Strip Off Your Inhibitions at RI Pole Space in Lincoln

The overall vibe is zen when I enter the third-floor industrial studio space off Moshassuck Road in Lincoln on a breezy spring Saturday afternoon. Wearing a loose black tank and baggy gray sweatpants, Alex Chace stands in front of a mirrored wall while five women sit opposite her on individual mats, patiently awaiting instructions. 

Sunlight pours through large windows and pop-punk tunes croon softly in the background as Chace welcomes everyone and begins delivering familiar directions: “Reach up. Reach over. Breathe in, breathe out. Watch your posture. Don’t overextend. Watch your feet. Find your balance.” 

If it weren’t for the floor-to-ceiling silver poles near each participant, it would be easy to imagine you’d signed up for a standard yoga class.  

“[Pole dancing] is kind of like yoga on a stick,” Liz Downes, owner of RI Pole Space, says with a laugh. 

Chace’s subsequent call for “stripper push-ups” is another a clear indication we aren’t in your typical namaste land. 

She demonstrates the move, which involves getting down and propping yourself up on your hands with your legs extended behind. But instead of keeping your back straight as you bend your elbows, you essentially roll your head and body into and off the floor in one fluid, controlled motion. 

I’d say it’s much like the regular exercise, except, well, sexier.

From there, the class does more poses and warmups, some more traditional than others, before it’s time for the main event. Everyone rolls up their mats, strips off their sweatpants to reveal shorts underneath, and resumes their position next to their respective pole. 

“If you want to participate, wear shorts so that your skin can grip the pole, or leggings that can be rolled up above the knee,” Downes says when I first express interest in coming to Intro to Pole course. “We also tell people to try not to wear lotion on your legs because that will make it so much harder to hold on. Even if you put lotion on your face and it’s still on your hands it can be hard. Hold off at least five hours before the class.”

To be totally transparent, I did dress for the occasion, and even avoided moisturizing, but I did not wind up on a pole this day due to a migraine. 

And maybe a wee bit of self-doubt, too. 

“A lot of people are intimidated. They’ll tell me at the end of the class that they were so nervous to come,” Downes reassures. “It is hard, but it’s not as intimidating as you think. It’s a comfortable environment and a lot of people find they can do more than they think they can. The first class is the hardest, just because it’s all completely new movements and your body has to get used to them.”

Chace goes on to teach more exercises involving the pole, using similar stretching and body rolling techniques from earlier in the class. While it may seem like a lot of class time is dedicated to prepping, I soon realize the warmups are essential if you have any hope of jumping up on the pole at some point. 

“It’s a full-body workout, definitely a lot of arms and core,” Downes says. “You do have to use your legs, but not in the ways you would in a lot of other workouts. It’s a lot of squeezing and holding on — you engage your muscles in weird ways that you would only do in pole.”

But don’t let that be a deterrent.

“I’ve told so many people I know to take a class, and they always say, ‘I want to get in shape first,’” Chace adds. (Ahem, this also may have been on my list of excuses that day.) 

“But I always say, ‘You do not have to be in shape to do pole — you will get in shape doing pole,” she says. “All bodies are welcome. This is an environment where we want everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin. It’s such a great community and very supportive.” 

As the class of newbies gets ready to leave the floor behind (if only for a few moments at a time), Chace shows where to place your hands in relation to your height, how to wrap your knees and squeeze for a solid hold and when to leverage body weight to gain more traction or complete a graceful turn around the pole. 

She is as natural a teacher as she is a dancer: Within minutes, each student manages to successfully push off the ground and perform a move or two — from dip spins to back hook spins — on the poles. 

Chace began taking classes seven years ago shortly after the studio space opened. While she had taken yoga classes in the past, she never had much of an interest in any form of dancing until pole. 

“I found yoga and pole to be similar in a lot of ways, and I think that was one of the things I liked about it, because yoga was one of the only forms of exercise that I really liked,” she says. “I didn’t really have much of a background in anything. I wasn’t a dancer, so I kind of had to learn things from the ground up.” 

