What is poledance?
"When you're finally there, hanging upside down by only a knee, or balancing your entire body weight on one arm, it becomes quite clear that the things you previously found absolutely impossible weren't that distant after all..."
Background
Poledance is a beautiful and physically demanding sport. Still new and in an exciting phase of development it borrows many elements from gymnastics and traditional acrobatics. Mainly from the aerial circus act of "Chinese pole", but also the Indian sport "mallakhamb", which is hundreds of years old and yet displays striking similarities.
In other words, for people to exercise in the air by utilizing a pole is by no means a new phenomena.
What we consider contemporary poledance didn't begin spreading to the general public through fitness mediums until the mid 90ies. But it wasn't until after year 2000 that the sport really caught on and has ever since spread to a countless number of gyms and dance studios in Europe, Australia, Asia and America.
Poledance is today in it's most exciting phase of development yet. World wide competitions are thrown and bring together many participating nations. Performances fill large theaters and draw audiences in thousands.
This is what we have achieved, globally, in the last 3-4 years only. The practice is advancing at a raging speed and what was viewed as impressive a few years ago is considered beginner level now.
It is no exaggerations to say that today's practitioners have all the power in their hands, to shape poledance into whatever they desire.
Excercise
Truly mastering poledance requires tireless training, strength, flexibility, stamina, discipline, agility and balance. Not speaking of a good dose imagination and courage! But poledance is unlike traditional aerial acrobatics in the sense of availability. It can easily be practiced at home and requires no prior trianing or special skills.
So don't let the acrobatic side frighten you. The reason poledance has found recognition as such a rewarding form of exercise is because it can be broken down and practiced on so many different levels. Gradually building every one of the needed qualities.
Many individuals seem to find exercise unpleasant; a form of necessary evil. You go to gym, suffer through your two mandatory spinning sessions each week, and hope that it will be long until next time. But that isn't because exercise overall is boring or strenuous! It is because you haven't found your own form of exercise yet!
Poledance, in particular, feels far from those half hearted jogs you included in your New Year's resolution. Beginners are often quick to express their surprise and enthusiasm; it's easy to get hooked and absorbed, to long for the next time you can spin yourself dizzy. Suddenly, you feel a sense of accomplishment over those sore muscles and wear your bruises with pride. Along with a new insight into what that static office body is actually capable of.
Maybe that is a reason, good as any other, to give it a twirl? Even if you usually find exercise a but... dull? There's no time or place for "dull" here - you're too focused on keeping arms and legs in their right places, on nailing that new trick, on keeping a continuous flow and not screw up the transitions. Being drenched in sweat and having your arms feel like spaghetti - that you'll only notice when class is over.
...and besides, you'll never look at lamp posts or street signs in the same way ever again.