Pole dancing is an aerial art practiced on a vertical bar. It combines strength, grace, and flexibility by mixing dance and acrobatics. Pole dance originated in strip clubs in the 60s and then developed in Anglo-Saxon countries before conquering the rest of the world.
The first French pole dance competition took place in and was created by Mariana Baum. Pole dance has always conveyed a scandalous image. And yet, when practicing it, we realize that it has nothing to do with what we believe. For example here is a little story, a few years ago I welcomed a group of men in my pole dance school to celebrate a bachelor party.
When they arrived, they'd imagined that I was going to perform a sexy dance for them and that they had paid for it! I smiled and asked them to put on some sports' clothes. Of course, they didn't have it so they all ended up in boxers. I started the session with an intense warm-up.
Very quickly, after 20 minutes, they calmed down! The lesson lasted 1 hour and a half and, at the end of the session, I was delighted to see that their way of seeing the discipline had changed. They realized how physical it was. Mindsets are changing, but slowly and often only after there has been a real discovery during an initiation.
Without this, prejudices unfortunately remain deeply rooted, this activity being still rather recent. The advantage of pole dancing is that, contrary to popular belief, you can start at any age and without a particular build. Everyone can do it. Of course, there are predispositions for those who have a sports background gymnasts or dancers for example but it's still an activity relatively accessible to all. Depending on your motivation and how often you train, you can quickly progress.
