Hi, I'm Jess. Most people call me Miss J.

I started dancing professionally in 2001, as an exotic dancer in Toronto. That's where I fell in love with pole, long before anyone was calling it fitness. Dancing took me to Paris, then London, where I spent seven years performing across the UK as a featured entertainer and pole artist.

Those years taught me everything: how to command a stage, how to read a room, and how much strength it takes to make something look effortless. Most of all, they taught me what happens when someone stops apologizing for their body and starts owning it.

In 2009 I became a certified pole instructor. In 2010 I came home and opened AVA. I wanted a place where you could be strong and soft, athletic and sensual, and never have to choose.

Sixteen years later, I've built a team of amazing instructors, and together we've taught more than 10,000 students. We've watched people cry the first time they get upside down, cheered competitors to the top of the podium, and put on over 50 showcases. Along the way I've mentored a whole new generation of instructors. I was also the pole choreographer for Jenna Dewan (yes, Step Up Jenna Dewan) on the film Let's Get Physical, and Jennifer Irwin's dance double, which is still one of the wildest sentences I get to say.

I'm proud of where pole comes from. I've always stood with sex workers, and I always will. They built this art form. My job is to honour that while showing the world what pole really is: art, athleticism, and a whole lot of joy.

If you've been thinking about trying a class but feel nervous, I get it. Everyone in this studio once stood exactly where you are. Come as you are. We'll take it from there.

See you on the pole,
Miss J