee fitness!

AJ started her Aerial Arts journey in 2020, expecting to check one class off her bucket list. Instead, she fell in love. The more classes she took, the more she wanted to have her life centered around aerial arts. After taking the Aerial Arts Instructor Certification, she was so excited  to start working at AAF. It has helped her to become so much more comfortable and happier with herself, and she aspires to do the same thing through instructing. Besides aerial arts, she loves traveling and adventuring, reading and writing, photography, and animals. Being able to incorporate animals and aerial arts as the main sources of happiness and being able to make a living from them is her goal in life.

Cheryl started coming to the studio in 2021. She couldn’t find time to go to her yoga class and was looking for something to keep her active. Cheryl instructs intro to pole Sunday mornings. You will leave her class feeling sexy and accomplished! 

Becca started silks in 2021. Recovering from an injury from roller derby, Becca decided she needed a new challenge! 

Elyssa has been dancing her whole life and decided to join us at the studio in 2018. Elyssa is the  choreographer for  the elite dance troupe that performs at our showcases. When troupe is not in session, Elyssa instructs acro chair, contemporary pole, chair hip hop and more! Outside of dancing, Elyssa is a very talented tattoo artist at her studio black velvet ink!

Zoe's fitness journey began in the gym as a weight lifter. She started pole in 2018 when she saw a friend post about it on social media and she instantly fell in love! Zoe loves pole but has recently been exploring all that AAF has to offer in other disciplines too. Zoe teaching Beginner and Intermediate Pole dance. She enjoys watching her students learn and seeing the excitement on their faces when they get that trick they've been working on!

Cammy took her first pole class at AAF in 2017 and fell in love with it right away. She loves the confidence that pole has given her and seeing that confidence in others as well.  She especially enjoys flips, drops, and strength-based tricks and helping students achieve their own goals.  Cammy completed the Aerial Arts Fitness Instructor Certification in 2021. She is also a mom and enjoys nature hikes with her son in her free time. 

Fred Maerkle is knowledgeable and well versed in many healing modalities. He is a Usui Holy Fire II Reiki Master/Teacher, Kundalini Reiki Master, Certified Biofield Tuning practitioner, Certified VFRT & Gua Sha Therapist, Certified Tui Na practitioner, & Certified Tibetan Singing Bowl Master Healer. He works individual healing sessions specializing in IASTM (Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization) and Vibrational Sound Therapy. It is common that clients may have multiple or complex conditions that they would like to have addressed. He starts a client session with a quick 2 – 3 minute consult to determine what issues they would like to me to focus on, and ofttimes will customize the session treatment based on their needs. The customized sessions can include not only physical issues, but also can address emotional and spiritual issues all in the same session. Fred also does group sound healing meditation sessions in public, private, and corporate sectors.

Web: www.ZentasticWellness.com