8th June 2011

BRIDPORT: Take on Tom! Pole dancing - it's not just for girls!

NOW for some men the idea of being the only man at a pole dancing club would be a dream come true – but a pole fitness class is something entirely different.

Ally, my instructor for the evening, invited me along to the session to help dispel a bit of the stigma attached to her classes.

For those who haven’t been along, they are often put off by the idea that pole dancing is just for women in bikinis and stilettos being forced to work in seedy clubs to make a little extra money.

Perhaps that was the case 30 years ago but nowadays it is very much a legitimate exercise class. As I write this, nearly a week later, my arms and stomach are still aching.

Those who have experienced a pole fitness class will tell you they are not only great for boosting confidence but unrivalled for developing flexibility, core strength and upper body strength,

Joining me on the night are ladies from as far as Honiton and Weymouth who have fallen in love with the art form since taking it up, and are more than happy to make the long journey for a weekly session.

They all seem to be looking forward to seeing my efforts, as do the leisure centre staff who are making sure the poles are fitted extra securely for the night.

As much as the girls in my class enjoyed laughing at my efforts on the pole though, they all take it seriously and are working towards their grading exams.

The session starts with a brief dance based warm up, just enough for my two left feet to cope with.

Those who have ever seen me perform musical theatre will tell you that dance isn’t my strong point. I start to struggle when I’m expected to combine both arms and legs, you can have one or the other, not both.

After a warm up we pair up and run through a few stretching exercises, my unlucky partner is Lindsey Cumpstone who has been attending classes for a year.

Lindsay helped guide me through the evening as I tried to remember which arm went where and whereabouts my legs were meant to be in relation to my head.

Flexibility is a key element of pole dancing and most of the class can either do the splits or at least get eye wateringly close, I soon realise why when Ally tests me with a split stretch.

She then demonstrated a more advanced stretch where, whilst gripping the pole, you lower your weight onto your partner’s legs to help them stretch into a splits position.

We thought it best I didn’t do this to Lindsay as the only possible good outcome would be £250 from You’ve Been Framed. And that wasn’t going to happen, as despite many willing volunteers, I had insisted no-one filmed my efforts on the night.

Having fully stretched and warmed up we went into some strength exercises. The discipline requires not only immense strength but also great control over your body to be able to manipulate it in ways you probably didn’t think possible.

Now by some stroke of luck I then find out that I have inadvertently joined the “Advanced” Thursday night session rather than the “Beginners” class.

So instead of getting a run-through of the basics I soon find myself trying back and forward hooks, the pole climb and the level three inverted V.

My particular favourite was the “Princess” with no hands, although I fear I didn’t make it look as elegant as it sounds.

The session finishes with the girls running through their grading routines to “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani.

This combines most of what we have learnt, plus a bit extra all put together into a slick dance routine.

I hope that this week I have convinced a few people, male or female, to go give the Pole Perfect classes a go.

You can still find seedy pole dancing clubs in back streets, my dad can vouch for that, but pole fitness classes are a world apart from those venues. Pole fitness classes are more about empowering women not exploiting them.

If you want to tone up, lose weight, gain confidence or simply have fun with your mates then there are definitely worse ways of doing it. And if a 16 stone man with the elegance and grace of a particularly clumsy elephant can do it, then you can too!

Pole Perfect classes run in six weekly courses at Bridport Leisure Centre, For more information call 01308 427464.

BRIDPORT: Take on Tom! Pole dancing - it's not just for girls!

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