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Pole Dance your Way to Fitness

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Are you a little bit shy when it comes to pole dancing? While your first thought about pole dancing might be that it’s about being sexy and flirtatious, did you know that it is also a great way for women to keep fit, while having fun? The Gloss team caught up with professional pole dance instructor Deryn French and asked her to fill us in on everything we should know about pole dance!

Where does pole dance come from?

My first experience with pole dance was seeing it performed in a strip club, however I am not 100% sure if it originates there. I would think that it originated with the circus as ‘Chinese Pole’, one more erotic and dance based the other more strength and endurance based.

As the years have gone by and pole dance has become more acceptable in the mainstream, the two have merged a little. You will see a lot of Chinese Pole moves incorporated into pole dance routines. This creates very impressive, gymnastic like routines that have to be seen to be believed.

Also competitions have become more popular – now there is everything from Miss Pole Dance World, The Asia Pacific Pole Dance Championships, The International Pole Federation Championships to the more recent Miss Pole Dance NZ. Within New Zealand there have been amateur and professional competitions held throughout.

There is also a big push to have pole dancing considered an Olympic sport. To be fair it is a very athletic dance sport and much like doing gymnastics but on a pole.

What are the features of this dance style?

The main feature of this dance style is of course, the pole itself and how it may be used as an apparatus to aid the dancer in tricks, spins and combinations.

What are the benefits of pole dance?

Because most of the tricks (upside downs, spins etc) require you to support your entire body weight you will see results of increased strength and muscle very quickly, a lot quicker than using weights at the gym.

A three minute song combining all the tricks and spins will give you a very thorough cardio workout.

Not to mention the fact that pole dancing is a very fun, exciting and challenging way to work out. So it is beneficial for both the body and the mind.

And you probably will get bruised from your hard work. It’s gymnastics on a pole!

Are there interesting props that have been used in pole dancing?

If you want to put together a routine with a theme, then sometimes props are used, but in this sense the only limit is your imagination. Commonly used props have been chairs, parasols, canes and different costumes.

An example of Hula Hoop and Pole is as follows.

Who should try pole dance?

There are no limitations, anyone of any age and fitness level can get into pole dancing. You can even buy a portable/removable pole to install at home. You should always try a lesson before they commit to purchasing a pole at home, mainly for safety reasons. This is so you know how how to use the pole properly within a safe leearning environment and don't end up injurying yourself.

You should be open minded. Most dance studios are there to teach you the dance sport of pole dance in a friendly and comfortable environment. It should be seen as an alternative or an addition to gym workouts. You will be challenged both physically and mentally but in a fun and exciting way.