Hello! So you might be thinking from the title that I am going to talk about one of the classes offered at Aerial Pole Dance and Exercise. Sort of, but not exactly. Insert appropriate emoji here. (Is it just me, or does it seem harder to write these days without using emoji? You`d think an MA holder could do so, but I digress.)
Anyway, let me go back a bit. My name is Alyssa and I have been taking pole for the last 6 months. Or, well, restarted. I was first introduced to pole and aerial back around 2013, when I was living in South Korea. Yes, South Korea. To answer some questions that might have popped into your mind: yes- I speak Korean (sort of). And no- people in South Korea don`t live in fear of North Korea. Yes- some form of Kimchi is eaten with every meal. Yes- they do bow and depending on your place in the hierarchy, you have to shake hands (or serve drinks) a certain way too. No- they are not into American football, but they do love baseball and soccer. And of course- Kpop is the most popular form of music over there. I have lived that life (of a fan) if you ever want to hear more. Let’s just say- it was awesome. And slightly dramatic.
Okay, let me return to my original point. My intro to pole was in South Korea at a networking party. My opinion of pole was that of many people, especially those from a conservative, Christian environment: it was only for strippers, low-lifes, shady people, and those who take advantage of the system. I was dead wrong. But it wasn’t until I went to a networking party as my friend, who was a writer, as her wing-woman. Truth be told, I didn’t want to go, and even while we were there, I was really awkward and was getting jealous of people pretty quickly. Then we met a music producer who worked with some of Korea’s biggest artists at the time like Taeyang from Big Bang. I mentioned that I was a dancer, and he told me about his friend HyunJoo Kang who owned a pole dancing studio called JK Pole Dance Studio. I was skeptical, but thought I would give the place a try.
That chance encounter changed my life. I took my first pole class and fell in love. I was able to find a loving, compassionate, and encouraging social group (albeit language was still a bit of a struggle) and a new form of dance that I probably never would have tried otherwise. It opened my eyes to new people and new ways of thinking. It introduced me to one of the best groups of people I will ever meet. I regret nothing.
