I put on Pleasers (a brand of dancing heels) for the very first time in my entire pole career. Holy cow are they a beast! I’ve never worn pleasers before, I have been a regular pole student for about 4 years and I’m fairly frugal, so I told myself that they weren’t something I needed. I’d see videos online of people in them and think they look really cool or super badass or super sexy, but never thought that could be me. I thought I was too awkward, I don’t have a need to wear them, I’m not a performer so why should I own some? Well, another classmate let me borrow one of her pairs for training and my life changed that day. 

I’ve heard discussions around the studio and from instructors about what is the best type of heels to start out with for newbies; 7-8 inch heels, closed toe, and lace up ones to help protect your ankles. Now each person is different and there are obviously SO many options out there to choose from. I’ve worn tall heels before, like 3 to 4 inches, and while I feel powerful when I’m in those, I rarely wear them because my everyday life has no need for them. But stepping into 8 inch heels is slightly intimidating! Once I got them on, I attempted to stand up, with the help of the pole and I felt like my whole body went into survival mode for a hot minute. Just walking around the pole, there’s so much you have to be aware of, walking on the balls of your feet, not letting the heel drag, lifting your knees higher than normal, oh yeah, also having an extra couple weights on your feet! 

I will say that once I got comfortable wearing the heels, I had so much fun training and learning how to do pole and floor flow in them! To be constantly aware of my feet was like an extra challenge because I wanted to succeed! I felt so badass doing something as simple as a pirouette around the pole, to doing shoulder rolls on the floor with them and having that extra extension to my leg. I felt sexy, I felt powerful, and I felt proud of what I accomplished that day! I’m very grateful that I was able to borrow a pair for a day, and owning a pair of heels is definitely in my future. For now, I’m going to keep working on my regular flow classes and give my ankles some rest from all their hard work!