VERTICAL Desires X Cast
Friday Night - 8/25/23
Alethea Austin
After winning the title of US Pole Dance Champion in 2010. Alethea quickly became a cult favorite with a massive following both inside and beyond the pole dance community. She has performed with some of the world's biggest artists and traveled extensively to more than 400 gyms and studios around the globe teaching her signature workshops. As one of the original pioneers and creators of the movement style we witness today, Alethea remains a revered OG in the world of pole dance.
Karol Helms
Karol Helms is a Charlotte, NC native who was a pioneer in the early days ofthe pole dance fitness movement. On stage for 15 years, she is a world-renowned pole dance legend who has travelled the world performing onstage, judging pole dance competitions, and sharing her craft throughclasses and workshops geared toward pole enthusiasts of all levels. She is known for her sexy, sassy pole dance style on stage and for her quirky, downto earth personality off stage. Karol teaches at Inner Diva Fitness in Charlotte, NC and produced the queen city’s first pole dance and aerial show called Odd Ones Out. When she’s not traveling, Karol performs locally as “the pole girl” at many local produced shows.
Leah Franklin
Leah grew up in Columbia, Missouri while studying dance & theater her entire life. She graduated with a BFA in dance from Stephens College and eventually found herself joining the Muse family—at first as a student, then as a teacher, and now is manager. Leah has been pole dancing for 9 years now all while competing, performing, and teaching all over the nation. She recently started her own production and entertainment company, Bittersweet Productions. Her favorite professional endeavor is co-choreographing and performing in the annual #professionallysexy show, Vertical Desires.
Shay Williamson
Shay Williamson has taken on the pole and circus community with ambition and grit. She is the owner of Kairos Fitness, Utah's Largest pole and aerial studio; the owner of Dew Point Products, a premium, minimalist, grip aid for all athletes, and the Current owner of PoleActive, an online clothing brand for Every Body. Celebrating diversity and uniqueness in our community. Shay has an extensive dance background, a certified personal trainer, an International pole champion, show producer and a widely diverse instructor and performer. She has headlined and guest performed on dozens of stages (Including Vertical Desires!) in multiple apparatuses and in many disciplines. And is beyond thrilled and honored to be back on the VD stage for such a special show with SO MANY brilliant Headliners and performers!
Abbey Eff
Abbey Eff is known for putting on a saucy & killer show with her combination of dynamic movement & buttery flow. Abbey is the 2021 Dance Filthy USA Champion, the 2018 Australia Dance Filthy Champion & most recently is the The 2022 DownTown Cabaret Ultimate Showdown Champion! She’s performed with Snoop Dogg multiple times & She has been slaying the pole for a full ass decade now. She loves to teach and guide and bring to others what pole and dancing has brought her - confidence, sensuality, and a boss ass bitch attitude. You catch her online classes through Pole Dance Academy, Team Basework & she teaches, pole, stretch, and hosts challenges on her App “Rad As Eff”.
Kirstie Ellerbe
Kirstie Ellerbe is an award winning pole artist based in St. Louis, Missouri. She has performed and competed nationally. Her most recent performances include the 2023 Show Me Burlesque Festival, 2022 Dance Filthy USA, The 15th Annual Mynx Extravaganza, and 2022 Headliner of Babes in Dreamland. You can find her instructing classes online and in person at Mynx Academy of Pole Dance in St. Louis. Kirstie is honored to dance again for Vertical Desires and plans to bring her most fluid, ethereal, genuine, sensual self to the stage!
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Kushina
Kushina is known as the ninja for shape shifting her movement. She is classically trained, but found her pole love in the club. She worked and studied her way into opening a studio 10 years later @ninja_pole_fitness in North Fort Myers, Florida. It was set to open January 2020 but Covid paused the opening. Luckily in August 2020 the Ninja Family started. Now she continues to build her Sanctuary with love, growth and purpose. Kushina has performed in Bad to the Chrome 2019 to 2023, Nocturnaelle Pole Showcase 2019, Lux Pole Cabaret 2021. She has competed in and placed in Dance Filthy Pro 2021 (3rd) and 2022 (2nd), PSO 2018 Exotic (1st) and 2022 Dramatic (3rd), Haute Velour Miss Carnal 2022, and many more.
Lindsay Olsen
Lindsay resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she is a local performer and instructor at Dollhouse Pole Dance Studio. She has shared the stage on 4/20 with Snoop Dogg, performed for the ravers at Electric Forest, and was crowned Miss Arizona Bike Week 2023 thanks to her pole skills! She is extremely honored and excited to be a part of this year's Vertical Desires with the rest of the amazing cast!
