TJ Phoenix (They/Them)
Personal Trainer + Pole Instructor
You may have seen TJ perform with the Va Va Vixens (Louisville’s premier variety and burlesque troupe) and has been performing with them since 2013. You may have also spotted them in local shows such as Bourbontown Burlesque, We Are The Weirdos, Harlots & Hellions, The Bizarre Bazaar, Boots Off Burly Brawl/The Petticoat Peepshow, and Nerd-esque Burlesque.
TJ Phoenix has been burning up the dance floor for roughly 30 years. They really learned to fly when they added pole dancing to their repertoire in 2016.
You may spot this Phoenix soaring at Freestyle Fitness, the local Dance Studio & Fitness Center they own in JTown, that has been serving the Louisville community since 2011! There, they teach pole and is the head personal trainer.
TJ Phoenix is a nerd at heart and loves Cosplay, Renaissance Fairs, and RP games. They joined the Ulfhedinn Vikings in 2019, a Viking-themed entertainment group performing skits involving stunts, steel, martial arts, music and more. With Ulfhedinn TJ plays a berserker by the name of Freka “The Hungry One/The Wolf”... Mind your ears...
TJ Phoenix runs River City LARP and is also responsible for Freestyle Productions, bringing you shows like Nerd-esque Burlesque; a local and traveling Nerdlesque/variety troupe, dedicated to fulfilling your wildest fandom fantasies!
Follow TJ Phoenix:
FB: @FreestyleFitnessKY, @FreestyleTJPhoenix, @NerdesqueBurlesque, and @RiverCityLARP
IG: @FreestyleFitness
YouTube: FreestyleFitnessUSA
TikTok: @FreestyleTJPhoenix
Rikki Little aka “Pixie Pistola” (She/Her)
Pole, Chair, and Flexibility Instructor
Pixie Pistola began her pole journey over 20 years ago and has trained multiple champions. She has been coaching movement arts since 2003 and is certified in pole dance & fitness, hulahoop dance & fitness, and sport yoga. Pixie has performed pole & aerials all across the country and is the producer of We Are the Weirdos variety show. Tale has been told that she was born upside down and spinning!
Mallorye Cheers aka “Sweet Nightmare” (She/Her)
Twerk Instructor
Mallorye was born and raised in the Home of the Blues, Memphis, Tennessee. She moved to Louisville in 2005 to pursue her education at Sullivan University. She received three degrees: 2 associates and a bachelor’s.
Mallorye would later find interest in pole dancing and aerials as hobbies. These hobbies would later open the door to her burlesque debut. She started off as kittening, stage help, and being a hype-girl for a variety of different burlesque shows throughout the city. She would then go on to audition for the Va Va Vixens.
Mallorye made her debut with the Vixens in 2018 and you can still see her perform today. Known on the stage as Sweet Nightmare, she can always be seen showcasing her “round brown” and showing off her self taught twerking skills.
Avalon Sutherland aka “Vivian la Resistance”
(She/Her)
Burlesque Instructor
Vivian la Resistance has been dancing since she was seven years old as a competitive Irish Dancer. She danced on stages all over the MidWest, competing in multiple local, regional, and national competitions. Once achieving the highest level of difficulty in competition, she ended her career at the 2010 World Championships in Scotland. In 2014 Vivian began touring as a Professional Irish Dancer in Ireland and China for a year.
Vivian began with Bourbontown Burlesque in 2016 after doing lingerie runway shows with Sensual Bliss two years prior. She has performed with several local variety troupes and even ventured to perform Burlesque in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Atlanta, and Canada. She joined the Va Va Vixens in 2022 where she began as a Stage Hand and became a full time member of the troupe in 2023. Vivian often assists the costuming duo Good Girl Corsets with their gorgeous costumes and incredible props.
Along with performing, Vivian now teaches burlesque for students needing to feel more self confidence, clear intention in their movements, and become more in touch with their sensuality.
Vivian's passion lies in Classic Burlesque but also enjoys Neo- and Nerd-lesque.
She fights for equality with every bump and grind, embraces sexuality with every strand of fringe and rhinestone, and liberates us all with every shimmy and shake. Let Vivian show you the way to body positivity and sensuality through Burlesque!