pole artistry intensive

for all levels, beginner friendly

AUGUST 8-10, 2025
New York City

FULL CIRCLE HARLEM

Unlock a whole new level of pole artistry without needing to learn more moves or complicated tricks. In the Essence Unleashed - Pole Artistry Intensive, you’ll dive into the why—the essence of your movement—rather than just the how and the what. This transformative weekend experience is designed to help you develop your unique expression and refine your skills as a true pole artist.

Born from the gaps in traditional beginner curriculums, you'll learn how to elevate your movement practice through artistic finesse, powerful mindset shifts, and sustainable training techniques when dancing barefoot and in heels. Ready to unleash your essence?

YOUR INVESTMENT IN THIS POLE ARTISTRY Intensive INCLUDES…

  • Spend the weekend in an intimate container shared with eleven other dancers and three instructors for personalized attention and accelerated artistic growth.

    Participate in exclusive Essence Unleashed workshops and never before taught sessions taught by experienced instructors. Each workshop builds upon previous ones to maximize learning.

  • Join us for curated mat pilates and yoga sessions designed to help you slow down, release tension, and reconnect with your body. Created specifically for pole dancers, each class focuses movements to support mobility, ease soreness, and prevent injury.

    We’ll move through grounding poses that open and strengthen the hips, shoulders, and spine—areas that take the most impact during pole training. Our yoga session ends with a deeply soothing sound bath using crystal singing bowls, each tuned to specific chakras to help balance your energy, calm your mind, and leave you feeling fully recharged.

  • Want to go even deeper? Add on our exclusive third day for never before taught sessions covering functional movement, pole-specific anatomy, the science of dancing in heels, and a dedicated session to help you strengthen and refine your toe point. It's the perfect blend of art and science to elevate your movement.

    You'll gain a deeper understanding of how your body and muscles function—and learn targeted mobility exercises designed to help you understand and care for your body as a dancer.

    Every session is perfect for enhancing your lines, preventing injury, and moving with more freedom and control on and off the pole—in both bare feet and heels.

  • Enjoy a very special welcome lunch hosted by our Essence Unleashed team.

    Each participant will also receive a gorgeous Polaroid photo and candid digital of their own as part of the welcome and closing ceremonies.

  • You’ll receive an exclusive Essence Unleashed Heels Guide sent to you before the intensive, detailing the nuances of pole heels and which to purchase based on your personal goals.

    Whether you're stepping into heels for the first time or leveling up your practice, this guide covers fit, height, style, and safety tips—so you can feel confident and comfortable every step of the way.

  • Receive exclusive, custom-designed merch created in collaboration with local NYC artists—plus curated wellness gifts to support your body and mind throughout your pole dance journey.

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN NEW YORK CITY

Renowned as the cultural epicenter of the world, New York City is a haven for artists of every medium. From its ever-evolving underground arts scene and world-class museums to global culinary delights, iconic street style, and nonstop nightlife, NYC is a city where transformation is inevitable.
You'll spend the weekend exploring some of its most iconic neighborhoods—from downtown to uptown, these vibrant hubs of culture, history, and creativity continue to shape the soul of the city.

your Schedule

Day One - THE ESSENTIALS 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Midtown Manhattan

  • We begin our journey together with space to ground, connect, and align. In this opening session, you’ll meet your fellow dancers and your instructors. We'll share the key lessons and mindset shifts that have transformed our own training and teaching.

    Together, we’ll explore what it means to be present as a student and how to cultivate a growth-oriented training mindset. We’ll set our intentions for the magic to come.

  • Deepen your connection to your body with an anatomy-informed movement session designed specifically for pole and heels dancers.

    You’ll explore how your shoulders, hips, and feet/ankles function and learn mobility and strengthening exercises to enhance control, prevent injury, and support graceful, grounded movement.

  • Elevating your lines comes from mastering the art of an active toe point that originates from full-leg engagement.

    In this targeted movement session, you'll learn how to activate muscles from your hips to your feet, creating seamless, elongated lines. We’ll focus on strengthening the intrinsic foot muscles and building the control you need to point with purpose—whether you're barefoot or in heels.

  • Step into the world of heels with confidence and clarity. In this technical workshop, you’ll break down the structure, design, and function of a pole heel—learning how elements like platform height, arch support, and fit affect your movement, balance, and safety.

    Whether you're new to heels or refining your technique, this session will empower you with the knowledge to choose the right pair and dance smarter, stronger, and more comfortably in them.

  • We’ll close the day by diving into some exciting and incredibly valuable creative exercises using NYC as a foundation for inspiration.

    Together we will take a journey through the city and learn to see everything around us with new eyes as a way to infuse our movement practice with our own unique perspective.

Day Two - THE INTENSIVE
3:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Harlem

  • Join us for a special welcome lunch in the city. Surrounded by fellow dancers, you’ll enjoy delicious food, meaningful conversation, and a warm, festive atmosphere that sets the tone for the transformative weekend ahead. It’s a moment to ground, connect, and celebrate the journey you're about to begin.

  • Get ready to build strength and power in our signature static pole session! In this workshop, we’ll add magic and finesse to core moves like spins, climbs, and holds by emphasizing athletic conditioning and functional movement techniques.

    We’ll focus on key exercises to increase muscular endurance, stability and control while helping you to approach each move with confidence and precision. Designed to emphasize sustainable progress, we will discuss how to train for pole dance safely, reducing injury risk while optimizing performance. This session will equip you with the strength and mobility foundation essential for your pole journey.

