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Article from 352LuxMag about Benelux Pole Dance Championship

Luxembourg in pole position

Images by Steve Eastwood - Article by Jess Bauldry

Source 352LuxMag - 19/05/2011

Luxembourg will be represented in the Benelux pole-dancing championships. But it's not all about seduction as 352LuxMag finds out.

Three young women hope to further the cause of pole-dancing as a sport by representing Luxembourg at the Benelux pole-dancing championships.

Jenny Liebert, 25, and Jorgette Neves, 28, both teachers at Flirty Fitness along with pupil Aureliane Hardy, 19, will swing into action at the contest in Antwerp, Belgium, on May 28.

There, they will face down some tough competition from 13 other contenders, who have been training for several years to perfect their skills.

Judges will not be looking for the sultry, seductive moves punters are like to find in seedy bars however. Far from being a sensual competition, the panel will judge entrants based on their gymnastic abilities, their dance techniques and their technical skill.

Jenny Liebert, who runs Flirty Fitness, said : "The competition is not about sensuality, it's about the performance. Anything too emotional is banned. The organisers want pole-dancing to be recognised as a sport so it's meant to be strictly artistic and about skill."

Pole-dancing as a sport may still be in its infancy but it is gaining momentum. It now has its own world federation and last year saw Luxembourg make its debut in international competitions when Jenny took part in the French championships. The dance teacher and entrepreneur came fifth out of 10 contenders and she is confident she will see results in Antwerp.

She said: "The level will be pretty high with European champion Anka Venselaar taking part. I think that we have a strong team. I can't say that I've been training as much as i would have liked because of work commitments. Aureliane has been doing pole dancing for about two and a half years now. She's very promising and has been working very hard. She's definitely one of my best students. I think that we're going to be ready when we need to be."

Flirty Fitness, which opened its doors in Feburary 2010, was Luxembourg's first venue to teach pole-dancing. For information, visit www.flirtyfitnessclub.com

Presentation of Pole Dancing and Flirty Fitness done by News352.lu

Pole dancing helps strip off pounds

CNN Article about pole dancing - source Cnn.com

Story Highlights

-Pole dancing tricks function as weight training, studio owner says
-Participant says she's more confident about her body because of pole dancing
-The classes are women-only, and many participants wear stilettos

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The lights were turned down low and the music was pulsing as Kimberly Wright made her way toward a 16-foot tall dance pole to do some tricks.

Wright is not an exotic dancer in a strip club. She's a 38-year-old mother of two from Atlanta, Georgia, looking to get in a decent workout.

"It works the abs, oh my goodness, muscles I didn't even know I had," Wright chuckled.

On this night, Wright is among more than a dozen women of all shapes and sizes -- no men allowed -- attending a beginner class at PoleLaTeaz, an Atlanta dance studio owned by Angela Edwards.

"We get preachers' wives, teachers, nurses, accountants, lawyers, anyone between the age of 18 and 70," Edwards said. "It's not boring...you get to wear fun clothes, listen to good music...and release your inner sexpot."

If online listings across the country are an indication, the popularity of pole dancing is spreading across the country from Southern California to Chicago to the Bible Belt.

A former labor and delivery nurse, Edwards opened her own studio two years ago and now has 400 students. She plans to add another location in the fall.
She climbed to the top a pole and, clenching her inner thighs, hung upside down. Watch Edwards demonstrate pole dancing »

"The dancing part is where you get the cardiovascular benefits," she said. Then there's "pole-tricking," or doing specific movements balancing your body weight against the pole, such as the "fireman spin."

"That's where you get the weight lifting and weight training," Edwards said.
She mentioned that there is a risk of injury so regardless of their experience, all students start the class with a half-hour warmup using Pilates-like stretches.

Thick mats are placed near the poles as students practice new "tricks," and Edwards encouraged dancers to modify their moves depending on their abilities.

"You see good results," Edwards said. "We have women who come in here 40 to 50 pounds overweight and they drop it in about six to eight months and they get great, nice, hourglass curves."

Cicely Rogers is one of those women who have seen results.

"I started last August and I've gone down two dress sizes. I've lost 20 pounds and I feel awesome," she said.