She works late. A few weeks ago, on a Saturday night, Ashley Hayward was “in the pocket” onstage at Jumbo’s Clown Room — that elusive, divine state of being that all performers chase, where artist and audience merge. From the stage, she bit into a banana before spitting it into a woman’s mouth, sealing it with a kiss. The crowd erupted into cheers. Later, she reappeared in a nun’s habit, peeling it off to reveal black vinyl lingerie. The crowd gawks at her — devout eyes wide, lips parted as if witnessing a miracle.
“I was in the pocket the entire night,” Hayward recalls. “I got onstage the first time, got them and I had them the whole night. Those are the special nights because you’re creating something together.”
By day, Hayward leads a different kind of performance, teaching Pilates at WundaBar’s mirrored studio in Los Feliz. She leads the class with the same conviction she embodies as a dancer. In a black headset fit for a pop star, she paces around the studio in a black unitard, leading the class through repetitions and poses.
“Ashley, you look like Madonna!” one of her students excitedly shouts at the end of class. The class has garnered a cult following among Pilates students who are fans of the dancer’s nighttime antics. Hannah Benson is a regular at Hayward’s class. “There’s more fluidity to her Pilates routines akin to dancing — she understands how a body naturally moves in a way that makes me feel more comfortable in my own,” Benson says.
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.”
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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