What to Expect in a Pole Dancing Fitness Class!

I've seen a couple recent blog posts where students or instructors have been writing about what to expect during a pole dancing fitness class in order to offer a perspective towards potential students that may be apprehensive about signing up for their first class.  I thought this was a great idea to shed some light on what could be a critical decision towards walking through those studio doors.  Obviously every studio will differ on the process and how they teach their classes.  This is just a summary of your experience if you are coming to take an introductory class at Pole Harmony. 

Getting Started....
The first class you will take prior to any of our other classes at Pole Harmony is a Pole Discovery intro class (for pole) or an Introductory to Aerial Dance class (for aerial silks).  Since this article's focus is on pole dancing fitness classes, we will proceed with the Pole Discovery intro class.  Many fitness studios and gyms have all moved into the technology age when it comes to signing up for a class.  This means to register for your class, you will do so via the studio's website.  There are many different scheduling systems out there.  Most studios use MindBodyOnline.  At Pole Harmony, we utilize a different online scheduling system known as Bookeo.  Bookeo has the same great features as MindBodyOnline, however it allows users to individualize the user process for simplified use.  We have found our customers enjoy having total control over booking their classes and being able to make executive decisions based on purchasing or cancelling their memberships.  Customers have total control over their experience at Pole Harmony by using our online scheduling system through Bookeo.  (For studio owners inquiring about Bookeo, please contact us via email and we will provide additional information.) 

Moving on, after you have clicked the "Book" button for the Pole Discovery intro class on our schedule page and completed payment (if you'd like to pay cash, email us your first and last name with the date and time of the class you want to take and we will enter you into the system reserving your spot in class), you now will need to plan your attire for your first class. 

What to wear. For your first class, we recommend wearing a comfortable t-shirt/tank, yoga pants/capris, or shorts. Footwear is optional and limited to dance approved foot protectors, socks, or gym shoes. It is recommended students attend classes bare feet. Certain moves may require extra mobility and students may want to bring a pair of socks to protect feet. Please refrain from wearing lotions or oils on your skin as well as strong fragrances and perfumes.  Most of our students wear socks in classes as hardwood floors and bare feet don't always feel so great the next day.  I like to wear ballet flats.  I actually purchased a great pair of flats from Kinney Dancewear in Broadripple for $18.50- they're black leather Blochs that are really comfortable.  I used to have a pair of canvas ballet flats that were light pink but they always looked dirty and the canvas wore holes in them, hence the reason why my most recent purchase was leather flats. 


Now that we've established what to wear- let's get to the actual class!  You'll want to arrive a few minutes early to complete a waiver and any pending payments.  Class will begin with a head to toe warmup followed by the class curriculum.  Classes will always end with an five to eight minute cool down session.  The bulk of the class consists of the curriculum which includes proper postural form and pole technique, discretionary movement, fundamental skills of flow, fun moves facing the pole that can be easily brought home for practice, and an easy beginner level spin.  Moves are modified for every body shape and size in addition to physical limitations.      

The studio.  Our studio space consists of a spacious open area with hardwood flooring, a wall length mirror and ambient lighting.  Our music is played comfortably low to allow students to hear proper instructions. Our poles are dual mounted for extra stability utilizing a permanent ceiling mount in addition to pressure mounting which expands the poles for a solid placement.  Our poles are chrome finish, 45mm, spaced 10ft apart, and Xpole brand.  They are essentially two poles in one- static and spin. Basically our poles unlock to a spin feature.  Spin pole is reserved for our intermediate to advanced students only.  All beginner level students will learn on static mode only. Although we boast our poles are industry standard, the industry is continuously changing their standards in pole recommendations for studios and competitions.  As of July 2013, our poles were considered industry standard.  As of 2014, the industry standard will be making a shift towards 40mm poles.  Because of the way our poles are mounted, we are able to offer versatility in regards to the diameter of the poles our studio houses.  Students may look for future changes in our poles in 2014 as we shift towards providing the current industry options for poles on the consumer market.     At the end of your first class and studio experience, you will be guided through a relaxing cool down session targeting areas strongly used during class.  One of the most common questions I am asked by students following the intro class is: 

 What Class do I Take Next?  The next class you can take is our Pole & Flow class which focuses on the intro class moves and forming them into routines.  Students will also learn additional moves and spins in this class.  This class is great for all levels as the routines will be catered to your specific skill level.  The other class new students enjoy is Sensuous Flow & Flexibility.  This class loosens up tightened areas on the body by introducing flow movement and a mix of dynamic and static stretches to increase flexibility.  This class has been described as a relaxing and a detoxifying experience for students. If you're looking for series classes, you may be interested in signing up for one of our Pole Foundations Series classes.  These classes meet once a week for a given period of time and build upon a routine on a week by week basis.  Our series classes are great for working on flow and perfecting skills or movement to assure proper execution. Each level builds upon skills acquired in the previous level, therefore we recommend students take all the series classes
to benefit the most from the curriculum.  

We hope this article was full of information that answered many of your questions.  If you have any additional questions regarding our classes or studio, please visit our website Frequently Asked Questions or contact us via email or phone.