One of our Vividian's Andria did just that! She has written a great piece for us on Pole dancing or as she refers to it, Pole.
If Pole is something that you have always wanted to try you may just find the inspiration here to go along to a class or you may just be interested to see what pole is all about and what it can do for you!
Thanks so much Andria, over to you....
I am a pole dancer, when explaining it I sometimes like to refer to it as pole sports, because for me really that’s what it’s about. Sometimes I like to express myself in the dance aspect, but I really love the acrobatic tricks one can do and I like putting them in a routine that flows well, with as much time on the pole as possible.
I got into pole quite by accident, I was newly divorced and a friend asked if I wanted to do a few casual pole classes. It made sense and I decided it was something every new divorcee should do, get their sexy back! I was already fairly fit and saw it would be a fun thing to add to my training regime and I intended to do the 8 week block, and that was all. But 8 weeks later, I was already signed up to the next class and saving for a pole! (This was around $750 from x-pole) Going to gym had a new meaning for me that wasn’t ‘just’ staying fit; I needed to strengthen my core to achieve new moves, my back to be able to hold inverts and improve my cardio to be able to sustain a 5 minute routine. I took my first classes 4 years ago and now all my fitness relates to pole; I have taught pole, competed in Miss Pole and still love pole at least several times per week.
What I liked about pole when I began was the challenge. Every week we were learning new moves, finding muscles I never knew existed, doing things with my body I never thought possible, I was getting more flexible and stronger each week. I learned to go upside down in multiple ways and had so much fun each class. The good thing about classes, and it’s comparable in each state, is that they’re around $30 per class and they’re usually part of a 6-8 week block.
I have trained in a number of studios in South Australia (Flirty Fitness, Lady Love, Pole 4 Fitness and soon Sensual Dance), Tasmania (Pole Revolutions) and the Gold Coast (at the Australian Summer Pole camp). Each studio has its own flavour; some are sexier than others, others focus on fitness, others tailor to what you need as an individual. There are Pole Schools in each state in Australia and the following site advises on some important things to consider when choosing a studio as well as suggests some you can attend. http://www.polefederation.com/australia/schools.html
I had to stop pole for about 6 weeks recently due to a back injury and am now back at it, and I felt so relieved to finally be doing what I love again and proper care of my body is vital in this; proper diet, visits to the physiotherapist or chiropractor, a balanced workout including Pilates, Yoga, Fitball, and cardio. There is no workout like Pole as far as I'm concerned! Coming back to pole, my body felt sore in a way only pole gives; my muscles work hard, my core works hard, and moves executed back to back give a crazy cardio workout. It is like Pilates, weights and dance all in one. Holding myself upside down only by my arms requires back strength, core strength, and balance. There’s a bit of fear, and as I’ve developed, I’ve needed a lot of courage, and co-ordination to get it right. I have so much fun doing pole and I encourage you to contact a local school to do a ‘come n try’ session or book some classes.
To finish I’ll leave you with a link to one of my favourite websites that really help me with pole.
http://poledancedictionary.com/moves/
If you have a sport/activity that you would like to share please email me at jenniferbirkhead@bigpond.com
