Teddy Pike, Flatlined Scorpio, Extended Brass Monkey… No, these are not species of animals, but the names of pole dance moves. Eunice tells us how someone with two left feet like her landed a full-time job as a pole instructor.
Teddy Pike, Flatlined Scorpio, Extended Brass Monkey… No, these are not species of animals, but the names of pole dance moves. Eunice tells us how someone with two left feet like her landed a full-time job as a pole instructor.
She sucked at dancing at first
“At 16, I went for my first dance class and sucked so bad at it. But I really loved it, even though it was so difficult for me. I was very shy and self-conscious, but I went alone anyway. I wanted to do it so badly, so I reassured myself by saying, ‘You know what? Nobody knows me.’”
She came across pole dancing by accident
“I picked up pole dance from an exotic dance studio I was studying at. At that time, it was very niche – no one was really doing it. But my instructor wanted to bring pole dancing into Singapore and that’s how I learnt – through peer influence! I’ve always been very active and curious, so I naturally just picked it up and started mucking around on the pole.”
Please, it’s not sleazy
“The thing about pole dancing in Singapore is that there are no strip clubs here, unlike the US or Australia, where it’s still very much a taboo. Over here, even if people do podium dancing, no one is going to assume that you’re going to be taking off your clothes or do a strip routine. These days, it’s about fitness more than anything else.”
The most challenging part of her job
“It’s the constant need to upgrade myself. You have to do that with most jobs, but for us instructors, it takes a lot of discipline and commitment. I can’t just take a course and get a certification. It’s all in the hours, effort and time that I have to put in to improve my techniques and moves. In 2014, I went to a circus school in New York for a month to learn some new moves!”
Her worst injury
“It was a disc bulge. Bruises and sore muscles are a constant in our line of work, but this one was bad. It was pressing against my nerves and it was so painful that I could not sit or sleep. I constantly had to be in this brace to keep my back straight. It took about five months before I fully recovered.”
How she became a pole dancing teacher
“I started pole dancing when I was 20, and teaching when I was 22 – only after I got serious about it as a craft! No one usually thinks of being a teacher right from the start. It’s only when they’ve practised it for a couple of years and then realise that they could actually impart their skills. Technique is important, of course, but if I were responsible for picking instructors, the first thing I would look at is how passionate they are about the art. That passion is what drives you in the long run.”
CAREER EXPERIENCE
2003 Started learning exotic dance.
2004 Picked up pole dancing.
2006 Became a part-time pole dancing instructor.
2008 - Today Taught pole dancing full-time and picked up aerial.
2014 Went to a circus school in New York for an intensive pole dancing training program.
