I’ve been pole dancing for about
8 weeks now, it’s something I’ve always imagined myself doing but I guess I
just needed the push to get up and do it. I’d seen so many horror videos on
Youtube, people falling off poles etc but then again I've also seen so many equally amazing
videos, so what was stopping me? I guess I’d somehow got it into my head that
you had to be a certain weight and have unbelievable upper body strength before you could even consider taking a class. A few
people I know had even told me that some instructors had turned people away due to
their size and that some classes were full of half-naked girls who hadn't been so welcoming to those with a little more to love. From my personal experience all I can say is, after 8 weeks of classes with Poletastic those stories to me now are nothing but an Urban Legend. I am going to be
honest in saying that people have probably experienced the not-so fun side, had the
funny looks, been turned away and such but thankfully for me I made the right choice and
have received nothing but love and support from my instructors and classmates.
I already knew that once I got my career back on track I’d want to get into pole dancing and I'm not to sure why I waited. I think it’s because after
going through such an unexpected and rough year last year I needed to land my
perfect job to prove to myself that persistence does pay off and that I can
achieve the things I started to believe impossible. Sounds so cliché right? I
know, I still think that myself. But every time I look at myself now and look
back to how I was, it doesn’t seem so fairytale. Anyway I landed the job I
wanted so now I just needed a kick-ass hobby to go with it.
My work colleague (Little Ash)
and I decided (after about 8 weeks of knowing each other) that we’d have a
look around for lessons on offer in Manchester. I don’t think price was an
issue, and I do believe that anybody looking for classes based on price should have a
re-think, my advice would be to have one lesson at each and see how you feel as that is the most important thing. The more expensive the class doesn't mean it’s better and vice versa. It’s all about what works for you.
The first company we came across, the studio looked amazing, but I just wasn't feeling it, I got that vibe just from the website. I didn't feel as though I’d feel entirely comfortable, however I was
willing to give it a go and put it on my list of places to try. And then I came across the Poletastic website.
My initial feeling from the site was that it looked like a super-fun place to be, the
name alone gives that away. I quickly rushed over to the
Facebook page and as expected the feedback was spot on, how can you argue with
great recommendations? Exactly. You can’t. I perused through the pictures and
saw how much effort had gone into making this little piece of heaven and that for me was a huge selling point. Anybody who can take an old building
and start from scratch turning into such a welcoming place definitely gets my
vote. I’m not saying the other places haven’t worked as hard, setting up a
business is a tough gig but for me I really wanted to give this place a go. And there we have it, Poletastic was added to my list of classes to try.
I sent over a text message to
check the availability for the class I wanted to attend and asked the dreaded
question. “Do you have to be a certain weight to do poledancing? As a few
people I know have been turned away from other classes.” The response being,
“We never turn anybody away”. I could actually sense the anger in the text. Well not anger, anger but frustration. As if they were thinking, “Who the hell is telling these girls they are too big to pole dance?”
The day of my first lesson I was
running around Primark like a headless chicken trying to find a decent pair of
shorts. I was so nervous about what to wear, I wanted to be covered up but
sexy. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy my body but I wasn’t sure what to expect so I
wanted to cover all bases, literally. That evening Ash and I headed over to the studio where we were welcomed by the lovely Fay, filled in some health and safety forms, offered drinks and asked her a few questions, then directed to the changing room. I walked in wearing my
black, boy shorts, huge grey hoodie, running trainers and a grey vest. I looked
like a footballer on their day off. I felt fine though. The changing room was
full of girls of all shapes and sizes, all races, all ages and I was so relieved.
We then went into the studio and so it began. After a warm up and a stretch we
got to working on basic spins. It looked so easy, but it was so hard. And it
was so frustrating and yet so much fun at the same time. And I knew straight
away this is a sport I am sticking with. I'm so competitive and with what I saw then as the odds against me I wanted nothing more than to prove to myself that I can do this!
Each lesson I took I used the
pole at the very back of the class away from the mirrors. It’s not that I
didn’t like what I saw, I just didn’t want to see it. I am super-confident, but
I knew my confidence would be knocked if I looked at other people looking so
sexy and graceful in their spins and then looked at myself who didn’t look like
that at all. It would knock my confidence a little and I’d have one foot on the
step to giving up. I didn’t want to give up. I stayed on that back pole and
focused on doing better. For me it was much better feeling for ways I could improve rather than seeing it. Honestly I know that probably makes no sense, my mind works in ridiculous ways. It definitely helped that our beginners class is mixed
ability because watching the better girls and being so competitive was definitely the push I needed. It also helps that the other girls are so happy to
help and explain how they have achieved a certain spin or move.
So I’m about 8 or 9 weeks on, I’m
dancing in front of the mirror, I’m making notes in each class, my spins are
stronger and I’m using both my left and right hand. My upper body strength has
gone from zero to superhero (nearly), I'm wearing less clothing because I want to see the shapes my body is making and I'm nearly half a stone down. My boyfriend always said
that my success in weightloss and strength would come from some form of
dance-based activity. I LOVE to dance. I am so happy with my progress and if I'm
being honest I think it came from the week we got to wear heels. I was like a
sexual predator haha, I absolutely attacked the pole and my confidence has kind of soared from there.
I am about to pick up my very
first pole tonight (so excited). I am more than ready to take it to the next
step as along with baking I've definitely found another ‘forever-hobby'. I'm going to
enjoy practising at home on a pole. As at the moment at home in between lessons
I am working on floorwork, which is sexy moves off the pole and I am stretching
daily as I fully intend to do the splits and increase my flexibility. I’ll do another post in Health and
Fitness on the equipment I have and use at home.
What can I say other than give it
a go. if there's any part of you that has any doubt about pole dancing my advice is to give it a shot. Don't worry about your weight, how you look or whether you are strong enough, and don't let any videos put you off. Let them inspire you. I was saying to my Mum the other day that I almost don’t want to tell
people about Poletastic because it’s my little place of heaven and somewhere I
enjoy going to escape. But then again how could I not spread the gospel of what
truly is Manchester’s Friendliest School of Poledance.
