Pole
Pole Dance, Pole Fitness, Pole Art, Pole Sport, Pole Heels
Pole dance is such a versatile art form & sport. Taking inspiration from lots of different avenues such a dance, gymnastics, breakin’ (break dance), acrobatics, theatre, heels & more. It involves dancing at the base of the pole, climbing, spinning, rotating, flexibility, tricks, transitions and so much more!
You don’t have to be strong of bendy to take up this discipline, or a certain body type. But we can guarantee you will feel more toned, stronger than ever, more confident and creative. There are so many different moves, styles and avenues you can take with pole dance making it the perfect sport for everyone.
We have 2 pole studios and 12 tall 4.2m x-poles, some of the tallest in Bristol! These studios are polar opposites because we know that not everyone has the same training aesthetic. The ‘Sunset’ Room is beautiful, bright and airy perfect for inspiring training sessions and classes. Whereas ‘The Jungle’ is dark, moody and charismatic. Perfect for more sensual and artistic training sessions and classes. We mainly have stainless steel poles in case any students have any allergies to metal and 2 chrome ones. They are all 45mm as we feel this is optimal for your learning.
Our head instructor is Bendy Kate, previous World Pole Dance Champion who has been doing pole for over 17 years and has a lifetime of gymnastics experience too. You can find Bendy Kate teaching Pole Flow, Floorwork and Advanced Pole. Bendy has a degree in Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation and is also an author writing books on injury prevention, flexibility and handstands. It was her dream to create a studio that combines pole and her anatomy and physiology, creating a truly holistic training studio which is good for your mind and for your body!
Our other instructors Ari, Anna, Suzi, Blane, Eloise & Tee have over 70 years of experience between them! You will always be in good, safe hands when taking up pole at Bendy Studio with our team. We also all have a great passion for looking after your body (and mind!) keeping it going and as injury free as possible for many years to come. Our diverse mix of instructors also support every style/avenue of pole and anybody who wants to try.
You can find tasters here at the end of each month and sometimes on the occasional weekend too. Or you can sign straight up to a beginners course – it’s hard not to fall in love! Complete beginners to pole dance with no prior strength or flexibility are absolutely welcome!
Top Tips for your first beginners pole dance class in Bristol
- If it's something you've always wanted to try, don't delay. You never know it might be the best decision you have ever made!
- Choose a studio where you like the vibe and style of, some people prefer to work out in bright airy spaces, some people prefer dark and moody spaces
- Wear shorts and a crop top underneath you t-shirt, joggers/leggings and bring socks. You might need a bit of skin for grip, usually the more advanced you get the more skin grip you will need
- Don't moisturise the day of pole - this will only make your first class much much harder! If you have dry skin put some moisturiser on the night before, ideally you want your skin to be in-between dry and slippery from moisturiser as this will provide the best grip
- Take off your jewellery. Not only is this a health and safety hazard for yourself, but it can lessen your grip and damage the equipment
- Plan plenty of time to arrive before your class incase you find it hard to find on the day.
- If you enjoy the taster/first class make sure you get booked onto the course ASAP as these tend to book up very quickly
- Ask your instructor any questions you might have about the sport afterwards - they will be very happy to help
- Don't forget to tell your instructor about any health conditions or injuries you have at the beginning of the class. If you do have any health conditions always speak to your medical provider first
- Lose all your inhibitions. Try not to be nervous beforehand, we are all lovely and as soon as you start spinning around the pole it will all be worth it. Remember no one else is looking at you or your body - they're all in the own pole bubble enjoying their new skill too!
Pole Classes
Intro to Pole (Thursdays 10:45am or Thursdays 6:15pm)
The term is 6 weeks, every Thursday. Class length is 60 minutes. Next Intro to Pole Starts 12th November
Each week you will learn one new skill and one simple dance element as well as recapping what was learnt in previous weeks of the course. Pole dancing is not easy, so we will make sure to warm your body up in a fun and functional way, helping prep the body with simple conditioning exercises to help your progress. At the end of class before a cool down we will always allow time to recap, reflect and document your learning journey too.
By the end of the course you should learn a fun, easy to follow routine with the elements you’ve learnt in the past 6 weeks. Not only will you learn to defy gravity but also hopefully make some amazing friends out of it too.
Pre-requisites: Absolutely NONE!
Beginners (Tuesdays & Thursdays)
This class is for complete beginners or students fresh to the world of pole. You do not need any upper body strength to start, we will show you how to get strong for pole 🙂
Pre-requisites: NONE!
Mixed Ability
Tuesdays 12-1:15pm, Wednesdays 6:15-7:30pm & Thursdays 12-1:45pm. A class for all levels (including complete beginner).
Our amazing instructors will tailor these mixed ability classes to your needs/level.
Pre-requisites: None
Intermediate (Tuesdays)
This course is an introduction to the intermediate level. Best for students who have been at Improvers for a couple of months and are inverting consistently.
Pre-requisites: A solo invert, started to work on leg hangs.
Inter-Advanced (Wednesdays)
A higher intermediate level class where we will be static to learn arms only moves, progressing our leg hangs, introducing static rotations, handstands and low flow.
Pre-requisites: Leg hangs, invert without a jump, aerial invert.
Advanced (Wednesdays)
This class includes anything advanced, like working towards dynamic pole, dreamy static rotations and strength moves with a keen emphasis on technique. For advanced to professional pole dancers.
Pre-requisites: Arms only experience (doesn’t have to be all grips), some experience with static rotations, deadlift inverts & shoulder mounts.
Pole Heels
(Mondays & Thursday pm)
Pole Heels (Beginners & Progression), Flying Pole, Pole Flow
We also have open practice every weekend where you can practice what you’ve learnt and improve your craft! Check the timetable for details.
Pole Flow
(Mondays 6:15pm)
The perfect class to supplement your flow! Learn low flows, choreos, transitions and more with our amazing rotation instructors.
This class is the perfect class to supplement your regular pole class!
Why Do Pole? What is it good for?
Pole dance has many physical benefits like improving strength, flexibility, balance and muscular endurance. It also increases your muscular awareness & proprioception. It improves grip strength and core strength. For me personally pole has made me more toned and strong than even gymnastics!
Now mentally it has just as many benefits – it can help improve your confidence, determination, self esteem and reduce stress. Whilst getting to meet and hang around with lovely likeminded people every single week!