By Antoinette Giblin

Galway women are trading running shoes and leotards for metal poles and hot pants as part of the city’s latest fitness craze.

The growing popularity of pole dancing fitness classes has hauled the activity out of the seedy underworld of exotic dance clubs and into some of the most reputable gyms in Galway.

Victoria Terry is one of the first pole dancing instructors in Galway and can proudly claim responsibility for portraying the dance style in a different light. She first encountered the raunchy art form back in 2005.

“About five years ago, I was at an Ann Summers party back in England where I’m from and a few of us decided to go to a pole fitness class just for a giggle. Then I was hooked. I bought a pole a week later and never looked back,” she recalls.

“Maybe you do feel a little bit risqué because you know it’s not the normal aerobics that your mum would do. But I think, also, you realise how physical it is and how challenging it can be. You get to feel sexy and feel good about yourself too.”

The classes have been running in Galway for nearly a year now and have attracted women of a variety of ages, many of whom have since decided to invest in their own poles. “There are a few places in Galway that sell them or you can buy them on the internet. It’s usually around €200 for a decent pole.

“I think it’s quite intriguing for some. I know a lot of my girls requested a pole for Christmas and I don’t think their boyfriends minded,” Victoria giggles.

For more on this story, see Page 28 of the Galway City Tribune