We are thrilled to (re)introduce world-renowned dancer, actress and acrobatic performer Elizabeth Muñoz to Body & Pole! Elizabeth and Body & Pole go all the way back to 2011 when she was a student at B&P and training with Kyra for the World Pole Dance Competition in Budapest (but more on that below!). Elizabeth brings a unique and globally-honed Pole practice to the studio this month with classes like Advanced Spin and Contemporary Pole. Keep reading for more about Elizabeth and her dance background that’s brought her all around the world (literally!):
What is your dance background?
I started classical ballet at a young age in Lima, Peru and continued my studies in La Habana, Cuba for long period of time. I danced ballet professionally for several years and traveled to many countries for training, dancing and teaching. I also studied contemporary dance, acting, physical theater and tango. I have collaborated on multidisciplinary projects with artist of other disciplines in cities like Lima, New York, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo. I choreographed various pieces, a special one being “Control” a multidisciplinary project having the Pole as a main instrument of communication
How long have you been pole dancing?
I started pole dancing in 2008. As an actress I was asked by a Theater Director to create a choreography for a role in a play involving the Pole. I did lots of research about it. There was not a school in Lima at that time where I was able to learn, so I learned the basics by myself watching videos. It was an incredible discovery that I imagine I would have never found if it was not for the theater request. I fell in love with this discipline/art/movement/expression that I have continued with until now.
What was the first championship you ever won?
The South American Pole championship in 2010 in Buenos Aires. It was an incredible experience and my career in Pole grew considerably after that.
How did you connect with Kyra and Body & Pole?
I first came to Body & Pole in 2011 to prepare myself for the World Pole Dance Competition in Budapest. I met Kyra when I was taking her classes and training. I loved them: her passion, her belief and her positivity gave me lots of motivation and made me feel with certainty that I was in the right place at the right time. Prior to doing Pole, I was working in a ballet company as a professional dancer that required all my attention and discipline and had a lot of structure. I enjoyed that. At Body & Pole, I also found structure and a practice that required commitment. Here, I felt the motivation to continue fighting for a real career that permits me to live and grow and not only look at Pole as a wonderful hobby.
What keeps you coming back to the pole after all these years?
Pole for me is a kind of chameleon. It’s infinite and transformative. I never find the same experience. I never imagined that I was capable of doing the many things that I can do. I thought that I need to be physically super strong for that but the pole taught me there are many ways, many formulas to arrive at the goal and everyone is different with different strengths. The pole permit me to know more about myself and show me how I was, how I am and the possibility of many versions of me that I can be. Pole always confronts me with the truth, and it is only the truth that permit me to arrive to the pole. It is not always easy but it always gives me a great lesson of life. It permits me to confront life with different perspectives. It’s an honest relationship and I love that.
What’s your favorite move to teach?
This is a difficult question. I love to teach many tricks, especially the ones that involve strength and flexibility at the same time like “Libelulle”, “Satellite”, and “Spatchcock”. I put emphasis in teaching the technique for the execution of the trick and look beyond the perfection of the movement. I find more important the freedom of movement, and I believe that a correct technique can give you that, which permits you to express with your own truth in there.
What are you up to now?
I am teaching online classes of stretching & conditioning, connecting with students around the world since three years ago when the pandemic started while I was living in Tokyo. Now, after two years living in Australia, teaching Pole classes and in-person workshops in Sydney and Brisbane, I will be moving to Berlin very soon. This will be a new chapter and I am planning to continue teaching pole classes and developing multidisciplinary projects there. At the same time, I am very excited to create a new online platform with a library of on-demand classes with my own method of stretching & conditioning for all levels called “Elmethod”, that I am going to release very soon.
