Nickel City Gritty: Electric Daisy Fitness
I’ve never been much of an athletic person. My parents forced me to take soccer and tennis and swim lessons when I was a kid, and I pretty much hated every minute of it. As an adult, I’m still not channeling my inner Sporty Spice. Don’t get me wrong, I need to work out on a regular basis to feel good, but I don’t really like “typical” workout regimens. Lucky for me, I’ve found something that I LOVE that is super challenging yet insanely fun.
Pole dancing has always interested me, but I never thought that I was fit enough to be good at it. Back in August of 2019, I decided to do something crazy and signed up for a class at Electric Daisy Fitness. The owner, Kelsey Dewey, was so warm and welcoming and made me feel super comfortable during my first lesson. I was so nervous, totally sucked at it, and was crazy sore for the next week after that, but I had a blast and knew that I had to stick with it. Soon after that, I was getting better and better after every class, being able to climb to the top of the pole and doing some pretty cool tricks, and now I’ve even graduated to my first pair of pole heels!
The community that Kelsey has created at Electric Daisy is amazing, and I’ve been so bummed that the studio had to temporarily close because of COVID. I was happy to be able to interview her right before everything went crazy, so please take a listen to her pretty rad playlist while you read all about her and her business!
This is Nickel City Gritty, and this is Kelsey Dewey of Electric Daisy Fitness.
How did you get the idea to open Electric Daisy Fitness?
Oh my god. Really, there’s so much that went into it. So much of my personal and professional life that has gone into this business. Not to sound dramatic *laughs* I fell in love with pole dancing. It was a positive hobby for me at the time. I started five years ago, and I was teaching fitness prior to that. I’ve worked for a variety of companies, and it was time. I saw a lot of people taking risks and doing things to make their lives better or just taking a chance on things, and I was like, “I think it’s time to do that for myself.” Pole dancing has been such a positive thing in my life, and I felt like I could communicate it and teach it well. I had a vision for the studio. I did look around to see if I could become a part of another community or another studio, but definitely in the end decided to do things my way. It seemed like it was time to be my own boss and make my own decisions and be creative. And I love the outcome so far! I opened the studio on December 1, 2018, so just over a year. This is a very welcoming space for everybody and it’s grown so much.
How would you describe your personal style?
A lot of times I’m just running to the studio, so it’s whatever I can grab. And I work from home for my other job, so it’s usually pajamas! *laughs* Usually it’s very athleisure. Definitely comfortable. A lot of times I’m wearing the same type of comfortable pants. I always have this lightning bolt necklace on which was a gift from my sister. In the studio I’m just in short shorts! Basically I tend to lean towards comfort and what feels good to me and what flatters me. I do like to dress up occasionally and wear skirts and dresses, basically when I have a reason to dress up.
What’s on your bucket list?
I want to travel more. I’ve really never been on the west coast, so I’d love to get to Seattle or to Hawaii. I’d also like to perform more at festivals. I took the studio to some fitness and wellness events the first year I was open which was awesome. I love doing stuff like that! I’d love to do more cultural things, too. That’s definitely a goal of mine. I’d also love to become a part of the larger pole community across the country. There’s a studio that I love so much in Nashville that I can’t wait to go back to. Everywhere I’ve been, everyone is so welcoming. Any time I’ve gone to a larger pole convention, everyone is so great. It’s fun to see how other people are doing it and it’s fun to see different vibes. Even around here, every studio is different.
What is a misconception that people might have about you?
Hmmm…I don’t know, I’m so likable! *laughs*
Or, what would be a misconception that people might have about the pole business?
A huge misconception is that everybody is a stripper. And that is NOT a negative comment on stripping, I fully support it. It was not my path. I found pole dancing through recreation, which a lot of people do these days. There are so many different studios and not everybody is a stripper. Again, that is NOT negative…if somebody wants to strip, that’s awesome! I’ve had instructors that were strippers and I’ve had some that weren’t. I just love teaching and love pole dance. I say a lot that pole dancing is for literally everybody. All types of pole dancing are acceptable in my opinion. We have competitions now and it is considered a sport. It has become so much more athletic over the years, but it’s still about feeling empowered and embracing your body.
What’s on your playlist? What do you like to listen to?
My studio playlist is a lot of R&B and pop and a lot of sultry siren type music, a lot of beautiful female singers. I try not to get too pop-y. On my personal playlist, I love Lindsey Sterling and I love who she is as a person, full of positivity and light. Kacey Musgraves is one of my all-time favorites. She’s a singer songwriter country artist who is also all about love and light. I love both of those artists as people and the work they create. I like a lot of music, there’s very little that I don’t listen to. Every once in a while I’ll get nostalgic and listen to NSync! It’s amazing how your brain can recall these songs that you grew up with. I also love classic rock, I have all of my paren’t vinyl records.
What are some of your favorite bars or restaurants in Buffalo?
If I’m going out, I really like Tappo. I like the space and the food is great. One of my favorite bars is Rohall’s Corner…it’s across from Wegmans in the Black Rock area. Every Sunday they do a vinyl night, so I go there with my friends. It’s a dive bar and I love it. It’s great. I unfortunately don’t go out that often, though!
What actress would play you in a movie about your life?
Oh my god. Tina Fey! She is amazing. That one was easy!
Which of your five senses do you think is the strongest?
I always say that I’m very sensitive to smell, so in the studio I’m always spraying essential oils and I have the diffuser. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, but smells, like music, have very memorable qualities. I want to always make sure that things smell good!
If you could have one super power, what would it be?
Ooohhh I love super hero stuff. I’m so connected to this electric type imagery, it probably would be something with electricity and lightning. Shoot lightning from my fingers!
The last question that I always ask is what do you want to be when you grow up?
Hmmm…what do I want to be? Well, I’m told that I have the voice range for a voice actor! I just hope that I can make an impact on a couple people…it doesn’t even have to be that many! We’ve all been the villain and the hero in people’s stories, and I just hope that my legacy with all of this is that I touch a couple lives here and there and make an impact. That and voice acting *laughs*