Kristen of The Toy Box Pole Studio

You have been through a lot with your pole studio -- I thought I had heard somewhere four name changes?? 

No always The Toy Box Pole Studio

Tell us about your experiences and what your studio is named now. 

I started as a Personal Trainer and fell in love with Pole when it came into the fitness industry. The gym I started teaching Pole at sold and my bestie said I should focus on just Pole so I did. I have never regretted my change. I still am a trainer just with different type of equipment. The reason I had to change locations is because people in Washington are a little conservative and were afraid of what others would think. But I am now in a location where it was a traditional studio and the owners loved the idea of it being a working dance studio again.

What did you do before opening your pole studio?

I have been an AFAA cert trainer since 1994 and keep my cert because I believe it is important to know how NOT to hurt someone when doing fitness.

What first interested you about pole dancing?

The FUN!

What is your fitness routine (on and off the pole)? 

I do my Pole 3-4 days a week, yoga 1 day a week, & hula hoop dance/sport 2-3 days.

Do you compete (pole fitness or any other kind of fitness competitions)? 

No, I got started late in the sport so am a bit older than the average competitor...but encourage my younger girls if they want to.

It feels like the pro/competition pole dancers are all going the route of contortion and extreme tricks. Do you feel like something is lost from pole dancing when it is all tricks and no dance? 

I have always liked the power of gymnastics but think that the moves extreme or not can always have a level of grace and art not just power, if the dancer is a true artist.

Do you have any upcoming events you'd like people to know about? 

We just re-activated my dance team, Pole Vixens and are trying to build shows local and traveling, but nothing on the calendar yet. We just finished our FB fan page [recently].

What else would you like people to know about you or your studio?

That I grew up in a traditional studio and want my customer base to be serious students long term to learn as much as they can so I keep my prices a little more affordable so people can afford to stay longer. My average student stay is over a year, both for fitness and fun. My students always achieve their goals they set out for!