Durban - Secretly, many women think they can be models and strippers. After all, how difficult can it be to walk down a ramp or swing around a pole? There’s just the small issue of physique, but other than that it’s child’s play.
Until you try it.
There’s nothing more unnerving than trying to put one leg in front of the other on a ramp while hundreds of people watch, waiting for you to slip and fall in those ridiculously high heels; or, try posing for a photo shoot and see how you suddenly forget how to smile and come out looking majorly goofy in tons of unusable pictures.
The same can surely be said for pole dancing - or pole fitness as it’s called.
You don’t have to be a stripper or know how to strip to join a pole dancing class. In fact, pole dancing is the “in” thing – perhaps even somewhat elitist because it lives in the realm of upper middle class fascinations.
I attended a class with the Nouveau Dance Studio in Musgrave recently, instructed by long-time dance teacher Bronwyn Waite, who teaches pole fitness, belly dancing, lap dancing and burlesque. Coming soon is aerial fitness (on hammocks).
There are classes in Pinetown, Waterfall and Musgrave, and Umhlanga is on the cards.
There is no nudity.
However, in typically conservative sectors of Durban society, there is a demand for private classes – for those who want to learn but don’t want others to know about it. These are often women who want to spice up their marriages.
As Waite so aptly puts it: “There’s nothing sleazy about making an effort to keep your marriage interesting.”
Those who attend the classes say it’s great to be doing something that not everyone else is doing.
Claire Wright, a 23-year-old au pair, says pole fitness is all the rave among the kids’ moms; it’s popular at hens’ parties and it’s rather a special way in which to say you keep fit.
Wright began classes to help her to lose weight. “It’s also fun and far better than doing reps [repetitive exercises] in the gym,” she says.
She joined the class with two of her friends and says that when she adds to her BBM status that she’s just been pole dancing, she is inundated with questions – some people are curious and others are keen to get involved.
Sharon Stephen, 46, is one of the stars in the class and it’s no wonder as she is a personal trainer, and she’s looking for ways in which to keep things interesting.
“I never want to get bored with what I do, so I’m always looking to try out new things. As far as strength training goes, I can see the difference. It’s difficult because you’re holding up your own body weight. I’m sore after every class, so I know it works.
“I think it’s popular because you can have a good workout while having a good time.”
For me, the thrill wears off quickly. I barely make an attempt to get involved and still my wrist and arm are sore the next day. I spot a few bruises on others too.
Classes start with neck rolls and stretches, cardio jumps and then the spins. You work your abs on the floor until you’re ready to climb up the pole. The show stopper is the invert. Many slide to the ground at each attempt, most (beginners) don’t attempt it at all.
Waite, who has never had a traditional dancer’s body, says she’s never been concerned with her weight and rather places emphasis on fitness. She proves it with the many graceful manoeuvres that she makes look so easy.
Her class attracts women of all shapes and sizes as well as various backgrounds who enjoy the confidence boost they get from mastering a particular move.
In many ways, the pole dancing phenomenon gives the finger to all those who still think of itwhere it came from; pole dancing might have been a form of female subjugation in strip clubs, but in the gym it’s been re-appropriated to empower women to do whatever they want. - The Mercury