PASS THE pole

The stigma isn't totally gone, but pole dancing is gaining traction as a form of fitness training in South Africa. Christi Nortier signs up for a class to find out why (and to learn a few new tricks).

Through the fear of falling and the glee of flying, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. There I sat, confident as a queen in a carriage, with my bare thighs gripping the pole and legs folded neatly over one another at the knee. I whizzed around and around. My toes were even pointed. I was somehow halfway up the pole, poised with my shoulders down and back. So sophisticated I seemed, besides all the whooping like Tarzan. I'd done it. I was pole dancing.

And then the pain. What no one seems to mention about pole dancing is that you show some skin because friction is what glues you to the pole. So my inner thighs, unprotected by my floppy shorts, were sending me an SOS. My body must have registered it before my mind, because before I knew it I'd untangled myself and plopped down onto the floor again - on my feet, no broken bones, dignity intact. I was speechless - I'd actually managed to do what I thought was impossible, given my shyness and lack of upper body strength. The sky (or, at least, the ceiling) was the limit!

STEP INTO THE STUDIO

Over the last two decades, pole dancing has sashayed from strip clubs to fitness studios around the world. A mix of dance, gymnastics and acrobatics, it delivers a high-energy workout for the entire body while increasing flexibility. Add a good dose of creativity and self-expression, and you have a modern fitness phenomenon.