  • Freestyling can be scary when we first start out. We often think we need to have a depth of movement vocabulary before we can start to get comfortable with freestyle but this workshop will show you that you have all the tools you need! Just like every other aspect of dance, freestyle requires practice and repetition.

    In this workshop we will focus on the delicious details of adding intention through simplicity in our movement. We will be using freestyle prompts to help us connect our minds to our bodies, throwing away any desire to control how people perceive us, and highlighting how it feels to dance. Discovering our unique styles requires us to first explore why we chose to dance in the first place. We’ll use our journals to reflect and rediscover why you like to dance!

  • Do you want to find ease and refinement on but find yourself tensing up, panicking, and abandoning tricks? That’s because our bodies aren’t designed to dangle in the air while spinning on a 45mm apparatus!

    This workshop will give you confidence on in the air by focusing on how to regulate your nervous system and your breathing, guiding you to trust your body in familiar movements and positions. We will be focusing on tactile cueing of our grips and contact points, using prompts to recalibrate our minds to trust our bodies and find confidence, comfort, and flow states.

  • This mat pilates session is crafted just for pole dancers ready to own every pirouette, climb, and low flow sequence with fierce control and flawless balance.

    You’ll ignite and sculpt the key muscles that power your movement, building strength and stability that makes every line and hold effortless. Get ready to tune in to your body like never before—and turn up the heat on your pole practice.

Day THREE - THE Intensive
3:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Harlem

  • Finding the essence of your movement starts with connecting to your biggest dance partner - the MUSIC! In this workshop, we will be breaking down musicality, what it is, and how to use it. We will be listening to music with intention, breaking down beats, counts, lyrics, instruments, textures, and the artistic elements of a song that can inform how and why we move to particular songs in intentional ways.

    This workshop will use prompts to add intention to enhance our facial expressions and create a personality/persona. Elevate your movement by learning how to fully connect to your music! 

  • Whether you are new to heels or have some experience, finding your movement style in heels requires unleashing the essence of your heels personality.

    This workshop will focus on pole walks, leg waves, and foundational movements to focus on how adding intention and personality elevates our movement. We’ll learn a small sequence, emphasizing repetition to embody and stylize, then adding some fun foundational edge-work variations, heel clacks, and other percussive elements to see what fits each individual dancer so they can find their ‘heels personality.’ We’ll use our journals to reflect and dive deep into why heels call to you!

  • In this restorative yoga class designed especially for pole dancers, we’ll focusing on functional movement and fascia flossing techniques to release hip stiffness and increase mobility. Students will be guided through gentle stretches and mindful movement flows that support flexibility and joint health, all tailored to the unique needs of pole athletes. As we flow, we’ll concentrate on relaxing tight areas while maintaining stability in key muscles.

    To close, you will be immersed in a deeply soothing sound bath with crystal singing bowls, each tuned to chakra points that promote physical and emotional balance. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to step back to the pole with renewed flexibility and calm.

  • We’ll culminate our transformative three-day intensive with a heartfelt social ceremony — a sacred space to honor the deep connections we’ve woven through our movement, our bodies, and the powerful community we’ve created together.

    As a cherished keepsake of this journey, each participant will receive a beautiful digital edit capturing the essence and spirit of your unique dance.

Exact workshop material and schedule order may be subject to change.

Your questions answered

  • The intensive is Friday August 8 from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM and Saturday, August 9 to Sunday, August 10 from 3:30 AM to 8:00 PM on both days.

    We will kick off the weekend with movement sessions at one of Manhattan’s premier dance studios located right near Columbus Circle and accessible via the A, B, C, D, and 1 train lines.

    Our last two days will be spent at one of NYC’s newest pole dance studios, Full Circle Harlem (2610 Frederick Douglass Blvd). Full Circle Harlem is located in in Harlem, Manhattan and is accessible via the A, B, C, D, 2 and 3 train lines.

  • This intensive is designed for dancers of all levels, but we suggest at at least six months of consistent practice and experience.

    Pre-requisites: pole walk, pole crunches, pirouettes, dip turns, climbs up the pole, and pole sits confidently on both sides without instruction.

    All participants must be at least 18 years old.

  • The first day of the intensive is not required, but it’s highly recommended. Day One is all about setting you up for success with sessions that dive into anatomy for pole dancers, the science of heels technique, toe point strengthening, and functional movement. It’s designed to give you the tools and body awareness that will help you get even more out of your dance practice and the two-day dance portion of the intensive. We’ll also be diving into some incredibly valuable creative exercises using NYC as a foundation for inspiration.

    If you want extra confidence for your pole journey or before the dance intensive, The Essentials is the perfect launchpad. But if you feel ready to drop straight into dancing, you’re welcome to join us for Days Two and Three only!

  • For an intimate experience and personalized attention, we've limited this intensive to only twelve spots. You'll share a pole with one other participant.

  • Absolutely, yes!

  • Yes! Payment plans are available until June 30, 2025.

  • All sales are final. Refunds will not be permitted under any circumstances. Please ensure you can attend the intensive before booking.

    If you are no longer able to attend, you may transfer your spot to someone else.

    Read our full Terms and Conditions here.

  • Yes! Please email us at essenceunleashednyc@gmail.com for details.

  • Email us at essenceunleashednyc@gmail.com. We will do our best to get back to you within 2-3 business days.