Have we gone up the pole?
Posted:
19 Jan 2012
With another new year comes another resolution. Mine, like so many others, is to exercise more often and get in shape. So, after reading this issue’s feature on keeping fit, I decided to take the plunge. There’s only one problem: I hate treadmills and I hate push-ups. “Why not check out a pole dancing class?” said a friend. I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. Pole dancing is still trending? Haven’t they moved on to dildo dumbbells or pilates with nipple tassels?
While I’m not a regular member of the Women’s Liberation Front I couldn’t help but feel that pole dancing continues to fuel the needless objectification of women. My friend sighed. “Don’t knock it till you try it. You’d be surprised how great a workout it is.” What the heck, says I, challenge accepted. After all, who doesn’t want to have guns like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 or abs like Jessica Alba in Sin City? And, who knows, if all goes well I could even install a pole in my apartment and get so good that I’d soon be able do my washing while hanging upside down.
Beep. Wrong.
Even though I joined a ‘beginners class’ I felt quite the awkward duckling. How on Earth do women snake down a stick so effortlessly? And how the hell did our trainer get so taut and lithe? After yanking my T-shirt sleeves over my shoulders, I grabbed the tall, shiny pole with my clammy hands and took two big steps before hauling myself up. I pivoted with one foot in the air, whizzed around once, then twice, then successfully landed on my feet as gracefully as a ballerina (well, almost). And I grinned like a loon because finally, on my 10th attempt, I had mastered the mighty art.
“Not bad,” smirked Tessa, my instructor-cum-torturer, “but next time lift your leg higher.” My illusions of having an easy, sexy workout were shattered. I was working hard, damn hard, and yet I slowly garnered a newfound respect for those ‘exotic dancers’ at Spearmint Rhino – you girls don’t get paid enough!
There’s a good reason why pole dancing has emerged from the dark, seedy underbelly of gentlemen’s clubs into the sunlit pastures of the fitness realm. This is a tough workout that sculpts every inch of your body and leaves you taut in all the right places – thighs, bum and abs. I also felt a wonderful sense of accomplishment as I mastered the moves, even the fireman’s slide.
You might not start off feeling sexy (I definitely didn’t) but you’ll certainly have a blast. It takes a while for your mind to convincingly escape the fact that pole dancing originates from a place where women are hung like sexual meat, but I’d wager that it’s mostly men who are more affected by the stigma than women. I mean, it’s just a pole, and what has a pole ever done? It’s all about context, and in this case the context is a workout which offers oodles of fun and a toned body.
I enjoyed my time on the pole; it helped me feel more adventurous – but I know my limits. If someone suggests I try naked yoga next, I think I’ll pass… at least until I’ve toned my ass. Jalasaya Federoff
Aerial Arts Academy
16/F, Parkview Commercial
Bldg, 9-11 Shelter St,
Causeway Bay, 2375 8088,
www.poledancehongkong.com
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