Our Team
Margot’s love for pole began in the strip club when she walked in for an audition in 2016. With no prior dance background, she learned moves through other strippers and began to explore different tempos and styles of pole. Through working at more than eight strip clubs in Oregon, she cultivated a deep reverence for strippers and sex workers alike.
“this studio is really just me. it’s my desire for community, for healing… it’s movement and expression and exploration, taking up space and blocking out the noise. it’s my love for strippers, for this hidden world I’ve been a part of. one that I’ve stopped trying to explain to those who aren’t listening. a world I hold so dear to my heart. a world that deserves a space to mingle and laugh and dance. it’s a space to be me, and to let you be you.”
Margot has a Bachelor’s degree in social work and plans on pursuing her master’s in therapy with the goal of creating a space that allows sex workers to feel safe and accepted. Fig was born from the intersection of these two passions: movement and healing. She describes her flow as intuitive, emotive, and raw. She uses pole as a means of witnessing and honoring herself, and she wants to help others (re)connect with themselves as well.
After 28 years in Oregon, Margot has followed her next fig down to Southern California and left Fig in the capable and devoted hands of Mel. She is ~jazzed~ to be a part of Fig from afar and plans on returning for the occasional workshop or event, or just to say hello.
Margot
Founder, Co-Owner
Mel / Riley
Co-Owner, Instructor
Mel first stumbled into a strip club at the age of 18 in their old Prom heels and a stolen bra and panty set. Having just arrived in a new city with nothing more than the clothes on their back, they were desperate for both grocery money and community. When they swore on that first day that it’d be temporary, they never could have imagined the myriad of ways that a strip club, its inhabitants, and a spinning pole could save them time and time again. Now having been a stripper for over 10 years, Mel’s roots in the Portland sex worker community are deep and ever-expanding. They are especially passionate about community outreach, civilian education, and safety and support for all sex workers. They firmly believe that spaces and resources created by and for sex workers are sacred, and provide a much needed opportunity for community and healing.
Mel has been a part of Fig from the very first application of paint to the walls, and feels it’s a privilege to bring their knowledge and experience into a space that embraces and celebrates a variety of people and backgrounds while emphasizing pole dancing’s roots. As they take over day-to-day operations, they are determined to support Margot's vision, ensuring Fig Tree remains a sanctuary for empowerment, sensuality, and expression.
Mel is an award-winning gymnast, ballet dancer, and pole dancer with a combined 24 years of experience as a movement artist. They’ve spent the last 10 years as a stripper which has profoundly shaped how they navigate movement as well as how they navigate the world. Mel’s versatile experience gives them a robust understanding of the intersections of fluidity, athleticism, and sensuality. As pole dancing becomes more popular and accessible as a sport, they are especially passionate about physical education and helping dancers develop safe habits to mitigate injuries and increase the longevity of their careers. Outside of their time in the studio, they are eager to break down the stigma surrounding sex work through education and offer consulting services to those interested in learning more about sex work.
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Bethany - Instructor
Bethany (she/her) identifies as an eldest daughter of immigrants and a second-generation transracial Korean adoptee. She grew up in New York, has traveled to 30+ countries, and moved to the PNW in 2021. Bethany has been teaching pole since 2023 and yoga since 2016, and is currently pursuing her masters in clinical rehabilitation counseling. She believes that movement can be medicine to our whole selves, and together, collective movement can help nourish and heal our communities. Bethany's teaching style is relational and invitational with clear, bite-sized cues. She's excited to be your guide and cheerleader in your embodied movement journey.
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Melanie - Instructor
Melanie (she/her) has been pole dancing in studios and on stages for nearly 10 years. She has performed at Star Theater, Alberta Rose Theater and more, and learned from award-winning pole dancers such as Marlo Fisken, Natasha Wang, Victoria “Tinkk” Holt, Jazzy K and Felicity “Bambidoll” Logan. Her dance style is slow, soft and sensual, favoring liquid, bendy movement and engaging eye contact to entice audiences. Her teaching style is warm, friendly, compassionate, patient and encouraging. Aerial spin, static basework and heels are her go-tos when moving to slow metal, shoegaze, 70s and 90s-style music.
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Mayte - Instructor
Mayte is passionate about exploring movement and flow states. Pole has been her gateway to this kind of discovery and holds a big place in her heart. Mayte’s style is fluid, graceful and patient. She loves free-styling and deeply listening to how her body wants to guide her flow. Mayte is from Wisconsin and moved to Portland two years ago. You can find her either dancing or out in nature with her dog, Panda! You’ll probably meet panda at one of her classes.
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Slinky - Instructor
Slinky (she/they) is a queer, poly, SW-friendly instructor who has been pole dancing on and off since 2018 and teaching since 2022. She loves exploring all sorts of styles: flowy, sensual, acrobatic, playful, weird, creepy, and she is excited to bring more drag into her performances. Before pole, Slinky spent 10 years playing water polo, and before that spent much of their childhood involved in musical theater. Not having a dance background before stepping into pole, Slinky loves to challenge the idea of “right” and “wrong” in their classes and allow for individuality to flourish.
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Seven - Instructor
Seven is passionate about teaching in ways that help folks create sustainable and kind connections in their bodies and minds to allow for freedom in movement and expression. Seven has a professional dance career of over 15 years: teaching, performing, training and competing. They have a past in full production drag shows, burlesque, pole, stripping, travel dancing, competitive and contemporary dance, and they have been a student of ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and tango. They are a trauma informed student and practitioner of somatics, and they have over half a decade of experience in the sex work industry. They are always curious about how to create safe spaces for queer folks and sex workers to exist in. Seven strives to embody freedom and pleasure in their teachings and style.
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Shay - Instructor
Shay has been dancing, teaching, performing, and learning pole for six years. They are a bubbly instructor with a passion for encouraging students to find what feels good in their bodies through guided instruction. One of Shay’s strongest passions in pole is the freedom of expression it can provide and finding that through freestyle has changed the way they dance forever. Helping others find this love for pole is the most rewarding thing for Shay, and with great care and patience they will be there for you every step of the way!
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Charlie - Instructor
Movement has been one of the biggest outlets for Charlie since a young age. She has been a stripper for roughly three years, has taught Russian Exotic, and has trained with instructors including Maddie Sparkle & Michelle Shimmy, Olga Koda, and Badda. Dance has made her feel more confident than she could ever imagine, and she wants to help you feel the same!