Pole dancing – once sensuous and seductive and reserved for trips that men secretly took to the wrong part of town has become mainstream – a sport – used to exercise away the excesses of suburban life… it has even made its way to church.
Independent “Pole Fitness for Jesus” studios are said to have been springing around Houston, Texas.
The owner/instructor of Best Shape of Your Life, Crystal Deans explains:
I was actually a dancer for three years, probably seven years ago or so. I did it for awhile, it’s not something I felt very rewarded with, but to each his own and it was just something I decided I didn’t want to do anymore so I decided to take the part that I liked about that and bring it here but it’s so much fitness, I don’t teach women to be strippers.
On Sundays, we do pole fitness for Jesus. We do the upbeat contemporary Christian music because people have to bring their church program to get into the class, so we basically are just continuing the whole worship thing here.
Just to get past the whole stigma of the whole thing, I’m very Christian. I go to church every Sunday and I pray. I talk to God things like that I think there’s nothing wrong with what I do. I teach women to feel good about themselves, to feel empowered and we get in really good shape. God is the only person that judges so anybody who wants to judge me, feel free to but I’m good with God, so that’s what’s important to me and I really don’t care what people think.
Novice pole dancer Tiffany Booth talked about what drew her to the pole:
I think it’s a fabulous thing. I was raised around religion. My parents were very religious and it’s a great way you get the stigma off. It’s not just dancing on a pole. You have music and you have girls together working out and it’s a different kind of workout. There’s tons of different kinds of workouts, this just happens to be one.
Crystal Dean discussed the benefits of the misunderstood exercise form:
I mean it does the legs. That’s why we wear the shoes. The shoes are good for the legs and the glutes, but it’s a lot of upper body and a lot of core.
For the record, we are all for pole exercising and have nothing against churchgoers in clear heels.
Thanks Helen! [My Fox]
