Shelly’s Pole Studio

The following review is in response to what I believe is a misunderstanding:
I thought it might help to hear some perspective from a long-​time student of Shelly’s. I’ve been taking class with Shelly for 4 years. I started out very enthusiastic, but pretty rough around the edges. Shelly’s commitment to teaching in a clear and technical manner, while also inspiring grace and style in her students, has shaped me into a graceful and well-​rounded dancer. Her commitment to her own personal development is a constant inspiration to me as well. She is constantly challenging herself to increase her conditioning capacity as well as her pole move vocabulary. This as well makes the depth of her knowledge invaluable to her students. Shelly lives to dance. I’ve never known her to cancel class on a whim. She has come to class with all manner of pole-​related injury, so when classes are cancelled I know it is serious. She is her own business and treats her obligations to her classes seriously. In turn, I treat attending her classes with the same respect. I hope you will consider taking class with her. It is truly rewarding.

Shelly is the best! I’ve been taking classes from her a couple times a week for about seven months. Pole Basics is a great class to start with if you’re new to pole dancing and want to see what it’s all about. Shelly is an encouraging and attentive teacher, and since the classes are generally smaller, every student gets one on one time and personalized instruction. If you’re looking to have fun while still getting an insane work out, this is the place to go.

What a disappointment – if you interested in scheduling a private class here, beware!
I scheduled my Birthday party almost two months in advance for a group of 10. As the date drew near, our excitement built up. I paid my deposit when I made my reservation (a requirement to book a private event). About a week before the private class I hadn’t heard from Shelly so I decided to email her to confirm our class and express how much we were looking forward to taking classes with her. Then, as luck would have it, 3 days before the private class, she sends me an brief email stating that she has fallen ill and may not be able to teach class.
She was not at all apologetic to the situation at hand and did not even offer a substitute (at my request) to teach the class and follow through on her commitment. While she was able to return my deposit, I was left without a birthday party and my friends were left out of a private pole dancing class.
If you’re looking for a reliable source to host your next pole dancing party, look elsewhere.

Since I wrote my last review, there have been a surprising number of changes to Shelly’s class format. To preface this review, I am writing about my 6 week beginner course at Shelly’s Pole Studio.
In my previous review I stated that the class moved a little too slowly for my tastes and focused too much on floorwork and not enough on building strength for moves on the pole. Since then, the format of Shelly’s Pole class has changed dramatically and has addressed all of my concerns. In weeks 5 and 6 we spent a lot more time on the pole and focused on climbing and inverting, much to my glee and excitement. Shelly also began taking a more active approach in correcting us.
In the fifth week of the class, Shelly focused on pole climbs with correct technique. She even individually went around the class to ensure everyone was climbing correctly. In other pole classes I had learned the fireman climb but had never learned a basic climb before, and it was cool to have her break down all the components. I definitely felt like I learned some valuable fundamentals that I could apply to my side climb and fireman climb. She also taught some basic conditioning for inversions as well as a short dance/​floorwork sequence which was a beautiful way to get out of a basic invert.
In the sixth week, we reviewed the entire dance routine, incorporating the spins, sit and climbs we had learned. The rest of the lesson focused mainly on inversion conditioning which I very much enjoyed. Shelly watched all of us to ensure we knew our basic inversion positions and spotted those of us who were ready into the basic inverison pose.
All in all, Shelly is definitely a caring teacher who wants her students to learn pole in the correct way with the right technique. I can definitely appreciate that and walk away from her class feeling strong in my fundamentals. I think she is a fantastic, patient and graceful teacher for those who are just starting out in pole who do not want to learn in a fast paced, competitive environment.
Overall, having finished the six week introductory course, I definitely feel the class could benefit from better pacing. It seemed the first 4 weeks moved very slowly with not much pole work, whereas the latter half of the class was almost all pole. I definitely enjoyed the latter half more and found it fun and not too challenging, but it was clear that some other students were struggling a lot with the sudden transition.
As pole really does require a lot of strength, I think it would be fantastic if Shelly began incorporating some pole conditioning exercises from early on in the series so that by the end, all students, regardless of their beginning level of fitness, would be able to feel comfortable with climbing and or basic inverting.

