Get to know your pole fitness instructor! Miss Sally is the owner and head diva of The Diva Dive in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
We asked Miss Sally a few questions about herself. Get to know her here, then see what classes she has available for your pole level.
1. What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Kiss my husband and all my doggies and then make coffee.
2. Do you have any pets? What are their names?
Lulu is my little Chihuahua (many of you know her from when I used to bring her with me to the studio). Then there is Pearl, who is a Great Dane mix, and Alayla is a brindle Pitbull.
3. How did you get started in pole?
Growing up I was very into ballet and gymnastics, and because of this as a teen (in the ‘90s) I had the chance to train with and perform as an aerialist with a small Italian family circus, the Zoppe Circus, operated by Alberto Zoppe. It was an Old World-style circus with horseback acts, aerial rope acts, tarantella dancers, and trapeze.
Keep in mind that in 1996, Circus Training and Aerial Fitness were not the broadly known and available thing they are today. To get the type of training I received from Mr. Zoppe and his daughter, Tosca, literally in their backyard…you would have to have gone to Sarasota or NYC to train at a circus school. I was so amazed by their aerial rigging and pulley systems, and the ring where they trained the horses.
And Tosca…she was so graceful whether doing acrobatics on horseback or up in the air on the Spanish Web - I wanted to be just like her. It felt like something right out of a movie. I was so lucky to get this experience in Arkansas! The taste of being up in the air and training so hard to get strong enough to climb the ropes effortlessly, to create something amazing and beautiful, stayed with me. So when I heard about Pole Fitness in my early 30s, I knew I wanted to get back up there. I took my first pole class and I was hooked - it was such an exciting challenge yet so felt familiar.
By the way, Mr. Zoppe’s daughter Tosca now operates Piccolo Zoppe in central Arkansas and it is a beautiful tribute and continuation of the love of circus that he imparted into her, if you ever want to venture that way to see it.
4. What is your favorite pole move?
Definitely the Jallegra on Spin!
5. Have you won any pole awards or had a particularly shining moment in pole?
In 2018, I competed in POS Southwest and received the Bronze Medal in the Championship Level 4 Category. I was just excited to get to compete, and there were so many strong dancers, I surprised myself by placing!
6. Finish this sentence: When I’m at the Diva Dive, I feel...
like I am my most authentic self, at home, and safe. It’s my happy place.
7. What is your best exercise tip?
Don’t overdo it, just do a little bit every day.
8. What is your favorite local restaurant?
My kitchen! My husband is a chef, and I love his food more than any restaurant I think I have ever been to.
9. Favorite TV show(s)?
I have a hard time with sitting still to watch TV because I’m a busy body, and by the time I do sit down, then I’m falling asleep! If I do sit down to watch something, I need it to be fun and light, so I often gravitate to shows geared toward teens. Wednesday is a recent favorite and Cobra Kai is also a go to! I love all the ‘80s references, they are so nostalgic for me as an '80s baby.
10. Favorite vacation destination?
I love Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen.
11. Who is your celebrity crush?
I love Johnny Lawrence’s character on Cobra Kai (he’s very cute and makes my heart flutter). So I guess William Zabka who plays him would be my crush. I don’t know much about him as a real person, but I love Johnny’s attitude, his commitment to No Mercy in this Dojo, and how stuck in the '80s he is, especially when he’s teaching Karate like he was taught it to all the kids. I feel like I can relate to that as a teacher in a humorous way. 12. What is your go-to pole jam (song that you love to pole to)?
There is a Playlist on Spotify that I am obsessed with and play it with the volume all the way up when I’m alone. It’s like they put everyone of my favorite '80s and '90s songs on it! It’s called Caboodles.
13. Lastly, what pole classes do you teach?
I teach Intro Level 1 and Pole Conditioning Level 2 on Saturdays. Monday nights I teach Pilates Level 1 and Inverts and Handsprings Level 4. On Wednesday nights I offer Booty Barre and Down n Dirty Level 2. On Friday I have a Level 3 Inverts and Leg Hangs.
Sign up for a class with Miss Sally on Vagaro! Pole teacher names are listed next to each class.
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