Community Corner
Expressing Soul on the Pole
A growing fan base are sharing their fondness for pole dancing, which they consider an art form and even competitive enough to become an Olympic event.
Luscious Maven. The Choreography House. Sounds pretty similar to the many other dance studios NoHo's known for, but these and other places like it are part of a growing number of venues that are offering pole dancing lessons.
Pole dancing may carry a negative stigma for some because of their crucial importance in the gentlemen's club industry, but some die hard fans are calling it a gymnastic exercise that should be a part of the Olympics.
In a recent interview with nohoartsdistrict.com, Nadia Shariff, an instructor at X-Pole in North Hollywood talked about the pole is all about building strength and artistic expression.
"Gymnastics is a sport, and what they do is no different from what pole athletes do," she told the online website. "Gymnasts use a different apparatus, perhaps a horizontal bar to swing around, a beam to balance on or a floor to let it all out and pole competitors do the same on a vertical bar.
Click here to read the full interview.
What do you think about pole dancing? Do you think it should be taken seriously as a gymnastic sport?
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