Shelly’s pole classes at the Glen Park studio are amazing for beginners. She comes form a dance background and is simply put, beautiful on the pole. Her teaching style is anywhere from strict ballet instructor to crazy aunt that encourages you to follow your dreams.
I started taking her classes once I saw her performance videos and wanted to dance and perform like that. In general, the pole world is divided into three factions: sensual, artsy, and fitness. Shelly’s classes are on the artsy and fitness side. She emphasizes flow of a routine and correct lines much more than strength although strength becomes important as you advance. The sensual side is not really emphasized although she isn’t opposed to it. What matters is that your moves look beautiful and they look beautiful when lines are correct, when you exhibit a certain amount of musicality and comfort with the music, and you get used to all the awkward poses you have to do to get into a pole move. All classes are conducted barefoot.
Classes are a bit slower paced and perfection in movement, even the simplest spins like the fireman spin, is stressed. After pole basics 1, I think the classes are a bit less structured but they are offered nonetheless.
Shelly’s classes are fun, rewarding, and PERFECT for beginners. I cannot speak to her bacherlorette party classes but I think this studio is more suited for those who want to seriously learn a new movement. I also think the classes are better for beginners than more advanced folks.

I recently came to the studio for a friend’s bachelorette. Getting in touch with Shelly was a bit challenging. She didn’t return my emails until after someone else had cancelled and then she didn’t send me any details about the class until the day before. As we were all coming from out of town, that could have posed a big problem if there were specific things that we needed to be aware of/​bring/​prepare for.
The class itself was great — it is definitely a workout! We arrived a little late, and Shelly was a bit short with us about jewelry, the poles, etc. Maybe we just caught her on a rough day or something, but it took the majority of the hr that we had to get her to warm up to us. I think this is probably better suited as a workout studio experience than it is for a bachlorette party. Shelly is very very talented and I got the impression that she prefers to work with people that are there to learn expand their dance moves and get a work out, over the group that is there to try something new, fun, and not take themselves too seriously.
I would not recommend this for a bachelorette party or any type of party. This would be a great studio for serious work-​out enthusiasts and dancers alike. It just isn’t the place where you are going to feel comfortable letting a bit loose while trying something new.

do you want to laugh, smile, joke, have a fun time, and get your ass kicked with a great workout and stellar pole moves?
great. i think you’ve found your girl.

I really enjoy Shelly’s classes! Shelly has terrific energy and tons of knowledge. I’ve taken the basic class, stretching, and a bunch of the acro pole classes. Acro pole is the best since I finally get to learn some trickier tricks which are nearly impossible to learn on your own or from a video. The studio has a good number of poles to student ratio. Shelly teaches students how to spot each other so you get a lot of time practicing more difficult maneouvers. The other students are great fun and the class music rocks!

Those of you in San Francisco/​bay area need to take advantage of Shelly’s pole instruction, talent and warm heart.
I have taken classes with Shelly at Twirly Girls Pole Studio in Pleasanton, CA. Her teaching style is with encouragement, supportive, safety and a kind heart. She makes it fun and enjoyable.
Each time with her I have an ah-​ha moment and am thrilled to have learned something new, improved something and/​or picked up a special tidbit of information and technique. Class time is focused on each student and is not all about her.
I look forward to more time with Shelly, whether in a class setting or private. That we have her in our own backyard is awesome. Even though the backyard for me is a 2 ½ hr drive that is SO worth it.

I recently had a one-​on-​one private lesson with Shelly. It was really awesome to have personal attention — awesome and HARD. When you are the only student, you are the only one there to do all of the work. No hiding behind your classmates when you’re tired. It was a great class, though. I would suggest that everyone try a private class with Shelly. She really knows how to break things down and can give advice for small tweaks to the moves you already know how to do so you do them even better. I can’t wait for my next one!

The woman knows what she is doing. I’ve taken a class with her at Twirly Girls Pole Studio and she’s such a blast to work with. Not only is Shelly extremely knowledgeable in the vast complexities of pole dancing, she is also damn talented. Just being able to watch her perform is an experience in and of itself.
Shelly works at your own pace and would never make you do anything you don’t feel comfortable executing. She cares about the safety of her students and if you’re familiar with the difficulty of pole moves, you’ll agree that this is an important quality ALL pole-​fessors should have.
Shelly takes it beyond pole and makes it something personal, something beautiful. You can’t help but feel different (in good way) after her class. Stop signs will never be the same.
x

