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Why do you pole dance?
Our discussions about sexuality and "authentic" pole dance have gotten me thinking… Poling seems to be a movement that is heavily fed by the internet, so many people are "doing their own thing".
For me, I pole because its fun and life affirming. Dance is part of who I am, and this is a form of dance that is sexy and challenging that I can do alone at home while my babykins is asleep. I adore the things it has done for my body, both in looks and in functionality, but those are benefits, not the prime motivation. I am also doing more fitness oriented activities to make my poling better.
The studio I go to has definitely become fitness oriented. They even refer to dancing as cardio. The social contact, though is another big motivator to me. I can go "out" and be sexy, and since our classes are only female, it is safe for me, both in a personal and marital sense.
So, why do you pole? Is fitness the reason you do it, or the result of doing it?
I’m looking forward to see how folks respond!
Mindy
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22 Replies
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I started because I hate CARDIO! LOL and part of my bodybuilding training requires cardio. However, since I started doing it I found it’s a release for me…I feel young, confident, even sexy when I pole…I do it alone and don’t have to hear comments like "your too old for that" or "don’t you think you should grow up!"…I’ve heard that when I’ve gone out dancing or even sometimes at the gym….it’s my piece of serenity, and it really helped me get in shape much faster than weights alone.
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Ive been a dancer my whole life. Ive been performing since I was a kid. Pole was the next progression that felt natural. it gives me crazy confidence. After a good class, I feel like I could walk the Victoria Secret Fashion show eventhough I dont have the body for it. It also still challenges me after all these years. I get bored quickly working out so pole keeps me on my toes (literly!please excuse my spelling, its early)
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I started because a few clubs that I go to have poles and I always wanted to get up there but never would because I knew I did not know anything. After my first spin I was hooked. This "sport" constantly challenges me, either to be more graceful or to be stronger. I have NEVER had the upper body strength that I do now and to this day there is such a feeling of accomplishment when I finally get something that I have been working hard at. Cardio and weightlifting just do not give me that same sort of "feel good".
After 2+ years I am still learning and pushing myself and I am taking up other things to help me with my poling.
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I started because it was winter and I wanted something fun to do. Seriously. Then I recognized how fun it was, how sexy it made me feel, how strong I became, how much it changed my everyday way of moving, how much it added to my life.
Now I pole dance for all those reasons and more. And I have never been stronger or felt better about myself and my body.
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I pole because I suck at every other physical activity, lol. I do lots of craft-oriented hobbies so I usually spend my free time sitting down and I’ve always thought it would be nice to have something to do to get me off my butt; I admired the people that had the discipline to get up and run every morning before work, etc. and wanted to do something like that, too.
Well I found it with poling. I had been kinda sorta good at gymnastics when I was little, but only took lessons for a few months and I had a hard time learning the balance and strength necessary to do anything. But with a pole, you learn your balance and gain strength because you have something to hold onto and you’re doing the simple-yet-not-so-simple task of keeping your body off the floor. Perfect combination for someone like me.
The dance aspect of it is what makes it fun and not just a discipline or a sport. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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Its pretty simple for me….For self expression. I get the added bonus of getting in killer shape, but I love it and fell in love with it because of how I could express the music through the use of the pole. I know it sounds kinds lame, but oh well. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_geek.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_geek.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_safesex.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_safesex.gif
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I’ve always loved the idea of pole dance. And I mean the dirty, sexy side. The idea of it was so amazing to me, and still is! That was before I even knew it could be done for fitness. Now I do it because, not only do I find it incredibly fun, but it’s to keep me fit too.
I have limited time for scheduled activities (i.e. cant easily join classes) and I get incredibly bored at the gym, but on the pole, I can easily spend 2 hours playing around and working up a sweat! So it’s fun, but also convenient! Having a pole at home means I can do it whenever suits me! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif
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I saw the video of Felix Cane’s Pole Australia 2008 (to Def Leppard’s version of Rock On and Goo Goo Dolls-Iris) and was so astounded that I just HAD to try it! And of course, one spin and I was hooked!
Definitely wanted to add something more interesting and different to my exercise routines too! -
Like the above post I became interested in pole dancing after seeing a video of Felix Cane and I was ike " I want to do that!"
I LOVE to dance and express myself whether it be on a dancefloor or a dance class. I’m mainly into street dance which I never done professionally but I admire those who are in the industry that do it. For me pole dancing takes it to another challenging level, it’s fun, it’s sexy and it’s pushing me to do something totally different plus it’s nice to do an activitiy that I actually enjoy doing and is keeping me fit at the same time.
