Flip Your Perspective: Dive into Shine's Handstands Training Camp and classes!
If you're a handstands enthusiast ready to push your handstand skills to new heights and immerse yourself in a transformative training experience, then buckle up and get to Vegas from January 18th to 20th, Vegas as here at Shine Fitness will be hosting our first Handstands Training Camp! This exclusive 3 day camp is tailored for intermediate to advanced practitioners looking to refine their handstand technique, explore creative variations, and receive personalized guidance from top-tier instructors
And if you haven't tried handstands before but have always been intrigued by this impressive form of exercise, keep reading to learn about our why you should join the upside down fun in our Studio's beginner-friendly Handstand classes!
BEGINNER CLASSES:
Our Studio offers classes that provide a safe and supportive environment for you to start your handstand journey. Learning handstands not only enhances your physical strength and balance but also offers a range of other benefits, including improved focus, increased body awareness, and a boost in confidence. If you're new to handstands, our expert in-house instructors will guide you through fundamental techniques and progressions, ensuring that you build a strong foundation for your handstand practice.
ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS:
For those with prior handstand experience, our Handstands Training Camp is the perfect opportunity to take your skills to the next level. Join us to refine your technique, explore advanced variations, master new moves and receive personalized feedback from renowned world class instructors. Whether you're looking to perfect your lines, work on one-arm handstands, or explore creative transitions, our camp will provide you with an unique, dynamic and immersive setting for you to further increase those abilities you've worked so hard to get!
WHY SHINE'S HANDSTANDS TRAINING CAMP?
At our Camp you'll get the unique chance to learn from an elite team of accomplished handstand instructors with diverse backgrounds and teaching styles. Whether you're a handstand enthusiast wanting to learn new skills or a seasoned hand balance performer, this camp offers a special environment where artistry, technique, and creativity all come together. giving you tailored training to help you progress in your practice, not to mention the chance to connect with fellow handstand lovers!
MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
Dima Shine: By age 16, Dima had already proven himself as an accomplished athlete, winning over 25 medals in Acrobatics competitions, including a World Champion Title. Starting his circus journey at the Kiev State College of Circus and Variety Art, Dima created his signature hand balancing act under the guidance from Viktor Kee, a renowned industry figure. He took the circus world by storm as he won top honors at prestigious circus festivals like Festival Mondial Cirque de Demain, where he not only secured the Gold but also won the Prize of the Public. Dima's achievements extended to various other renowned festivals such as Festival internazionale del circo città, International Circus Festival Domont, International Circus Festival Du Grenoble amongst others and TV talent shows, including Got Talent's russian version "Minuta Slavy" - which he won - and the german "Das Supertalent." When Cirque du Soleil approached him to perform in Banana Shpeel and Zumanity, Dima seized the opportunity, eventually settling in Las Vegas where he followed his dream of opening his own studio, Shine Alternative Fitness. Even after leaving Cirque Du Soleil, Dima has continued to perform at acclaimed venues such as Weltweihnachtscircus, Circus Sarasota, and Celestia.
Denys Tolstov: most kids look up to Hollywood celebrities and rock musicians. Denys, who started training in Ukraine when he was 8 years old, has remarked, "Being in a Cirque show was a dream when I was in circus school. In my room, there were posters and CDs of Cirque music." Fortunately, Tolstov attracted the attention of casting scouts from Cirque du Soleil in 2001 while participating in an exchange program with a circus school in Brussels. After waiting a year to reach 18, he made his stage debut in one of Cirque's most iconic productions, "Alegría," after training for two months at the nouveau circus company's home base in Montreal. Besides performing for over a decade on "Alegría", Denys has also been in a few Vegas shows, including Criss Angel Mindfreak at Planet Hollywood and a one of a kind act for Cirque Du Soleil's One Night for One Drop that included nineteen hand balancing canes. He firmly believes the best thing about being in the circus is showing people the capabilites of the human body — and the applause!
Alona Zhuravel: Alona's parents were both experienced performers, which means she practically grew up on stage, where the finest examples were all around her! She was always inspired by her mother, one of the first female hand-balancers who focused on hand-balancing techniques rather than just contortion. Handstands have become second nature to Alona, as she started doing them at the young age of 6. Since her incredible performing career began in 2001, she has performed on stages all around the world like Circus Flic-Flac, winning awards on the Circus festival “Citta di Latina” in Italy and Circusfestival in China, and wowing the audiences of Cirque du Soleil's "Joya" and "Varekai", where she was a main character with her hand balancing acts. She has also investigated different teaching approaches, and that experience has brought her to a startling realisation: people often overcomplicate the art of handstands. As a result, in addition to performing, she now aims to make the upside-down world as inviting and comfortable as possible for others who wish to learn.
