[Regan Foster | The Pueblo Chieftain]
“It’s a full body workout. Doing the splits on the floor is hard enough. Doing it inverted on a pole when you’re holding on with your ribs is crazy!”
It’s a tradition that dates to the Middle Ages.
For centuries, it was a highly respected form of athletic training. Male wrestlers in India used it to enhance speed, reflexes, concentration and coordination, while in China, the angry red friction burns it invariably left were considered badges of pride.
Then came the U.S. and, more precisely, the Great Depression. Women dancers — members of traveling troupes and fairs — would entertain crowds in jam-packed tents by utilizing hip movement, suggestive dance steps and tent poles. And suddenly it became taboo: something to hide behind the closed doors and neon signs of gentlemen’s clubs across the nation.
Today, pole dancing is enjoying something of a renaissance, as more and more fitness fanatics of both genders embrace its extreme strength, coordination, flexibility and grace-enhancing benefits. Jacqueline Trujillo, the owner of and fitness instructor at Pueblo’s Peacock Pole Art and Body Weight Fitness, is among them.
“It’s been a huge part of my life for 5½ years and I absolutely love it,” Trujillo said. “I think I will be 75 and still poling.
“It’s a full body workout. Doing the splits on the floor is hard enough. Doing it inverted on a pole when you’re holding on with your ribs is crazy!”
Art in motion