It may have its roots in strip clubs, but now pole dancing is fast becoming a popular form of exercise among women of all ages. Colette Warbrook meets three who've given it a whirl

IN RECENT years, pole dancing has been attracting a steady stream of women keen to improve their fitness, flexibility and have fun at the same time.

A handful of dance studios and gyms are now offering pole dancing alongside the more traditional aerobics and step classes.

For Deb Riley, aged 34, from Cheadle Road, Upper Tean, it's become her full time job, and she now holds the national title of Best Entertainer having taken part in the national Miss Pole Dance competition this year.

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Now at her Pole Queens studio in Market Street, Longton, she passes on her skills to new fans, and her husband Mark even describes her as a "pole geek".

But as dance styles go, it couldn't be more different from those of her childhood – one being most closely associated with church fetes, while the other originated in Canada's strip clubs during the 1980s.

"I've always loved dancing," she says.

"I did Morris Dancing when I was growing up before I got into backing dancing."

It was six years ago, while working as a backing dancer for a Britney Spears tribute act, that Deb's passion for pole dancing was born.

"I used to believe pole dancing was just about someone walking around a pole, looking sexy," she says.

"But there was a pole in the bar where we'd been backing dancing, so we just started prancing about on it and I saw someone do what I thought was a really cool move."

Intrigued, Deb set about finding out more, and it wasn't long before she'd bought her own pole on the internet.

"I found a site that sold removable poles," she says, "and I put it up at home then placed a few duvets on the floor, so I didn't hurt myself.

"Then, using pictures from the internet, I taught myself from scratch."

But what did her friends and family think of her new hobby?

"When I first told them," she remembers, "they went a bit quiet and looked a bit uncomfortable. But I explained what it was all about, and soon I had my mum swinging around."

Deb juggled her job as a backing dancer with a couple hours of pole dancing practice daily.

"I loved it because it was different," she says, "and it was just purely a hobby for me. I had no intention of ever teaching."

Meanwhile, having uploaded pictures onto her MySpace and Facebook pages, soon other people were seeing her advanced moves and asking her to reveal how she did them.

"In the end I decided I'd start teaching," she says.

"I locked myself away for ages, while I learned about the anatomy side and broke all my moves down, so I could then teach them safely and correctly."

Now Deb teaches pole dancing to people of various levels – from complete beginners to the very advanced.

"Pole dancing seems to have been accepted in the gyms now, which really helps," she says. "People used to frown upon it, saying: 'Oh, I bet it's really easy'. But I think they've realised what an art it actually is."

But, she warns, some of the positions can be risky and should be taught safely.

"Pole tricks are extremely dangerous if not taught correctly, and it's important to work on strengthening your body first.

"I teach very safely, and I've even designed a pole dance crash mat, which is important.

"But it's a brilliant way to tone up, especially for the upper body. It's a great workout and it's fun."