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Meet our Amazing Instructors Team! All of our Pole Instructors have a minimum 2 year pole dance history
Sophia Warren
Soon after embarking on a career in Pole Dance in 2000 she realised how fantastic it made people feel to dance and be affirmed for it, and also how quickly it shaped and toned her body and those of the women and men around her – in all the right places! Sophia has studied Anatomy & Physiology, trained with Circus Oz and NICA (the National Institute of Circus Arts), Fat Chance Belly Dance, Body & Pole and many of the worlds most renowned pole, circus and burlesque performers including Felix Cane, Suzie Q & Toby J, Pantera T Blacksmith, Jamilla Deville, Zoraya Judd, Remi Martin, Marlo Fisken, Michelle Natoli, Kristina Nekiya, Sergia Louise Anderson, Oona Kivela, Natasha Wang, Kelly Yvonne, Imogen Kelly and Willow J just to name a few! She has coached students into numerous awards including Judging Credits She was a Finalist in the 2013 Cairns Business Women’s Club Awards and part of the team who won the 2014 Cairns Post Hit Award for Best Stage Show or Theatrical Production for Scandal – A Radical Burlesque She is a qualified X-Pert Pole Fitness Trainer and manages, directs and instructs at Pole Play Studios with the aim of helping others experience the fabulous feeling of getting fit and body proud in this unique and very rewarding way. Having worked full time as a Pole Dance and Fitness Instructor since 2005 Sophia has become the leading professional in her field in North QLD. She has taught in places as far and wide as Northern NSW, Thailand and The Netherlands and is known for high quality instruction and for being able to ‘fast track’ both students who are purely after some fun and fitness and also those who are looking to work in the industry. Sophia performs and produces both individually and collaboratively with other local and international artists. Keep your eyes open for her inspiring shows! See her on Instagram here |
Sandra Schmidt
Fast becoming an intrinsic part of the PPS family, Sandra is a dedicated student and quickly became one of our top performers. A natural teacher she has a passion for fitness and freestyle and is currently training for pole competitions and showcases. She holds Certificates 3 and 4 in Fitness, is a Certified Metafit Instructor, a Level 2 Certified Animal Flow Instructor, a Certified Calisthenics Instructor and TRX Suspension Training Instructor. Check out her Instagram here Sandra has performed at Encore! Sydney Pole Show, The Cairns Casino and Center of Contemporary Arts and is building a career as a performer and personal and dance trainer.
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Lucy Shaw
Lucy first discovered pole in 2014 when she and her sister attended a class in the hope to find a form of exercise to do together that was more exciting than going to the gym. Lucy was completely hooked and knew she wanted to make this her career. Lucy’s sister flourished with pole, nailing trick after trick with ease. Lucy was not quite as natural on the pole, she remembers thinking she would never get some of the moves that her sister could do but she had so much fun learning and socialising with her new pole friends that she did not let it stop her. The support and encouragement from her instructors and her peers inspired Lucy not to give up, and sure enough after months of bruises and dizziness, it finally started to click. It is because of this that Lucy understands how hard it can be in the beginning, and that everybody progresses at different rates. She remembers every milestone trick in her training with pride and now hopes to empower her students to achieve the things they believed they never could. Lucy qualified as a Pole Instructor in 2017. She has competed in a couple of UK competitions but her real love is performing for fun and she loves nothing more than to be amongst the buzz backstage before a show! Lucy is experienced in Burlesque, Chair Dance, Acrobalance, Calisthenics and Flexibility Training and has background in fitness. She is a qualified Personal Trainer and has certificates in Gym Instructing and Exercise to Music. See her on Instagram here “I am excited to be joining such a fantastic studio and cannot wait to meet like minded dancers who are as passionate as I am about this sport!” |
Shannon Beu
