Kay Penney Contributing to the History of Pole Dance

Contributing to the History of Pole Dance

Pole Dance Brazil 2012 interview

1. The evolving of the pole activity in the last 10 years

This in my view has been amazing, always with the unquestionably belief it would get big but never in the capacity, extent and speed in which we are witnessing.  This I believe has been the factor of two possibilities - the competitions have made the techniques available and accessible for all to see and join in to and  the contribution of social media sites such as Facebook, Youtube and the internet. My day is filled with emails and conversations of many different cultures beliefs and ideas from people from all over the world. I am proud to be a major innovator and pioneer here in the UK and world and will continue to do so for many more years to come

2. the competitions and recognition achieved

The competitions have grown too naturally – It was always going to be a natural progression of our sport to show case our art and expertise to all.  My main aim was to create a main stage for people to do this without the fear of being wrongly judged. This I am proud to have achieved already

I, with our network of international supporters, continue to adapt and create

National and International Rules and regulations created and adapted since 2004, yearly as the competitions evolve and challenge

Code of pole ethics – created in 2006 setting and maintaining standards

Health and safety documentation created and up held

Competitor support in the case of chaperone responsibilities documented

Sponsorships are growing as too are the number of cheerleaders

Numbers both in competitors and spectators are increasing every year too

Media interest is increasing every year and more positivity is created

3. Who are the main players within the industry (pole dancers, product and school representatives, instructors and event's organisers)

This is always a difficult one to start as list of individuals and we should question How is this list formulated or individuals recognised? By the amount of titles they hold? or the amount of hours they dedicate to their training? or is it the amount of hours they dedicate to others to enhance and promote their talents?  There are many hidden and more silent types that do exceptional work in the back ground that have smaller egos than others but without these many key individuals the industry would not be where it is today for sure.  Had you asked me this question 8 years ago I could have listed the people probably on one hand  

 
4. pole dance as a definition today

Pole dance is still portrayed in many forms with many expressions and techniques that is what makes it such a special type of innovative sport and dance and why it is here to stay.

The competitions help very much in this creation and education for which I am very proud to be a part of since 2004. Let’s not forget why Miss Pole Dance was first formulated way back in 2003 – to educate and market to people who had not had the opportunity  in visiting a gentleman’s club as to that is where the foundations were laid. Obviously still to this day we are seeing new innovative variations of moves and combinations

Let’s keep its definition simple to sensual movements on and around a vertical bar, portraying power, strength, flexibility, creativity and technical skill

5. what is in the future of the pole

The sky is the limit let’s not lose sight of all the greats who stood up in the beginning treading new ground and still continue to do so 10 years on

The Passion for the pole is still very much there for me as I am sure for many other thousands of people across the globe who have joined the sport since

Let’s continue to work together for a force for good

Lead not destroy but let’s work together in harmony for a healthier and happier future for pole fitness and freedom of choice.

Kay Penney

Founder Pole Passion Ltd 2003 Parties lessons and workshops and government backed and accredited Pole fitness Instructor training

www.polepassion.com

Miss Pole Dance UK 2004 National competitions and master classes

www.misspoledance-uk.com

Mr Pole fitness 2009 National competitions and master classes for men

www.mrpolefitness.com

World Pole Dance 2009 international competitions and master classes global networking opportunities

www.worldpoledance.com

Co creator of Rpole 2005 Portable light weight pole equipment

www.r-polefitness.com

The Portable Free Standing Rpole - History of Pole Fitness & Dance Pole

The portable free standing Rpole



The history, the reasons why the pole was created

In 2005 pole fitness was now borne and thriving, my fitness programmes were in development, documented and student registration was on the increase, but something was missing………………. It was a pole that could be put up with ease, that I indeed felt safe on and one where I would feel sexy on too.
Without breaking a nail in the process without breaking out in a sweat whilst trying to erect the darn thing without fighting with spanners and step ladder or falling off a metallic podium whilst clonking my heels .

It was a vision to create a pole similar to that of a step that I often used for my fitness regime – maybe even a portable gym could be created on and around the design?

We (my husband Steve Penney and I) spend many hours exploring our creative ideas with passion and determination with a view of, if people can fly to the moon we can create a free standing pole with no ceiling or ground fixtures that would balance, be safe, yet light enough to be transported by the female instructor without injuring their back or straining a muscle before their teaching, with no tools, no manly mechanics, but pure elegance, sleekness.