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I pole dance for many reasons, first of all im an ex-cheerlreader. i cheered for around 9 years when I was in school so I think the gym is the most boring place ever!!!! Any workout ive ever done hasnt been exciting enough, challenging enough, or physical enough! Second, being the Leo that i am, im extremely competitive, so when my friend got a pole and was doing some tricks on it i decided that i wanted to take some classes. I found a studio and was immediately hooked!
Ive never been so sore in my life!!!! I love how pole dancing challenges me everytime i practice! There is always something different to learn or work on! I love the way my body has changed mostly because when i started pole dancing, losing weight wasnt my intention. When im dancing i feel so free, like im the only one in the room, all my worries go out the window and i dont have a care in the world. I can be as dirty as i want or as gymnastic-like as i want. If ive had a bad day i cannot wait to go home or to the studio to dance it out!I love music…I can be so moved by music that sometimes I will randomly burst into tears or begin laughing. So being able to freely connect my mind/body to music really is very special to me. Allowing the music to move my body as it will allows my mind to let go of thinking about the movement and focus on the sensual flow of energy, the feeling of my skin and hair, and my emotions.
Im so much stronger than i used to be physically and mentally! Im more confident now and feel more comfortable in my own skin now than i ever have in my whole life! My self esteem has skyrocketed! I feel so feminine yet strong at the same time when i dance. I could go on but i think you get the picture https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif -
I started, because the bar I work in has a pole. And my manager who did pole dancing started to teach me. She then just vanished and left the bar. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif But I had to carry on poling… I loved it. So… I looked for classes and ordered myself a pole!
I have never been a confident person, I would never usually go to a class or anything without a friend by my side! But I did, and I love it. I love the feeling of finally nailing a move that you’ve been working on for so long! I love the fact that you can just dance round your pole, or make it a work out.
I have NEVER been into fitness, but pole dancing is amazing and i have always loves to dance!! (Mainly just drunken dancing tho, lol) Also, I’ve never been very toned, but doing this, is really making my body a lot more toned and healthier. I have nearly been pole dancing the same length of time that I have not been smoking for. So… getting rid of one habit… replacing it with a much more fun and healthier one! Also, its the same length i’ve been single for! And I LOVE it!!!
It makes me feel like such a confident person, specially at work… I feel like no one could bring me down! I do hope I am still poling by the time I am 80!!!!! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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I started poling in 2008 because I felt like s*** after having been dumped from a relationship the year before. I didn’t feel sexy anymore (and I never had) and I had an even lower self-esteem. I don’t remener how I even thought about it, but around Valentine’s Day 2008 I started looking up pole studios in my area. I found one and booked the next beginners level, which started March 1st, 2008, and I’ve been poling ever since.
I don’t do it for fitness at all, but I think it’s cool how my body has responded to it. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from instructors and people in my everyday life that about my new body composition. I pole as a way to get away from my everyday life, to feel sexy and confident, to feel accomplished when I nail a spin or trick that’s been kicking my butt, and as a way to boost my confidence. I haven’t been this focused on a hobby in a long time. It’s so challenging and sexy and beautiful, and I love how each poler I’ve come across has her own way of connecting to pole.
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Great responses! I pole because it’s so addictive, heard someone liken it to skateboarding. You learn one trick – great! – and then try to do next… and it’s so addictive because you just want to get that feeling of adrenaline and accomplishment again and again!
Also, I do it to work on ‘my guns’ https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif I get stressed out quite easily and went through a really *really* nasty time a year or two ago. Have found that the only time when I’m truly relaxed and not anxious is when I pole.
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I have always love to dance and I love music. I am the lady who goes out with her girlfriends, I get on the dance floor the minute I walk in the club and you’ll see me when the club closes or you drag me out. I have always wanted to pole dance. While in college, I always wished someone had a class I could go to or teach me. After searching, I met the owner of Vixen Fitness and she had classes in Michigan. I started taking them. And two years later or maybe it been more … I still love it. I am addicted. I consider myself a beginner still and always will be a learning. I learn something new each day. I love how poling makes me feel strong, super sexy, empowered, and it’s so challenging. It never gets boring like a treadmill, eliptical, or whatever like just going to the gym. I need to lose about one hundred pounds and I have developed some great strength and look forward to my killer bod in the near future. Poling is fun and never boring always convenient. And I have met some incredible people, gained some incredible knowledge, etc, via pole. I think it is also GREAT power tool for me in so many ways. I do it because I love it.
