Wicked workouts
Looking for some smoking moves to get in shape?
Exotic dancing classes are the sexy way to shape up – in high heels! We explore the best ways to burn up those kilojoules - along with your inhibitions!
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Exercise with a side of sexy
If you’re heading off for the latest trend in workouts, don’t forget to pack some stilettos with your gym shorts and towel. Forget sweaty trainers and track pants, the hot new way to get in shape is more Dita Von Teese than boot camp drill sergeant. Burlesque and pole dancing is great fun, and a seriously good workout too.
In pole position
Most types of dancing are aerobic exercise, and because you are using your own body weight to climb, pole dancing offers a good resistance workout as well. ‘Pole dancing is fantastic for toning and building upper body strength, as well as flexibility and stretching, but probably isn’t quite as aerobic as other dancing, like salsa or ballroom,’ says exercise scientist at the University of NSW and author of Exercise and the F-word – Fun, Martha Lourey-Bird, ‘If you include a couple of cardio sessions a week as well, you’re getting a fantastic all round workout.’
Ladies only
Unlike the strip joints and lap dancing bars popular with bucks and boys nights, exotic dancing classes are a women only experience and completely female friendly. At Bobbi’s Pole Studios in Sydney and Perth, the decor is ultra feminine. ‘The studio is very pink, lots of sequins, very girly,’ says Bobbi’s co-owner Vanessa Brecht. ‘It’s a cross between a dance studio and a nightclub.'
From shy to fly
Newbies to exotic dancing, especially pole dancing, usually turn up in track pants, long tee shirts and court shoes, but as their confidence grows, the shorts get tinier and the heels higher. There is also a practical element to wearing shorts: to pole dance successfully, you need to grip the pole with your legs – much easier with bare skin.
Burlesque queens
For those who baulk at spinning around a pole in a tiny pair of shorts, burlesque has become increasingly popular. ‘If you are overweight, it’s best to start off slowly, and burlesque dancing is ideal for larger women – the style is much better for a more voluptuous figure,’ says Sarah Martin, managing director of Blush Dance School in Sydney. ‘You use props like fans, feather boas, chairs, hats, gloves, parasols – it's about the tease.’ While not as physically intense as pole dancing, burlesque still requires stamina, as most classes are done in heels and include a warm up and stretching exercises.
Private dancers
Most exotic dance studios offer courses that run for 6-8 weeks, and cost around $220. The classes are small, with around 6-8 in each, for beginners through to advanced. One-on-one lessons are also available. With expert tuition, it doesn’t take long to build confidence. ‘With pole dancing, by the end of the 6th week they can climb and hold themselves up,’ says Martin. ‘Then they're off and flying!’
Reap the rewards
The best thing about exotic dancing for fitness, says Kennetta Hutchins, franchisee of Pole Divas in Melbourne, is that you are having so much fun you don’t realise you are working out – apart from some muscle soreness the next day. ‘It’s really rewarding,’ she says, ‘You’re using yoga, gymnastic and acrobatic techniques to nail these tricks and it’s such a sense of achievement.’
For more information on exotic dancing, visit:
- poledivas.com.au
- blushdanceschool.com.au
- bobbispolestudio.com.au
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