By Jeanne Muchnick
The South Pole A ‘hot’ lesson in leaning, sliding and grinding from a pole dancing class.
Y
ou know you’ve entered a completely different world of exercise when you’re asked to think of a “stage name” before class begins. I’m at a Body Embrace pole dancing party, dressed in yoga attire and feeling a bit hard-pressed to think of an answer. But the dim lights, the pulsating music, female camaraderie and the sexy get ups my fellow dancers are wearing (ok, they’re the instructors but still) make me think I can be as sultry as J.Lo for the night so I sputter out J. Mo. Sort of a mix of Jeanne and Muchnick in a forty-somethingmom-rap-kind of way. “J.MOOOO” the girls shout out enthusiastically as I take to the pole for my first “Walk,” a beginner’s entry to this “hot” (and I use the word literally) work out.
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Above, I take to the pole with my best “Come hither” sexy look. Tina Oppedisano, my instructor for the evening, shows me how it’s REALLLY done (below). If this mom of three weren’t so sweet, I might have to hate her for her killer body, which she credits to a lot of pole dancing.
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I stand on my tippy toes (I didn’t know I should have worn heels), swing my hips and shoot for my best “sexy” look as I follow my instructor, Tina Oppedisano (aka “Storm”) around the pole, basically a tease for what’s to come. You’re supposed to place one hand on the pole as you move your hips and use the other hand to touch your body starting at your wild mane of hair (no pony tails allowed!), around your breasts to the curves of your hips (and yes, ladies, I have curves) while dragging your toe behind you in a seductive walk. My girlfriends are clapping and laughing and of course, sipping big glasses of red wine. We are embracing our inner divas—feather boas and all—and it’s such a hoot that despite my initial hesitation I’m actually feeling like my pre-kids, prebulging stomach, pre-wrinkled self. “It’s all about releasing your inner you,” explains Tina, a mom of three who hosts pole dancing parties along with her friend/neighbor/fellow mom of three Erica Mollin (aka “Mia). Both women, clad in skin-tight black shorts, high silvery heels, bustier boosting shirts and leggings, admit that pole dancing is not only a tough workout, but a great way to gain confidence and accept your sexuality. “I love that this makes me feel seductive,” says Tina, who I’ve seen in jeans and a tshirt before but never like this. “It’s a way to bring out something in yourself that’s no doubt been dormant for a long time.” Not to mention, spice up your love life (more about that in a minute). The truth is, I hate exercising. I know I need to do it to stay healthy; my only problem is that I’m easily bored on the stationary bike or doing downward dogs at yoga. I like Zumba, but even that gets to be the “same old, same old” after a while. And so, with a push from my friend Beth (yes, Beth Feldman, founder of ProjectYou Magazine aka Tweetie), I opted for a night of pole dancing. The only caveat: She had to come with me, as did our Art Director Katie Schlientz (aka “Duchess Half Moon”). Needless to say, wine also had to be served (though warning: don’t drink too much or you’ll find yourself getting a headache spinning around the pole later). Tina and Erica do all kinds of parties for 30th, 40th
and 50th birthdays as well as bachlorette bashes and other events. “You’d be surprised how many women are into it,” says Erica. And in fact, I was amazed how many of my friends wanted to join me when I mentioned (often in a hushed whisper) that I was going to a pole party. Apparently (I did my google search) pole dancing is growing in popularity as well as acceptance, thanks in part to actress Sheila Kelley who started The SFactor chain of pole dancing studios. More and more people are attending classes at health clubs and gyms and enjoy the mixture of graceful dance steps and gymnastics stunts. Using the pole—which for a home party can be transported anywhere to any room —requires a combination of ballet, yoga, grace, as well as significant strength, flexibility and endurance. The well defined arms, legs and butt on Tina and Erica made me a believer, though truth be told I did feel a little out of shape/intimidated next to them. First piece of advice: Wear shorts (your legs need the friction to hug the pole better) and heels. Though heels help you work your muscles harder, they also add to the sensuality component and are key to setting “the mood.” Women being women, I liked how Tina continually emphasized to our group (which also included her mom aka “Satin” and another neighbor friend Stacey, aka “Ecstasy”) that it doesn’t matter what kind of shape you’re in. It’s all about falling in love with your body again; to be happy with yourself, no matter what size, shape or weight. And it was true: Without any mirrors in Tina’s living room to judge me and with the support of my friends’ constant clapping and laughing, I moved through the next series of steps including the Open Hip Dip (one hand behind you as you glide down the pole with legs open), Closed Hip Dip (keeping both legs tight together while you basically bump up against the pole while holding one hand up high), the Pole Grind (self explanatory I think), and The Flip, (where you go slide down the pole and then crawl away cat like and do a big flip with your head, tossing your hair, then slowly rise, always with butt up).
Beth Feldman, aka “Tweetie” works on her Flip.
It’s all about falling in love with your body again; to be happy with yourself, no matter what size, shape or weight.
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Beth tries to follow Tina’s moves as she sashays around the pole. The feather boa helps get her in the spirit. Below: Erica Mollin shows off one of her sexy looks as she slides down the pole. She also did some lap dancing for us but that’s fodder for another story.
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My upper thighs burned as I did hip circles around the pole and followed Tina as she demonstrated more challenging moves. In fact, the more I flaunted my assets, the less I thought about what I was doing wrong and instead thought about what I was doing right. It felt good to arch my back, tilt my head, puff my chest and do a hip swirl around the pole, all with a coy look to the “audience.” I liked my friends asking for my “sexy” pose since I don’t know that I ever had one. And though I wasn’t so great at touching myself seductively as I twirled around the pole the way Erica did, I did lose some of my inhibitions. “Love the pole,” Erica shouted. “Butt up!” Tina encouraged. And the more they said it and the more we gals cheered each other on, the more I realized this wasn’t about my love handles or sagging breasts but about us girls of a certain age celebrating our inner beauty, strength and power. You feel sensual on the pole. Flirty. And definitely free. Then there’s that added benefit of the bedroom. Tina says her husband likes the spiciness and variety of what she’s learning (not to mention her ultra-sexy pole dancing outfits) while Erica says she feels a lot more in control with her boyfriend. “This puts you in a different mindset,” she says. She admits there was a time when she was often too tired with the kids and dinner and life in general to think of pleasing her now ex-husband. “Now,” however, says the aesthetician by trade, “It’s all about me and knowing I have the power.” Certainly the benefits add up though for me, it’s definitely the “girl power” connection that inspired me the most. I might have felt like an out-of-shape blob walking in – the kind of girl who is most comfortable in Target sweat pants and a ratty t-shirt, but walking out, I was ready to buy the mile-high shoes Tina and Erica had, along with the short shorts and perhaps some lacy underwear. As Stacey said at the end of the night, “This is more fun than a book club.” For information on Body Embrace pole dancing parties in the New York area, visit LivingHealthyOnTheGo.com. ■