Heather Day Slawek

Heather is the owner and founder of Awakenings Pole and Aerial Dance Fitness studio in the Philadelphia area. Heather has been a certified fitness professional for over 25 years holding certifications in pole dance fitness, personal training, mat pilates, aqua aerobics, kick-boxing, Zumba, Buti-Yoga, both primary and master group fitness certifications, Flow, Step and Sliderobics and a 200hr Yoga Certification.

Prior to finding pole fitness, Heather had formal training in dance (jazz, tap, ballet) and was a competitive swimmer and gymnast throughout her childhood and through high school. As a teenager, Heather was spotted dancing at a local teen dance club and went on to dance as a regular on two TV dance shows including a nationally syndicated show that she co-hosted for two years called "Dance Party USA".

Heather graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Communications worked for MTV and several video production companies as well as landing a job as the lead instructor/choreographer for a fitness company that required her to travel to international fitness conventions and train other fitness professionals. She has starred in and choreographed numerous fitness videos and to this day, she continues to teach fitness classes and is an active personal trainer outside of Awakenings.  Heather was a CEC provider for fitness professionals and she continues to enjoy training fitness professionals in how to teach pole fitness.  Heather also enjoys teaching other formats and is especially fond of Zumba! Heather also won the title of "Miss Fitness Philadelphia" in 1996.  

Heather found pole after having two children and wanting to try something different in the fitness world to lose her "baby weight"; After 18 months of instruction at a pole studio and self-training at home, Heather soon realized how passionate she was about sharing this unique and effective art form as a way of getting fit and empowering women so Heather started the first pole studio in Montgomery County in 2008 in King of Prussia. Heather has trained dozens of instructors and hundreds of women the art of pole dancing and she herself has trained with the most elite pole instructors/competitors in the world.