Culture & Entertainment
Tammy Morris talks pole fitness—for men
Image courtesy of Tammy Morris
Culture & Entertainment
Tammy Morris talks pole fitness—for men
Tantra Fitness founder Tammy Morris has been bringing pole fitness to Vancouver, BC, for a decade. Though the sport appeals traditionally to women, these days a posse of men come to Tantra to take class too. It makes sense—with mens’ broad shoulders and small hips, they are made for the sport. We asked Tammy about how working the pole to get fit is a great option for men.
What’s the difference between pole fitness and pole dancing? Pole fitness is acrobatic and aerial focused, so it’s all about pole tricks as opposed to pole dance, which puts equal emphasis on the dance surrounding the pole. Pole fitness is still graceful, and includes transitions from move to move, but has little to no dance off the pole. Pole dance simply embraces the dance aspect.
Are there pole fitness classes for men? There are classes that men participate in, but there are rarely men-only classes. Every studio has a different curriculum. Some studios include sexier choreography (Pole Dance), which wouldn't be appropriate for some men while others are very acrobatic (Pole Fitness) and would be.
How do you get guys to try a pole fitness course? I think now that the general public is starting to see it as a legitimate sport, it’s about continuing education for men so they see pole fitness not just for women. You can get a strong, lean, athletic body by doing pole and it's more fun than lifting weights.
What made you design a course for men at Tantra Fitness? Well we started out with a Jack and Jill class that was open to both genders and offered it every Friday. It was difficult because men and women have different upper body strengths, so the levels of the class were too varied. This is what led us to create a men's-only Mantra workshop. We’ll be offering another one in May at our new studio in Gastown, and we hope that enough men will start to attend that we can regularly have men's-only classes.
Jude Law took pole dancing lessons for a role. Do you think more guys may follow suit? I think celebrities influence people greatly. Pole dancing, in general, got popular when Oprah featured it, so yes, I think men will be a little more open to it if Jude law is a supporter of the sport.
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