"My family has been amazing in helping making this all happen ... painting, signage, cleaning, building walls - you name it!
"We couldn't have done it without all their help, being that we live in Tauranga.
"One of my instructors, Jess Connor, who helps me run the Studios doing a lot of the behind the scenes admin and jobs, was planning to move back to Whangarei with her family. We thought now's as good a time as ever.
"Jess is moving up to manage the Whangarei studio and will still be helping run the other studios as well. We are also very lucky to have other students joining us that have done pole before who will be training to teach."
Pole dance is a form of performing art, which combines dance and acrobatics centred on a vertical pole.
This art form has recently gained popularity as a form of fitness, practised by many enthusiasts in gyms and in dedicated dance studios.
Ms Burch says pole dance is a very specific fitness that people need to be well trained in to be able to teach classes and be an instructor.
"We have a lot of teachers with dance backgrounds and all our teachers have done pole for a minimum of a year at least, before they start training to be a teacher. Most have done pole for two to three years.
"There's a certain level of experience that you need to have pre-teaching that's very important to ensure safety and a high standard of pole and aerial instruction.
"Knowing transitions between our class levels, learning all the different moves of our curriculum and having the strength to be able to perform everything you are teaching as well as a passion for pole and teaching is a must."
Pole fitness is for all ages, shapes, sizes and fitness levels, Ms Burch says.
"Our students range from 10 years old (doing our kids' aerial classes) to students in their mid-60s.
"It's never too late to start," she said. "We have instructors ranging from early 20s to in their 50s. Our teachers are so amazing, helpful and supportive - our main goal is having an awesome family like environment in all our studios."
Ms Burch, who credits her ballet and jazz teachers as early inspirations, says the 3 Bank St location was just right, as they needed several rooms to be able to offer both pole and aerial lyra (hoop).
"This location came up and was perfect for us. It's also got 4m high ceilings which is just what we wanted."
Ms Burch's background is in business management, having managed Whitcoulls stores in Auckland and then being a practice manager for several chiropractic offices (over 15 years).
She says she has always done some type of dance, from the age of 3, whether it was ballet, jazz, tap, ballroom, and always loved fitness and being active.
This included several shows with WAODS (Whangarei Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society) before moving to Auckland.
"I've always loved performing and dancing on stage."
When Ms Burch moved to the Mount from Auckland in 2011 the opportunity came up to buy the studio.
"I thought 'Why not combine my management experience and dance/fitness background and buy it.'
"We took it over with about 50 students and three instructors, now four years later we have 16 instructors, three locations and over 300 students that come weekly to our classes," she said.
"It's been amazing to see the growth in the business and the passion for pole fitness and aerial grow in New Zealand."
