At this year's Miss Exotic World competition Gravity Plays Favorites shimmied and twirled around a large pole. The duo interwined themselves and slid up and down the pole with impressive acrobatic prowess. This was the image I had in mind as I met a group of friends at The P Spot in D.C. for an introductory pole dancing class.
After reading an article about the class, a friend rallied a group of us to give it a whirl. The studio, a first-floor in a brownstone, was empty except for the row of five poles strategically spaced in a long line. Over an hour we took turns learning the components to a quick routine. We swung around the pole. We slid our backs down it and pulsed low to the ground. And finally we lifted ourselves up off the ground trying to imitate how our instructor wrapped her legs around it as she slid down.
It was a sweaty, fun, hot mess -- it's hard to look or feel sexy while thinking, "Walk one, two, three. Grab the pole. Smalll step, swing it around ..." But in the end, even when you land on your podunka-dunk, if you bring it up sexy it's all good.
And if anyone ever doubted the workout part of these classes, here's what the other pole-twirling girls thought:
"I work with a personal trainer and my quadriceps have never felt a workout quite like this. ... I think I need a few more classes to test out my skills before I try some moves at home!"
"Being sexy on a pole is hard work, I have a new found respect for the profession. Shape, size and fitness level do not necessarily indicate how well someone will look dancing around a pole."
"Sore does not quite describe where I am. ... my thighs, butt, wrists, forearms, upper arms and fingertips are KILLING ME! I am so shaky! ... I can't get Michaela's arms out of my head. Her upper body was amazing! I need to swing on that pole (or get my own) if my arms can look like that!"
"Not only are my legs STILL trembling, but I am sore in every section of my arms!"
