Juggling full-time work plus hours of training each week is no easy feat for pole dancer Angela Campbell, but she does it all for the love of the performance.
The local athlete recently competed at the Queensland Pole Championships in Brisbane and said it was an experience she wouldn't soon forget.
“Although I didn't place, the talent is amazing and I consider myself very lucky to be able to compete and share the stage with the other competitors,” she said.
“There were 11 other amateur competitors for the whole of Queensland and I think it's a huge accomplishment to be a part of that and have the opportunity to perform on that stage.”
Angela said she started pole dancing more than four years ago after witnessing how it had positively affected people she knew.
“I decided to start pole dancing when I saw a couple of friends were doing it and their pictures were beautiful,” she said.
“I thought that because I did gymnastics as a kid I would be able to easily pick it up and I wouldn't worry about classes, so I bought myself a pole to have at home.”
Angela said she was only two seconds in when she realised she would definitely need lessons.
“That was four and a half years ago and I feel like I am still at the beginning of the things I can achieve,” she said.
The local dancer will soon be off again to compete in the regional Queensland pole championships at Rockhampton and she hoped her training would pay off.
“I train for around seven hours each week,” she said.
“I work full time so training is before and after work which has been harder when the weather gets colder.
“Training consists of pole training, strength training and flexibility training.”
Angela said pole dancing was a great form of exercise and she had noticed many changes in her body and her confidence since beginning the sport.
“Strength is definitely something but also a drive to want to train as much as possible, gaining confidence, and being able to make so many new friends,” she said.
“The pole community or ‘pole family' is not like any other group of people. You can meet someone backstage at one competition, or even at the studio, and become great friends in a matter of minutes.
“Everyone is so uplifting and positive to each other, it is great to be a part of.”
Angela said while learning new routines might be daunting for some, pole dancing was actually a sport for all fitness types.
“Pole dancing definitely changes your body, but you don't need to be strong, fit, or flexible to start classes, you learn all of that as you progress through the levels. Pole dancing is for everybody,” she said.
“I am trained by Debbie Phillips and my training studio is Bella Bliss Studios Bundaberg.
“There are classes for every level in pole dancing, as well as aerial silks and lyra, flexibility and strength classes.”
Pole dancer has passion for sport
Angela said pole dancing was a huge part of her life.
“I think about it all the time, I can't listen to music without dreaming up routines,” she said.
“There is no better feeling than accomplishing a new move, or a new combination of moves.
“Every single part of pole dancing takes a lot of time and effort to achieve. There is so many different elements to it which are hard to appreciate unless you have tried it for yourself.”
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