Although I’ve never taken classes with Shelly at her SF studio, I took several months of classes with her at Twirly Girls Pole Fitness, located in Pleasanton.
I really like the focus she places on proper form and technique – it’s really nice knowing that you’re not laying foundation to future injuries when you’re learning more advanced moves from her, because you’re learning and doing them right. Shelly is super fun and is also an amazingly talented performer. (If you’ve never seen her do a spatchcock, holy crud.)
We’d start the classes with a thorough warmup, including stretches and various climbs, and the we’d move on to different tricks and spins. Shelly works with each of her students and is also very patient and good with breaking down movies so we understand how to progress. When I failed at life with the helicopter spin (sigh :’(), she had me work on the cradle spin and also on the steps so I could at least get an idea of what it should feel like/​what I could practice to eventually get there. (Honestly, I think I was just scared and/​or weaksauce, but mark my words: one day!)
Her background in dance is also really awesome – we usually get to learn some choreography towards the end of the class (unless we go overboard with wanting to learn tricks on some days ;). She always finds time with us afterward to stretch and some days, we work on oversplits (ow ow ow ;_​; but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!). When Shelly found out that I was moving across the country, she told me about a bunch of teachers at different studios where I could continue to learn (provided that I can trek my way up to NY). :] I miss her classes and hope to be back soon!

Wow, Wow, and wow ! Came here recently for a bachelorette party, and had so much fun. We had about 10 girls in the studio and there were 5 poles. We started with a warm up which surprisingly had us all sweating. We then learned some moves on the floor and then a routine with the pole. Shelly was great and gave us tips ! She did a great performance for us at the end, and I’m seriously thinking of taken her classes. It was a fun, sexy workout, and a great bachelorette party. Look no further 5 Stars!

I was doing my research for a pole dancing studio through Unilocal and found several places within the bay area. I wanted something nearby, but what I really wanted was a place where the quality of instruction would shine regardless of location. After reading a great review for Shelly’s Pole Studio in San Francisco, I found myself going to the website. After doing a taster class at Twirly Girl Fitness, I was very close to just settling for that studio, but something kept me coming back to wanting to go to Shelly’s Pole Studio. So I went with my gut. Good going gut.
I’m currently taking the Celestial Virgins class which is the introduction to Pole Dancing class. For 4 sessions of 1.5 hours each, I drive myself and my friend every Wednesday night from San Ramon to this studio and it’s definitely been worth every penny. Just after 2 sessions, I feel like I’ve learned so much.
Shelly, the instructor, starts off each class with stretches and floor work. We review previous moves to ensure understanding and proper execution. Then she adds on to what we learned. What’s great is that she focuses more on the choreography and making all the moves right and look good. She teaches you transition moves so that you don’t look awkward moving from one move to another. She ensures that each girl is properly doing the move and helps girls who are struggling. She’s personable and I really respect her as a teacher and this dance. At the end, she puts the moves you learn into a routine and we do it several times. Then she does stretches at the end too. What I really do appreciate is that regardless of what time we start, she ensures we get 1.5 and even on the first day we did 2 hours. I love hearing her stories and today she showed us some floor choreography she’s planning on doing on a pole stage. This pole stage is on a movable pole setup so it’s not big, but man she made it work.
The introduction class ensures that each girl gets their own pole which is not like how Twirly Girls Fitness does their class (they go up to 2 girls per pole). The beginners class is a 5 session stamp card where each session is $ 25 each. There are classes in both Redwood City and San Francisco.
Just to warn folks, this is a workout. It focuses on core strength, leg and upper body strength. So today we did a lot of spins, climbing the pole, and floor work. This is not for girls who are brittle cause you will bruise.
I highly highly highly recommend Shelly’s Pole Studio. Shelly is a great instructor. She hasn’t been here in the Bay Area for long, but I’m sure glad she’s teaching here. If you’re looking into more technique and more dance like pole dancing, this is it. I’m definitely going to take the rest of the classes after I finish this intro. If you’re still curious and don’t want to commit yet, I suggest going to one of their dinner shows to see how the girls of Shelly’s Pole Studio dance. I’m sure you’ll be convinced after that.

Don’t try, buyer beware! Shelly is a liar, and a cheat! What you See is NOT what you get! San Francisco studio is similar to the log cabin in the” Friday the 13^th movie series!” Cold, damp and smelled funny!
The pictures are not from this studio, you can’t even wear shoes in this studio! Very scary!
I decided to try this for my 35^th birthday and Shelly turned out to be a complete nightmare! First it was very difficult getting in touch with her even after I left my deposit. Finally I got to schedule my private class, at that time, she made it very clear I needed to be on time. Yet when me and my friends arrived she was running very late! My class was to start at 6:45 but she didn’t start until 7:45 and yet she ended promptly at 8:30. At first I thought I read my original contract wrong and the class was just an hour. So I waited until I got home to check. Not only did she short change me my hour and a half, once confronted Shelly lied and pretended she extended my time accordingly. Which she did not! Shelly is very unprofessional, the studio was shabby at best and she refused to compensate me for the time I paid for! Not only did I not get what I paid for she spent the whole 45 minutes running behind my group wiping down the poles complaining of scratches and depreciation of building value. Don’t bother, A DVD in your cold living room has to be better! Unfortunately my case has to go threw Small Claims court to be rectified! Avoid the headache, «don’t bother»!

