MICHELLE MARYK, MyToba.ca
My ongoing voyage continues as an amateur pole dancer at VogueFit, owned and founded by the lovely and talented Tara Meyer. I have finished Level 1 a couple weeks ago, an eight-week session taught by Italy-born pole performer and instructor Virginia Draghi Ranson. 
Virginia starts each class with an edgy mix of warm-ups. The combination she created has been influenced by Alethea Austin, a world-renowned pole dance instructor and performer; Cleo the Hurricane who earned the title as Miss Pole Dance Australia in 2012 and from just basic aerobics. I would just call it the hot, wild Italian warm-up, but that’s just me, a perv. (FYI: if you didn’t read my first article about VogueFit, Virginia has an adorably-thick exotic accent; think Gloria from Modern Family.)
At the beginning of Pole 1, Virginia taught us the basics. We learned how to walk – or rather strut, how to build forward momentum and how to grip the pole with our hands, ankles, and knees. We also learned how to do the fireman, flirty fireman, flamingo, sundial, front hook, back hook, chair, standing crucifix, and how to sit on the pole.
I found out rather quickly that pole fitness causes a lot of bruising and is very rough on the body. Learning the craft requires a great deal of training and not just muscle and flexibility training, but surprisingly, skin training. It takes time to learn the skills, but also time for the newbie’s like me to develop a thicker skin (pun intended.)
The areas used to grip the pole such as the hands, wrists, calf area by the back of the knees, shins and the upper thighs developed burn like marks and/or bruises. Of course it’s a little painful, but it’s not as bad as the bruising reflects. The bruises are mostly superficial; meaning they are generally not caused by one huge blow, but rather by repetitive banging against the pole. However, it is not quite as violent as it sounds.
The more advanced students I have met at open pole sessions (informal, mixed-level, supervised practice periods) assured me that the body gets used to the pain and both your skin and body toughen up- both literally and figuratively. Furthermore, with practice, one also learns to correctly employ techniques to avoid injury.
Open pole periods are particularly valuable because you get feedback from other students and exposure to different levels so you can see what’s coming next. It’s both motivating and exciting to get a sneak preview! Additionally, these sessions are useful since not everyone has a pole at home. I know I don’t, but I am planning on getting one … actually and I can’t wait!
The pole pros also told me that I can look forward to some seriously calloused hands. One girl showed me her hands and they looked worse than my boyfriend’s- and he’s a city worker…and obviously a man.
When I took gymnastics, I remember I used to get “rips” on my hands. That’s a minor injury that competitive gymnasts get from repeatedly practicing on the bars. Essentially, it is a really calloused and blistered area on the hand that literally just rips open, as the name suggests. In pole, it’s pretty well the exact same, but vertical as opposed to horizontal. You get the same constant pressure and friction on the hands, but I would still say the gymnastic’s bar is much worse on the hands, but there isn’t the bruising like in pole. Both very aggressive sports, however I would have to say pole is harder on the body. It can be like taking a beating sometimes.
Instead of using chalk and grips for the hands as in gymnastics, in pole, you literally need your whole body to be able to grip the pole. The pros apply foam shaving cream to their arms and legs because it acts as an oil reducer, but it has to be a men’s shaving cream because most women’s shaving creams contain fragranced oils or aloe vera which defeat the purpose of reducing oil.
The poles are frequently wiped down with rubbing alcohol, not only for sanitary purposes, but because the poles get oily and slippery with use. There’s also a substance called “dry hands” that’s applied to the hands for better grip. It literally dries the hands up the same way a matifier reduces oil and shine on one’s face. If you’re a guy, or simply are not a product-junky like me, a matifier is a clear jelly-like substance that many women (perhaps some men, I don’t know what you’re all in to) apply to their face before applying make-up to reduce the appearance of oiliness and shine. However, dry hands has a useful purpose not an aesthetic one.
Virginia basically told me not to be a baby and tape my hands. She said, “No! Get the callous!” (Imagining the cute, heavy Italian accent makes it sound better too!) Nonetheless, I am sort of looking forward to develop nasty calloused hands and some injuries as a pole student. I know it sounds masochistic, but the injuries caused by an activity that I enjoy so much brings back nostalgic memories of my gymnastics days. Ironically, I used to compete on the bars, but now I have graduated to the pole! I hope to compete once I get good enough! Plus, I look kind of badass with my legs all black and blue.
Learning pole maneuvers requires the use of muscles and body parts that are not often used. Virginia gave us useful tips like “stop the lip-biting” because it was never in a sexy kind of way, but rather the stupid-kindergarten-child thinking with their tongue hanging outside of their mouth. She also gave us helpful instructions like “don’t looking so angry,” which was really our concentration faces. She basically gave us tips on how to not look gross.
The Italian pole performer also taught us that when we fall or in doubt, moves could always be fixed with a booty-shake or an arched back. In fact, she told us that pretty well anything in life can be fixed with a booty-shake and/or an arch of the back. Great teacher and life coach. I wonder if she teaches Italian?
Taking Pole one with Virginia has been a blast and I have decided that this is an activity I definitely want to continue to pursue. Conveniently it is well complemented by my yoga practice and vice versa.
I know that when learning something new, the basics are always the most fundamental and crucial because they build the foundation and future of one’s practice in any given activity, whether it is an athletic activity, academic endeavor, or the beginning of a new career.
For instance, I can’t learn to climb the pole until I learn how to grip it properly and easily support my weight. This is synonymous with it being necessary for a child to learn their ABC’s before learning how to write and spell or a lawyer going to law school before they start to practice law as a profession.
Due to the aforementioned reasons, I have started taking private pole classes with Tara towards the end of the eight-week session, which I will tell you about in a subsequent article. Stay tuned …