F.A.Q.
Before your class, please remember to:
Avoid using body lotion or oil on the day of your class and, ideally, the day before too – that way you won’t lose grip on the pole.
Please remove rings before using the pole, as they might damage it.
I have never tried pole dancing before. Do you offer classes for complete beginners?
Yes, we do! You can book on any day one of our “Never tried and beginner” level pole class, either through our website or booking system. For people with no prior pole dance experience, we also recommend our Discovery course!
I have no upper body strength/ coordination/ stamina etc. Is pole dancing the right sport for me?
Yes! We don’t expect our students to go upside down and hold hard moves from day one. Most complete beginners come to pole with little upper body strength or stamina, but they build them class by class.
What will happen in my first ever pole dancing class?
Your class will feature a warm-up and a series of pole dance moves or combos for you to try and work on. These moves will be appropriate for your level and experience.
But what if I’m bad at it?
There is no “good” or “bad”. Your instructors are trained to look after both complete beginners and advanced pole dancers. So even if you see students who have more pole experience than you, your instructor will tailor the moves taught to you according to your experience and your ability. Our studio welcomes pole dancers at any level, and we want everyone to feel confident, have fun and achieve their goals. We do our best to create a safe space for everyone to learn and progress at their own pace.
What should I wear for my first pole dance class?
We recommend picking an outfit you are comfortable with, such as shorts and a tank top. Do not cover your knees and arms (with leggings or long sleeves) as you will need them to grip to the pole.
Does pole hurt?
There’s no way to sugar coat it: yes. Pole is a hard sport, and bruises are very common when working with equipment made of metal. But you get used to it really quickly!
I have an injury and/or disability. Should I take up pole dancing?
There are a lot of amazing pole dancers out there with injuries or disabilities, so you can definitely do it. We would however recommend speaking with your doctor to find out what your main challenges are, what you need to be careful about and how we can make your experience in your class better. That way, when you book your first class, you can tell your instructor about your injury or disability and they can tailor the moves they’re teaching to you.
I have never done pole dancing but I have experience in gymnastics / dance, should I attend “Beginner and Intermediate” pole classes from the start?
Every sport is different with its own specific technique. Although your athletic experience might make it easier for you to progress at a quicker pace, we still recommend students to start with the “Never tried and Beginner” level. In this class, you will learn the foundations of pole dancing that will allow you to train safely in classes with a higher difficulty.
Can men pole dance?
We don’t differentiate between genders: you’re either a pole dancer or you’re not. Man, woman, non-binary, everyone is welcome.
Can plus size people pole dance?
Yes! You don’t need to be a specific size or weigh a specific amount to pole dance.
Help! I keep sliding down on the pole!
To stick to the pole better we recommend purchasing pole dance grip, which is generally made of liquid chalk. You can find it on most pole apparel / pole wear websites or in our studio.
Can I come and just watch ?
No. Some people may feel vulnerable during their pole class. We want all of our students to feel comfortable when training, therefore we do not allow people outside of our students to sit in and watch during classes. If you want to see us and our students perform, we hold annual showcases, which we advertise through our Instagram.
Do you have a free trial class?
At the moment we don’t offer any free trial classes.
Which classes do you offer?
We offer pole tricks classes for different levels: from “Never Tried and Beginner” to “Intermediate and Advanced” level. The latter can be adapted to more advanced pole dancers as well, and the instructor will give you harder moves if you are up for the challenge. We also offer stretching classes and choreography classes. You can choose among Exotic, Russian Exotic and Contemporary Pole. Find our class descriptions here.
I have been pole dancing for a while. Which classes should I book?
If you can already invert, we recommend our “Beginner/Intermediate” classes. Our “Intermediate and Advanced” level is open to people comfortable with handspring and aerial invert.
Should I bother trying choreography classes?
Yes! You will gain that confidence while dancing, and you will find our choreography classes a great and fun way to complement the strength work you are doing in your tricks classes. It’s also a great cardio workout! A lot of our students (and even some of our instructors) didn’t start out with a background in dance, but many of them now happily dance to choreography, compete and even teach. We all start somewhere!
Which payment plan do you recommend?
You can find our class prices here. We recommend buying a membership as they include more classes at a reduced price compared to our £25 drop-ins.
Should I start with choreography or with tricks classes?
We would recommend taking a few trick classes (let’s say 3 or 4) to get familiar with the pole. Afterwards, you can try your first choreo class.
What should I wear for exotic/ choreo classes?
