Back To School | Twirly Girls Pole Fitness

September’s PDBA blog hop theme is Back To School! (Anything on pole, dance and fitness education, books, lessons, teachers, students, training, etc.)

Seeing as how there was a somewhat-recent ruling that Yelp can manipulate reviews and all that goodness (this makes me wildly sad, because I really liked reviewing eateries all over the place–this is my 6th year as an elite reviewer! :'( ), I’m pulling/updating my review of Twirly Girls Pole Fitness and putting it here (going mainly with the School Colors & Pride theme, because I am indeed super proud to be a Twirly Girl). <3

Please bear with me, because this is a super-long post. :O I get increasingly verbose when I like something a lot. >_>

Never in my life have I ever found a place that fosters an environment like this one. I’ve met all kinds of amazing people here, and everyone has always been incredibly friendly and fun to work and dance with. The support and encouragement you get from these women is incredible, but Bel is the one who makes this place truly unforgettable, and a place that you want to keep coming back to.

You’d be hard-pressed to find another woman as amazing, genuine, and as truly inspiring as Bel–she’s passionate, caring and extremely dedicated to bringing out the best of each and every student she has. She has a gift for making everyone feel super awesome. This became my second home for the couple months before I had to move (yes, I love it here that much; we’d joke about my double life and the fact that I was practically living here). It is easily one of the places I miss most in California.

We’re super cool. <3

I took my first $25 taster class at Twirly Girls Pole Fitness back in December 2010 and was immediately hooked. However, priorities were calling (aka studying for my MCAT–a wildly fun and invigorating experience), so I carted myself back here and started taking regular classes in February-ish of 2011. It’s an amazing workout, and you definitely learn a ton. With it, you also make great friends and it honestly does not take long until they become your second family.

Although I admit that my initial reasons for wanting to learn pole stemmed from all the seemingly-impossible-looking-but-amazing tricks I’d seen online (it reminded me of vertical gymnastics), I was instantly converted; I love that the emphasis here is on being able to learn to put it all together. Not only do you learn the tricks, you also learn the transitions and the spins (twirls! :D ) to make your routine (whether or not you’re making it up on the spot) beautiful. I’ve gotten my own pole for almost all the classes I’ve taken there (and believe me, with 3 months of being a studio fixture, I took a good number of em’), which I really like, because the more you get to practice, the faster you learn.

With her background as a personal trainer, Bel can [and does] easily tailor the class to each individual’s skill/fitness level. The parties people have had here sound super fun (at an extremely reasonable rate), and aside from pole classes, there are often all sorts of workshops available at a discounted price to Twirly Girls. Classes are kept fairly small so that we get our own pole, and she also has us work with each other/teaches us to spot each other.

The studio itself is very cute. It’s dimly lit, with 8(? I think! I’m across the country right now and can’t check!) poles and Marilyn Monroe posters that people keep wanting to buy. There are often baked treats and other goodies in the back, and the couch in the back room is fun to sink into (I’ve written many an essay and studied many a limb on it. :O ). She has all sorts of wigs, costumes and shoes that come in handy for photoshoots and bachelorette/birthday parties.

This studio is was my best-kept secret (because yours truly is still somewhat afraid of her parental units disowning her if they find out), but was a place too amazing not to share.

I moved across the country for school in August of 2011 and invariably have to live vicariously through the Twirly Girls facebook page, but I reinstate my status as a studio fixture whenever I get to go home for vacation.

If you’re lucky enough to already be in northern California or happen to be visiting, please do yourself a favor and come try this place out! :D (288 Spring Street, Pleasanton, CA!)

Classes

There are a bunch of different classes at a variety of different levels. Interested in learning the basics? Spinny pole? Dance choreography? Tricks? Boot camp and conditioning? There’s something for everyone! I’m fairly certain that I’ve managed to take classes from everyone listed below aside from Seanmichael and Jade (it’s hard to work in mutually free times to spend with family + friends with this in the tiny increments of time that I’m back! x_x), and have had a lot of fun and learned something new from all of them. I’ve taken workshops/classes that they’ve been in too, so I can very safely say that you can’t go wrong with any of our instructors. <3

• Bel teaches Triple T’s (Beginning or Intermediate)
• Lori teaches Boys, Girls & Twirls; she also blogs here!
• Grace teaches Graceful Moves
• Seanmichael usually teaches Inverted World, but is off touring the world right now!
• Ellen teaches Pole Flow
• AJ teaches Basic Tricks, Total Twirl, and Dance Lab
• Ginger teaches Fly Gym
• Diana teaches Dizzy Divas
• Doug teaches Twirly Tuff Bootcamp

Workshops/Community Events

• Past workshops have included the following guest instructors: Pantera, Alethea Austin, Nadia Sharif, Natasha Wang, Sasja Lee, Timber, Josiah BadAzz Grant, Chalese, and Roz the Diva!

• The Lovely Rita Fundraiser is held every April to honor Rita and to support the National Kidney Foundation.

• Trick or Twirl is held every October as a fun way to showcase routines made up by Twirly Girls students/instructors.

• Club 1220 in Walnut Creek often hosts fundraisers for us!

• Lori & Ellen also recently collaborated to put together the first independently-produced pole event, Northern California Pole Presentational (NCPP), in San Jose! Next year’s is on August 29th, so save the date! :]

Twirly Girls won the Studio Spirit award! :P

Twirly Girls also won the Pole Gang contest for the Pole Expo in 2013!

Tips For Your First Class(es)

1. Skip the lotion. We will know if you have it on because you’ll smell too nice and you’ll make all the poles super slippery. For the greater good [and safety] of us all, don’t do it!
2. Shorts are really helpful, because skin sticks better to the pole (unless you break rule #1). In general, just try to wear clothes that you can move in!
3. Be prepared for possible bruising (or as we like to refer to them, “pole kisses” or “battle scars”). Your skin probably won’t be used to it.
4. If you’re nervous (for the record, this is likely one of the least intimidating atmospheres I’ve ever been in; everyone there is super friendly and always happy to help), bring a friend with you! :)
5. Have fun!

(So…did I convince you yet? Maybe I’ll see you there! :D )