After several years of being in sports in grade/high school, I thought I had my athletic abilities figured out. I was strong and agile. Once I left high school and entered college, it was a bit harder to keep up with sports (I wanted to get onto my college’s track team) with the large academic load, and being initiated into a sorority. This made attending any trainings hard, as I was working full-time on top of it. Fast forward three or so years, and my nurse at my job surprised me with an intro class at the Appleton location. I walked into the studio and was immediately greeted by Instructor Olivia, and then she signed us in and showed us around! My intro lesson was with Instructor Nikki, and she was beyond patient with us as we entered a whole new world of euphoria. We both signed up for a full membership, and I was back in the studio within two to three days.
Let me tell you this… I unlocked a whole new side of me that I never knew I had. I signed up for as many workshops as I could for pole within my first month of signing up. I felt like I unlocked a whole new definition of “strong” once I got into my second term of beginner pole. The first term, for me, was essentially me dipping my toes in the water to see how far I could push my boundaries. Needless to say, after about two or three terms, I was able to move up to intermediate pole. This is when the fun started. Show season was around the corner at this time, and I signed up for a routine in our Annual Show to Instructor Lynn’s Candyman, by Christine Aguilera. The amount of training and effort that is put into shows is absolutely astounding—by students and instructors alike. It really is an entity in itself. When I invited my mom, she thought we were putting on a talent show—metals and everything. Let’s just say, the show blew her mind. She was astounded by the music, choreography, ages, and sizes of women that were performing. She later attended the Student Showcase as well the following April.
Looking back, I wish I could say that I am in the same physical shape that I was back in my younger years, but I am not…. I am delighted to say that I am actually in better shape (despite some pulled muscles), but my muscle tone, flexibility, and stamina has increased since I started my journey at Aerial Dance! Another great thing about the classes are they’re never the same, each one is like a snowflake. The people, instructors, curriculum, and energies change by the hour, and it keeps everything quite fresh in my opinion!