How dance studios are reshaping relationships and fitness

Studios continue to find success across Sydney. Picture: Google Maps

While most couples’ interests are poles apart, Misha and her husband, Sam, are getting down on the pole together in a growing movement pouring millions into the economy and the commerical property sector.

For the newlyweds, who tied the knot in August, their AUD $2500, 10-foot stainless steel pole is a pillar of their marriage.

The couple ditched the traditional first-dance waltz for saucy flips and splits on the polished pole, stunning their 150 wedding guests.

The 33-year-olds are part of a rising swarm of sweethearts trading pickleball, predictable movie dates and board game nights for pole dancing to keep their flames burning.

And it is a trend that is spearheading growth in Australia’s commercial property space thanks to the proliferation of adult dance studios rising to meet public demand.

From a taboo sport in the 1990s, pole dancing is now seen as a huge driver of fitness, with about 300 to 400 dedicated pole and aerial fitness studios operating across Australia.

Aerial dance studios and pole dancing studios are on the rise as more couples embrace the sport. Picture: Supplied

In fact, men just like Sam, a 6-foot-1, roughly 104kg hunk, are spinning circles around their wives and girlfriends on #PoleTok. It’s the sometimes-NSFW section of social media dominated by the 400,000 guys and gals of the discipline worldwide.

Some beneath the hashtag are shaking their moneymakers, well, for money — posting clips of their pole play in hopes of getting hired as in-person talent or driving new audiences to other platforms.

Others, like the unblushing bride and groom, revere pole dancing as an athletic art that strengthens their bodies and deepens their intimacy

“There’s a lot of stigma around pole dancing, some people might think, ‘Oh, that’s just for strippers,’” Misha, a finance pro, told The Post.

“Yes, it has sensual roots. But there’s so much athleticism that go into it. It’s a lot harder than it looks. We love it.”

Since posting their pole-dancing videos online, the duo has been hit with a barrage of nasty comments, from digs at Sam’s sexuality to sneers at their ‘weird’ and taboo antics.

But Misha and Sam, who chose to withhold their last name for privacy, aren’t phased by the flak.

Misha and Sam have embraced the sport for the good of their relationship. Picture: Supplied

“A lot of people think pole is just for women. It’s strange for them to see a guy do it, especially with his [female] partner,” said Sam, an engineer, who first suggested he and Misha give pole dancing a whirl in March. “I just don’t feed into the negativity.“

“There are times I have to hold all of Misha’s weight while we’re doing a move, or she may have to position herself in a certain way to accommodate me,” he added. “It’s like a metaphor for marriage.”

According to Pew Research, more than 60 per cent of married adults cite “shared interests” as key to a successful marriage.

Relationship therapist Cyndi Darnell told The Post that a strong connection is the “glue” that holds relationships together, praising physical activities like pole dancing for fostering “attunement” between partners.

“When engaging in a physical activity with another person, a co-regulation of nervous systems and heartbeats can occur, creating a sense of connection and communication that transcends words and conscious thought. That’s attunement,” said the expert.

“Through couples activities that require very close physical connection, you and your partner become one being during the exercise,” she continued.

Travis, a macho military man who pole dances alongside his wife, Laura, several times a week, agrees. The non-traditional twosome, from New Jersey, laud the sport as the cherry-on-top to their sweet 22-year union.

Travis and Laura have found huge benefits from joining the trend. Picture: Supplied

Travis encouraged Laura, 40, a nurse, to pursue the pole as a self-esteem booster in 2022, pointing her to Pole To Pole Fitness, with studios across NYC and NJ.

As many women often experience, changes to Laura’s physique left her feeling less than hot. But after pole reignited the bombshell’s confidence, she lassoed Travis into the risqué revelry, sparking his fire for the ankle hangs and pirouettes, too.

“It built my confidence. I started to get more comfortable and fell in love with the community, learning tricks and doing exercises that feel more like fun,” said Laura, who treats pole sessions with her not-so-shy guy “like a date night.”

Although admittedly “uncomfortable” at first, Travis, one in a handful of guys at the studio, credits pole with increasing his mobility, flexibility and agility, as well as his ability to remain in-sync with his significant other.

“We do dance lifts, mounts and dismounts on the same pole. I can pick her up and place her on the apparatuses or take her off of one pole and gracefully walk her over to another apparatuses,” said the ex-serviceman.