And learn she did. 

“Pole just became my hyper focus,” she says. “I was obsessed with it. I would look at videos of different tricks and try to learn them. I would come to the open practice a lot and try things on my own.”

About three years later, Downes took notice of Chace’s skills and knowledge for pole and asked if she would be interested in teaching. Chace jumped at the chance and has loved sharing her passion with others ever since. 

Next, the girls attempt the jasmine — a transitional move that’s pivotal for future tricks — as well as climbing, which is exactly what it sounds like: using your body to shimmy up higher on the pole. Some triumphantly get the moves on the first try while others giggle as it takes them a few goes.  

“You just want to keep getting better at it and you always have a goal in mind. Just seeing that little bit of progress each time and getting that new move down that you’ve been wanting to get is just such a hit of dopamine.” Chace says. “And everyone does it differently and has their own style. And if you don’t want to do the crazy tricks up on the pole, you don’t have to; you can stay on the ground and do floor work. I love that because everyone can tailor their experience.”

Chace comes around to unfasten each of the poles so they can revolve on the spot, and the extra spin not only allows for everyone to add more flair to their moves, but you can see the added joy and confidence boost as they watch themselves in the mirror. Each student operates at a different skill level and speed, but they — all of whom, to my understanding, were strangers just forty minutes ago — are quick to hoot and holler (“Get it, girl!”) whenever a neighbor nails a movement.

“I find [pole] very empowering,” Downes says.

A former high school cheerleader and a current yogi, Downes first taught herself to dance pole while working in Rhode Island’s club scene in 2010. She enjoyed it so much that she even installed a pole in her apartment so she could practice anytime. Over the years, she watched interest in the dance style grow, and opened RI Pole Space in 2018. 

“I think since I’ve started, pole has definitely become less taboo; more people are aware of it than they used to be,” she says. “We have all ages that do it —  one of my teachers is in her mid-forties and she’s one of the best ones, she only started a few years ago — along with people of all genders and backgrounds.”

RI Pole Space offers two class styles. The first, Pole, revolves around building fitness and learning tricks, and is offered at levels one through four — the lowest being an introductory class and the highest reserved for the more advanced. The second, Flow, encourages participants to find their sexy side. Students often wear heels as they practice more exotic movements and learn choreographed routines. Varying classes are offered Monday through Sunday, and you can sign up through the studio’s website.

“Usually, people will take Intro to Pole and then once they’re familiar, they can move up,” Downes says. “Everyone is different, but we recommend taking at least one to three Intro classes before doing the flow class. And then it’s just whenever they feel comfortable climbing and doing the jasmine, they can go on to Level 2.” 

The studio regularly hosts open practice times for students to stretch, condition, work on skills, freestyle or prepare for a performance at their own pace. If you want a more private practice, you can book one-on-one lessons or a reserved class for two to six people. Or go all out and plan a bachelor/ette or birthday party where you and your friends can learn everything from dips and hair flips to a burlesque-style chair dance routine. 

“Sure, it’s difficult. A lot of people, it surprises them how difficult it is,” says Chace. “But there’s a million different ways to do it and sometimes it’s just about trying different aspects and seeing what feels good for you. If it’s not for you, then it’s not for you, but it’s a lot of fun and worth a try.”

I can confirm: I signed up for a class right after and had a blast. Even better, I’ll be back for more. 15 Moshassuck Rd., Unit 3D, Lincoln, 305-0753, ripolespace.com

 

Dance to a Different Tune

Looking for more styles to try outside of your typical tap, jazz or ballet? Give these local classes a go.

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NORTH, SOUTH & EAST 

Country (Line and Swing)

Studio 1
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Salsa and Bachata 

Rhode Island Latin Dance
Various locations, rilatindance.com

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Ballroom Dancing 

Dancing Feeling
2429 Post Rd., Warwick, 736-0110, dancingfeeling.com

Endicott Dance Company
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Contemporary and Freestyle 

AS220
5 Mathewson St., Suite 204, Providence, 831-9327, as220.org/dance