About Us

We are a team of passionate instructors keen to pass on our love for all things pole and aerial.
Studio Essence offers people the opportunity to get fitter, healthier and stronger in a different and more dynamic way, a complete change from your standard workout. We take great pride in offering everyone the chance to try pole and aerial classes. We love the way our students always support each other and seeing the friendships that form because of this.
Studio Essence welcomes everyone and gives all a chance to join the Studio Essence family.

Meet the Team

Our team is passionate about what we do and we love to pass this on to our students in a safe, inclusive and structured environment. You won’t find a better place to start your Pole and aerial journey.
We have an amazing mixture of pole and aerial instructors who all complement each other and Studio Essence. We pride ourselves on being the best we can possibly be and all our instructors are certified by Spin City and/or XPERT and train regularly to keep up with ongoing trends in their chosen disciplines.

Sam Smith

Owner & Head Instructor

Sam teaches everything, pole, aerial, heels, kids, flexibility. Due to Sam’s love of everything associated with Studio Essence she has many certifications teaching a bit of everything.

Zoe Recardo

Pole, Aerial Sling and Silks Instructor

Zoe is our amazingly talented elite pole instructor that has been part of Studio Essence since the very beginning, 2012. Zoe trains hard and goes out her way to find new and interesting moves to pass onto her students. The queen of combos.

Roxy Morison

Pole & Aerial Sling Instructor

Roxy has been practicing pole with Studio Essence since 2016 after wanting to find a new and fun way to get healthier. As soon as she started pole classes, she was hooked and now the Studio is her second home. By day you will find her grooming dogs and the rest of the time she is usually doing something pole related either at the Studio or at home. Heels classes are definately her favourite however she loves all aspects of pole and has recently branched out to the aerial side with Aerial Sling. Roxy has been teaching since 2019 and loves seeing her students progress and build their confidence along the way! Certified in Beginner and Intermediate Pole, Pole Silks, Stretch and Flex and Aerial Sling.

Kelly Emery

Pole & Aerial Hoop & Sling Instructor

Kelly has been with Studio Essence for 6 years starting her pole journey and started aerial shortly after and has absolutely fallen in love with it all. Although an all-rounder, Kelly’s main focus is aerial and loves coming up with chorography which she teaches in workshops and enjoys all elements of dance and fitness. Kelly also has involvement with the admin side of things, Sam’s right hand woman!

Elaine Holbrook

Aerial Hoop & Sling Instructor

Elaine started her Studio Essence journey in 2020 having previously trained with Flying Fantastic in London, trying her hand at a variety of aerial disciplines including hoop, silks, static trapeze and most recently slings. Elaine loves trying new classes and expanding her aerial knowledge to share this with her students.

Ruth Smith

Pole Instructor

Ruth started her pole journey at Studio Essence in 2016 and instantly fell in love! She’s since explored other aerial arts like hoop and silks, and is always eager to learn more. Ruth passed her teaching qualification in 2023 and loves finding fun, creative ways to help her students grow their pole skills.

Leanne Pengelly

Aerial Hoop Instructor

Leanne started her aerial journey at Studio Essence in 2017 after being inspired by an aerial hoop performance. Since then, she has fallen in love with hoop, pole, and fabric, and passed her beginner and intermediate hoop instructor certification. Teaching quickly became a passion, and now she’s working towards instructor qualifications in more disciplines. I love being part of Studio Essence’s safe, supportive community and feel proud watching our students grow and achieve their goals!

Olivia Augar

Cover Aerial Hoop Instructor

Olivia discovered aerial hoop when she joined our studio in 2021, looking for a fun new hobby – and it quickly became a huge part of her life! As our cover hoop instructor, Olivia brings her enthusiasm to every class. You’ll often find her leading workshops and creating exciting routines for our annual showcase. She loves sharing her passion for hoop with students of all levels!

Lelia Whitehouse

Pole Heels Instructor

Lelia has been passionate about pole since 2021 and started dancing in heels during her first year – she hasn’t taken them off since! She loves all styles, especially hard style and stripper style, and gained so much confidence through pole heels that she now shares it with others. Certified to teach pole heels since 2025, Lelia’s classes are all about helping you find your confidence and sassy side. EveryONE and Every BODY is welcome

Hettie Parramore

Aerial Hoop and Silks Instructor

Hettie fell in love with aerial hoop in 2018 and has been passionate about it ever since!

She’s qualified to teach both hoop and aerial silks, and enjoys exploring new aerial skills. Hettie is dedicated to making aerial accessible for everyone, breaking down techniques so all her students can succeed.