Jamilla Deville
Jamilla Deville is the creator of the Art of Pole® brand of pole dance courses, more about which can be found at the official website www.artofpole.com
Jamilla is a professional dancer. She has danced for most of her life starting with classical and jazz ballet and progressing to African dance (also called African Ballet). She has also trained in trapeze, corde lisse (aerial rope) and tissue (aerial silks) and continues to train in the latter to this day. She was one of the aerial performers at the opening of the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, and also performed corde lisse (rope) at the Synergy & Chaos III National Circus and Theatre Conference at the Brisbane Powerhouse. Using many of the skills she developed through her aerial training, she transferred her knowledge of trapeze and tissue to pole dancing.
Jamilla was the first dancer ever to win the title of Miss Pole Dance Australia. With that title she has been invited to perform pole dancing in Europe as well as the finest clubs in Australia. Since late 2002 she has been teaching pole dancing for men and women, beginners through to intermediate levels and advanced, with a focus on fitness and conditioning.
Most recently, she founded the International Pole Federation, an organization governed by a board of some the world's best pole dancers whose vision it is to uphold the ideal of pole dancing as an art form in itself, as well as to support the growth of the industry through maintaining quality and standards in classes, resources and events. To this end, Jamilla travelled to Las Vegas in January 2007 to meet with one of the world's most famous and accomplished pole dancers, Fawnia Mondey-Dietrich, as well as other world renowned pole dance instructors, Katie Coates and Mary Ellyn Weissman. Jamilla's vision is not only to dance her whole life, but also to support and maintain the highest standards in pole dance teaching and performance.
“Pole dancing is an art form, something beautiful and inspiring, which contains elements of sensuality and theatricality through athletic and sensual movement, music, costume and sometimes even striptease. That whole package is what makes it an art in itself.” - Jamilla Deville