I have never been so excited to see the boss (the central component) in manufacturer. For the first time in my life I could see how people are passionate about metal work!!
Our UK manufactured pole was a reality after hours of prototyping. - One of our first expeditions being explored by the worlds greatest at the inaugural World Pole Dance championships in Jamaica in 2009 of Felix Cane - Australia, Pantera Blacksmith USA , Alesia Vazmitsel UK, Tammy Morris Canada, Tracey Simmonds UK, Deb Riley UK to name a few.

Never had a free standing pole - flush to the floor without a stage or podium been developed and what’s more endorsed internationally.

It was actually a mistake our pole was always going to be a 50mm diameter (most popularly used here in the UK) but on the morning of the launch the pole (or boss) maybe had swollen during the international travel to Jamaica maybe it was the humidity!! But later learnt there is a difference between a 2inch and 50mm diameter (technical manly details!! Who knows ) however we had no choice but to use the 38mm as our demo model as the 50mm did not fit!

It was immediately loved by all, finding tricks more easily to execute with the smaller, more comfortable and secure hand grip – a revolution was identified

That was nearly 2 and half years ago and with continual progressions and development 24/7 the Rpole play is now the most light weight and portable pole on the market IN THE WORLD allowing all polers to pole where ever they want, whenever they want, however they want , challenging themselves to the extreme, developing core strength to its maximum with the slight movements challenging the inner core muscles more, just like Kat from Nottingham UK did here when she decided to climb up Ben Nevis, this summer, the highest mountain in the UK, with her Rpole play securely strapped to her back all the way – she even managed to do a short demo at the top much to the humour and amazement of fellow climbers!!

Im happy to share this clip with you – Kat my new friend and new inspiration into my pole world (now in my 10th year) will be developing new innovative ideas for the pole and our government approved REP’s accredited instructor training – that is one thing I love about poling you meet amazing people, seemingly from nowhere, every week of your life.

Kat being into extreme sports is not your stereo typical pole dancer, she is in fact a university lecturer, a doctor of psychology PhD – not your normal lecturer either!!

LIVE LOVE POLE www.r-polefitness.com co inventor of the portable most light weight pole in the world
www.polepassion.com www.worldpoledance.com www.misspoledance-uk.com


Kay Penney xx

Pole Passion Fitness / Passion Fitness Sussex Based training provider

Pole Passion Fitness – The History

• Pole Passion Ltd, Sussex based training provider company, founded in 2000 by Kay Penney, fitness professional and health and beauty therapist with over 20 years within the fitness industry. The company went Limited in 2005 as a recognition of professionalism. Pole Passion is primarily a health & fitness company mainly for women, although in the last 2 to 3 years more and more males have been attracted to our teachings
• Currently the Fitness Classes are inspired by fitness and dance movements from other genres and that of exotic and sensual dance moves, innovating and continually developing new forms of fitness for every day women
• Our main aim being providing FUN, different & exciting new ways to keep fit for the modern woman
• Statistics have shown that gym memberships are declining and that customers are looking for different style of motivation and classes

In 2003 there were but a handful of companies offering Pole fitness lessons and parties on and around a vertical bar – the pole. Pole Passion was one of those first companies in the world to offer classes for everyone despite their religion, fitness ability, body size or shape who were willing to supporting their motto:-

Empowerment, confidence, fitness & FUN!

In 2007 it was calculated that there were an astonishing 250 independent Pole schools in the UK and the number is still rising.

In 2007 Pole Passion created and wrote two REP’s accredited Instructor training programs for all qualified fitness professionals, being awarded the highest number of REP’s points ever for fitness certifications, supported by the government funded Skills Active program, in a quest to get Pole Fitness Qualified and recognised as a viable and socially acceptable form of fitness.

Tainted by it’s origins of gentleman’s clubs where ladies would do ‘lap dancing and striptease’ for money. Pole fitness now has its own recognition and identity with more formal gymnastics and flexibility and strength training programmes it is now supported by many local, national and international governments embracing the pole fitness classes in all areas of the world and across the UK.
These gyms include recognised names such as LA Fitness, Nuffield Health and Well Being & Cannons.

• Health & Safety considerations are paramount with our lessons and course delivery - all lessons have risk assessments on equipment

All their classes and content have a safety certificate confirming all classes comply with current health and safety standard with regards to Bio Mechanical & Musculo skeletal principal’s from one of the UK’s top accredited osteopath’s Steve Deadman.

Supporting the Pole Fitness classes Kay Penney created competitions as a place to advertise the techniques on a massive scale - Miss Pole Dance UK in 2005 introducing the first synchronised doubles category in 2007 - Pole fitness competition for ladies across the UK
World Pole Sport & Fitness competition was created in 2009 creating the first networking convention for pole enthusiasts across the world.

Creating the pole fitness Code of Pole Practice in 2006 was about setting professional standards and professional ethics. Creating a sound and ethical basis to demonstrate our athletic art without the fear of being wrongly judged.



