April 2007 -Pole dancing report for Gossip magazine from student Sarah Anderson:

"If someone had said to me six months ago that I'd take up pole dancing I'd probably have died laughing. After all, isn't it the province of stag nights and the dirty mac brigade? But here I am, taking pole dancing lessons once a week and loving every second of it- and while I'm sure there is a seedier side to it if you go out and look for it, there are defitnely no dirty macs or drunken lads in sight!!

It all started because of an e-mail from the local ladies only taxi firm, promoting a range of businesses aimed at women. I was in the mood to try something different to get me back exercising regularly, and this certainly sounded like it would fit the bill! I'm not one for pounding the treadmill or sharing my out- of-shape limbs with the lithe, lycra-clad, super toned gym bunnies, and the thought of taking part in organised classes was my idea of hell. So I thought pole dancing sounded interesting.

I checked out the website in the e-mail and saw that anyone interested in signing up was welcome to go along and watch a class before taking the plunge. So I gave Sam a ring and went along (you weren't allowed to just turn up and watch, which offers a sense of security). I spent most of the time watching with my jaw somewhere near the floor - I had never seen anything like it before in my life! The dance studio, just of Mutley Plain, Plymouth, is equipped with 6 poles and everywhere I looked there were girls doing impossible looking spins and hanging upside down by what looked like their toe-nails - I was well up for some of that!! What made it even better was that Sam was really friendly and welcoming, the class was full of laughter, and the mix of abilties and sizes made it clear that anyone who wants to can take part.

So I signed up for my induction there and then. Everyone who wants to take classes has to go through this, so that you're familiar with the structure of the classes, all the health and safety aspects, the basics of how to use a pole and to give Sam a chance to check that you don't have any health problems that might make taking classes unwise.

Prior to my induction I hadn't done any form of exercise since kickboxing classes six years previously and I wasn't at all optimistic that that I would manage to do anything resembling a spin. But Sam was brilliant and by the end of the class we'd all managed to do a couple of basic spins, some simple pole climbing and a beginners handstand against the pole. I think it's safe to say that we all felt a sense of achievement we couldn't wait for our next class.

But it's just as well I had to wait a week to go again as the following day showed me just how unused to exerting myself I had become. I thought I was dying - I had never ached so much in my life. And the brusies! I looked as if I 'd been badly beaten up, with arms and legs all covered. But despite this, all I could think about was how much I'd enjoyed it, and how much better I felt knowing that I'd done a hard hours proper exercise. And by the time I took my next class the brusies and the aching had faded and I was ready to put myself through it all again. Jo, my regular instructor, works us so hard every week that it's all I can do to make it home after each class. But boy, what a feeling!

I've been pole dancing for four months or so now and in that time I've learned how to hold the pole properly when I spin so I seldom get many brusies (other than on my feet), and I don't ache half as much as I did. Regular exercise is making a noticeable difference to my size and shape; I feel fitter than I have since I was at school, have laughed more and my self confidence levels have improved dramatically. I have also taken other one-off art of dance classes in skills that improve my pole dancing, such as body isoaltion and Burlesque, so it's opened up a whole different world for me.

If you want to get fit(ter) and want to do something different why not see if there's a pole dancing class near you and give it a go? You'll learn a new skill, meet new people and I promise once you start you won't regret it. Who knows, you might even, like me, start saving to put a pole in your living room so you can practice your spinning monkey climb with a wet noodle even more!"