Why pole dance is for everyone

It is six in the morning. Chennai is just waking up. But the spacious, well-lit studio called The Pole Camp on Harrington Road is already abuzz with activity. Students of all ages, from 12 to late 40s, are hovering about the studio to start class. After the stretches, warm up routines and conditioning, they learn new tricks and dance with their “partner” —  the pole. The day begins by defying gravity, walking, dancing and flying around the pole. For an hour they become illusionists, contorting themselves, spinning and becoming one with it.

For Nikita S Ganesh, a student of class VIII who learns the art form at dancer and pole artiste Anusha Swamy’s studio The Pole Camp, it all started with a workshop for children. “I had immense fun that day. That got me hooked,” she says. That was two years ago, when she was 10. “I have been doing pole dancing for two years now. It makes me feel stronger and more confident. My mom and sister also learn this art form ,” smiles the 12-year-old.

Pole dance is the new kid on the block in the fitness realm. It has something for everyone.

Years ago, when Anusha enrolled for a pole dance class while on a vacation in Melbourne, little did she realise that she would be starting a whole new movement in Chennai.

“I was in Melbourne, on vacation. I wanted to see if I could be a student once again and saw that a pole dance class was happening nearby. I wanted to see how much I could observe and absorb,” says Anusha who started learning classical dance when she was six. It was in her late 20s that pole art entered her life. “The class was so liberating and I felt peace,” she recalls. And even after she came back to India, the thought never left her. “I was still thinking about pole dance,” she says. And then her best friend gifted her a pole and the rest, shall we say, has been history. So far, Anusha has taught over 500 students. Around 80 students regularly attend her classes.

Nupur Chaudhuri, a pole artiste and coach based in Pune got introduced to pole when she went to Australia to study for a Master’s in Journalism and Mass Communication at Griffith University, Gold Coast. Fascinated by the acrobatics, at a club, she decided to learn pole someday.

“I was awestruck, seeing them hanging upside down etc. The pole artistes made it look so beautiful but there was so much work behind it. I said to myself that one day I will learn it,” she says. She was 21 then. And several years later, post her stint in journalism, and marriage, she took up pole, and set up her own studio, The Pole School India (formerly called 4Poles Pune) in Pune in December 2019. “I still remember my first spin and how I fell in love with my body, myself and pole. I immersed myself in learning and attended pole camps abroad,” she says.

The pole competition, the first such competition in India, was organised by Nupur (The Pole School India) in association with Calisthenics Girls India. It was held in Bengaluru in 2024 and saw around 20 participants in beginner and intermediate categories from Pune, Bengaluru, and Chennai.

Pole as fitness

Rebecca Zodingpuii (Becky Zoding) who runs Mirrors Studio in Bengaluru took up pole dancing by chance. “I had no fitness background earlier in my life,” recalls Becky. Then she picked up yoga, aerial art and eventually pole. The 42-year-old has trained more than 400 students now.

Back in 2019, Payal Jain, who now resides in Bengaluru, started pole for fitness. “I had tried gymming earlier but it felt monotonous, so I chose pole, which was a great way to stay fit and dance. I now have pole classes twice a week,” says Payal, adding “I have made significant progress in the gym thanks to pole, be it with lifting weights or getting better at push ups.”

A Venkataganesh, an orthopaedic manual therapist and a myofascial therapist with 25 years of experience in treating sports injuries says that pole can pave the way for sound health in a person and help in the overall development of the body. “Pole art invokes a lot of discipline. To get on the pole, even a beginner will knowingly or unknowingly learn to activate the deep core muscles. This art form builds you from all perspectives such as strength, endurance, coordination, balance, power, agility, etc.,” says Venkataganesh who runs his clinic Venkat’s Yoga and Physio in Chennai.

Every sport or fitness activity, if overdone or underdone without recovery causes injuries, he says. “When this happens, we are building up micro injuries within ourselves. Pole isn’t an exception. If you are using only your right hand to suspend all through then you are building up strain. If you do recovery activities, including stretching and sleep, you will be fine,” he adds.

According to Anusha, pole dancing can be a great start to a person’s fitness journey. “It builds strength. Pole is a sport and you get stronger, fit and flexible. As you progress, you might even join a gym to build more strength so that you can crack advanced moves,” she says, adding, “Training off the pole is necessary for your poling to get better. ”

Body positivity

Pole has helped many people embrace their body in all its essence, all coaches agree. “When they join, some of them are concerned about the way their body looks. Once they start poling, they enjoy it, start loving themselves and soon start embracing their body. They understand that weight doesn’t matter,” says Becky.

At 44, Kajal Kiran is at her most confident. Kajal, who works as a director at an audit firm has been poling for 1.5 years now. “I would say that I found pole at my right age. Ever since I started poling, I have seen a dramatic shift in my energy. I have gained strength and I feel less fatigued,” says Kajal a student of Becky. 

Vidhi Bhatt, India lead Client Communication and spokesperson of X- Pole India, a leading manufacturer in the industry, says that pole fitness is gaining widespread acceptance as a fun and versatile way to stay fit. “The versatility of pole fitness is a major draw, engaging all major muscle groups while promoting flexibility and strength,” says Vidhi.

Since X-Pole’s launch in India, pole installations at home and studio have also picked up pace. According to Vidhi, there are around 12 to 15 studios in India that are fully equipped with X-poles. “And there are 50 or 100 home studios and instructors offering private classes,” she adds.

According to her, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi,​ Mumbai​ and Hyderabad, are leading the way in home pole installations. Both men and women are investing in home poles to save time and enhance their self-practice session at the comfort of their home says Vidhi, adding that X-pole’s poles are priced between Rs. 19,000 to Rs. 1.5 lakh, depending on the type and finish.

While pole classes are mostly attended by women, men too have been joining the milieu. When Sarosh Vandrewalla, a pilot, started his pole journey, his family could not have been more supportive. “My mom was ecstatic when she saw my first pole video and my sister also has been my cheerleader,” says 34-year-old Sarosh from Pune, a student of Nupur. He adds, “There was a little name calling and teasing which was uncomfortable at first but then you have to turn a deaf ear to other people’s judgements.”

So are there any prerequisites to learning this dance form? Anusha says there are none. “None at all, that’s something you develop with time and be consistent and patient while doing so,” she says.
There are plenty of styles in pole dancing too, such as contemporary, pole for fitness, artistic, exotic, etc. “But at the end of the day it is art so it’s all about self expression,” she says.