When a Pole is more than a Pole
Each year, on New Years Eve, along with the toasts, I make a commitment to learn
a new skill. I must admit that Pole Dancing wasn’t on the top of my list. I was
thinking more on the lines of learning to play the guitar and getting my motorbike
licence, but when Nicky Lewis of the Dance4Fitness Studio in Claremont, invited
myself and some girlfriends for a free lesson, I couldn’t resist. I phoned three
friends who all confessed that it was something they’d always wanted to try. Hmmmm!?
My husband, rather predictably asked, if he could watch. No. Absolutely not. You
see, that’s the thing about the Dance4Fitness Pole Studio, there is nothing remotely
sleazy about it. The Studio itself is in a beautifully converted Victorian house.
It is light, bright and stylishly decorated and no men are allowed. It is strictly
women only.
We arrived at the agreed time and after Nicky had given us a brief tour of the studio
it was time for our lesson. Danny, our instructor, explained there are four phases
to learning to pole dance, and each phase takes about six weeks. She then demonstrated
the phase one dance routine. As I watched her swirl gracefully, up, down and around
the pole, my pulse began to quicken. I couldn’t wait to have a go! We were each
assigned a shiny pole which we looked at dubiously. ‘Don’t worry if the poles rattle
and make a noise,’ Danny grinned at us slapping her pole, ‘they are very strong
and will hold your weight.’
The music started. The lesson began with some cardio warm-up and stretching exercises
before Danny began to teach us the first moves of the phase one dance routine. Danny
explained each move clearly and gave us time to practice and with each move learnt
our confidence increased.
We pulled ourselves up the pole and slid down gently, one leg straight, the other
wrapped around the pole. We jumped on with both knees together and managed to look
elegant. We swung around the pole like children in a playground. We were having
fun, fun fun!
By the end of the lesson I could see progress. As I watched myself and my friends
dancing together in the full length mirrors, I was struck by the elegance and grace
of the (mostly middle-aged!) female form.
After the lesson I could feel a pleasing tenderness in my thigh, arm and stomach
muscles – all the muscles that most women want to tone. I also discovered tenderness
in other muscles I didn’t know I had. In fact, an hour’s pole dancing had given
me a whole body workout and was now definitely on this year’s new skill to learn
list. Now all I had to do was figure out whereabouts in my house to fit a pole.