We don't have to take our clothes off, to have a good time...oh no! (Ioisis Pole and Aerial Dance (Liverpool))

Member Name: angel_at_birth

Product:	Ioisis Pole and Aerial Dance (Liverpool)
Date:	19/05/09 (172 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good value for money, great fun and more exciting than a trip to the gym!

Disadvantages: It is HARD work! You will ache the next day!

Say the words 'pole dancing' and most people will have the same sleazy picture in their heads, but times are changing ladies and gentlemen! Pole dancing is becoming a more widely accepted form of dance and fitness and at Ioisis Pole and Aerial Dance there are no sleazy punters and not a stripper shoe in sight...
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The Venue

Ioisis has recently relocated into the top floor of a beautifully restored grade II listed building near the dock area of Liverpool. The building is safe and secure, and houses other business ventures including music rehearsal spaces and an extremely chilled out tea shop on the ground floor. It is easily accessible from the city centre and within walking distance from all the major bus routes.

Ioisis occupies the entire top floor and feels light, airy and spacious. The space is split into four rooms; a small reception area, a private teaching area complete with four poles and windows with views over the river and two large dance studios - one complete with trapeze, silks and aerial hoops and one with around ten dance poles. There will be shower and changing facilities available soon.
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The Classes

As it's name suggests Ioisis provides facilities and teaching in two main areas; aerial dance and pole dance. Aerial instruction takes place on a regular basis for groups of up to four people - any more would feel crowded. Participants learn the basics of aerial movement and have the opportunity to work on the trapeze, silks, and hoops.

The main star of Ioisis however is its pole dancing classes, which come in a variety of different formats; 1 hour long group classes available in five difficulty levels at £5 a session, 8 week courses for a more structured learning experience and private tuition at a slightly higher price for those more serious about their pole dancing. All the poles are 'X-poles' one of the biggest and most trusted pole brands around, are a mixture of chrome, steel and titanium and are over 3 metres high which allows more advanced tricks and inverts.

They also host other alternative dance classes including belly dancing, adult ballet classes and yoga and also offer a juggling club in association with got?poi which incorporates juggling, Diablo, hula hoop and stilt walking!
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My experience

I have been going to Ioisis Pole and Aerial Dance since early February this year and I have to admit that I was a bit dubious at first! After all, it's not every day that your best friend turns around and asks if you'll go pole dancing with her! However, I now attend at least one class a week and I absolutely love it! The school has been running for 5 years which makes it one of the most established pole schools in the country, and the girls who run it are amazing! They are friendly, experienced and brilliant teachers, and really make the moves look easy (they're not!)

The classes are a great laugh, and I have never once felt self conscious dancing around a pole in teeny tiny shorts (necessary for grip!) because everyone is so welcoming and there are girls of all shapes and sizes! The classes run in pretty much the same format every week, a thorough warm up and then everyone working on a variation of the same moves, varying the difficult to suit their ability and ending with a routine that is built upon on every week. The atmosphere is great, really energetic and the sense of achievement you get when you successfully complete a new move is amazing! People may turn their nose up at pole dancers, but the strength, muscle control and agility needed for the trickier inverts (upside down moves) and spins is remarkable! You will ache in muscles you never knew you had the next day!
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Conclusion

There is nothing sleazy or seedy about Ioisis Pole and Aerial Dance. It is a well run dance school, specialising in one of the harder and most misunderstood forms of dance. Suitable for girls (and guys!) of all ages, sizes and fitness levels it is a fun and different way to get fit! This isn't just for people who want to work in pole dancing clubs, although they do offer a one to one training service for this purpose, it's for people like you and me who want to get a bit of exercise, have a bit of a laugh and who are bored sick of the gym! If you choose to sex it up, that's completely up to you!

I would whole heartedly recommend pole dancing as a form of fitness and especially the Ioisis school in Liverpool. Come on ladies! Bring some short shorts, a good sense of humour and lets get stuck in!

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Ioisis also offers Pole Parties for Hen parties, birthday parties and any other occasion.
For more information, visit their website at www.ioisis-poledance.co.uk

Summary: A great way to keep fit and a definate conversation starter...'hi, i can pole dance...'