New Openings: Brass Vixens

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Published April 1, 2016 at 3:36 pm

brassvixen

For the past 10 years, the Brass Vixens brand has been helping women (and men) achieve their fitness goals and amplify their sex appeal — and, by extension, their confidence. 

Now, the Toronto-based company that specializes in pole dancing, twerking, burlesque, aerial fitness and more has come to Mississauga and, so far, it looks like the city is excited about the sexy (and unique) new studio that isn’t afraid to fuse sensuality and athleticism. 

“We’ve always had a great response [to our studios],” says Dawn McCormack, the business director of Brass Vixens, over the phone. “But people can be nervous. You can be both excited and scared. We have over 10,000 clients, so we have a lot of people [who love what we do] and we focus on them.” 

The Mississauga location (the brand’s fourth), located on Kitimat Road in the 401 and Erin Mills Pkwy area, opened its doors on March 1 and is currently operating in a modest, two-studio space. 

“The two studios in Mississauga are small, so we’re hoping to expand in size in the future,” McCormack says. 

In terms of classes, the Sauga studio does not yet offer aerial or burlesque classes, but McCormack says both should come soon, especially when the studio expands. 

“[The Mississauga studio] still has a variety of classes,” she says. “We have lyra (aerial hoops), pole dancing and flexibility training. We’ll have a twerking class on April 9 and aerial and burlesque is coming soon.” 

As for how the city has responded to the opening of the decidedly racier concept, McCormack says the reaction has been positive. 

“The response has been great and people are excited. We have amazing instructors and a lot of our [Toronto] clients are from Mississauga and they came because of our instructors, two of which are pole dancing champions.” 

The extremely detailed and helpful Brass Vixens website actually provides pictures and class breakdowns for the instructors and two are indeed renowned athletes in their craft: Miss Tia and Dani Lee  The classes the instructors teach are fairly awe-inspiring in their variety and intensity, with both teachers offering advanced pole dancing classes that focus on challenging inversions. 

For many, the idea of a pole dancing class might seem somewhere between frivolous and distasteful. While it’s easy to dismiss the concept as too scandalous or racy, it’s important to remember that pole dancing — erotic associations aside — requires intense skill and athleticism. It’s as difficult and rewarding as it is seductive. It’s also; McCormack insists, a sport — albeit a very, very sexy one. 

“Chinese pole was an Olympic sport,” she begins. “It was two 30 foot poles about six feet apart and people would do acrobatics on them. When people come into the studio, I know they’re not coming to learn Chinese poles; they’re coming for the dancing. But they do discover that it’s a sport and the fitness is a byproduct. The sexy part makes it a challenge for most people because a lot of people enjoy the variety of pole fitness, but our focus is on the sexy [part]. All fitness is good for you and the dance part challenges your mind. We offer a really amazing price for all our classes to, especially compared to other boutique fitness studios.” 

In terms of prices, you can see a breakdown here. An introductory pass for 30 days costs $79. If you want to purchase a monthly pass, you’ll get to attend an unlimited number of classes for $139 (an ongoing membership) or $159 (uncommitted, month-month membership) a month. A 12-month membership is $1,200, which is on par with most specialized hot yoga studios. You can also buy class passes (a single class is $27). Private classes are also available. You can inquire about booking parties and events — the studio is pretty ideal for a bachelorette celebration — here

If you’re a daring insauga.com reader, Brass Vixens actually has a sexy little gift for you! You can sign up for a complimentary single class using the promo code “insauga.” The code will be active for four months. 

As to how the classes impact students, McCormack says they help boost confidence. 

“Pole dancing is not as easy it looks and it can be quite difficult, so people are proud when they achieve something at a new sport. Women love that they can feel sexy. One day, they’ll find themselves showing it off and doing it everywhere,” she says, laughing. “People also see results in their bodies very quickly. Pole dancing is for every body.”

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