Taking even just one of these classes, even just once, will likely leave you feeling pretty badass. And let’s be real, you definitely feel like a badass of the highest order after you climb a 14 foot pole and touch the ceiling. Twice. And hang out there a little bit to enjoy it, just because you can. This was something I’ve been working on since my first class, and something I just finally achieved four days ago.
Jumping Through Hoops to Get to the Silk Road, Until I Hit a Pole
I recall many moons ago seeing a video of a pole dancer practicing in an empty club somewhere. It wasn’t anyone I knew, and I couldn’t even tell you who posted it, it just showed up randomly in my Facebook newsfeed. I watched, totally entranced by the sheer athleticism it took and how powerful, flowy, and graceful she was all at once, and I realized I’d probably never really seen a legit pole dancer perform outside maybe that opening scene from Flashdance? Thanks to the collective cultural archives of the world wide web, I’ve located that number, and while it was a sexy dance number, no poles were involved. I also knew a friend had been learning and saw a video or two of hers. It seemed like one of those interesting and quirky things I’d at least try one day should the planets ever align.
Planets Aligned
Having friends with similar interests can give you built in accountability buddies, and when my bestie started making noises about wanting to take classes, looking up where to do it and finding that it’s not far from our office, and then she starts taking classes, I got intrigued. I really perked up when I heard they offered silks classes–I’d seen a few Pink videos and was far more excited by the prospect of learning this art more so than pole, and I started looking at schedules and class packs last fall and jumped in.I bought a 3 class pack to sample some classes–one silks, one pole, and one burlesque–enough to get me hooked on SF Pole and Dance. As of today, I’ve taken 31 classes over the last year or so, mostly pole classes. I found that the silks classes didn’t fit my schedule as well, and I figured the main goal was staying fit and learning a quirky new skill, so check and check. I took one lyra class, and still stare longingly at the silks when I’m in the studio, though this satisfies for now, and by the time I do get to a silks class, I’ll have substantially more strength for it. I’ve been at it much more for personal development than for a social media moment, so I’ve held off from taking pictures or video, at least until I felt really confident that I had something worth sharing. I only recently, at the beginning of October, started taking videos, because I’m starting to feel social media level confident, and more so because I want to start recording my progress and having a means of monitoring my form. To date, I’ve only taken two videos, and include a little montage of the two here as documentation of #7. Tomorrow I’ll reflect on a bright idea I had zoning out on public transportation last year.
It Starts With Quiche 