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hmmm let’s see…
because I wanted a challenge
because it’s fun…
because it fakes me into "working out"…in order for me to continue to work out it needs to be fun – even if it’s hard
because it’s easier, cheaper, warmer and safer than my surf lessons lol
because I can do it at home AND class
because it’s SEXY
because it makes me feel sexy or rather reminds me I AM sexy
because it has made me stronger
because it’s taboo – ***haha not here in LA – it’s common!
because it’s the only work out I can actually wear fringe, sequins and 6 inch clear shoes and NOT stand out lol
because it’s empowering
because I have actually found a supportive network of non catty – non "Heather" females because of it
…did I mention it’s fun
because as an Ex Gymnast it spoke to my inner child immediately!
because I can freestyle…as an Ex Gymnast I have found I rebel against creating or following a routine
because it’s addictive
because I have found I’m good at it!
because it has helped my back issues
because my other friend had a pole and I thought – damn that’s cooland…………….because I am a shoe junkie https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif
to name just a few reasons
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oh yeah Verucablue, I totally forgot about the shoes. I do have a serious shoe addiction. I think if I bring another pair in the house I may have to move out https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
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I hate exercise for the sake of exercise. If it wasn’t gymnastics tricks on the oval, back bends and flips off the monkey bars, learning to high jump or tree climbing I wasn’t interested as a kid. Still am not. Love pole and aerials… but pole still feels so much more hardcore. Can get some burns in aerials so far, but pole means bruises, burns and takes SO much strength and grip. So much to learn and the improvements and aspirations seem like they’ll never end. There’s always a new trick to learn and old ones to link in and smooth out. I found pole after I looked into stripping for when I was desperate for work. Bought a pole to try and shape up and teach myself to dance while at uni before I went for an audition at a gentleman’s club, but the audition never happened. My bf doesn’t want me to strip and I don’t think I am confident and hard enough in myself to not let the possible negative things affect me. I admire women who can so much. So, I’m sticking with working hard for peanuts as a nanny and maybe eventually becoming a pole instructor and performer. I am the fittest and most confident I have ever been since I became a shy, anxious girl when I started school. Before that I was an exhibitionist 3 year old hanging from one leg in a tree flailing around freaking out my grandmother. Now I am back…but I’m a woman and I’m a pole dancer hanging from one leg from a pole… and still freaking out my grandmother! POLE LOVE!!!
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I pole dance because there are so few forms of exercise I actually enjoy. Pole dancing was my own introduction to a variety of sexy fun things, including burlesque! I explore my range of movement, have a great time working out, and make some very interesting friends along the way! While I accept I may never compete, I may never take it that far, I do it for myself, because I want to be able to physically do anything I think I should be able to do. The pole gives me concrete goals and challenges to strive toward. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif
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I second what people are saying about pole being the only excersise they don’t get bored with.
I first saw pole dance in 2005.. I was at an alternative gothy sorta club, and there were pole dancers there. They werent stripping but wearing awesome little pvc outfits and killer heels and boots… they caught my eye immediately just because of how awesome and beautiful they looked…then suddenly one of them climbed up the pole and did a CAR!!! My mouth literally dropped open in shock…I just thought it was amazing..I had no idea how the hell they were just holding on with their thighs…I had no idea that pole dance required that much strength and talent. I basically spent the next couple of times I went there just gawping at the dancers in complete and utter awe. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cyclops_ani.gif
I think what made me fall in love with it so much was the obvious agility and strength of the dancers but also how fun and sexual it was as well.
And now I FINALLY am learning to pole (lol 5 years later) and I love it because, as Veena says you can express yourself through dance. If I’m feeling happy or sad or angry or sexy or…whatever, I can just get on my pole and spin about.
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I tried pole dance because it seemed fun and I love it because no matter what you do or how good you get, you can always get better. There’s always another challenge waiting for you.
I love the creative outlet that it provides and it makes you so strong, inside and out.
It’s rare and I like that about it too. It’s not a mainstream sport, but something unique that makes people say "Hmm…"
I love the feeling I get when I nail a new move. It’s the best feeling in the world.
I love the whole community that comes along with it and it feels good to be a part of such a cool group.
I love how impressive it is and I like that it’s something I can show off to my non-poling friends.
I love the sexy aspect of it. I love that dancing in sexy ass heels and tiny shorts is not only ok, but encouraged. It makes me feel sexy and feminine and what’s better then that?
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I love this thread topic, and i love everyone’s responses are so great! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
I pole dance because to me it looks beautifully unnatural. Like some kind of other worldly dance that defies gravity.
In the same way people are hooked on watching figure skating , because with an instrument (pole/skates) its give you a dance/movement that would not be possible with out it.
I like to pole dance because I feel like I am part of a dream, weightless and flying in the air.
I also have had this idea in the back of my head for years, that I want to change peoples perception of pole dance. All the pain i have gone through learning contortion and trying to incorporate it with pole dance, I really hope I can be apart of the modern pole movement and add something a little different, so pole has a umbrella of sexy, athletic, artistic, modern, dancers and we all represent the same thing- a love and respect for this dance and sequence of movements on a vertical pole.
Thats why i pole dance https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif -
cuz it sure beats seeing a therapist !!!! LOL and i love a physical challenge
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