Alternative fitness classes top the poles (From Streatham Guardian)

Alternative fitness classes top the poles

2:00pm Saturday 18th October 2008

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Forget slogging it out at the gym after work.

Pole, burlesque and cancan dancing are the latest crazes causing a stir and helping business boom for one Lambeth-based alternative fitness company.

Frank Cooper, 35, of Tooting, and his business partner Heath Gardener, 37, of Brixton, started their company List Of Life in 2001.

Originally the company inhabited a bedroom in Mr Gardener's house in Leander Road. But after two years running corporate events and parties, they realised that their pole dancing lessons, which took place before their parties, were by far the most popular events.

And so the duo launched Polestars, offering pole dancing classes for fitness and parties in 2003.

Within a year Polestars, based in Effra Road, offered classes in four different cities and a year after that it had expanded to 13 different cities in the UK and had a franchise in Australia.

Mr Cooper said: "Pole dancing really took off as a way of keeping fit. Even Kate Moss use to do it. It is still popular now. I'd say we do about 50 per cent lessons and 50 per cent hen nights and parties."

The classes are open to women of 18 and upwards and, according to Mr Cooper, are particularly popular with office workers.

Since 2006 Polestars has run burlesque classes that offered something different from the acrobatics of pole dancing. Mr Cooper, said: "Pole dancing has maintained it's popularity but I expect burlesque will have taken over as the most popular activity within the next six months.

"The moves in pole dancing are quite technical. The advantage to burlesque is it is more about learning to project yourself sexually."

He added: "The new thing is cancan dancing. Polestar recently introduced the new classes which were a big hit, especially at hen nights."

For more information on Polestars, visit its new website, polestars.net or call 020 7274 4865.

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