Hiya! I’m Sophie, I am the current Competition and Events Secretary for the UOS Pole Dancing Society. I have been in the society for the last four years and have been on the committee the last two.
How would you describe PoleSoc?
Pole Soc is primarily a society where members come to learn the art of pole dancing/pole sport, but it is a lot more than that. It is a part of a much bigger community of people from all over the world, which encourages all people to feel comfortable in their bodies and to find a form of movement that makes them feel good both mentally and physically. Although we aren’t a political society, we are proud supporters of sex workers and sex worker rights, having many of our instructors from that industry. Pole Dance and Pole Sport have it’s origins in sex work and would not exist without the orginal pioneers who created it.
What do you love about this society?
Everyone is so friendly. You naturally find that when you attend these classes, people are excited to chat with you and share in your pole process.
I am a super extroverted person when you get to know me, but initially, I am quite shy. I went to pole in my first year on a whim, I didn’t really have any friends to go with at that time. After a few sessions, I started to see some familiar faces in class, and whenever we would learn a new move, they would cheer me on, and I would do the same for them. Cheering would quickly become chatting and then arranging to go get a drink after class. It has helped me meet so many amazing people, who I would never have crossed paths with otherwise.
Are there any lessons or skills you have learnt from your time here?
I have learned many tricks on the pole, but I have also learned some other lessons too. I think the main one would be to put yourself out there and to do the scary thing, as it might be one of your best decisions ever. Had I not gone to pole, I wouldn’t have met some of my closest friends, discovered my love of performing, costuming or choreographing. It also gave me an opportunity to switch off my brain and to help ease the effects of my anxiety and to cope with it better.
Favourite performance you’ve ever done or routine you’ve learnt?
That is a difficult question to answer as I have done quite a few performances now. My favorite ones tend to be my Sheffield Pole Varsity routines. I have a very specific style when it comes to performing, which is a little unorthodox. I love performing as a character, usually from a film, and then doing a routine in a very comedic musical theatre style, quite the opposite of traditional stripper style. My first year performing I did a routine as Captain Jack Sparrow whilst dancing to the main Pirates of the Caribbean theme, and last year, I performed as the Fairy Godmother from Shrek to “I need a hero.” They would probably be my top two, but I always have a soft spot for the routines I am currently working on.
What’s your semester 2 schedule looking like so far?
We are currently running two beginners tricks classes a week, one on Monday at 16:00 and one on Wednesday at 14:45. If we get more interest that could go up. Alongside these and our higher level tricks classes, we have our non-leveled classes on a Wednesday. Open pole training at 13:00 and 14:00, Flex and Conditioning at 15:00, and Sexy class at 20:00.
We also have some big events coming up in Semester two. The main one being Inter Uni Pole Varsity. It is a new, national university pole competition organised by a committee of universities. On the 7th March, we are hosting the Sheffield Midlands regional competition at Foundry in the SU. This will have unis like Nottingham, Derby, Birmingham, etc. in attendance, all competing for a space in the final in London. It has taken a lot of planning on my part, but I am incredibly excited for this event. Tickets for each category will be up on the SU site soon, so please come. We are also having a raffle at this event with some great prizes, like a free pole from our sponsor X-Pole as well as discounts for local bars, breweries and a few fun Yorkshire boobie prizes like a 4.5L Hendersons bottle. It will be a great day and you might win something fun.
Who can get involved and how?
Everyone is welcome in this society. Although pole generally requires minimal clothing for skin grip, it isn’t necessary in the beginner classes, plus the studio that we work with has a silicon pole that can be used with clothing on, so you can progress to the higher levels without needing to worry about skin exposure. We have a membership on the SU website that gives you a discount to all classes that we offer. We do this so that It can still be affordable for students and allows us to pay our instructors a higher than average industry salary. All tickets are on the SU website.
What would you say to anyone on the fence about getting involved?
Give it a go. I know a lot of people are hesitant to start because they feel they aren’t strong enough, flexible enough or don’t want to do sexy style. That is okay. Everyone’s style of pole is different and they are all welcome, you don’t need to fit into a box of what you think pole should be. As for strength and flexibility, when I started, I had none. You don’t need any at the beginning; you are not expected to have any. Both of these come with time and practice, the more you go to classes, the more you will see this change, and things will get easier.
Grab a few friends or come on your own, it doesn’t matter. It is such a fun and positive society full of wonderful people. Even if it is just a one off class you attend, it is still an experience you will likely enjoy and you will leave feeling proud that you went and of what you were able to achieve.
