All Pole Fitness Ottawa instructors at Cherry Blossom Studio are certified in CPR, First Aid, AED and all adhere by the guidelines of their profession.
Andrea Harper
Owner/ Pole Fitness Instructor
Andrea learned pole dancing while living in New York City and has taken advanced workshops with some of the industry’s top professionals such as Jenyne Butterfly, Alethea Austin(US Pole Dance Federation Champion 2010) , Karol Helms (USPDF Miss Sexy 2010), Marlo Fisken, Emil Valentino, Bendy Kate and Josiah “Bad Azz” Grant. She has been pole dancing for fitness, for over 8 years and Instructing since 2008. In September 2010 Andrea competed in Miss Pole Dance Canada and since has found enjoyment in performing at Cherry Blossom Showcases and venues around Ottawa and Quebec! She has also judged the Just For Laughs (JFL) Pole Fitness Competition in Montreal, organized the very first Ontario Pole Fitness Championship in 2012 bringing pole fitness competitions to Eastern Canada and judged the Quebec Pole Fitness Championships in 2015. Andrea is a Certified Personal Trainer Specialist since 2008, Certified Nutrition and Wellness Specialist since 2009 with Can-Fit-Pro and is a Certified Pole Fitness Instructor, Aerial Hoop and Aerial Yoga Instructor with PFIC and is also on the Board of Directors for PFIC Canada. Andrea’s Pole Dancing experience and Personal Training experience helped her realize her dream of opening Cherry Blossom Pole Dancing Studio. She received her Creative Arts Degree from Ottawa School of Art . Her inspirations for creative pole performances are evident through her artistic personality and professional background. Andrea has designed Cherry Blossom Studio as a place for women to let their bodies bloom!
Rio Beatty (Bilingual)
Pole Fitness and Aerial Silks Instructor
Rio fell in love with pole dancing in 2014 after her first class at Cherry Blossom Studio. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with a major in Women’s Studies.Rio grew up playing ringette, rugby and volleyball, and found a familiar comfort in the supportive female environment of her new-found pole family. Rio loves performing and has taken the stage for Cherry Blossom Showcases, Ottawa’s Sexapalooza, Giovanni’s Italian week pop-up nightclub, and the Canadian Aerial Championships where she took second place in her division. Rio uses her passion for the stage to motivate and challenge herself to continue improving. She loves incorporating shoes bangs and drops into her high-energy routines. Rio recently received her PFIC Pole Fitness Instructor certification and cannot wait to begin sharing her passion with others.
Randi Rouge
Burlesque Instructor
Randi Rouge is a burlesque and PFIC certified pole instructor. She has performed at Nature Nocturne, Sexapalooza and Burlesque Idol. She will be in the Ottawa Burlesque Festival in Sept and you can catch her at the bi-monthly show, An Evening of Sin at the Rainbow Bistro.
Sophie Goulet
Aerial Silks and Hoop Instructor
Sophie has been intrigued by circus arts since childhood. She has a background in tap, ballet, jazz, belly dance and hip hop as well as competitive sports such as track and field, basketball, baseball and soccer. Sophie also has experience personal training at Goodlife, flexibility through Defying Fitness and recently received her Aerial Yoga certification from PFIC Canada. Sophie likes teaching because she gets to share her passion with her students. Sophie enjoys circus arts so much that she is planning to go to the National Circus School in Montreal.
Dominique Seguin
Pole Fitness Instructor
Dominique fell in love with pole dancing in 2014 while attending her first class at Cherry Blossom. She has always been really active, enjoys outdoor activities such as rock climbing, snowboarding, scuba diving and any kind of crazy stuff that involves a good boost of adrenaline! She is a certified PFIC instructor and can’t wait to get certified for more. “My pole journey started with the decision to try, so should yours.”
Chelsea McNamara
Aerial Exchange
Chelsea studies history and political science at the University of Ottawa and has a background in gymnastics, ballet and lyrical dance.
She started dancing at Cherry Blossom in 2015, looking to gain strength, increase flexibility, foster creativity and basically challenge the laws of gravity.
Chelsea started with pole exclusively but has since embraced other programs offered at Cherry Blossom, such as aerial silks.
She hopes to perform competitively and inspire others. Her future goals include being the youngest PM to hold office while simultaneously instructing on the side!
Zurabi Velazquez
Aerial Exchange
Zurabi studied Art History specialized in Mesoamerican Art. She has been influenced by dance and music since she was a kid. She has a background in Tango, Flamenco and Mexican Folkloric dance. Her hobbies include Surfing and Bodysurfing. After her first class at Cherry Blossom she fell in love with Aerial silks. The beauty of movement through aerial dance on the silks is a Magical blissful feeling.
Kaitlyn Shute
Aerial Exchange
Kaitlyn is a graduate of Carleton University with a degree in Criminology. She started dancing at Cherry Blossom Studio in the summer of 2015 and hasn’t looked back since. She initially joined with an interest to gain strength and new friendships. Little did she know that she’d be gaining so much more in such a short amount of time. Kaitlyn loves the confidence that pole and aerial dance instills in women and thinks it’s something every woman should consider trying. Kaitlyn has aspirations of joining the RCMP and becoming a certified pole instructor and competitor.