My name is Kay Penney and I begun the foundations of Pole Passion (UK) back in the year 2000 soon after the birth of my third child, lost in the hum drum of my busy motherhood I had lost who I was. As a qualified health and beauty expert and therapist and qualified fitness professional and being within the fitness industry now for nearly 20 years I soon became committed to solely practice and innovate the art of pole here in the UK (I had got the bug from the very first time I touched the pole) With no where to learn other than gentleman clubs, at that time, my quest was to remove and expose the art of pole for all to see, without the fear of being wrongly judged. Due to the rapid expansion of my teachings, my business partner and I decided to take the company Limited in 2005.

In 2006 I was devastatingly diagnosed with cancer and immersed myself further in my own well-being and decided to take the techniques of pole, directly and indirectly helping us all through a very difficult and challenging time. Since that life changing experience I deciding to document everything (mainly through fear of not being a live to see my dream and reality coming true:- the dream of creating techniques that would be available to all without having to train behind closed doors as I did in the beginning for the fear of being wrongly judged – judged as a prostitute or easy person!! Giving sex to anyone who thought that’s what I was portraying.

From our teachings, we created pole parties, from pole parties we innovated pole fitness lessons, from pole fitness lessons we pioneered two accredited pole instructor training packages to coincide with our existing programmes– recognised as the highest awards within the UK fitness industry written in conjunction with the exercise to music qualifications (launched in July 2008). Attracting fitness and dance enthusiast across the world, so far from many parts of Europe, Brazil, Hungry, Portugal, America and all across the UK and Ireland and still continue to do this on a monthly basis.
We are also proud to own and operate, with our supporters, the most successful and largest pole competition within the UK, Miss Pole Dance UK (professional) now in its 7 successive year and believe these competitions have been very instrumental in educating the general public to change their perception of Pole technique and offering professional recognition for the athletes invloved. Innovating and introducing the pole synchronised doubles category in 2007. Owning and operating since 2007 Miss Pole Dance amateur competition too, for those individuals new to pole technique who predominately train in gym environments. Following on in 2009 introducing Mr Pole Fitness UK allowing for the first time a place for men to show their power around the pole too in a safe and non-judgemental and supportive environment.

Owing and operating World Pole Sport & Fitness competition was also a massive milestone for the history of the sport - introducing a networking opportunity and week long event to all countries to share and develop predominately pole techniques with each other, culminating in a competition, show case style to wow audiences from around the world, in an exotic exiting and suppportive environment. The venue, not being our preferred first choice as it still had links with sexual connotations of supporting Playboy and swingers holidays we focused more on the fact the resort also offered golfing weeks and tennis tournaments! So oftern forgotten about when mentioned the word Hedonism Jamaica!!, however as our first year we decided to take advantage of the resorts kind offer to support our ideas, again being supported with open minded risk taking people it worked. Our similarities that we both are about pushing the boundaries and innovating something new fun and exciting without the fear of being wrongly judged! We reiterate that our focuses are on professionalism, maintaining ethical and healthy standards which we have built up for many years, supported by strict rules and regulations and the supportive fitness environment they had on resort, and their element of fun supported our ethos too.

We currently support international Master Trainers and have created Master Class training here within the UK beginning with Pole Ikon Pantera from the USA, where upon our initial meeting with Pantera back in 2005 at the World finals in Amsterdam where I was an invited international judge. Pantera has now not only become an icon here within the UK but we are pleased to announce our personal friendship has reached a new level – I so wish she would stop calling me mum though!! (big sister please)
We have also revolutionised the pole fitness industry by innovated the first portable free standing pole with no ceiling fixtures exclusively designed for the gym (and home) environment, without a stage or platform and integrating a mat flooring, which we believe will unlock the teaching in gym environments, which subsequently and in time has become available for all ages.

we understand that networking and continual professional development is important, especially in a growing innovative sport and community and currently we support and promote this within our company structure and set up. I am currently studying A1 standard for assessment planning, judgement of evidence and candidate feedback for the National Vocational Qualification assessment process specific to pole techniques.

I’m using the information to continue to create more processional standards which will in turn help create more credibility for the pole community as a whole, creating further opportunities and avenues to share my knowledge.
I am also a member of Equity union, membership number M00281529
I am a qualified fitness professional and member of the UK Register of Fitness Professionals membership number R0026490
Member of the Fitness Industry Association

Our company is about educating, training safely and effectively, for all levels of participants, not forgetting the fun, fitness and performance elements too, all in an non-judgemental atmosphere.


Our motto being Empowerment confidence fitness & FUN!