Few sports evoke as many images as pole dancing. Although some might still associate it with striptease or circus, its popularity as a form of fitness is ever-growing. What’s with the pole craze?
English major Jenni Pystynen developed a taste for pole dancing last October, when she attended a beginners’ class at Rock the Pole. What draws her to the sport is the combining of strenght training with the aspects of dance. ”You gain strenght and agility pretty fast – the feeling of success I get from pole dance is the reason I love doing it.”
Pole dancing is serious workout that requires physical endurance and flexibility, yet the graceful dancers make it seem effortless. The key, as with any sport, is to keep practising. Jenni goes to pole class two or three times a week. ”The first class, while a lot of fun, was challenging. I didn’t know how firmly to grip on the pole or how to do any moves, really. ” She managed to learn some basic moves however and that encouraged her to keep on trying. By now she can do some more advanced spins and inversions, such as the crusifix, the diamond and the mermaid spin, just to mention a few.
Jenni would recommend pole dance to anyone who’s healthy and likes to set goals for herself. It is suitable for beginners as no prior experience is required – although good physique and dance backgroud naturally helps. Many pole dance studios offer a variety of lessons, ranging from yoga to ballet and burlesque dance, so pole dancing is easy to incorporate to your workout routine.
Pole dancing is what you make it. It is perfect fitness training, as spinning around the pole tones the whole body. Some see it especially as performing arts and a great way to boost your confidence. In any case, it is fun, effective and addictive.