Pole dancing has become one of the hottest fitness trends, and when you watch Kona resident Almitra Karastan perform, you’ll understand why. Pole dance is an art form that combines flexibility, control and grace. Pole dancing has come a long way from its humble beginnings in India and China in the 12th century. Once associated with strip clubs, today it’s becoming a respected performance art that requires strenuous, but fun training for those looking for something more expressive and challenging than a gym workout.
Almitra Karastan opened Big Island Pole Studio in 2014 in the Old Industrial Area of Kailua-Kona. She talks about how her dream of having her own studio came to life.
“I started training on pole for fitness and art,” said Karastan. “I didn’t really have a place to train — my pole was in my car port. I started noticing results in my body in terms of strength and flexibility, and started doing moves that I never thought I could do. I started to daydream about pole tricks and pole moves at work, and thought if there was a way I could make a living doing this, it would be my dream. I needed to find a way to make that happen because the daydreaming wasn’t stopping, it was just getting more intense.”
Pole dancing not only increases physical strength, but emotional confidence, as well. Through intense resistance training, women learn how to hold and control their own body weight in the air. Society traditionally encourages girls to believe they’re not supposed to be strong. However, we now know that women who are confident and strong are more successful in all aspects of their lives, and are also better able to defend themselves in threatening situations.
“My goal is to share with women the state of zen and grace of their own power,” said Karastan. “I show them that they can be strong and vulnerable at the same time. Their confidence level increases the first week and they feel good in their bodies. Their muscles start to feel tighter and their relationships start to change — with themselves and everybody around them. I teach them that by having boundaries, by being strong on the inside, they can afford to be soft and open on the outside. Everything we practice in pole can be practiced in everyday life. Women tap into their divine feminine energy, and their strength, and they can take that out into the world.”
Pole dancing has a positive impact on one’s body image, also. It takes the focus away from what your body looks like, to what it can do, which is much healthier, both physically and emotionally. Pole dancing has taken a huge leap out of the strip clubs and has become both athletic and artistic. It’s even being considered as a future Olympic sport for the serious athletes who perform death-defying tricks and display unmatched muscular strength.
Regardless of age, most pole dancers are in the best shape of their lives. It’s a full-body workout that combines both cardio and resistance training and increased flexibility. Greta Pontarelli is a champion pole dancer at age 63, and she only started training a few years ago.
“I teach women between the ages of 18 to well into their 50s,” said Karastan. “The first day of class, most of the students are a little intimidated and shy, and it shows in their bodies and in their faces. My beginner class is designed for someone who has never worked out a day in their life or who does cross-fit every day. They’re both going to be at the same level because this is a specific type of strength. I create a safe environment, and the moves are neutral. The goal is not to be sexy, the goal is to feel good, whatever that means to you.”
The next four-week class series begins the first week of September and meets three times per week at noon or 6 p.m. There are three levels in beginning pole and three levels in intermediate pole. For more information, visit www.bigislandpolestudio.net or call 238-9489.