Meet your kick-ass teachers
Picture courtesy of A. Nielsen Photography
Jessica - @iamjessicanielsen
Pole dance - Exotic Pole
A word about Jessica
Hi there! I’m Jessica, and I am the founder of The Pole Temple. As a child, I was a little monkey and I liked to climb up trees, rather than play with dolls. I did gymnastics until 10 years old, and took hip-hop dance classes until 18 years old.
I discovered poledancing in 2012, and I got hooked on my very first class. It is such a fun sport, and at the same time it is challenging. I decided to compete in my first championship in 2014, and then again in 2016 and 2019. I started teaching in 2015.
Over the years, I started practicing Exotic Pole with heels on, and that felt like a whole new discipline to learn. It is more about dancing, having a sexy attitude, and paying attention to the smallest details, like your hair flick and staying on the tip of the shoes.
Pole dance and Exotic pole have brought me a level of self-confidence I didn't know I could have. I am forever grateful for having been introduced to these disciplines. The international community of pole dancers is one of the most supportive ones you will ever come across. Practicing pole has brought me many friends, and I've had the opportunity to meet incredible souls.
In 2019, I won 3rd place at the Belgian Pole Dance Championship in the Professional category & 4th place in the Exotic Professional category. In 2022, I placed 1st at the Mystique Art competition in the Netherlands, in the Exotic “Flow & Art” category (professionals). I like flexible tricks and splits, spinning combos, as well as the sensual side of pole.
Jessica currently teaches the Pole Beginners 1 & 2 level, Exotic Pole 1, Exotic Pole 2, and Open Level class, as well as the rolling Exotic classes (Floorwork & Elements).
A word about Ruby
Ruby started at an early age with classical and modern dance, which evolved to contemporary later on. She finished her training at Performact in Portugal and has been working with several Belgian companies through the years. Ruby has a love for acrobatics, floorwork and partnering. She likes to combine this all with a sauce of flexibility.
She started teaching the Strength & Flex class at The Pole Temple in 2022, a class that focuses on strength conditioning for pole as well as improving overall flexibility, so as to create beautiful lines on the pole.
After about a year of taking pole & exotic pole classes, Ruby started teaching her first choreographies on heels in the Exotic Pole 1 class, where she unleashes her creativity and can let her love for movement flow with a dash of sensuality.
Find Ruby every other Wednesday at The Pole Temple for a themed Pole class (choreo, low flow, handstands), and for the Strength & Flex class.
Picture courtesy of Willeke Wouters
Ruby - @colleruby
Strength & Flex - Exotic Pole
Picture courtesy of William Linthout Fotografie
Katrien - @katrien__dekeyser
Pole dance
A word about Katrien
Katrien's sporty journey started when she was 6 and her parents put her in the local gymclub. After only a few lessons she got moved to the competition team because of her flexibility.
At the age of 14 she started dancing. She followed ballet classes, jazz and hiphop, and was also part of the core team of the school. At 24, she decided to take up another dancing style: salsa, in which she found a new passion.
In 2016 she discovered pole, a sport that changed her life. It started with one class per week, but soon also workshops, more classes in different schools, going to pole camps, trying pole with heels and enjoying chair dance workshops. She followed classes in international schools like Studio Françoise (Paris) and Pole Dance Factory (Amsterdam) and takes any opportunity to follow workshops with international teachers.
She has been teaching pole dance and flexibility in Leuven for a few years now and has taught in several schools in Brussels.
Pole dance changed her life for the better in all possible ways and she wants her students to experience the same. At The Pole Temple, she currently teaches the levels Intermediate 1 & Intermediate 2 levels.
