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Pole dancing emerges as the latest fitness trend to sweep Chennai
Anusha Swamy, a choreographer for Tamil movies, is at the forefront of the pole dance movement in Chennai.
Pole dancing is the new fitness trend in Chennai, with locals ranging from fitness enthusiasts, lawyers, mothers and children to members of the LGBTQIA+ community taking to the pole across the city.
In a state where classical dance form Bharatanatyam originated and is known for its temples, a section of Chennai’s fitness community is beginning to take to pole dancing as a form of exercise. Pole dancing workshops started in the city in August. The beginnings replicate the surfing scene in the city a decade ago, after international surfers discovered it along with coastal Chennai and its outskirts, which now became a sport and a fitness activity. While pole dancing came to Delhi and Mumbai a few years ago, Chennai is beginning to warm up to it.
Anusha Swamy, a choreographer for Tamil movies, is at the forefront of the pole dance movement in the city.
Swamy learnt pole dancing in 2019 in a four-day crash course in Melbourne. After the Covid pandemic hit the world, she has self-taught pole dancing and is learning from instructors online. During the lockdown, Swamy posted her pole dancing videos with a background score of unconventional mellifluous and lyrical Indian and international music on Instagram. Some found this therapeutic. It opened up the notion that pole dancing can be more than an exotic dance performed inside clubs. “Initially, I tried it as a fun activity. When it is taboo in the society as rebellious girls, we want ask what about it is so shameful,” says Anusha. “Then I understood it’s such a meditative activity. When you’re on the pole, your mind and body are incomplete in connection with each other. You also understand your limitations. It’s like working on yourself. Of course, the beauty and athletic qualities come with it.” Swamy’s videos did, however, draw nasty and shaming comments.
Explaining the rising popularity of pole dancing, Nikita Vijay, founder of Tattva studio, which hosts occasional workshops, said, “We did wonder if people in Chennai would open up and attempt pole dancing which is why we had a workshop first. There is a taboo associated with pole dancing, but it requires a high-level core and upper body strength, so we wanted to give it a try, and it was the first time a pole workshop happened in South India.”
The first pole dancing workshop in August saw more than 20people participate, which was followed by 10 more workshops across the city.
The Tattva studio also launched a three-month pole camp to start in October, seats for which got sold out in three days.
“Once you do it, you know it’s not something to be ashamed about and it’s not just a show. It’s about fitness, and you can be fully dressed to do it,” Vijay said.
Teaming up with Swami, three mechanical engineering grad students, who make fitness equipment locally in Chennai named Sthenos recently began manufacturing poles in the city. Sthenos formed in August 2020 amidst the pandemic and used local labourers who were out of jobs due to the lockdown. They have now begun selling ‘fitness poles’ along with other equipment such as multi bars and pull up bars. These ‘fitness poles’ are silicone coated, so it does not require skin contact for grip, unlike the majority of the poles available in the market. “Whether it’s swimming or pole dancing, when women wear fewer clothes, the commentary shifts to their body from the art form. With these poles, they don’t have to miss out on being constrained by attire,” Sthenos co-founder Mathews Fernandes said.
The poles weigh about 20 kgs and come in various heights from 8.5 feet to 13.5 feet to adjust to the ceiling. Given the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, these poles can also be used at home and are portable.
“Even I had a negative perception of pole dancing, but when I tried it once, I realised how tough it is, and I’ve come full circle to respecting it and manufacturing it for the entire country,” he concluded.
Preethi Nedumaran, a 32-year-old Bharatanatyam dancer and a fitness enthusiast, attempted pole dancing as a weekend activity with her friends. “It’s a great way to mix dance routines and fitness,” she said.
In another example, 24-year-old J Kanish, a software engineer, is a lone man among dozens of women trying the pole in a workshop in Chennai. “Pole dancing is portrayed by women but I don’t see a sex assigned to it,” he said. “For me, the agenda of doing pole is that it gives you an entire body workout. It looks easy, but it’s tough to do,” he added.
