Our History
Our story starts in 2012 with a group of UIUC students in a small, campus apartment. They founded an RSO named Illini Pole Fitness, which quickly outgrew its limited space.
Former IPF President Sugar Westie opened Defy Gravity with Alex Kunzelman in 2015 to provide a local home for pole and aerial. Liana, UIUC alum and then-high school teacher, attended DG's first open house and instantly fell in love. They rediscovered their enjoyment of dance as a student and later trained to be a pole instructor.
When Sugar and Alex moved in 2017, Liana bought the business and left education to manage the studio full-time. After the sale of our old building in late 2018, Defy relocated to Lincoln Square Mall—where we’ve been dancing ever since.
Today, Defy Gravity provides the greater Champaign-Urbana community with high-quality classes by trained and certified fitness professionals. Our pole and aerial offerings have grown, including the expansion of plus size classes to include aerial & conditioning.
Every year, we host student showcases and instructor-led shows of various themes. We frequently perform with our siblings at Carnivale Debauche and often partner with the UP Center and other LGBTQ+ organizations.
We are a visibly queer, sex-positive, body-neutral space. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind — especially pertaining to the originators of pole, strippers and sex workers. We believe in the power of finding joyful movement and celebrating what your body can do today, as it is.
Whether you grew up dancing or never had the chance, we want to move with you.
Come fly with us!
Cultural Competency & Diversity at Defy Gravity
Defy Gravity is committed to being an inclusive fitness space, and we are also a community that works to empower all of our students. We place special emphasis on supporting those with marginalized identities.
What is a marginalized identity?
“Marginalization is the process of pushing a particular group or groups of people to the edge of society by not allowing them an active voice, identity, or place in it. Through both direct and indirect processes, marginalized groups may be relegated to a secondary position or made to feel as if they are less important than those who hold more power or privilege in society.
“Individuals and groups can be marginalized on the basis of multiple aspects of their identity, including but not limited to: race, gender or gender identity, ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, sexuality, age, and/or religion. Some individuals identify with multiple marginalized groups, and may experience further marginalization as a result of their intersecting identities.”
Above quotes from the Syracuse University Counseling Center.
In this space and at all Defy Gravity events, we expect everyone to adhere our Cultural Competence & Diversity Policies.
We expect you to…
Have empathy for others’ experiences and perspectives
Be open to feedback and change
Engage in non-offensive inquiry
Practice bystander intervention
Accept people’s lived experiences
Respect people’s pronouns / gender identity
Refrain from playing “devil’s advocate”
Respect people’s personal boundaries