Martha Stewart sees a future in pole dancing

Martha Stewart’s pole-dancing video has become an Internet sensation after she performed the stripper moves on her show Monday, but she now discounts the frisky romp.

“I didn’t do a stripping routine,” she tells me with a chuckle Wednesday during the American Antiques Show opening night gala benefiting the American Folk Art Museum held at NYC’s Metropolitan Pavillion. “I did the pole dancing, it’s called.”

She adds, “It’s a fabulous exercise. I look at it as an exercise.”

The 68-year-old domestic doyenne is “impressed” she didn’t wake up sore, and “definitely” will return to a class next week.

What moves does she most want to learn?

“The last one that she did – upside down,” she says. “That’s the one I’m gonna to learn. Next week, I’ll be doing it.”

- OK Magazine

Martha Stewart tries out pole dancing on The Martha Stewart Show

Watch out, Miley! Martha Stewart is ready to give you a run for your money on the stripper pole.

After getting her to practice swiveling her hips, it didn’t take too much prodding to convince Martha to step up to the pole.

Sheila attempted to keep it simple, but Martha declared, “I don’t know what else to do,” before launching into some of her very own tricks, including a fancy turn with a leg lifted in an arabesque.

Sheila promised she’d teach the Ice Queen to flip upside down next time. We promise to set our DVRs for that one.

- E! Online

Susan Sarandon Stays Young With Pole Dancing

Susan Sarandon, who has just split with Tim Robbins, keeps her amazing body toned by pole dancing with her daughter Eva Amurri, 24. Amurri, who is a strong likeness of her mother, is also an actress. Daughter taught mother after taking erotic dancing lessons to prepare for a role on the TV show Californication. Sarandon, 63, said she jumped at the chance to learn pole dancing which she credited with keeping her feeling young. She said: ‘My kids are so funny, they bring me into the present. I go to concerts and I went and I learned how to pole dance with my daughter when she was doing Californication. It’s very difficult and you have to be in very good shape. It’s hard.’

- Monsters and Critics

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Pole Dancing Competition

Pole dancing, usually thought of as a risque dance for women, is actually seeing its share of men.

In Tokyo, several men took part in this year’s competition at the International Pole Dance Fitness Championship.

The winner of the men’s competition was a 25-year-old from Australia. The poles are now common in many exercise studios, and pole dancing is billed as a serious workout aligned with gymnastics.

-WALB News

Tips to Improve Your Grip on the Pole

So you’ve made a resolution to get fit and have fun learning to pole dance this year. Perhaps you even got a new pole for Christmas.

You’ve watched the videos on YouTube, drinking in the graceful spins and inverts. Now it’s your turn.

But something’s not quite right. Have you started a spin and ended up on the floor half way round? Do your hands slip down the pole when you’re actually trying to lift yourself up?

You’re not alone

A lot of people have problems slipping instead of gripping when they first start pole dancing. And though it’s less common, some people have the opposite problem – they just stick too much.

Unfortunately it’s not something that will ever go away completely, but it will lessen dramatically as your pole dancing improves.

Here are some of the most common things to look out for, along with links to articles that go into extra detail if you’d like to read a bit more.

Too little grip

Sweaty hands are one of the most common culprits, and almost everyone has problems with this at some point. I’ve talked about ways to combat sweaty hands before, but perhaps the most important thing you can do is just relax – pace yourself and don’t try to do it all at once.

Work those hands! Many pole dance moves need a lot of hand strength to pull off successfully – much more so than other sports – and you may need time to build up strength in your arms.

You’re in good company here too, but most people find it comes surprisingly quickly once they start practicing regularly – while you’re having fun on your pole, you’re also giving yourself a great workout and toning your body!

Too much grip

It’s less common, but you may just seem to stick to the pole too much. Gripping too hard can cause you to ‘bunny hop’ while spinning round the pole (imagine bad clutch control on a manual car). Not perhaps the most graceful of movements!

Make a conscious effort to loosen your grip a little in easier moves, and try launching into spins a bit more enthusiastically, so you get a better feel for the limits of adhesion on the pole.

Just like too little grip, it’s a problem that will naturally go away as you gain confidence in your pole work.

Tips for consistent grip

• Clean your pole regularly. Before, during and after use. Just wiping it down with a damp cloth is pretty effective, though using a cleaning product can give even better results if your pole manufacturer allows it. I personally find acetone (nail polish remover) is really effective. More about cleaning your pole →
• Clean yourself regularly too! If you start to get a bit sweaty, dry your hands and legs off so you don’t end up smearing it all over the pole. And while it’s not good to make a habit of it, a quick dab of acetone on the hands and inner thighs will give an immediate dryness to the skin to help get you through those crucial moments. More products to help you grip the pole →
• Use a towel to clean the pole. It may seem obvious, but the thicker fabric and texture of a towel is much more effective at removing any grime or sticky residue on your pole.
• Think about what you’re wearing. Your clothes can make a huge difference to your pole dancing. Wearing a pair of pole shoes or boots can seriously effect on your pole prowess too.

Pole moves to help you stick

• Hang tough – Simple, but effective. The hang tough really develops your grip, building strength in your hands. I’ve often started classes by getting everyone to hold a hang tough for as long as they can!

Pole dancers takes a twirl for charity

POLE dancers twirled for 12 hours to raise thousands of pounds for an Oxford charity.

