Before joining Peloton, I was a professional commercial dancer for 12 years.
Dancing was my life, and I wasnt sure if Id be able to give it up – but being a Peloton instructor enables me to use so many elements of my dancing and so the change felt quite natural.
I get my energy from knowing that I help people get the best out of their fitness, health and well-being. People want to work out, but there are often obstacles that stand in their way, and seeing them overcome these is the main thing I love about my job.
One member told me that she had bought a Peloton bike shortly after a family member of hers had passed away and that my classes had allowed her to build up her fitness levels so much so that she was now doing a hike in memory of her loved one.
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Another member, a man who works for an airline, wanted to thank me so badly that he met me at the aircraft door on the way home from California a few weeks ago with a bottle of champagne!
How did you get started?
Ive danced since the age of three and spent three years as a junior associate at The Royal Ballet School, dancing four to five times per week after school, and then graduating from a three-year dance course at Performers College in Essex.
I have performed all over the world and toured with high-profile artists, as well as danced on primetime TV shows like The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing and at events such as the Victorias Secret show in London, the Summertime Ball and the Royal Variety Show.
Three years ago, I started working in the fitness industry, as a cycle and HIIT instructor at a boutique studio in London. Thats where I met Cody Rigsby, Pelotons master instructor.
In November 2018, I officially joined the team as one of the first two Peloton instructors in the UK.
I spent two months in New York, training with Cody and the content team, and then started teaching on the platform.
How does Peloton cycling work?
Peloton brings the energy and benefit of studio-style workouts to the comfort of your own home through a connected indoor bike.
The bike offers live and on-demand fitness classes – whenever, wherever – and has live metrics that measure the cadence, resistance and output, which enables riders to track their own progress. During a live class, instructors can see who is taking part in the class and those who are celebrating a milestone, which enables us to give shout-outs to home riders.
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Theres also a community aspect; you can connect with other riders via the real-time leaderboard and through social media.
What is it like to host a live digital class?
All of the classes I teach actually have riders in the studio.
Most cycling instructors are teaching to a room of around 50 people max, however as Peloton instructors we reach a much larger audience, often thousands of riders at a time, which is amazing.
What was it like going from dancing to becoming a fitness instructor?
I still get to perform; I get myself ready for a class like I would for a show, I work with cameras, I get to make people feel good and I have a connection with music that I hope gives me such a good level of energy that I pass it on to my riders.
Dance will always be the foundation of everything I do, so it wont ever leave me.
Why do you think Peloton has become so popular?
I think the convenience factor is key.
Peloton allows you to personalise your workout; you can choose the instructor, the music you want to listen to and you can access an instructor-led class at any time of the day, be it live or an on-demand ride.
Riders also have access to Peloton Digital – thousands of classes across categories such as cycling, running, walking, bootcamp, strength, stretching, cardio, yoga and meditation.
Have riders ever sent flirty or rude messages to you during a class?
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The messages I get are generally just from people who want to share their progress with me.
Yesterday, I had a member tell me that she has just turned 40 and is recovering from an illness, but that my classes are getting her healthy again. She also told me her 10-year-old son loves to watch her ride her bike and smile!
It made my day, this is the goodness we should focus on.
Whats the wow moment of your career?
I will never forget when I performed as a dancer at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics closing ceremonies.
We spent roughly two months working on the show outside in Dagenham, and in typical UK weather, it rained pretty much the whole time so our dance footwear became wellies.
Its the biggest event Ive ever been a part of and included dancing on pointe (a ballet technique) on a ramp and learning new skills like Poi (a Maori dance).
I also got the opportunity to dance with Annie Lennox, Darcy Bussell, Emeli Sandé and Coldplay during the ceremonies and I can remember the feeling of those nights like it was yesterday!
Any funny or strange moments?
There have been some amazing, surreal and strange moments, like when I went on tour with Steps and realised I already knew the choreography by heart because I had learned every step – pun intended – as a kid.
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Or when the French designer Christian Louboutin taught me how to walk in his heels, and that time when after climbing to the top of the Arena di Verona amphitheatre in Italy during a break from rehearsals, I got such severe vertigo that I thought Id have to stay there forever.
I also once left a music video shoot with a new kitten, given to me by an artist. I named her Lady P and she was pretty famous in the dancing industry for a while.
How often do you work out?
Aside from the Peloton classes I teach, I work out four to five times per week and train with my personal trainer two to threRead More – Source
