Like a Hurricane: CLEO

Pole Dancing is much more than a brass rail a stripper or exotic dancer spins around to earn her cash. It is a bona fide sport, combining strength training, flexibility, competition and self esteem building. Literally where sexy and sport collide!  From the outside looking in it appears to be a lot of fun and an unconventional way to get fit as well as tap into your sensual side. It makes me sad, like many other things in life the HERD (a.k.a. general population) has attached a trashy stigma to the pole.  Like a Hurricane, CLEO is changing all of that, one ROCKIN routine at a time. 

Her amazing body is a true testament to the fitness aspect of pole training. She has been rocking the pole since 2007!

Cleo the Hurricane hails from Melbourne Australia and rocks the pole like no other; currently holding the title of Miss Pole Dance Champion 2012. She teaches pole fitness internationally with her home base in Sydney and is a professional pole performer.

She combines acrobatics, art, dance and a hard rock edge to create stellar performance which make jaws drop all over the globe. Check her tour schedule HERE 

Cleo also recently released a fitness DVD designed to target core strength and flexibility: ROCKIN LEGS & ABS No pole required ladies. I am EXCITED to give it a try and honestly I feel inspired. 

Stay tuned for my review!

I had the pleasure of chatting with Cleo recently.

LISA: How were you attracted to the pole? How did you start?

CLEO: I have always done some sort of dancing/exercise from Ballet in my early years to Capoeira in my 20's then I was getting close to 30 and I wanted to try something new and exciting and of course Pole Dancing was it. I fell in love with the heels, the sexy movements, the creative aspect to it, the feeling it gave me and of course the fact that it was a challenge!

*Capoeria is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance and music

LISA: Explain the way you see pole dancing / pole fitness

CLEO: I see pole dancing more of an art form. I guess it can be considered as a sport because it is competitive. But I love the more artistic and sexy side of pole, makes it really unique and appealing to me. I guess pole dancers who want it to be mainstream and not taboo try to push the whole sport element so it is more accepted.

LISA: What do you feel that pole training can do for a woman (besides the obvious fitness benefits)

CLEO: One of the biggest benefits of pole dancing is what it does for a woman's self esteem. It makes you feel sexy, it's empowering, gives you strength not only in body but in mind. It really has changed my life, as well as women around the world. They say stilettos are a symbol of power!!!

LISA:  Is pole for everyone? Explain the diversity

CLEO: I think pole can be for everyone! But many people will never try it because of the stigma attached to it.  But for the open minded men and women that do try it most of them get hooked straight away! Obviously it's a women dominated sport/art form, however in recent years it's become more popular with the boys but their style is mostly influenced by Chinese Pole. As for us girls, you see a wide range of different styles/studios etc. There's the sexy side of pole, then there's the more gymnastic/acrobatic, then you have more artistic.

LISA:  What is your ULTIMATE fitness tips/advice for my readers?

CLEO: EAT HEALTHY, lots of protein, vegetables, water! Train safely a few times a week, including strength and flexibility training. Find something that you get obsessed with and you will love every minute of training.. did i mention pole is addictive??

I for one am EXCITED to give the pole a second look as a part of my fitness routine.

Would YOU ROCK THE POLE??