Back when I was a newbie to Groupon and read every offer in my inbox, I sprung for a deal for two introductory pole-dancing classes. (OK, full disclosure: This might not have been a totally random purchase; I’ve been curious about this “sexy exercise“ since reading about it earlier this year.)
Determined not to let this one go the way of my bowling Groupon (did my friends and I really plan to waste a full summer weekend afternoon in a dim bowling alley?), I crammed in my two sessions last week at NYPole. By the time I landed my first spin, I knew I’d be signing up for more.
My goal going into the first hour-long class was ambitious. I wanted to feel like I was actually doing something that remotely resembled the stuff I’d seen in pole fitness competitions on TV, or the stuff that might appear if—fingers crossed—a new reality show about pole-dancing suburbanites called House Cats gets picked up by network TV.
Before class, I considered trying on a pair of 7-inch heels or picking up some beeswax-based pole grip (both for sale in the seating area) but decided just to leaf through the latest copy of Pole2Pole magazine for inspiration. The regular 2-inch heels I brought from home would have to do.
Finally we got started, innocently enough. The teacher, Tracy, led us through a good 10 minutes of stretches, plus plank and downward dog poses, until we could no longer ignore the six poles lining the narrow studio. There were 10 of us in class—from stick skinny to heavy, teenaged to middle-aged (and possibly hoping to make it on House Cats season 2). All were beginners like me. We split into two groups, and each tentatively took a pole.
Next page: My crowning moment