More than 30 dancers from across the county strutted their stuff at Baby Love bar in King Edward Street, Oxford, to net much-needed funds for Pathway Workshop.

The Blackbird Leys charity, which produces wooden outdoor furniture, gives training and employment to adults with physical and learning disabilities.

The event, which ran from 10am until 10pm, was the third annual pole-a-thon, and was organised by Kate Whitley, of Oxford-based Dance Inspires.

She said: “It was fantastic.

“We had 33 girls taking part and lots of people came in and put money in the bucket – or donated online.

“Baby Love was fantastic in letting us have the venue and donated a percentage of each drink.

“The girls performed in groups of five, and then we had four themed hours – with rock, burlesque, Abba and James Bond, in which with 15 people danced in costume.

“It was great fun and, with the dancers’ friends and families turning up, the place was packed.

“Some of the girls’ boyfriends did a com-edy routine. They weren’t very good pole dancers but they made everybody laugh.”

She added: “We’re aiming to raise £3,000, but there is still a lot of money coming in.”

She added: “We chose Pathway because we wanted to do something for a local charity. One of our students works with Pathway. Due to the recession everyone is struggling, and Pathway needs funds.”

Ms Whitley, whose company runs classes in Oxford, Witney, Didcot, Abingdon, Faringdon and Wantage, said Saturday’s event helped dispel some of the myths of poledancing.

She said: “It shows that pole dancing is a dancing and fitness form. It’s great fun and a great way to keep fit – there’s nothing sleazy about it.

“We’re opening people’s eyes to it and showing them that some of the moves are very similar to those performed by Olympian gymnasts because of the strength needed.”

This article was brought to you by the Oxford Mail.

Sexy Body Workout Tips

Are you working out to achieve the complete opposite of the skinny-mini look? If the flat butt, ripped abs, no curve in sight look is not for you (and there are plenty of men who are with you on this one) then the 3 sexy body workout tips below are exactly what you need to lose the fat without losing your curves.

Stop Using So Much Weight
Celebrity trainer Valerie Waters author of Red Carpet Ready is the master of sculpting lean sexy curves and she explains that women who train to get lean and curvy are often going about it all wrong and using entirely too much weight. Her workout plans used by Jennifer Garner, Cindy Crawford, and even Jennifer Lopez rarely recommend using more than 10 pounds on most exercises. Her secret weapon for sculpting lean sexy curves is using targeted circuits with little to no weight. This burns the fat, tones trouble zones but builds muscle in those areas where you want curves.

Forget Machine Cardio & Try Sexy Cardio
There are tons of sexy body workouts on the market that will blast the fat, boost your self esteem, and build curves like you wouldn’t believe but most women are too afraid to try them. Pole dancing, strip aerobics, exotic dance workouts burn tons of calories and sculpt sexy curves better than a lame 40 minute treadmill workout followed by 20 minutes of weights. The reason exotic workouts burn fat and tone is they include short bursts of fullbody exercises that work even the tiniest muscles followed by short recovery periods.

Exotic workouts are a very effective form of interval training that combines fatloss, toning, agility, flexibility, balance, and strength moves into one dynamic routine that gets results. Kate Hudson stays in shape with The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman Here’s what she had to say about exotic workouts “Pole dancing is a great way to keep in shape, because you use muscles you didn’t even know you had. It’s a very grueling physical exercise.”

Cut Back on Ab Training & Focus on Posture Correction
It’s hard to look curvy and sexy when your shoulders are slumped forward, your tailbone is tucked under, and your abs look bulky from too much sitting and too much ab work. One of the best ways to get a sexy body without much effort is to cut back on ab work a bit and start your workouts with a few posture correction exercises. This alone can make you look 5-10 pounds lighter and years younger.

Source: Bella Online

Thanksgiving!

One of our great instructors, Lisa.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and you know what that means?! Lots of food! And do you know what lots of food means? Food coma! But that’s okay! We know how to get you back up on your feet after a day of feasting!

This month and next’s, November and December,  at Fun Pole Fitness we are offering $5 on our traditional classes! That’s right, you heard it from here! We know that you’re on a budget and that you have gifts to buy, so we would like to help you on the day after the Thanksgiving slump! We’ll get you back on your feet and have you energized for the upcoming holidays! You’ll have more energy and especially you’ll be looking mighty sexy in your holiday dress!

Check out our class schedule and take advantage of this offer! Happy Thanksgiving!

Men take to the poles

Men have been allowed to compete for the first time in the Australian Pole Dance Championships, giving them the chance to show off their slinky pole dancing moves in what is often a solely female domain.

The championships have introduced the Men’s Freestyle division and men are now allowed to compete in the Open Pairs division with either a male or a female partner.

Pole dancers from all over Australia gathered at Melbourne’s Thornbury Theatre last weekend to watch both men and women battle it out for top place in this strong and sexy art form.

Competitors are judged on technique, performance, strength and fitness.

The Aussie Pole Boys, from Sydney, won gold and bronze in the Men’s Freestyle, and took out a silver in the Open Pairs.

Winner of the Men’s Freestyle division Steven Watson said pole dancing is not simply a women’s activity.

“Originating as a women’s sensual style of dance, in recent years it has become recognised as a very technical and skill-based fitness exercise attracting guys with a background in gymnastics, dance and circus training,” Watson said.

- The Star Observer