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I know I’m a little bit late on the mark, but over the past few weeks there has been a major debate, aired on ITV, about kids taking part in pole fitness classes. Of course, the TV station received phone calls from people expressing how disgusting they think that it is, but on the other hand there were those that could see no harm in it whatsoever. Although I don’t teach pole dance to children I know that they are in absolutely no danger for having attended a pole fitness class. Depending on the teacher, a pole class is set out much like a gymnastics session or a regular dance class. You do the warm up, the main part of the class, either working on tricks or a routine, and then you stretch and cool down. There is nothing particularly sexual about a pole dance class unless you are specifically seeking to attend a class that requires the wearing heels and a g string. (more…)

Sometimes when we feel down, anxious or stressed we go searching for something to help us feel better but more often than not, that what we are searching for is what we already have. Amongst dancers I have heard “I have no self-discipline” yet they have managed to master many dance combinations and can pick up movement in pretty much any dance style. Or I’ve heard “I find it very difficult to relax” yet they can do the splits in every way possible. The point is, practicing pole dance utilizes abilities we think we don’t possess and if you know what they are you could really begin to apply them to your life. This post isn’t just aimed at professional dancers either, even the beginner dancer would benefit. (more…)

Quite often when people take a holiday they take a break away from everything within their normal routine at home, including pole. This can be a positive thing as it is always good to reenergize the body and mind, however, it can also be very sad if poling is an activity that really makes you happy and that you don’t feel you need a rest from. If you do have a holiday planned this year here are some tips you could use in order to keep pole in your life while you’re away from home. (more…)

As Pole dance has evolved into new popularity across the world it has been given an array of different titles including polenastics, pole art, pole fitness and pole sport. While I welcome innovative thinking from business owners and events teams, I wonder why the general cohort of students are trying so hard to move away from the title “pole dance”. I can see how business owners are using these titles as a unique selling point to attract more customers and I think they are pretty smart to do so. Specific to pole competitors I can understand the use of pole sport as a term to describe their competitive activity because that is what sport is; an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Similarly, if you attend a pole class designed with the same specificity as a regular fitness program, the label pole fitness is also relevant. However, more often than not, the pole students / performers who are changing the name from pole dance to something else are not doing any of the above. They are simply learning / choreographing dance with the inclusion of a pole. (more…)

What can influence choreography? Everything, is the simple answer to that question. Everything and anything can influence movement and the way it is arranged which is why I’m so sure that there are no wrong answers in choreography. If there was, then we would have to assume that everybody who creates dance has seen and experienced the same things with the same eyes and body. Obviously this is not the case, we are individuals, and even though we might experience the same event or emotions, we handle and perceive them in different ways. (more…)

After teaching so much pole dance over the last couple of weeks I have really been able to see what a difference it makes to the people who attend class. Oftentimes people come to class after a hard day or a long week at work and are usually feeling quite tired and unmotivated. However, this soon changes and they end up leaving with a gleaming smile that fills the room. As a teacher I find it amazing to see such a large shift in small space of time. It amazes me and fills me with joy every time I see a beginner climb to the top of the pole or if someone nails a new move that they have been working on. Whilst a happy smiley face is an advantage in itself, pole dancing can offer other benefits including variety of training, psychological and physical wellbeing and boosted self-confidence. (more…)