PHILADELPHIA --

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By Teresa Masterson
The Try-Anything-Once Girl on NBC10.com

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Instructor Demonstrates Pole Dancing Technique

I don’t usually feel the need to do a shot of whiskey before an exercise class, but I was nervous, and it’s a strange thing for me to be nervous.

This particular exercise class had a whiskey-inducing dress requirement, though. I was told to wear skin-bearing clothes and high heels. It was the high heels part that made me take pause at the martini bar I saw on my way there.

I didn’t go in. I instead took a deep breath while a line from that awful song about a girl named Virginia played on repeat in my head, “…she wears high heels when she exercises,” and I continued on to Master Jay Moves Dance Studio at 18th and Chestnut streets in Center City, where I was scheduled to take a pole dancing class.

Yes, I said pole dancing.

Pole dancing, as the new vogue thing to do for exercise, has been all over the media lately. While I am always looking for fun and out-of-the-ordinary activities for exercise, I thought this national craze might be a bit too crazy, even for me. But, don’t knock it ‘til you try it, right?

I was put at ease within minutes of entering the studio. There were only three women there for the early class on a Wednesday, and each was warm and welcoming.

As I listened to the women’s good-natured conversation, I scanned over the room. It was a small hardwood-floored dance studio, with two metal bars, standing from floor to ceiling, at either end of the room. It reminded me of a ballet studio, tipped on its side.

The women had a very comfortable “girl next door” air to them. Jamie Capaldi Gargani, a manager and dance instructor at Master Jay’s Studio, told me that none of the instructors has ever been exotic dancers, and that of the 50 students that come to the classes, only two are strippers.

While we waited for last-minute students, the women told me why they love this new fad for exercise. Claudine Schubert of Philadelphia, a student who has been taking the classes since February, said that she loves the fact that pole dancing strengthens her muscles without bulking her up.

Sara Green, a student turned pole dancing instructor, said that the class gives women confidence and teaches them how to be sexy. She said that after a few lessons, there is a visible change in some of the students’ attitudes. A woman who was formerly reserved exudes sexy confidence after taking the class, Green said.

What woman doesn’t want to feel sexy? This sounded like a love potion No. 9 scenario. I couldn’t wait for the magical transformation to begin.

The warmup did not require heels and consisted of normal stretches. Then the heels came on and our instructor, Green, showed us how to isolate our hips, moving them forward, backward, left and right. Because I have a secret desire to be able to move my hips like Shakira, I appreciated the instruction.

We then went into a pose which, on the baseball field would not seem provocative since Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal is in the position for hours at a time, but would have made me a bit self-conscious if the class was not women-only.

Then came the pole. Gargani, Schubert and Green gave examples of pole routines (See Video). I was impressed with their skills. And they are skilled. All three swung around the pole, clinging to it with their arms and legs, going into positions that I’ve only seen on the trapeze at the circus.

It was then my turn. Green showed me how to do a few “tricks,” and after only a couple of attempts, I was successfully doing the “scoop” and the “fireman.” At least I think it was called the fireman, though I don’t remember the cast of “Backdraft” spinning around the pole and landing with a flourish whenever the fire alarm went off.

The fireman required me to walk around the pole, holding it with one hand, then as gracefully as possible, I would turn toward the pole, grab onto it with both hands, hook my legs around it, glide around the pole and then land on both feet, one hand still on the pole.

It was fun. Once I had a move down, I was proud of my accomplishment. Upon figuring out how to do it, I kept swinging around the pole, and at one point I actually found myself saying, “Wheeeeeeeee!” This should have been my first clue that the love potion No. 9 sexy transformation may not have occurred. (See Slideshow)

I felt like a little kid. I felt like I did the time I successfully completed a gymnastics routine on the bars when I was 13. But I didn't feel sexy.

It crossed my mind that no one was ever tempted to put dollar bills in Mary Lou Retton’s leotard.

“Maybe some people see it as slutty but I see it as women owning their sexuality and feeling sexy,” Green had said.

I didn’t see it as “slutty,” nor did I think the women in the class were slutty for doing it. But there was something about the class that didn’t have me running for my checkbook to sign up for more classes, and I'm pretty sure it had to do with learning how to hang upside down from a gold pole, with my legs spread eagle.

Now, I know that the definition of sexy is different for everyone, but, to quote a co-worker, who seemed to nail it on the head when I was telling him about my hesitation with the class:

“There’s a difference between sexy and sex,” said Mike from the sales department.

Mike from the sales department is right. Every woman wants to feel sexy and attractive. But in this Britney Spears culture, where women feel it necessary to show it all, it seems like we’re missing the good stuff when everyone is showing off all of their stuff.

Sometimes the sexiest thing about a woman is her subtleties, her mystery. A defined collarbone can be so much sexier than a thong-clad bottom. The way her hair falls across her face; the curve of her hip under a skimming skirt; or dare I say it –- her mind: that’s sexy. Mystery is sexy. The unknown is captivating. Once you know everything, or see everything, about something, it no longer seems intriguing.

As I exchanged my heels for flip-flops at the end of the lesson, the ladies told me that the majority of women who come to one class sign up for 10 more classes on their first visit. I found myself wondering if there was something wrong with me, since I didn't feel the same.

But I just couldn’t shake the idea that the only things I could take out of this class, that I couldn’t take out of any other dance or exercise class, were dance moves that can only be used by a solitary dancer, performing for someone else.

I’d feel sexier taking a couples’ dance class, where you’re dancing hip-to-hip, cheek-to-cheek with a guy. I did not feel sexy taking a class that only teaches a girl how to dance for a guy.

As I walked home, a line from one of Chris Rock’s stand-up routines played on loop in my head. In it, he’s talking about the birth of his daughter and how much it changed his perspective.

“My only job in life is to keep my baby off the pole,” Rock says.

Suddenly I understood exactly why I didn’t jump at the chance to sign up for more classes, despite the ladies’ warmth and camaraderie. For those of us who don’t need to strip for a living, didn’t our parents, relatives and friends work hard to make sure of this? Didn’t we as women work hard to make sure of this? It just seems a bit crazy to me that after all that effort in life to have options beyond the pole, we’re now paying someone to put us on the pole.

Master Jay’s Studio does have Latin, salsa and ballroom dancing lessons, though. Maybe I will go back to the studio after all.

For those of you who aren’t as prone to dig deep for sociological meaning in your exercise routines, pole-dancing classes take place Monday through Friday. One class is $25. A 10-class package is $125.

Master Jay Moves Dance Studio

More Stories By Teresa Masterson

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