To the uninitiated, the world of pole and aerial can seem daunting, considering the sheer range of genres within these art and sport forms. Watching professionals at their craft is awe-inspiring, and can admittedly, look like an impossible feat to the layperson. We won’t sugarcoat it, the learning curve can be steep. But we all have to start somewhere, and despite how it appears, pole and aerial can offer a fun and fulfilling workout to anybody, regardless of your fitness level or dance experience.
Both pole and aerial impart great benefits beyond just burning calories, (though they definitely do) and can make it easier to commit to exercising regularly, especially if you tend to find more traditional gym workouts tedious and repetitive. The logic and coordination behind each move offers mental stimulation absent from some other forms of exercise, staving off boredom and keeping your mind sharp. Because they engage your entire body, pole and aerial can significantly improve your muscle tone and core strength, as well as train your coordination, flexibility and balance. Beyond the physical gains, there’s also the innate highs of a self-esteem boost and feeling more comfortable and empowered in your own skin.
Unsure of where to begin? We’ll break it down for you. Like its name suggests, pole dance combines dance and acrobatics centred around a vertical pole that can be static or spinning. Its modern iteration was popularised in 1920s America by exotic dancers and strippers, whose athleticism and skill inspired its more recent shift into a form of sport and musical expression. Most pole studios in Singapore offer progressive classes, which teach you everything from how to walk and spin around the pole, to the basics of tricks like mounts and inverts. Those who enjoy the thrill and challenge of acrobatics can progress to trick-focused classes, where you can pick up a range of impressive shapes. Others may want to explore the wide range of dance genres you can do with pole such as lyrical, contemporary and of course, the more sensual exotic pole.
Aerial arts, on the other hand, evolved from circus arts—think Cirque du Soliel—and encompasses a massive range of apparatus, the most common of which are hammock, silks and hoop. Hammock and silk are often regarded to be quite similar, but involve different methods of rigging and at times, materials of the fabrics used. These allow you to express unique shapes and movements by wrapping different parts of the body for support, though hammock is typically more beginner-friendly due to its stability. Meanwhile, aerial hoop, also known as lyra, utilises a circular steel hoop rigged to the ceiling to perform acrobatic poses and tricks. As with pole, most local aerial studios host classes that either focus only on acrobatics, or incorporate dance elements to a variety of music genres.
To help get you started on this alternative fitness journey, see Vogue’s list of pole and aerial studios in Singapore to try out.
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Mad Dance Studio
With three spacious studios, MAD Dance Studio is one of the leading pole and aerial schools in Singapore offering a comprehensive pole dance syllabus, as well as aerial hoop and hammock classes. In addition to regular classes led by its world-class team of instructors, MAD is also frequently joined by top dancers and choreographers from around the world for guest terms and workshops.
MAD Dance Studio, 144 Robinson Road, #10-01, Singapore 068908
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Fable Dance Co.
One of the newer studios to join the fray in Singapore, Fable believes in the art of dance as a form of storytelling. Offering training in pole dance, hammock and hoop, their lessons feature captivating choreographies concocted and taught by respected veteran dancers and aerialists in the community.
Fable Dance Co., 83 Clemenceau Ave, #01-32/33/34 UE Square, Singapore 239920
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Milan Pole Dance
Operating across Milan, Montreal and Singapore, Milan Pole Dance is an international brand that boasts a diverse variety of both pole and aerial classes (hammock, silks and hoop), as well as flexibility and conditioning sessions to support your progress. Led by a talented team of instructors who have performed and competed across the globe, their focus is on creating a safe and inclusive environment for people of all ages, genders and fitness levels to dance, play and express themselves.
Milan Pole Dance, 31B Keong Saik Road, #03-01, S089138 / 18 Teck Lim Road, #03-01, S088390 / 1 Pasir Ris Close, #05-102, S519599
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Movement Studio
Focused on creating an inclusive environment committed to the joy of movement, Movement Studio is a teaching studio and practice space providing classes in pole dance, hammock, silks and hoop. In addition to their apparatus-focused lessons, they also offer lyrical dance classes for those seeking to explore and express their musicality.
Movement Studio, 138 Robinson Road #09-04, Singapore 068906
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Diva Pole Academy
Those looking to explore dance genres will particularly enjoy classes at Diva Pole Academy, which offers a wide variety of choreography-heavy courses like exotic, lyrical and mandopole on top of its progressive term classes. To help you increase flexibility, as well as unwind and stretch after a good pole session, they also hold yoga and conditioning classes.
Diva Pole Academy, 6A Shenton Way, #B1-01/02 OUE Downtown Gallery, Singapore 068815
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Aerial Arts Collective
Born out of an aerial silks performer’s desire for a space to practice and play, Aerial Arts Collective is a studio located in Tanjong Pagar dedicated to encouraging aerialists of all skill levels to safely learn and discover new sides to their creative artistry. Led by a small team of instructors, the studio is equipped with hammocks, silks and hoops to explore.
Aerial Arts Collective, 12 Gopeng Street, Icon Village, #01-56, Singapore 078877
