Why by Crystal

Studio Owner, Master Teacher with 23 years of Pole Fitness Training.

Owning a studio takes an extreme amount of hard work and dedication. You become a mother to something far bigger than yourself. And just like any other mother, you can’t leave your baby alone for too long without risking its safety and security. When you own a studio, you become its heart, its soul and its survival. And as a studio owner, you MUST create an environment that you want to live in. You speak at the beginning of every class about empowerment, friendship and sisterhood. You talk about a safe space and you say it with conviction and then you LIVE it. You abide by this ethos. And this is how you create and maintain your safe space. As a studio owner and full time teacher, you have the ability to see talent in each and every one of your students. And then there are the few that come through the door or cross your path, and you just see that there is something different about this person(s). Sometimes you can’t quite put your finger on it, you just know that you have to nurture this person(s) and help them grow. You observe their discipline to the art, their heart for the art and how they interact with and support others. You watch to see if they embody the ethos of the studio, and if they are ready and interested in teaching others this beautiful art. Finding good teachers is a process that takes years. And once you’ve found them, you then have to guide them, nurture them and give them everything they need to flourish. Some don’t even have the confidence to believe in themselves yet, they can’t see what I see in them. This is their journey and all you can do is be as patient as possible. One day they will believe and see their uniqueness and talents just as you do. Over the past six years I’ve had the opportunity to invite a handful of people to become teachers. I would start them off with some instruction then have them teach side by side with me for nearly a year, if not more before allowing them their own class. And from there the magic happens. They become more empowered and more connected with their own bodies. They begin to find their own style and what makes them unique and they lean in to it. They lean in on their uniqueness and begin to fine tune it by merging themselves with their favourite sounds and other favourite movement artists. They attend workshops or get together with our other teachers and vibe, create and live their art form. Over time you begin to see their talent flourish and bloom like a flower. Not only does their talent grow as individual dancers, they dive deeper into their roles as instructors. They learn to pull the best out of each student, one class at a time. It’s absolutely amazing to witness them thrive, and an absolute privilege to be part of this journey. Our studio has become a community of women supporting one another, helping each student realise their potential and become a better mover. The more free you feel in your body, the more connected to yourself you become. Your body is the only body you will have in this life, being able to be happy with it is very important. At Fly Girls, we like to celebrate our feminine traits in a safe environment that allows us the opportunity to let loose, be sassy, explore sensual movements, test boundaries and just be a woman. There are not many places in the world that this can be achieved without shame or embarrassment, or just not knowing where to start. Most women come through the door and say “I’m not sexy”, as if they need a disclaimer to let me know they don’t see themselves this way. But I always say, ‘you’re a woman, therefore you’re already sexy.’ Being sexy isn’t about how you are perceived by others, but by the way you feel in your own body and how you perceive yourself. Our goal is to get our girls to feel connected to themselves and believe they have something special to offer. Because let’s face it, we all do. We are all Gods children and made beautiful by being born. So if we can get a student to connect with her body and believe she deserves to have fun, as well as showing how discipline and hard work create aesthetically please shapes, we can get her to feel more confident in herself. This then translates to day to day life outside of the studio as she becomes more confident overall. From there begins a journey of self belief, self discovery and acceptance of the truth that they are sexy just by being who they are. They can let go of feeling the need to prove themselves to others. And they now know they can just show up as themself, and the right person will love them fully for who they are. They then become their true feminine selves. It’s a beautiful process and those who stick it out long enough will see the fruits of their labour. They’ll understand it takes a village to help someone believe in themself and of course, talented teachers who have been on their own journey of self belief. Our Fly Girls all live the ethos every day that the power of girls working together instead of working against one another, is far greater than the jealousy and envy girls often show one another. This goes back to childhood, with young girls comparing themselves to their friends and their peers and making assumptions that they need to look and act a certain way to be liked and accepted. It may seem silly to us now as grown women, but it’s difficult to get your kids to believe you are being truthful in “hyping” them up and not just being their parent. This is one of the many reasons having women who work together and show the value of loving other females and lifting them up is so important. We need to set an example for our young girls through our own actions and friendships. We need to keep the female friendship alive, it’s better for the human race. Stop the jealousy and stop policing female bodies. If we dance we are beautiful, it doesn’t matter if you dance on a floor, with a partner, on a pole or in the sky. Females are beautiful by nature. Build one another up and continue to grow, flourish and be proud to be feminine. 

- CRYSTAL GIBSON (Studio Owner, Creator of Fly Girls Fitness)