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Written by Karen Shideler, McClatchy-Tribune
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Wednesday, 27 June 2007 |
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 Let’s get a few things out of the way up front:
• You wear regular workout clothes, and you keep them on.
• There are no mirrors.
• No men are allowed.
• It’s appropriate for women of all ages.
• And pole dancing is one heck of a workout.
Abby Finley and Stacey Bell know they might raise some eyebrows with Pole Dynamics, the pole-dancing studio they opened about a month ago.
But for the most part, “people know this is a workout place,” Finley says. “They know you come here to work out.”
The two, best friends since kindergarten, had seen fitness pole dancing on VH1, “Oprah” and other TV shows and were intrigued. “So we took the initiative to get it going because we didn’t think anybody else would,” Bell said.
They trained in Los Angeles, where Denise Richards, Heather Locklear and other celebrities have helped make it a popular workout, and where it’s offered and taught in several upscale gyms. They were certified in it and in Pilates, which makes up the first half of their pole-dancing classes.
“It’s such a good workout,” Finley says.
“Your arms, your back, your butt, your legs,” Bell adds. She surprised herself recently when she reached to change a CD in her car and realized how toned her arms were. “I’ve never had muscles in the back of my arms.”
The average client is about 25, they say; the oldest so far was 52. Their advertising promotes “a sensuous blend of pole dancing and striptease exercise techniques,” but they say they’ve never had a “pro” in class — at least to their knowledge. Their Los Angeles teacher told them, “They stay away from us.”
Music plays in the background, but it’s music you’d hear on the radio. “We always try to keep the music a nice mix — nothing too provocative,” Bell said.
As they demonstrate moves, it’s easy to see why pole dancing is a great workout: Try extending your legs out straight while holding yourself up on a pole.
“The only way to do that is with your abs,” Bell says.
“It is definitely an every-muscle-in-your-body workout,” Finley adds. “By the time you’re done, if you do this for 30 to 45 minutes, you are sweating.”
They tell customers to wear whatever clothing they feel comfortable working out in — sweats and T-shirts or tank tops.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t an element of sexiness to fitness pole dancing. All that spinning can make a person dizzy, and Bell looks up to avoid it, so that “as opposed to seeing the whole room spin, you just see the top of the pole. Plus, it is more graceful.”
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NORTHERN
COLORADO
STUDIOS
• Leelynn Studios,
Leelynnstudios. com.
303.757.2633
• Donna Bella
donnabelladance.com.
303.466.1387.
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