Pole Dancing: Don’t Expect it to be Sexy the First Time

I’m sure that when you hear the word “pole dancing”, a lot of questions come to your mind: Do they play Bon Jovi music in class? Do they dim the lights for a sexy effect? Isn’t that supposed to be an all girls class? Tonight we found out that almost everything we thought about pole dancing was wrong.

After work this evening, some office mates and I went to Jollijam Arts Center in Makati to try it for the first time.

Jollijam is just a small dance studio which could fit around 10-12 people. More than that would be quite a crowd. Its location is very convenient for us since we could just walk there straight from work. Plus it doesn’t require a lot of thing-a-malllies before you get to try it. Just a few reminders if you’re a first timer:

• What to wear: short shorts (yes, even for boys), a comfy top — just that! We pole dance with bare feet.
• What to bring: towel, extra clothes for changing, water.
• What not to put on: lotion — absolutely no lotion all day. And if you use alcohol, it shouldn’t have moisturizer.
• How much: FREE. You can take any one dance or fitness class at Jollijam for free the first time.

The pole dance class started on time, at 7:15pm. I wasn’t disappointed at all that they didn’t dim the lights and turn on the disco ball. Instead, Hip-hop and R&B played in the background. And guess what? The instructor was a guy. Meet Johnny:

It’s amazing how gracefully he climbs up that pole and does that basic move. I ended up climbing it like a monkey. And no, I will not post that video. But then this post wouldn’t be complete without showing my failed attempts to be sexy:

I was trying to do some inverted move. Hey don’t kill me, it was my first time!

If you’re curious, pole dancing won’t make you sweat that much — there isn’t a lot of cardio. It’s more of strengthening and balance. Surprisingly though, even if that was just one hour, my muscles do feel like they’ve been used for a looong time. I think I’ll do that again (and I’ll try not to look all funny next time).

Jollijam Arts Center is located at 2/F Three Salcedo Place Bldg., 123 Tordesillas St., Salcedo Village, Makati City. Contact them through Tel. Nos. (02)3926220, (02)6648558 or E-mail jollijamarts@gmail.com. For details, visit www.jollijamartscenter.com.