Kyle Cragle: After an early start in competitive gymnastics team at age seven, after watching a Cirque du Soleil show at age 9, Kyle fell in love with circus and set his heart to pursue the dream of working at Cirque du Soleil. He left his home in Houston, Texas at the age of 15 to enter the high school program of the National Circus School in Montreal (ENC), and later enrolled full-time in the college program to study hand balancing contortionist arts. Upon graduating from ENC in 2016, Cragle was hired by Flip Fabrique for their summertime circus production, Crepusculeto, and the same year he joined OVO by Cirque du Soleil the first time. After a few years he left to work full time as a makeup artist -another skill at what he excels - and explore other types of performance, and in 2021 he wowed the judges of America's Got Talent with a fabulous hand-balancing-contortion-drag-queen act as Scarlett Business. He was invited back to OVO in 2022, and has also performed on Mystère, Absinthe at Caesar's and Miss Behave’s “Mavericks” at The Plaza Las Vegas.
Dashiel Cote: a third-generation artist and performer, Dash started out as an abstract breakdancer more than 20 years ago. He has a unique approach that blends strength and suppleness for front bending! While based in Phoenix, Arizona, he performed and competed with many dance, entertainment, and busking companies all around the world. Eventually he discovered a brand new passion: hand balancing and contortion. After training a few years, he got admitted to Ukraine's Kyiv Academy of Circus and Variety Arts in 2017, the first American student to be accepted into the prestigious program. Dash enjoys sharing his deep knowledge of his craft to new students of all backgrounds and skill levels.
Vanessa Aviles: Since an early age Vanessa developed her training to become a successful athlete in artistic gymnastics, having already become an acrobat at the age of four. She started out pursuing competitive artistic gymnastics before discovering aerial silks at the age of 18. After performing in Las Vegas and California for two years, Vanessa continued to refine her abilities at the National Circus School of Montreal (ENC), where she graduated in 2017. Vanessa specialises in aerial silks, but she is also quite skilled at handstands, the Cyr wheel, aerial hoops, and aerial straps. In addition to high-profile industry festivals like Montréal Complètement Cirque and VivaFest, she has performed in Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, Cirque De La Mer, and Cirque Éloize productions like Nezah, The Pirate Child, and HOTEL.
Hanifa Jackson: With a background in formal dance training at highly regarded schools such as The Juilliard School, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Philadanco!, Hanifa Jackson has not only made a name for herself as a multi-disciplinary training expert but also as a versatile dancer, choreographer, and instructor. Her professional background includes appearing on stage in the renowned Broadway version of The Lion King and playing enthralling roles in Cirque Du Soleil's Mystère. Because of her commitment to spreading her knowledge, Hanifa has taught at several dance schools and universities around the nation. She has also coached and choreographed acro gymnastics and trained gymnasts in ballet technique, and since Handstands are all about body control, her classes on this Training Camp are a must!
Courtney Friedersdorf: Courtney grew up learning and dancing in a studio environment because her mother was a soloist with the St. Louis Ballet. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Shenandoah Conservatory in 2018. She followed her goals after graduating from college and performed all around the world with Norwegian and Princess Cruise Lines, appearing in numerous solos and duets. She later relocated to Las Vegas, where she has appeared in a number of productions, including as Mayfair After Dark at The Bellagio, Zombie Burlesque, and Particle Ink. Courtney has worked with a number of production firms, and her background as a pole fitness and flexibility instructor at Shine gives her classes a distinctive flair.
COME SHINE WITH THE BEST!
For those looking to master new tricks and further immersing themselves in the world of handstands by embracing the art of hand balancing, Shine's Handstands Training Camp will definitely be a transformative experience, as this camp offers the perfect and unique opportunity to learn from some of the best instructors in the industry! Can't make it to our first January 18th - 20th Camp? Don't worry, we already set up two more dates in May and October!
For more information visit our website's Training Camps tab, reach out to us via phone at (702) 624-4099, email at info@shinealternativefitness or connect with us via DM on our Instagram @shinefitnesslv .