Pole dance: how to choose a school and what to bring to your first class

The styles

• Pole fitness or pole sport: strength, acrobatics, figures and inversions. Trained barefoot or in trainers, without sensuality. It is what you see in competitions.
• Exotic pole: dancing in high heels, fluidity, floor work, sensuality. It comes from the club tradition and is today a discipline in its own right.
• Pole art and flow: the artistic side, with choreography and music.

Most schools teach all three; some specialise. A Pompadourette, in Lisbon, is the pioneering school (2009) and joins sensuality to acrobatics; Pole Temple Studio and Pole Dance Portugal are more athletic; La Bunda, in Porto, mixes acrobatic, sensual and somatic.

What it costs

A drop-in class between 12 and 20 euros; a pack of 4 classes a month between 45 and 70; unlimited monthly between 60 and 100. Many schools offer the first class or an introductory workshop free. Open training (open pole) costs less and is for practising.

How to choose

Look at the ratio: at most two people per pole, ideally one. Ask about the instructors' training (X-Pole, elevatED, PDC certifications). See whether there are well-defined levels, from intro to advanced, and whether the school runs flexibility and conditioning classes. Go to the trial class before buying a pack. The schools page lists those with a public address in Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, the Algarve and the suburbs.

The first class

Wear short shorts and a top: skin is what grips the pole. No creams or oils that day. Bring water and a small towel. The class has a warm-up, three or four basic figures (spin, fireman, sit), conditioning and stretching. Does it hurt? A little, on the hands and skin; it passes in two weeks. Bruises on the legs are normal in the first month.

For men

Schools are mixed; some studios have classes with many men and male instructors (Pole Temple Studio was founded by Hugo Matos). Ask.