By Melissa Russell
TAMPA, Fla. – Sporting an “I Rock the Pole” T-shirt, April Soldano‘s eyes sparkle as she explains her passion for pole dancing as a sport.
TAMPA, Fla. – Sporting an “I Rock the Pole” T-shirt, April Soldano‘s eyes sparkle as she explains her passion for pole dancing as a sport.
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| April Soldano is the owner of Rock N Body Pole Studio in Tampa, Fla. |
Soldano is the owner of the Rock N Body Pole Studio, which has two locations that bookend the north and south sides of Tampa.
She formerly worked in corporate America but said she hated it. “I felt like my entire being was stolen from me,” she said.
So, Soldano started doing at-home pole dancing parties in the evenings and discovered she enjoyed meeting women of all types. She also said she loved the feeling that they were all best friends by the end of the evening.
“I have to have some individuality and be creative,” she said. “I love the experience I had with it.”
With the birth of her second child, Soldano decided to take the leap and open her own studio on 4327 W. Kennedy Blvd. With the studio being a hit in South Tampa, she opened another studio in Lutz at 1852 Oak Grove Blvd.
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| Soldano decorated with the colors she always wanted as a young girl. |
Soldano decorated the studio with black and white accents to compliment the deep pink walls and hardwood floors. “It’s what I always wanted my room to look like when I was younger,” she explained.
Because this form of workout is so new, many women have never tried pole dancing, she said. Women enter the beginning class on the same playing field with each other. “The women come in here and struggle and laugh and bond,” she said. “It’s kinda awkward and funny being in here - it’s kinda silly.”
Because of this Soldano said the studio becomes a safety zone where woman can get together, where they can just be themselves and enjoy each other for who they are. It is not as much about pole dancing as it is about what goes on in class, she said, and she hopes to get rid of the preconceived notions that pole dancing is only for strippers.
Because of this Soldano said the studio becomes a safety zone where woman can get together, where they can just be themselves and enjoy each other for who they are. It is not as much about pole dancing as it is about what goes on in class, she said, and she hopes to get rid of the preconceived notions that pole dancing is only for strippers.
While women in their 20s take her classes, Soldano markets more to the 30 to 55-year-old crowd. She said she feels that many women lose something about themselves when growing up. While some women come in for fitness, others come in because they always wanted to try it and think it would be fun. Then there are women who “are stuck at the house, don’t have a lot of friends and just think this will help them get their groove back – and it does!” she said.
Everyone at the studio understands this concept. Soldano said her instructors “get it.” They want other women to have this experience. One instructor started out as a pole dancer at a bikini bar before becoming an instructor, but most of her instructors started out by taking the classes and got hooked to pole dancing.
Women of all sizes, ages and abilities are welcome to try this style of dance. Nichole Romagna, a.k.a Nakita Kash, another Tampa instructor who recently opened up her own private studio, the Pole Champ Studio, said she has worked with car accident victims with back issues, arthritic clients, and overweight clients.
Kash has been an award-winning pole dancer for nearly 15 years and was once on "America's Got Talent." She started out by teaching other exotic dancers her techniques. Three years ago she said expanded her instruction to “everyday women."
“I have women who have steel rods in their legs,” she said. “Seriously, anybody can do it. I teach to the abilities of every student I have.”
Contrary to popular belief, pole dancing is not only for women. According to a report from The Washington Post, men are finding that working the pole is becoming more acceptable. The television show The Doctors even had an episode on male pole dancing where Josiah “Bad Azz” Grant shared his talent with the viewers.
While male pole dancing is becoming more mainstream, Soldano said she is going for a different approach. “I don’t want to move like a guy moves,” she said. “I’m different than a man.”
She feels that male pole dancing takes away from the sensuality of a woman body and that men have an unfair genetic advantage because of their upper body strength. While she agrees that pole dancing is a form of fitness, it is also sexy.
“That’s the fun too, is the sexuality part of it,” she said. “You want to look pretty and move around the pole, if not then I’ll just go take a step class.”
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| Class participants can sport their achievements in T-shirts, shorts and handbags. |
“That’s the fun too, is the sexuality part of it,” she said. “You want to look pretty and move around the pole, if not then I’ll just go take a step class.”
Getting fit is not the only way pole dancing has made its way into women’s lives. The classes have become a big hit for bachelorette parties as well. Women who would never set foot in a class of this sort will let loose for the evening and have a blast.
So, for those who want to try it out, check out a beginner’s class at a studio or at fitness giants like Shapes Total Fitness that have incorporated pole dancing classes into their routine.
