After what feels like a bloody age, (some of us including yours truly have not been to a pole class since October!) as of Monday 17th May our beloved pole studios will be running actual classes again. Not just open practice sessions, but genuine, legitimate pole dance classes. After five months of not being told to “suck it up”, “do it on your bad side too” and “are you stuck Eilish?” by my awesome instructor Eloise I have but one thing to say;
THANK FUCK FOR THAT!
As much as I fully jumped on the online classes bandwagon in all three of the UK lockdowns, whilst I found training online a damn life saver for maintaining strength and a semi-decent pain threshold, you just cannot beat being in a proper pole class in the studio. I have missed our classic 80’s style aerobic warm up, the lush camaraderie that you have with your class mates and fuck it, I have even missed feeling pissed off when one of said class mates manages to nail the combo perfectly, and I’m firmly on board the struggle bus with the first utter bastard of a move. It doesn’t matter if it’s the best feeling in the world or one that pisses you right off, if it’s an emotion you feel in a pole dance class, it’s one I have sorely missed.
First off, I am ecstatic that classes are returning for some much needed normality and human interaction. For those of us who are/were working from home full time or have been furloughed, getting out of the house feels that bit more exciting than it did previously. So combine that with getting to twirl yourself around a pole again with your pals and it feels nigh on orgasmic. Not only are we finally getting some decent human interaction that doesn’t involve freezing one’s tits off in a beer garden, but we get our pole fix back too. Christ, I’m even contemplating assessing my bank balance to see if I can squeeze in two classes a week like a proper greedy cow. That is of course until the novelty has worn off and I’m back to feeling a frustrated potato again.
Disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Also, one of the many perks of the classes returning (which beat open practice sessions in my humble opinion) is that you get the opportunity to try out cool new shit and take giant leaps out of your comfort zone. Personally, whilst it’s guaranteed that nothing bad can come from your regular pole practice session, you nearly always end up training the same shit – I know I do! At the moment, my practice sessions pretty much consist of umpteen shoulder mount drills, leg switches, Ayeshas and trying to get that elusive flat Jade split, thank our holy Felix that I have pole friends who are working on different shit that I can save and copy, otherwise I would have definitely bored myself to death.
After all that, I am barry buzzing to return to class and be given new combos and moves to work on. If like me you have been stuck in a bit of a what to practice rut for a while, get your ass back to class and have a go at some new moves. Yes you’ll be pushed out of your comfort zone, but when has that ever been a bad thing. Even better you may even find a new move or combo that you’re really bloody good at, and we all know that’s a pretty top tier feeling when that happens.
Most importantly however, our studios and instructors need us right now more than ever. The pandemic has hit our pole studios hard and here in the UK, many self-employed people who have been unable to work due to the lockdowns have been royally shafted. I try not to get too political on here, but fuck the Tories. Let’s help our studios and instructors get back on their feet financially like they have helped us get back on our literal feet many a time. Classes may seem a little more expensive when you return but if you can afford it, pay it. Many of our instructors have been robbed of their passion and sole income during this pandemic, so let’s help them feel like themselves again.
What are you most looking forward to about returning to pole class? Let me know in the comments below!
Disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Chrome Chronicles 