A Valentine Like No Other: JadeXFusion’s Aerial & Pole Showcase
Community
Did you have a Valentine this year? You could’ve had nearly 20, all eager to tease you, love you, then leave you in a jaw-dropped, dumbfounded daze. JadeXFusion Fitness, a pole and aerial fitness studio in Spanish Fork Utah, opened its doors to the public for an immersive Valentine’s Day showcase — an experience that carries all the thrill of the circus while wrapping it in intimacy, making it feel as if the show was crafted just for you.
Pink lights and hearts galore, you’re welcomed with delicious red bubbly drinks and individually packaged pink kettle corn, all pulling you deeper into the warm, whimsical atmosphere. As you take your seat, you tip your head back, taking in the towering poles and aerial silks stretching as high as 15 feet. The higher the ceiling, the greater the freedom — and the performers are ready to take full advantage.
The evening’s first host, Heidi Gerlach, shares her passion for the space that Lindsey Bronson, owner of JadeXFusion, opened just months ago in July 2024. The studio is a dream-turned-reality, made possible with the help of her business partner and husband, Andrew Bronson. These brick walls pulse with the energy of Lindsey’s dedication, but more than that, they beat with the strength of the community that fills them. Laughter, whispers and giddy anticipation ripple through the audience as each performer is introduced, the host ensuring they are hyped up, celebrated and seen for the artists they are.
Because that’s what these performers are — artists. Their apparatus is their canvas, their movements the brushstrokes, painting the depths of our favorite human emotion and four-letter word: Love.
The night opens with a sultry, chaotic display of toxic love — an experience many have lived and, at times, indulged in. The allure of its highs, the sting of its lows. From there, the theme shifts. A four-person act explores the warmth of friendship, sharing two poles as they take turns in the spotlight before uniting in a synchronized display of strength and support, a reminder that love exists in more forms than romance.
The theme continues to evolve. Performers, dressed in red and pink and adorned with bows and ruffles, bring a dollhouse dreamscape to life, flipping into silks and dropping from breathtaking heights to the sounds of carnival-like instrumentals. A duo spins together on a single pole; their legs interlocked to the rhythm of “Tainted Love,” their sharp, synchronized heel claps punctuating the song’s sultry beat. Another performer, once afraid of the Lyra hoop, now commands it with high-energy punk rock — an ode to love lost and reclaimed.
Heartbreak morphs into hope as a performer sheds a gray top layer, revealing vibrant colors beneath — rebirth through love, a transformation of self. The silks become wings as she soars, the crowd roaring in response. Aerialists take their turn defying gravity, dropping into candy-red Lyra hoops, twisting and spinning at dizzying speeds. One performer steps behind silks for an in-show costume change before emerging reborn, while another embodies the realities of dating in your thirties with a pole routine so raw and relatable that even this writer found herself teary-eyed.
The energy crackles, intensifying with every act. Audience members gasped as instructors and students push past limits — spinning their Lyra hoops at faster and faster, climbing higher and higher, only to let go in stunning drops, stopping just short of the floor. The tension builds, your body reacts and your jaw goes slack as you witness the sheer control, power and artistry before you.
Love takes its final form in a display of trust. An acrobatic couple shares one aerial strap, their movements an unspoken promise: “I won’t let you fall.” One partner hangs upside down, pulling the other from the ground in a breathtaking exchange of strength, balance and surrender. And in the grand finale, national champion Paige Moore climbs to the highest peak of the pole, pauses, then releases — free-falling in a controlled drop from 15 feet. The crowd erupts at the show-stopping feat.
In showcases like these, it’s easy to sit back and admire, while you lose yourself in the spectacle of it all. But then, the second host of the night, Riley Hunter, reminds us that this isn’t just a performance. It’s an invitation. We too, can paint our emotions out on a canvas of our choosing. Movement is for everyone. Strength is built. Artistry is learned. These performers weren’t born fearless; they began to play, built themselves up and discovered their power one climb, one spin, one drop at a time.
JadeXFusion Fitness isn’t just a place to watch incredible performances. It’s a space where everyday people become artists, where movement becomes expression and where you can step into your own power. So why just be a spectator? The next time you walk through these doors, maybe it won’t be to watch — but to take the stage yourself.
To sign up for classes, visit their website jadexfusionfitness.com.
Follow JadeXFusion Fitness on Instagram at @jadexfusionfitness to stay up-to-date on upcoming events, raffles and chances to win free classes.
Read more coverage of local performance art:
Ten Years of Strength and Sensuality at The Salt Mine
Second Sunday Tea: Spill That Tea, Sis!