Flavor #9 - Take a Pole Dancing Class

Take a Pole Dancing Class - Jason and Elizabeth, Chicago IL

It was pretty much like any other dance studio I've ever been in...except for the 7 poles planted in the middle of the room.

Jeanette, Kristine and I set down our things and each claimed one of the purple floor mats arranged in a circle. My eyes skimmed over the amber washed walls and came to rest on a sultry bench, heavily adorned with pillows. It mildly reminded me of what you'd see in a harem den. I scooped my knees under my chin and buried a giggle in my arm: my life over the past year has been anything but boring.

Our instructor took a relaxed pose in the middle of the circle. She looked like your average girl, about 5'2", long brown hair, medium build; not extremely curvy or athletic looking. With a pleasant, velvety voice she introduced herself as Italia. The taller, curvier, woman next to her, with a mane of smoldering red hair, was Diana, her assistant. After giving a brief history of her time with the company, Italia turned to the girl on her left and asked:

"So, why are you taking a Pole Dancing class?"

She continued this ritual all the way around the room. The answers ranged from, "My friend dragged me here" to, "I saw it on the Martha Stewart show." As she rotated from each girl to the next, I couldn't help but notice her energy. Her voice was soothing, but it was more than that; she spoke every word deliberately as if she really enjoyed talking. I don't mean that she enjoyed hearing herself speak; she actually sounded as though each consonant was a joy to pronounce. That sensuality trickled down into the rest of her presence, even the simple way she shifted from person to person, giving them her entire focus. I realized this girl was not average. She held a confidence that was unique and powerful, and I was mesmerized by it.

After Italia personally welcomed each student to the studio, she briefly narrated how Sheila Kelley, the actress who started the company, once attended a strip club to help prepare for a role in a film. She was intrigued by the confidence and control the dancers had over their bodies. A few years and a couple kids later, Sheila felt like a foreigner in her own body. Longing for how lean and confident she felt when she was using this uniquely feminine workout routine, she kicked her husband out of their home office and installed a pole. It wasn't long before her friends recognized a change in her and wanted to know her secret. That secret bloomed into a chain spanning 7 cities.
Italia went on to explain the portion of that secret we'd be experiencing. Because this was an intro class, a big chunk of our session would be a 50 minute workout that created the foundation for the more advanced movement. I must admit I was a tad disappointed that we wouldn't be playing jungle gym, but I understood the need for the basics. She called our attention to the fact that there were no mirrors. She explained that at S-Factor, they want the experience to be very personal and comfortable, so the sessions are done in the dark, with no mirrors, and only women: that way we wouldn't be as likely to judge ourselves or each other. Later I would realize how much I truly support this concept.
Diana dimmed the lights and Italia, along with the rest of the class, became a blackened silhouette. I knew Kristine was next to me, but that awareness faded with the music's escalating waves. The beat flooded my head, and spilled over onto my limbs.

My inner voice may have objected to the volume, but I couldn't hear it. At that moment, my only option was to feel.

Just above the music I could hear Italia's voice tugging me through a fusion of Yoga and Pilates techniques. Each exercise, while designed to and strengthen and lengthen, came with its own S-Factor twist. My favorite part of the workout was the upper and lower body rotations. Seated, we gracefully reached overhead to one side and continued the spinal rotation forward and around. As my hair cascaded about me, fingertips trailing across the floor, I couldn't help but appreciate the delicate femininity. We did a similar, slightly edgier, version with our hips, and I must say I didn't mind that movement either; it was such a physical example of a woman's quiet dignity combined with fierce pride: as though we were embracing the girl and woman all at once.
The Flirt:

Eventually our crunches and stretches evolved into more specific movements, one of those being, "The Flirt." Lying on our backs, Italia instructed us to raise our legs at a 90 degree angle, and take turns rubbing one foot up and down the other. This movement reminded me of the foot-warming ritual I practice on cold Chicago nights. Casually, I traced the inside of my high arch past my narrow ankle and just slightly up my calf: observing the smoothness of my recently shave legs, and noting with annoyance the prickly patch that I missed. The motion itself seemed quite simple, but I found that it triggered a kind of playfulness and wonder. Suddenly my feet, two slaves that I abuse constantly, were being glorified: red, chipped, toenails and all. I was allowing my body to admire and thank itself, instead of forcing it to do my every whim and punishing it when it doesn't react the way I want it to.

