She works late. A couple of weeks in the past, on a Saturday night time, Ashley Hayward was “within the pocket” onstage at Jumbo’s Clown Room — that elusive, divine state of being that each one performers chase, the place artist and viewers merge. From the stage, she bit right into a banana earlier than spitting it into a lady’s mouth, sealing it with a kiss. The group erupted into cheers. Later, she reappeared in a nun’s behavior, peeling it off to disclose black vinyl lingerie. The group gawks at her — religious eyes large, lips parted as if witnessing a miracle.
“I used to be within the pocket your complete night time,” Hayward recollects. “I bought onstage the primary time, bought them and I had them the entire night time. These are the particular nights since you’re creating one thing collectively.”
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By day, Hayward leads a distinct type of efficiency, instructing Pilates at WundaBar’s mirrored studio in Los Feliz. She leads the category with the identical conviction she embodies as a dancer. In a black headset match for a pop star, she paces across the studio in a black unitard, main the category via repetitions and poses.
“Ashley, you appear like Madonna!” certainly one of her college students excitedly shouts on the finish of sophistication. The category has garnered a cult following amongst Pilates college students who’re followers of the dancer’s nighttime antics. Hannah Benson is an everyday at Hayward’s class. “There’s extra fluidity to her Pilates routines akin to dancing — she understands how a physique naturally strikes in a means that makes me really feel extra snug in my very own,” Benson says.
1. Students in Ashley Hayward’s Pilates class work through a movement at WundaBar. 2. Cecilia Fairchild holds a free weight. 3. A student does standing exercises on the reformer.
The Oregon native moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music and dance. “I felt that commercial dance was very restricting. I just wasn’t finding my groove.” She began exploring burlesque. Soon, friends recommended she dance at the iconic burlesque dive bar Jumbo’s Clown Room. “It changed everything for me. It was the first time I was able to dance full-time,” she says. Since 2018, Hayward has been a beloved dancer at Jumbo’s Clown Room. “I’m very grateful that I found that space, because we have a lot of freedom there.”
“It changed everything for me,” says Ashley Hayward. “It was the first time I was able to dance full-time.”
In recent years, Hayward has become a fixture of the city’s nightlife scene. Since 2017, she has also fronted a live “rock ’n’ roll sleaze” show called Night Scene, anchored by a live band, Night Boys, and featuring burlesque dancers. The chaotic live show pays homage to DIY punk scenes like no other in town.
”Night Scene is something that doesn’t exist, at least in L.A.,” she said. “I feel like there was a hole there, and I wanted to fill it.” The show is preparing for its biggest show yet, Jan. 21 at Zebulon in Silver Lake. “It’s a big room to fill. But we deserve to be on a big stage,” she explains.
Hayward first fell in love with Pilates in high school and rediscovered it after the pandemic. After taking classes at WundaBar, she was drawn to the studio’s flow and style. “I felt I had learned everything as a student, but I wanted to go deeper,” she explains. “The best way to do that was to be an instructor.” With the studio owner’s encouragement, Hayward got certified and began teaching Pilates classes.
Students in Ashley Hayward’s Pilates class use free weights on reformers.
As a dancer, Pilates was a natural fit for Hayward. Pole dancing can be hard on the body. “Working at Jumbo’s with the pole — it’s very hard. It takes a lot of strength. So for me, it’s a no-brainer,” she says.
The positive influence of Pilates has echoed throughout all parts of Hayward’s life. She developed more self-assurance as a dancer and performer. “I have gotten so much stronger since I started Pilates, and it has helped me onstage,” she says. “I’ve integrated it into my stage persona as well, which is really nice, because now I’m more comfortable on the microphone.”
Hayward has a unique teaching flair, one inspired by her time as a dancer. “I try to make it energetic. I love the music loud,” she says. “I think that comes through with me working at Jumbo’s and being a performer.”
Ashley Hayward’s Pilates students praise her music and energetic style.
Hayward’s class champions a health-focused approach to physical results. “Working out is always going to be good for your brain, and that’s the best anti-aging tool we have.” She encourages her students to adopt that mentality. “My body and everything changed when I changed my mentality. I started thinking, I’m here because it’s good for me. I’m not here because I want to punish myself,” she says.
Brooke Noonan, a student of Hayward’s Pilates class, says that Hayward offers corrections gracefully, without drawing attention to mistakes. Hayward’s impeccable DJing skills are a bonus. “The music is always amazing. Ashley clearly has a great history of going to raves — playing house classics and deep cuts,” says Noonan.
“I’ve integrated it into my stage persona as well, which is really nice, because now I’m more comfortable on the microphone,” says Ashley Hayward.
While having a vibrant nightlife and waking up for a sweat-inducing workout may seem like a contradiction, Hayward sees them as complementary. “I want to inspire people that you can have both. You can exist in both worlds,” she says. “There can be a lot of late hours and substances involved. It can be an unhealthy lifestyle, but you can be healthy and in nightlife.”
In the coming years, Hayward aims to expand her fitness career. Aside from teaching at WundaBar and offering private training, Hayward aspires to have her own space and develop her own workout method. “A dream of mine has always been having my own workout method,” she says. “Being in nightlife and fitness, I’m able to bring in all people and make it inclusive. The future for me would definitely be having my own method and teaching all forms, and just getting people really inspired about moving.”
Until then, Hayward can be found at WundaBar on Mondays and Fridays. Later in the evening, she’ll be on the mirrored stage of Jumbo’s Clown Room. “While I may look out on the outside like your typical Pilates instructor, my style and what I bring to it are so different.”