You will need platform heels and kneepads. Heels are necessary to enhance your movement and protect your feet, while kneepads will help protect your knees in case you need to drop or slide on the floor. For some choreographies, leggings will be fine but for others you will need leg grip. We often post our choreographies on @exoticapoledance’s Instagram so you can see what instructors are wearing.
Do I have to wear heels?
If you want to get a feel of the class, you can come try it without heels. The instructor will adapt the moves that require heels for you. We also have a few pair of shoes you can borrow (be careful, we don’t have all sizes available!) However, if you plan on coming more often, we recommend purchasing a pair of heels.
Which heels should I buy?
We recommend buying 6 inch / 12cm heels, as they are the easiest to start in. You can get higher heels when you feel more comfortable. Most pole apparel / pole shoe sites sell both sandals and boots. Sandals are great to strengthen your ankles, while boots tend to protect your ankles and your feet a little more, but they are a tad heavier to lift. The choice is yours!
How should I choose my instructors? We recommend trying different instructors in our studio to see which dancing and teaching style you like the most. We showcase them weekly on our Instagram, so you can get a sneak peek from there and from our instructors page here.
I have done pole dance before, is the Discovery Course suitable for me?
The Discovery course is an introduction to pole dance. If you have done a few pole classes before, we recommend going to our regular classes “Never tried and Beginner” as the level will probably match yours better.
When booking for the course, is 90£ the price per class or for the course?
The Discovery Course can only be booked for the whole 6 weeks program. This price is for the whole course, which means each class is approximately 15£.
If I miss a session from the course, can I attend a session from a different course or go to a regular “Never tried / Beginner” class instead?
The Discovery Course is a separate program with a specific lesson plan, therefore you cannot transfer your booking from it to another class or session as the content of the class would vary too much.
We provide the full schedule for each course ahead and recommend students to check their availability for all sessions prior to booking it.
If I miss a session from the course, will I be able to follow on the next ones?
Ideally, we recommend students to attend all classes but if for some reason you might miss one, you should still be able to follow the next sessions without any issues.
I booked the Discovery Course but unfortunately won’t be able to attend, can I cancel my booking?
You can change or cancel your booking up to 48 hours before the first class of the course. After this, we cannot change or refund your booking.
The course I wanted to book is full, and the other ones don’t work with my schedule.
We have new courses starting regularly all year. If you miss the one you wanted to join, please let us know if you would be interested in taking a future course with the time and dates that work best for you and we can contact you when a new course matching your schedule is starting.
I want to join a course that has already started, is it possible?
We recommend you to take the entire course for the best results. This being said it is possible for you to join if you have just missed the first session. We don’t recommend you joining a course that has started for more than 2 weeks.
I completed the Discovery Course, what class should I go to now?
The Discovery Course’s purpose is to serve as an introduction to pole dance. The level is the equivalent of our “Never tried” level. Once you have completed the course, we recommend you attend “Never tried / beginner” pole classes. In these classes, the level is mixed between “Never tried” and “Beginner” so you can repeat and consolidate moves you have seen in the course, as well as learn new tricks and variations with a higher difficulty.
Does the Exotica Pole Dance studio have changing facilities and bathrooms?
Yes, we have a changing room and a bathroom (including a shower) in the studio.
Are we Covid-secure?
We are keeping on top of Covid-19 safety rules and we publish all our updates on Instagram. Our latest guidelines can be found here.
Do you offer pole and/or studio hire?
Yes! Pole hire can be found on our schedule and it costs £12.5/hour. Studio hire is available at any hour out of our class it’s £60 per hour for small room (6 poles) and £90 per hour for large room (11 poles)
I cancelled my class but didn’t get a refund. Why?
All booking can be changed or cancelled 48H before the class. The credit will be back on your account, and you can use it to book your next class. After that 48H limit, any change will be considered a “late cancel” and is non-refundable.
I’m trying to book a class but the website / Teamup doesn’t allow me to. Why?
There may be two reasons for this.
1) The online booking closes 1h before the class starts. This is to allow instructors to know how many students will attend. Please book in advance, or feel free to call the studio to be added to an existing class (if there is space available).
2) You are trying to book a class before the first class you’ve booked in your new package with us. Our packages are activated when you book your first class – so if you’ve booked your first class on, say, 24 November, and are trying to book a class on November 23, the system won’t let you do it. To be able to book an earlier class, you’d need to cancel the first class you’ve booked in your package and re-book in chronological order.
If you have any issue with your booking, feel free to contact us by phone or email.