So What’s Beginner’s Pole Class Like?

SimplyFab says ‘Go Bold’ for 2012, and I say, “Go Pole!”  Just had my first pole dancing lesson earlier this week and it was such an eye opener, I just needed to write about it and share the love! If you are even half considering doing this, read on!

It was indeed at Bobbi’s Pole Studio, and when I got there on the Wednesday evening, the rather cramped reception area at the main door was a-buzz with activity. Lots of shoes scattered at the front door, girls signing in with gym bags slung over their shoulders and waiting for their class to start, a couple of bikini-clad women mingling around who turned out to be the teachers (!), and an odd group of topless tattooed young men wearing nothing but little shorts milling about.

So this is really an alternative culture that I had walked into, and you can bet that for a moment, I felt all my 43 years of ‘Auntie-ness’ and freshly post-PSLE kiasu mom status waving like a red neon flag before me. But no one batted an eyelid. It wasn’t an issue – just my own paranoia at work, and the moment of groundless inadequacy vanished.

Why Girls Like It
As it was still early, I had a chance to watch the goings-on of the intermediate class. My gosh! What a hot bed of sexual energy, as these girls - mostly in their 20s and 30s  – lept around their brass poles in 6-inch shoes, clad in well…not a lot. But despite the sensuality of their moves, it was refreshing to see that it  was ultimately still a class taking place. Like learning any new skill – like Basic Powerpoint 101 or Beginner’s Chinese Calligraphy – the instructor would go through a few steps with the students, stop, watch, critique their technique, joke and cajole them to try again, but please, do it this way, and refine your technique by doing it that way. “Stick your butt out ladies, and the cellulite will disappear!” yelled the super svelte instructress in black bikini.

If a guy had wandered in here, I am sure he’d be in teenage testosterone heaven. The girls all looked so good.

Then I realised why pole dancing was so appealing. Firstly, class was a non-threatening, all-girls environment. It was safe, the folks around were encouraging and positive, and it was ok for the students to prance around and…how shall I say it…explore their own sex appeal. Contrary to what many imagine, it wasn’t sleazy or seedy at all. Pole dancing was treated as an alternative dance form which was also a fun way to get fit – period. Put that all together and it is a liberating, confdence-building, even empowering avenue for many.

When our beginner’s class began, I could tell there was quite a lot of inhibitions, but we were told it would dissipate after a while. In any case, Linna Tan, the gregarious owner of the studio, said people are not looking at you anyway because they are too busy looking at themselves and trying to figure out their own moves. So there’s plenty of freedom to be as graceful or clumsy as you need to be while you learn, without ramifications to your dignity! In other words, “no need to shy”!

The enigmatic duality of women was particularly evident especially after the classes when these ladies put on their clothes to head home. Were they feline sex goddesses in clothes cut right down to there, who seduced men with just one look? On the contrary, they are ordinary girls like you and me who slipped back into their jeans and T-shirts, the executive suits they came in straight after work, or girl-next-door cotton dresses, tied their hair in pony tails and walked out in sensible shoes. A lady walked in later – in her late 30s I guess – dressed in a white power suit with briefcase, clearly fresh from the office. She quietly changed out and waited for the late lap-dancing class to start! You’d never guess just by appearances, but there you go – don’t judge, and get mired in stereotypes.

So What’s Beginners Class Like?
Well, it was a small-ish class of about 8 people, mostly in their 20s. The instructor was a friendly beach bunny who was always smiling, bouncing about and always positive. She’s certainly not your typical primary school Chinese teacher: while she said she’d try to remember our names, if she forgets, “I’ll just call you babe, ok?

It started with a general briefing on attire and rules, then about 10 minutes of stretching, then a few basic techniques. Here’s how you hold the pole (two different ways to start off with), how to do the ‘sexy walk’ around the pole, the knee spin (muscles required, and which auntie did easily thank you, while the young’uns had some problems….never carried children or heavy grocery bags, you see…) and then a little routine which involved very basic sliding down the pole into a sitting position, push chest out to do a ‘trucker’, roll on your stomach and kick your legs … in bimbo sex-kitten style (which is when I think I pulled my back….yes, 43 years old, darling!), and once the back spasms were over (not sexy), do a roll into a kneeling position, knees apart.

In the midst of that, I did wonder fleetingly why I was doing this…..but hey, it’s behind closed doors and the rest of the girls were starting out too. And as a first taste, it felt a little liberating. Also, I do remind myself, as clichéd as it sounds, to “seize the day”. No better time than now! After all, I’m not going to wait till I’m 60 to regret that I didn’t try something I was so curious about. So I am heading out for my 2nd lesson on Monday and looking forward to it!

 

FREE SLAP DANCE COURSE FOR SIMPLY FAB READERS!

Freebies!! Don’t forget… We’ve organised a treat with Bobbi’s Pole Studio just for you to start the year on a bold note but the offer ends thuis Friday, 15 January.  Sign up for an  8-week Beginner’s Pole Dancing Course (for S$260) by then, and get an 8-week SLAP dancing course (worth $220) for free. The courses will run on concurrent weeks. This offer is valid for classes from now until 30 June 2012. Quick! Go forth and go bold!

222 Queen Street #02-01
Tel:  6333-4308
www.bobbispolestudio.com.sg
(Pictures courtesy of Bobbi’s Pole Studio)