Shelly is AWESOME. I don’t have much dance experience AT ALL — all the other classes I’ve taken make me feel uncoordinated and clumsy. But her classes are so much fun, and such a good workout, I keep coming back. Shelly is really supportive and patient, and nurturing. She will work with you until you get a move down, but she never singles you out. She’s a fantastic dancer, but she’ll break things down in easy to digest steps for us non-​dancers. I’m proud to say that because of her, I’ve been able to do a lot of things I never thought I could. I’ve done a little research on how much pole classes cost, and hers are a real steal, including her bachelorette parties.

Shelly is the real deal!!! I had been scouring the Bay Area for a legit pole dance studio for a while after trying both S Factor and Slinky Productions (you can read about my experiences with both below).
It took me forever to find Shelly on Google, but I’m so glad I did! Shelly taught me more in thirty minutes than I learned in 2 8 week sessions at S Factor! Shelly’s style is the perfect mix of tricks and dance. She is the type of teacher that will give you more when you need more. If you cannot do a move, she will modify it so that your body is using the right muscles to eventually get there. The best part? Shelly WILL MAKE SURE YOU’RE DOING IT RIGHT! This means even if you have had pole experience, she will correct your form and instruct you on how to make your moves more visually appealing. One thing Shelly stresses is that it is not enough to just hit the tricks, it’s important to find fluidity in the movement and how to transition properly– that is the beauty of pole dancing. Her class sizes are small, and you will get plenty of time to play on the pole!
Classes are super fun and ALWAYS a killer workout! I’ve done 3 sessions with Shelly and my strength has already improved tremendously. Also, you will always get your full allotted time you’re paying for, not 30 minutes of self introductions, etc. Pole dancing can be a little intimidating, especially if you’re getting into some of the more advanced tricks, but it’s easy to feel secure with Shelly so that you can push yourself to the next level.
Bottom line is, classes with Shelly are worth every penny!
My gripes about S Factor and Slinky below:
S Factor is a great place if you would like to «unlock your sensuality» and is more a place for building self confidence through movement. It didn’t make sense to me why there were NO MIRRORS anywhere in the studio because class was a place of «no judgment.» I could never tell if I was doing anything right! The class instruction is VERY slow. You learn at most 3 tricks every 8 weeks, but most of them are just modified positions of the same thing and you spend AN HOUR on warm up! You’re probably better off saving $ 400 by lighting a candle at home, turning on some music, closing your eyes, and feeling the music because honestly, that is what class was like every week.
At Slinky Productions I still was not learning enough. There were about 18 girls in my class on TWO poles!!! I felt like I was waiting in line at an amusement park, only to get a short 30 second ride. Come here if you want something a little more raunchy, but you won’t get much time to perfect anything.

Shelly is my favorite pole instructor and a friend!!!
When I first moved to SF almost two years ago, I had a really hard time finding both exciting and challenging dance classes. I am a dancer, so I needed more than simply good. Then… I met Shelly! She is amazing. She is both amazing at instructing and performing. I have been taking her lessons quite some time now and have been there to see how strong she got and how graceful she got with more advance moves. Her personality is great too. She makes us laugh all the time and our regular class is always full of energy and a lot of smiles.
If you have never been to a pole class, I totally recommend her. She has background in dancing and pilates, so her pole dancing is very elegant and graceful. If you also have some experience in pole, I totally recommend her too. She can teach you amazing pole tricks, and also smooth flow of a movement to a next level.
I can’t wait to take her lesson every week ^^

I hired Shelly to come to my home and help me one– on– one with a few technical issues I was having. She gave me practical exercises to continue building the necessary strength as well as a break down of each step so that I was able to finally grasp the moves I had been having difficulty with!
She is courteous, professional and prompt as well as capable and patient. Two very enthusiastic spiked heels up for Pole La Teaze!

Shelly is not only an amazing and graceful dancer, she is able to transfer her knowledge and provides guidance through each step so you can also be a sexy vixen on the floor and the pole. Her patience and conscientious teaching style makes every lesson a comfortable and rewarding learning experience. Her detailed breakdown of the technical aspects provides even beginners with the insights necessary to improve drastically in a short period of time.
In addition to strong technical guidance and encouragement from Shelly, the class is small, the music is great, and the routines are fantastic. This is the best form of dance education and exercise I’ve had.