Before I discovered the joy of pole dancing, all I knew about tricks was that magicians and animals performed them, and ladies of the evening turned them.
Then I learned that in pole dancing, tricks are acrobatic moves done on the floor-to-ceiling pole, like back-hook spins, baby valentines, fan kicks, butterflies, rainbows and more.
Poling is not only exhilarating but terrific for keeping fit and quite sensuous as well. More about that later.
Pole dancing — long the stuff of strippers in gentlemen’s clubs — was all ready for its mainstream closeup: First it showed up in films and on television shows.
Did you catch Mikey Madison starring as an exotic dancer tricking upside-down on the pole in Anora? Or Jennifer Lopez pulling off some wild, ultra-sexy moves in Hustlers?
But poling is no longer reaching the masses only via movies and TV.
In the 1980s, it started to morph into a physical fitness activity for everyday people, even as it retained its notoriety as a strip club staple.
Poling classes have been available nationwide for the last several years and are steadily increasing in popularity, as demonstrated by a slew of dance studios dedicated to them.
Now poling — which can be adapted to one’s fitness level — is a growing trend among women 60 and above. Senior centers are even holding classes, and many women — and men — perform in pole dancing showcases and at special poling conventions.
Some professional pole dancers are standouts not only for their proficiency but because they happen to be seniors. Mary Caryl of Los Angeles, who has arthritis and a replaced hip, is a 71-year-old poling award winner. And in China, Dai Dali, 78, who started poling at 64 and won a gold medal, still competes and also teaches the art.
Having had ballet classes for six decades now, I find pole dancing appealing because of what it has in common with ballet.
For a start, core muscles are key. And in both, the body bends into beautiful shapes enhanced by graceful arm movements. Pole dancing, which boasts several styles, can be performed with a gritty, edgy approach too.
Compared to ballet, instead of hoisting your leg up on the horizontal barre for stretching, in pole dancing, you lift your entire body up against a vertical pole, then create amazing shapes and at a more advanced level, complex acrobatic tricks.
But wait — to have a fantastic time pole dancing, there’s no need to climb the pole. Just think of it as a passive, reliable dance partner.
You can keep your feet on the floor, hold on and do kicks and easy tricks as you groove to music. Or you can back up and provocatively grind against your static partner (with a spin pole, the pole itself spins).
“I’m not hanging upside down, but I know how to do ‘drop-it-like-it’s-hot’ squats. And I spin and turn,” says Betty Wilson, 71, who had both knees replaced before starting classes with Mica Saunders, founder of Moxie Movez, which provides workout programs for older adults and people with disabilities.
She brings them to senior venues such as the Zeta Center for Healthy & Active Aging in Baltimore.
“A lot more women 60 and older are taking pole dancing classes. They see it as a form of fitness and fun, good for balance training and coordination,” Saunders says.