The S walk:

In Ancient Greek and Roman art, the "S Curve" refers to the act of settling one's center of gravity to one side, creating a flowing "S" shape. This concept is represented beautifully in the very famous Venus de Milo. The art of the "S Walk" was to step into the hip like you're holding a bag of groceries or a toddler, while slightly trailing the opposite foot behind you. Italia had us leave our mats behind to become moving manifestations of this term.

As we walked in a circle, I felt nothing like a Venus de Milo.

As a matter of fact, having a slight deficiency in the hip department, I would bet that my "Curve" is probably shaped more like a "7" or a "J."

I was grateful for the dimmed lights and the ability to embarrass myself in private.

The Firefly:

Diana the brightened the lights. To every one's joy, it was time for some pole dancing. Italia demonstrated how to do a little move called "The Firefly." Gripping with her dominant hand and hooking the heal of her opposite leg around around the pole, she sat back into her hips. From there, she let gravity swing her body towards the hooked leg, and as she spun around the pole, raised her standing leg to meet the other. When she came to rest, she planted both feet and gracefully rolled up through her spine to a standing position. She emphasized that even if the execution was poor, the finish must always be confident.
Kristine and I claimed a pole and made our first clunky attempts. We quickly came to appreciate the strength and grace that it takes to control the movement: while Italia's demonstration looked elegant and effortless, our version looked like a pair of awkward fireman. Gratefully, Diana came over to offer advice. She encouraged me to trust my strength and use my momentum to create some distance between my body and the pole. Finally, some pole burns and a few shin bruises later, I figured it out.
For the last portion of the class, Italia danced for us. The entire group piled onto the "Harem Bench" while Diana re dimmed the lights. Italia started out subtly, incorporating familiar moves from the workout we did earlier, then eventually worked into a full blown cyclone, whipping her hair and body around the pole in a continuous and thrilling motion. We cheered her on as she climbed fluidly to the top and then, with very little help from her hands, proceeded to descend, head first, to the ground. I remember shaking my head in awe and in that moment, being very proud to be a woman. Perhaps I had a little glimpse of what Sheila Kelly experienced.

On the bus ride home, I pondered what makes S-Factor such a success. The website reads, "You want to learn to pole dance...you don't think you can do it, but you want to try." I think that this statement is true to some extent. Although most women would judge someone who practices pole-dancing as a profession, some of them probably yearn for a small portion of that womanly confidence and power. Because sensual exploration is associated with negative things like strip clubs, it is stereotyped as bad; therefore those who are trying to be good, suffocate that nurturing part of their identity.

S-Factor's mission statement declares that it wants to dissolve that stereotype by helping women to "become comfortable with, able to express and own their wholesome sexuality." I found the term "wholesome sexuality" interesting. I do believe that putting women in touch with their sexuality in an empowering and non-exploitative way is a positive thing. Ironically; however, I think that most of the class's intrigue, is that you're flirting with something that isn't wholesome. I'll admit that part of the reason I chose this flavor was because I wanted to be a bit shocking, and I would bet most of the girls in the class found it a novelty to be a little naughty.

The very cool and unexpected thing is that I did come away from the class feeling happier and more connected with my womanly self: not just physically but emotionally as well. By facing and accepting my physical flaws, and celebrating my tiniest of strengths, I was nurturing the places within that usually echo, "You're not good enough."

I support S-Factor's mission, although I think it might take a while for Sheila Kelly to transform the world's view of pole dancing.

In the meantime, don't be surprised if you see me trying out the Firefly on a bus stop pole.

*This blog entry, I am grateful to be a woman: physically, intellectually and emotionally.

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