It is obvious to a long-term resident of the Rogue Valley, that our small town of Grants Pass has been significantly growing. Over the recent years, we have not only seen an expansion on new families, but new businesses as well. With the increase of a younger demographic comes the delightful abundance of unique and artistic businesses to add to our, already, cultured small town. One new business in particular has caught the attention of our local women residents, and has been making quite the positive impact on their personal lives.
SkyDance Pole Fitness, opened their doors in March of 2020, amidst the pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped them from fulfilling their purpose. Women of all ages, sizes, and walks of life have been taking the leap into a new fitness regimen, and marking their calendars for the next pole class.
So, what is SkyDance Pole Fitness, and what are they offering? SkyDance Pole Fitness is a local dance studio, offering a tiered curriculum and group classes in pole fitness. From Intro up to Advanced — no existing skills required. SkyDance will train you from start to finish.
Pole Fitness is a unique and specialty method of training your body that involves strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, body knowledge, and a sense of timing and rhythm. Along with strength training, it’s also great for your cardiovascular system. Pole Fitness is acrobatic and dance oriented, and can be compared to sports like swimming or tennis. In one hour, athletes can burn 280 calories and confirmed a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of 6.3 (on a scale from 1 to 10) according to a 2019 study analyzing pole dancing for fitness.
Pole Fitness is also considered a part of aerial gymnastics, which also includes silks, trapeze and lyra. Along with that, pole fitness has been considered for inclusion in the Olympics in the near future. Long story short, Pole Fitness is a great workout, and most of all, it is FUN! Each class feels like dancing, and you are more motivated to show up for a workout when it doesn’t feel like a workout. What SkyDance is offering is an opportunity to harness your fire, and take back your confidence and build your self love through your accomplishments. You will be challenged, broken down, and enhanced.
“It isn’t about getting rid of extra fat, toning up or cutting in abs,” said owner Kelsie Beaudin. “It’s about loving your body as you are, and acknowledging your very own astonishing qualities.”
Beaudin says the benefits of pole fitness go way beyond the toning of your body. The benefits of having a loving and supportive community, especially in today’s times, will reflect on who you are as a person. With the obvious benefit of strength, flexibility and mobility, members also gain body awareness (recognizing how you move your body through space, including balance), rhythm and elegance, work ethic (pole fitness is very demanding, requiring dedication and consistency to improve), and self confidence.
SkyDance’s instructor group consists of five women, trained and certified in an accredited pole fitness program (X-PERT) on top of years of prior pole dance experience.
“We bring the skill and training, you bring the community,” Beaudin says. “I originally opened up this space to designate a spot for us to train, and share the wonderful and rewarding benefits of the sport. But my studio soon became much more than that. Our community is what keeps us here. What it turned into is smiling faces greeting you at the door, the entire class cheering you on when you finally nail that tough trick, staying late after class to talk about our struggles, and everyone getting told happy birthday and Merry Christmas, etc. Our studio is a judgment-free zone, and includes women of every demographic. SkyDance is a place for us to take a break and get away. Pole dancing is a skill that brings you in, but our community is what keeps you here.”
SkyDance is slowly making a name for itself in our small community. You may see staff members perform at local events, or hosting workshops at their dance studio. With the knowledge of all the benefits of this sport, and pole fitness being a growing trend, we are so happy to have an outlet in our small town of Grants Pass. They welcome you to reach out, or pop in for an intro class if you are curious about pole fitness.
SkyDance Pole Fitness
Phone: 541-218-8136
www.skydancepolefitness.com
IG: @skydancepolefit