Saturday Night - 8/26/23
Anna Kia
AnnaKia a.k.a. Bae’Lien is an out of this world experience based out of Los Angeles, CA. She has been vibing to the beat of her own drum and etching out her lane within the Sensual Arts, specializing in performance and nurturing new artists to cultivate there own style. In 2012, she began her pole dancing journey. It as taking her places she never imagined, across the Seas and across the country to new friends and new stages. She is deeply passionate about helping her students their OWN voice within their movement.
Jordan Mazur
Jordan Mazur is the owner of Muse Pole Fitness and creator of Vertical Desires. She fell in love with pole while in her classical dance journey, and after turning to pole dancing full time she wanted a way to mesh what pole had to offer by creating a fully sexy professional show. Jordan has many competitive titles including 2018 North American Pole Dance Champion, 2018 Pole Theatre Canada Pro Art Champion, 2017 GPC Floorwork and Low Flow Champion, and 2017 CPC Exotic Champion. She cannot wait to bring this new, sexy edition of Vertical Desires to the stage.
Melissa Schrader
Melissa Schrader currently resides in Chicago, IL where she began pole dancing 13 years ago. Dancing quickly became her favorite creative outlet. Melissa has performed and competed in many shows throughout the years and is a two time Great Midwest Pole Dance Champion. She is honored to perform on the Vertical Desires stage for the 3rd time along side her dear friends and mentors in this unforgettable show.
Michelle Mynx
Photo & bio coming soon
Bailey El. Ex.
Bailey El. Ex. is a St. Louis based pole dancer. She co-owns Rebelle Fitness in Washington, MO and owns her own performance venue, Aurora STL. Her fondness for exotic styles has influenced the way she dances including combining sexy movements with fast, dynamic combos. When she isn’t dancing and running her businesses, she is napping with her dogs and trying to conquer her TBR.
Mayhem
Mayhem grew up in Davis, California before moving to Salt Lake City, Utah to get their BFA in Ballet where she currently resides. While in college, she fell in love with pole dancing and the empowerment of sexy performance. Mayhem recently began teaching at Kairos Fitness where her pole journey began and finds joy helping their students develop their own styles and bloom into self-confidence. They continue to integrate and mesh all of their movement training together and, as a performer, strives to draw the audience into her world to create an intimate experience - no matter how large the space is. Vertical Desires is Mayhem's first foray as a pole artist outside of her home base and they are thrilled to take the stage with so many incredible performers.
Sarah Wolf
Sarah Wolf is a lifelong dancer turned Slinky Seductress by pole in 2013. She’s looking forward to showing you the freaky deek that lies within of every ethereal goddess.
Toni Walker
Toni Walker is a Pole and Dance performer, artist and instructor based in Brooklyn, New York. Toni Walker has performed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and internationally. They spent 2021 teaching pole in Italian in Bologna, Italy. While abroad, Toni traveled to Berlin, Germany and Turin, Italy to teach her signature heels workshops. They have been practicing freestyle movement methods for 13 years and began pole dancing about 5 years ago. Toni finds freedom in pushing boundaries and diving deep into exploration regardless of the medium. They value growth, continuous streams of learning & are constantly looking to challenge their perspective on movement.
VDX GROUP PERFORMERS:
Abby White, Amanda Griffin, Arri, Becky D, Caitlyn Hulett, Cathy Rose, Chloe S, Dan Ampong-O’Connor, Dana Danielle, Emily, Fiadh Dubois, Hannah Anderson, Hilary Jade, Jasmine White, Jesse Ashby, Kaitlyn Genereux, Katy Stevens, Kayla, Kendra Jones, Leah Franklin, Lily Williams, Madison Thompson, Mallory Barnes, Moxie Havoc, Ryn Static, Sophie Marie, Tess Killmade, Vikki V, XXXTINA
Previous soloists include:
Abbey Eff, Alethea Austin, Anna Kia, Bailey Elizabeth, Brian Wolf, Brittnai Pytlar, Bunni Thompson, Carly Child, Dalton Rhodes, Danielle Violet Carroll, Dark Angel, Duo Lila, Elizabeth Carmine Black, Elizabeth Tuazon, Gemma Lux, Highly Unstable, Hilary Jade, Jordan Kensley, Jordan Mazur, Karol Helms, Kirstie Ellerbe, Kyrsten Grimm, Leah Franklin, Lisa Michelle, Lyndi Rongisch, Mel Hyde, Melissa Schrader, Michelle Mynx, Morphine Contortion, Natalya Nightshade, Natasha Wang, Rachele Ribera, Sarah Jade, and Shay Williamson