Rising Stars: Meet Aerial Geisha of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aerial Geisha.

Hi Aerial, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey with pole actually started while I was still serving in the Army, but it wasn’t until after I had my son that it became a much bigger part of my life. I served for eight years, and after becoming a veteran and a mom, I was really just looking for a way to get back in shape and feel like myself again. At first, pole was simply something I went downstairs to my basement and did for me.

Somewhere along the way, though, it became so much more than that. Pole became a source of confidence, creativity and identity for me. It gave me a way to express parts of myself that I don’t think I even realized I needed an outlet for. I started sharing more of that journey online, and little by little, people began connecting with it.

I never started this thinking I would become an instructor, build a community, perform, produce showcases, or have thousands of people following my journey. I definitely never expected people to tell me that I inspired them to try pole, feel more confident in their bodies, or simply be more comfortable being themselves. I just kept showing up, learning, creating and being unapologetically myself, and Aerial Geisha grew with me.

Today, I teach pole and create content, but what means the most to me is the community that has grown around it. What started as me trying to find myself again after becoming a mother ultimately became a way for me to help other people find pieces of themselves too. And I think that’s probably the part of this journey that has surprised me the most.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. When I started pole, I was essentially starting from ground zero physically. I didn’t have the strength I have today, so there were definitely moments when I felt intimidated or discouraged, especially when I couldn’t get a move that I was working toward.

I was also navigating postpartum life and learning to accept and appreciate a body that looked and felt different after having my son. Pole eventually helped me build a new relationship with my body, but getting there was a process.

Then there was the stigma surrounding pole dancing. Unfortunately, that stigma fueled some of the people closest to me to say some pretty hurtful things about something that was becoming increasingly important to me. There were moments when I think the negativity would have been enough to make a lot of people quit, but I refused to let other people’s discomfort take away something that genuinely brought me joy.

Interestingly, some of the people who kept me going the most were people outside of my immediate circle. Before I ever became an instructor, people were already watching my journey, learning from my movement and sending me messages telling me that I had inspired them. Those comments and messages became a kind of remedy for the negativity I was experiencing elsewhere.

Looking back now, I can honestly say that the resistance is part of what created Aerial Geisha. I don’t think Aerial Geisha would have evolved into what it is today without some of the adversity I faced along the way. At the time, it was hurtful and sometimes difficult to navigate, but it pushed me to keep showing up, creating and becoming more confident in who I was.

In a strange way, I’m grateful for that part of the journey now—not necessarily for the hurt itself, but for what came out of it. Something that could have made me stop instead became fuel for something much greater. Aerial Geisha became bigger than the negativity that helped create her.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work as Aerial Geisha exists somewhere between movement, art, performance and self-expression. I’m a pole instructor, performer, choreographer and content creator, but I’ve never really viewed pole as just learning tricks. For me, it’s about creating a feeling and telling a story through movement.

I’m probably best known for my flow and transitions. I love taking movements that may look complicated or intimidating and breaking them down in a way that helps my students understand not only how to do them, but how to make them their own. As an instructor, one of the things I’m most proud of is watching someone walk into class unsure of themselves and gradually become more confident in their movement and their body. Seeing that transformation never gets old.

Creatively, I love concepts. Whether I’m choreographing a performance, creating something for social media or producing a showcase, I don’t like doing something simply because it looks pretty. I want there to be an idea behind it. I love combining athleticism, sensuality, humor, music, fashion and storytelling in ways people may not necessarily expect from pole.

I think what sets me apart most is that I’ve never tried to fit Aerial Geisha neatly into one box. I can be sensual without that being the entirety of what I create. I can be athletic without losing femininity. I can be funny and ridiculous one day and create something dark, emotional or theatrical the next. That freedom to explore different sides of myself is a huge part of my work.

I’m also really proud of the community that has grown around Aerial Geisha. What started with me sharing something I loved has grown into teaching, performing, producing my own showcases and connecting with tens of thousands of people online. I’m now taking that creativity into entrepreneurship as well through IN-BODIED by Aerial Geisha, a project I’m developing around apparel and movement with the idea of encouraging people to embody who they are rather than who they think they’re supposed to be.

Ultimately, I think that’s what my work is about: giving myself permission to take up space creatively and hopefully making other people feel like they have permission to do the same.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I would say I’ve been extremely blessed throughout this journey. Pole has introduced me to some amazing people as well as my pole family at Spicy Studios in Douglasville and given me opportunities that I may never have been afforded had I allowed myself to give up when things became difficult. Sometimes I think about how differently my life could look if I had listened to the people who discouraged me early on, and I’m grateful that I kept going long enough to see what was waiting on the other side of that.

I wouldn’t necessarily say I’ve experienced “bad luck” through pole. I believe there are trade-offs with anything you choose to pursue seriously. With what , you have to develop pretty tough skin because people will have opinions about you, your body, your choices and what they think pole represents. If you allow every opinion to carry weight, it can become very easy to lose sight of why you started in the first place.

Burnout is also very real. When something you love becomes something you teach, perform, create content around and build a brand around, you have to be intentional about making sure you still have opportunities to enjoy it simply because you love it.

So, if anything, I think luck has played a positive role in my journey, but I also believe you have to be willing to meet opportunity halfway. I’ve been fortunate to have doors open for me, but I had to keep showing up long enough to be there when they opened.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.patreon.com/AaerialGeisha?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aerialgeishaa?stkn=ZWRwb3d0OHZjMTdx&utm_source=qr
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@aerial.geisha?_r=1&_t=ZP-99krnyOJDaA