25 Things #3 - Take a pole dance class

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Today is the first post in my series of 25 Things Before 25. If you haven't read my list of challenges you can do so here, but this post focuses specifically on number 3 - take a pole dance class.

When people hear the term ‘pole dance’ a lot of people will instantly think of shady strip clubs. But pole dancing is a style of dance that has grown in popularity in recent years and has become more about the fitness, gymnastics and skill involved.

This first time I can remember talking about pole dance was back at college, and my friend suggested we look into going to a class. It was a bit of a joke at the time and we never took it any further than just a quick conversation about it. It wasn’t until I went to uni and got chatting to my friend Hollie that I actually began to realise what was involved, the popularity of pole dancing and how different it the image I had in my head.

Hollie and I met through university and both share a love of dancing. Whilst I’ve tended to stick to the more theatrical styles (ballet/jazz/disco etc) she’s much more adventurous at trying out new styles and joined our university’s pole society. Seeing all her pictures on facebook, hearing her stories and seeing how much fun she has had with pole dancing has made me want to try it for a while.

The only think that stopped me was my self-confidence issues and my fear of failure. Which is silly really when you think about it, and you read the guest post Hollie wrote for me (if you haven’t already, you can read it here) about how pole has helped her gain her confidence.

This year, I decided, is the year I get over my fear of failing, my lack of confidence and I give pole a go!

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My intention was just to sign up to a beginner’s taster session one of my dance schools runs every few months and give pole a go that way, just to see if I enjoyed it. But in the run up to the start of their next 6 week term of classes the owner opened up a competition to win a place on the next course. I decided to enter on the off chance; I wasn’t really expecting to win. But I did! And I was really excited to get started.

As the start of the course drew nearer, I started to get a bit nervous. Although I know what pole dancing is about, I wasn’t sure what to expect in the class, what to wear, whether I’d be any good at it, or whether I’d enjoy it. I shouldn’t have worried at all.

When I turned up on the night, there were eight other ladies waiting with me to get started. Only 3 of the had taken a pole class before, the rest were all like me; complete beginners, nervous and terrified of what to expect. We sat in the near silence in the changing room before the start of the class, the room filled with tension.

Ellouise, our teacher, was brilliant when she walked into the room. She gave us a little pep talk, told us what was going to happen over the six week course, to relax and not to worry. We were there to have fun after all!

The class started with a little cardio dance warm up which was really simple and fun to do, then we got to meet our new friends for the first time. The poles.

Our starting move was a hold. I’m sure it had a proper name, and I wish I could remember it, but there was so much to remember it’s slipped my mind. Sorry! Anyway, the hold, we leant our chests against the pole, wrapped our hands around the poles and then lifted our legs up. Our thighs and our hands were holding all of our body weight up in the air.

Lifting your feet off the floor on that first attempt is a very scary moment. I was so nervous that I was going to fall that I was gripping on so tight, but I managed to hold myself up there for a little while.

We then progressed from the starting hold into a hold with a slide down to the floor on the end, a spin move down to the floor and then the moves combined with some walking steps. It was at this point that I was beginning to think the pole and I weren’t going to be friends. That pole wasn’t going to be a new dance style for me.

I was so nervous and worried that I was going to fall and hurt myself, that I couldn’t bring myself to loosen my grip and do the slides/spins properly. I struggled a lot. But Ellouise and the rest of the girls were brilliant at encouraging you to keep trying things, and to relax. I kept trying and saw a little improvement, but my grip hold wasn’t going away.

The final move of the night was, I think, called the Carousel (but I could be wrong) and it was by far my favourite move of the night. It involved stepping around the pole, then pivoting on one foot round the pole and going into a back bend.

I loved this move so much. I achieved it without many corrections on the first attempt, and I kept managing to get it right. It really boosted my confidence. Maybe the pole and I could develop a friendship after all?

After a little stretch and a cool down, I left the class on a high and now I’m really looking forward to going back next week to see what Ellouise has in store for us. I know I need to work on loosing my grip, and hopefully I can do that next week.

Overall, I’m pleased I decided to give pole a go, it was definitely a new experience and something I shouldn’t have been worried about trying for all these years. Lets see how the next few weeks go.

Sarah x