James

SV - What made you start Pole Classes?

JY - It’s always been something that I’ve wanted to try. I love dancing, and I like the fact that people like Felix Cane and Jenyne Butterfly make pole look like an art form. I think they’ve done an enormous amount of work to legitimise pole as a sport.

SV - And their input into the evolution of Pole pulled you towards trying Pole Dancing?

JY - Oh yeah definitely – because it forces you to combine everything. You’ve got to work on strength, on dance, on flexibility, and it gives you reign to work on being creative as well.

SV - How does PoleFit make you feel about yourself?

JY - It makes me feel pretty good! It’s a workout without needing to make it into a mechanical, repetitive workout. in fact since I've started pole, I don’t do weight training anymore. I feel like I’m exercising for a goal and a reason and as I’m advancing through the levels. I’m getting stronger, fitter, and more flexible. I’m consistently learning new things so it doesn’t feel like I’m doing the same thing every day. For that reason I feel like pole gives me a sense of physical progression, but also a sense of achievement.

SV - How long do you see yourself pole dancing for?

JY - As long as I can. Now that I’m into it – let’s face it I’m here every second day – it’s become a core part of my identity. I wouldn’t know what I’d do with my time if I didn’t come to the studio to practice. I mean the friends that I’ve made here, ensure that the experience here isn't like any gym or a dance studio – it’s also a community, and its addictive and for that reason I keep coming back for more.

SV - What keeps bringing you back to Studio Verve?

JY - I would definitely say the studio culture. The instructors and Jen, the director, have definitely made this place unique in that it’s so friendly and supportive. In the past I've found that at other dances studios there has been an undercurrent of competitiveness. You don’t get that here. We trust each other, and I find that others in the studio always help me out if they think I need help or they feel I could improve on something. When you have people pushing you to be better, as opposed to people hoping you fail so they look better, you get a very different vibe, and this is the case at Studio Verve.

SV - What is your 2015 pole goal?

JY - That’s a good question! I want to do my debut for open night, and actually perform on the pole for the first time. There’s four weeks to go and a lot of practice to get done, and there’s two moves I’ve just learnt that I want to put in there. For my debut routine I want to be able to do a transition from an outside to an inside leg hang. As with everything, practice makes perfect, so its something I really have to work on but I'll get there.