Divas news

I started at Pole Divas at the perfect time for me.  I had done Calisthenics for 9 years before breaking my foot, pulling my dancing career to a screeching halt. I was devastated. I lost all motivation to do anything, yoyoing with my weight due to lack of regular exercise and unhealthy eating or non-eating habits, I had no confidence in myself. This inevitably started to affect my mental health and feelings of self-worth.  Confiding in a close friend and Pole Diva herself, I agreed to go along to a Hoop bring a friend class at Pole & Aerial Divas Mornington. I loved it, exercise that was fun, a way to connect with people again, and a love for dance I forgot I’d had. I signed up shortly after – not wanting to lose the momentum of motivation. 

This was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. 

Over my terms in hoop, I made friends with a few of the girls that did pole as well as hoop and between their encouragement, my friend that had originally introduced me to hoop telling me I should try it and noticing myself staying longer after my hoop class to watch the girls in the pole studio do these amazing tricks, I felt myself leaning towards it more and more.

Filled with nerves, rocking gym shorts, singlet top and no shoes I attended my first class with Sarsha at Mornington. Instant Love. I was hooked after the first class. I felt so strong and empowered and even more proud of my body – this was also where I discovered the addiction to Dry Hands!

Filled with confidence and surrounded by the most supportive group of women, I knew I’d found my happy place in the world. After a few terms and moving up to Inter Static, I also started Spin pole and decided to enter for Unleashed. I couldn’t believe it, amazingly – I got in. The first routine I had put together by myself and performed was selected to compete – I was over the moon!

Not long after Unleashed the Hampton studio opened. I said a very sad goodbye to my home away from home in Mornington and braved the skinny brass poles at Hampton. This small and intimate studio quickly became my mind and soul’s sanctuary while I worked on strengthening my body and I am there as often as I possibly can be. When you’re at pole, everything else going on in life melts away, and when you’re hanging upside down trying to point your toes, swing that leg in that direction, grip with every spare bit of skin you have and remember what the next trick in the combo is, there really isn’t any space to think about anything else!

Since moving to Hampton I’ve entered more competitions, met even more incredible people that I now consider some of my closest friends, (finally) moved up to Advanced after spending a year and a half battling with aerial straddles and the Inter mega combo and feeling extremely lucky and honored to have been chosen as this year’s studio Ambassador for our little happy place in Hampton.

Every class I appreciate and focus more and more what my body can do and not on what it looks like. I cherish every well earned and hard-fought bruise, burn and sore muscle. I’m a far more confident and well-minded person for joining Pole Divas.
My pole journey is far from over, I’ve got a whole playlist of songs yet to be used for routines, more people to meet, more workshops and dance styles to try, so many more tricks to learn and even more to learn and grow about myself and I can’t imagine anywhere else but Divas to do that.

Student Ambassador, 2019