When people ask me what I do there is no simple answer. I can’t simply say…”I’m an accountant” or “I’m a flight attendant”. No, I do something so…out there, so beautiful, so special and so unique that I usually cut myself off and answer the what-do-you-do question with, “Well, I teach dance” or “women’s fitness”. And if they really press me, I’ll say “I teach pole dancing”. That answer either freaks people out (like, they want to pray for me), they think it’s super cool (kind-of. but-please-don’t-make-me-try-it) or they’ve heard of it (on the shows of Oprah, Martha Stewart, or Ellen) and want to try it, but (insert reason why they can’t here).
But I’ve been lying. I don’t teach pole dancing.
Sure, I do teach a class in which there are vertical ballet barres around which we fly and up which we climb. I admit, there are poles involved and they are fun, but please…don’t put what I do in a box and call it pole dancing. That makes me sound like maybe I strip for a living, or I teach women to “act sexy”, or to shake their behinds for the pleasure of a male. But that’s not what I do. Oh no. And while not that many people who haven’t already tried one of my classes will sit still and really listen and learn about what I do, the time has come for me to write about it here, where, maybe, somebody will be interested to read and learn.
This past weekend we had our first ever S Factor retreat in San Diego. And boy was it amazing. Like, can’t-put-it-into-words amazing. And beautiful. Yes, so beautiful it hurt a little bit. Like a famous painting you witness in the museum in all it’s beautiful grandness. And one of our retreat attendees wrote about it on her blog. Dr. Lissa Rankin, practicing gynecologist and author of the book What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Were Your Best Friend, wrote about it perfectly.
So if you really want to begin understanding what I do, click right here to read about it.
No, I don’t teach pole dancing. I teach S Factor.
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I love this post so much Ali. Bravo to you. Now, I need to figure out a time to come and take a class from you. I’ve been thinking about it and not acting on it for far too long.
Oh, I love this post. I HATED getting that question when I taught for S Factor. Can’t wait until I’m healed enough to go back and take class again…and who knows…maybe Houston needs a new teacher? 🙂
P.S.-LOVE THAT PICTURE!!!!!