As a teenager her passion for dance continued to grow which led her to explore other forms of dance such as burlesque, bellydance, exotic dance, contemporary, funk, tap, jazz, zumba and salsa. During this time she also attained formal qualifications achieving her Advanced Certificate in Imperial Modern Dance Society and Intermediate Certificate with the Royal Academy of Ballet Dance. Shannon’s love of the stage has seen her perform in many local and interstate productions. Shannon began teaching and choreographing in 1999 and has never looked back. She has taught students of all ages at numerous dance schools around Australia. Shannon’s pole training began in 2009 at Bobbis Pole Dancing Studio in Perth. From her very first class and experience she was hooked! She knew that this was the ultimate style of dance!! In 2013 she competed as an Australian Natural Body Building Sports Model and in 2014 as a WFF Fitness Model and in 2015 she won 1st Place in the Open Bikini Section of the Australian Natural Bodybuilding Coral Coast Competition in Townsville! She is looking forward to entering her first pole competition. “My favourite thing about pole dancing, is the moment that I step through the door, I feel free of everyday stressors and enter a world of happiness and freedom in a non-judgemental environment. I also LOVE the fact, that you feel SUPER sexy and very confident within yourself as a person and your body.” |
Jennifer Hall
Growing up in Sydney, Jen relocated to Cairns to work on the Great Barrier Reef in 2015. Her work took priority for a while, but she fell in love with dance again when she tried pole at PPS for the first time! She has a strong technical background with 15 years of training at Sandra Ward School of Dance, where she also taught the younger classes, learning the Cecchetti Method of Ballet. Throughout her dance years she has been presented with opportunities to perform and compete to increase her stage presence, challenge her creativity and build team bonding with her dance family. Known onstage as Lorelei you can check out her instagram here Jen’s style is heavily influenced by the familiar shapes and fluidity of classical ballet, with a modern twist to help to tell engaging stories when she is on stage. “I love performing because we can express ourselves in such a way that makes the audience also feel a particular way. Pole dance is incredible as there are so many unique styles and other branches of dance that I have been exposed to, from sexy floor work, to graceful aerial hoop, and everything in between!” |
Jess Hodges
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Amanda McCormack
Amanda McCormack has been teaching different movement styles on land and water for nearly 40 years! She began training in gymnastics when she was 5 years old and teaching at 16 and spent 5 years managing a gymnastics facility in Richmond VA, USA. In 1995 she moved to Cairns and began teaching at Barron Valley Gymnastics Club as well as running the After-School Program at Freshwater State School. In early 2019 Amanda started to practice pole dance for fitness and she fell in love with the strength, grace, flexibility, and fun. Amanda has a Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Physical Education, holds Certificates 4 in Fitness and Training and Assessment and is currently undertaking her Teacher Training Program at Pole Play Studios. See her on Instagram here “I am excited to combine my gymnastics and body movement experience with Pole Sports and start training up the next generation of Pole Sports athletes!” Jude Perrett
Jude was introduced to pole by a friend in 2008 and has never looked back. She is an International Pole Sports Federation Level Two Judge and a Qualified IPSF Coach. Currently, she is throwing her heart and soul into making the Australian Pole Sports Federation a success, to enable Australian pole athletes to enter the Olympics when pole reaches this ultimate goal. See her on Instagram here Jude’s Titles
Malikah Brown
Malikah grew up in Phoenix Arizona, dancing from the age of 3. It all started with her family chanting “Go Malikah! It’s your birthday!” From there she started moving and has never stopped! With a background in Hip Hop, Caribbean Dancehall and Twerking, Malikahs love for dance has seen her perform in many local and intercity productions from the dance team in highschool to the WNBA Phoenix Mercury Hip Hop Squad. Alongside her passion for dance, Malikah has a strong interest in health and wellness for mind and body. She has studied Kundalini Yoga, practices meditation often and has been a licensed massage therapist for over 7 years. A free spirit with great ambition, Malikah is excitedly building her career as a personal dance trainer. See her on Instagram here “I feel that with an Afro/Latin/Caribbean bloodline, dance is naturally a part of my cultural identity. My favourite things about Twerking are the freedom of movement and the divine feminine expression.”
Amy D
She has an extensive background in gymnastics where she trained and competed for 11 years, reaching level 10 and representing NSW and Australia at the National Level Championships 4 years in a row. She then went on to coach gymnastics for a further 10. Amy has been poling at Pole Play for 7 years and has become one of our top performers, instructors and competitive athletes. See her on Instagram here Amy’s Titles |
Pole Play Studios
Cairns Pole Dance & Burlesque classes
