POLE POSITION

Vanessa Feltz spins out of control

Pole dancing is trading up from the seedy image of lap dancing clubs to the respectability of dance studios, gyms and kitchens (yes kitchens) all over the country.

We join Vanessa Feltz as she gives pole dancing a whirl.

In recent years, pole dancing has been attracting a steady stream of women keen to improve their fitness, flexibility and have fun at the same time.

A handful of dance studios and gyms are now offering pole dancing alongside the more traditional aerobics and step classes.

But can pole dancing successfully shimmy out of its sleazy image of the past and into the mainstream fitness world? Inside Out goes to Brighton to find out.

Poles apart

In the past, pole dancing has been largely confined to the world of lap dancing bars and night clubs.

"These places are not my cup of tea."

Vanessa Feltz at a pole dancing club

And shaking off that image may take some time as even the liberal-minded Vanessa explains.

"When you think of pole dancing you'd be forgiven for thinking of this;

"A basement flaunting a lady who leaves little to the imagination, aptly called - oh dear - Buffy."

But swap the scantily clad lady for a mum of three and the basement for a kitchen and you could be looking at the future of pole dancing.

Thirty-four-year-old Lorraine is buying a new kitchen appliance, but this new addition won't be improving her cooking, but her fitness.

At the cost of £150, Lorraine is having a pole fitted in her kitchen to allow her to practise her new sport at home.

"I might join the gym, but I'd never go. Same with aerobics.

"Pole dancing is different. It's sexy and challenging. I think it's fantastic," enthuses Lorraine.

"I can't wait 'til I can swing round on it and have a practise on my own."

And it seems she's not the only one.

The pole manufacturer reveals that in the past two months, they've sold thousands of poles for domestic use across the country.

In a class of their own

It is in classes like the ones held by Binny in Brighton, that pole dancing is becoming a respectable pastime.

Binny left her career has a professional dancer to give pole dancing classes and they are proving popular with women of all shapes, sizes and ages.

"It's usually girls bored of the gym," explains Binny.

"They want to do something a bit different, a bit more energetic."

Fifty-three-year-old Antoinette runs a clothes shop in Hove and has abandoned the gym to become one of Binny's top pupils.

Antoinette insists that pole dancing has not only improved her overall fitness, but muscle tone and strength too.

Pole dancing requires you to support your body weight with your arms and legs in turn, which is great for increasing both upper and lower body strength.

"You can carry enormous amounts of shopping," jokes Antoinette.

Swingers

Pole dancers not only remark on the physical benefits they reap, but the psychological ones too.

Pole dancing is a great way to tone muscle

Any physical exertion has a positive mental effect due to the endorphins (natural pain blockers) exercise produces.

But many practising pole dancing insist they feel increased confidence afterwards - not to mention the confidence it must take to swing life and limb around a slippery metal pole in the first place.

"The girls come to get different things out of it," says Binny.

"It's mainly a confidence thing.

"The girls go away from the course really happy and a lot more confident."

It seems pole dancing has even been getting endorsements from the medical profession too.

One London doctor prescribed pole dancing lessons to a patient suffering from depression.

Sisters are doing it for themselves

For Vanessa the experience has proved an enlightening one. Not only has pole dancing proved its mettle as a great way of keeping fit but it has succeeded in turning its old image on its head.

For the women in Brighton, pole dancing is no longer about men, but about women getting together, getting fit and having fun.

And never mind about "women coming out of the kitchen", with her new pole installed, Lorraine is heading straight back in.

Read Pole dancing - Getting started