Cerca de 60 participantes de diversos países participaram no dia 17 de setembro de 2022, no Centro Cultural da Malaposta, em Olival Basto, no Campeonato de Pole Dance “PSO PORTUGAL”.

Pole Sport Organization (PSO), é uma organização internacional e é uma das maiores competições no mundo com mais de 20 competições anualmente nos EUA mas também na Europa e Ásia.
 
Organizado, pela primeira vez em Portugal, pela PSO com a coordenação local do estúdio Pole Heart, este campeonato internacional distingue-se pelo seu carácter inclusivo para atletas femininos e masculinos, dividindo-se por diferentes categorias individuais e em grupo como Championship, Artistic, Exotic, Freestyle e Showcase, e ainda divide-se por níveis (desde nível 1 a nível 5) e por faixas etárias a partir dos 18 anos (Junior, Senior, Master e Grand Master).

Portugal esteve representado com cinco atletas femininas que obtiveram excelentes resultados.

Do Pole Heart, três alunas representaram o estúdio na competição:
Audrey ficou em 2º lugar na Categoria Championship – Junior
Martina ficou em 1º lugar na Categoria Artistic – Senior 
Estella ficou em 1º lugar na Categoria Exotic – Senior
 
Este evento vive do apoio dos voluntários que têm diversas funções, desde pole cleaners à frente de sala (obrigada alunas do Pole Heart por terem sido excepcionais nas vossas funções), e do apoio do júris, que vieram de vários locais do país.

O ambiente que se cria nesta competição é incrível, de apoio por todos os competidores, pelo seu empenho e dedicação, dando o melhor em palco, expressando-se livremente da forma como quiserem, elevando o lado artístico e inclusivo do Pole Dance.

Uma boa organização, transparente e pronta a ajudar, faz com que este campeonato seja um sucesso a nível internacional e Portugal não foi excepção.

O sucesso do evento fará com que regresse no próximo ano e esperemos ter maior adesão portuguesa, em espírito de equipa e fair play!
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​Hi Natasha,

First of all, thank you for accepting this interview in celebration of Pole Heart 5th anniversary in September 2022.
 

♡ You don’t need to be presented to the Pole Dance community, but can you
introduce yourself to new students?       

I’ve been teaching pole for over 10 years, have judged virtually every pole fitness/pole art competition in the world, used to compete (a lot) back in the day and have won a few titles, like IPC Champion, US Pole Dance Champion, and others. I started pole at around 30 with no background in dance, gymnastics or movement and plan to be pole dancing to my grave. 
I instruct in-person workshops around the world – including at Pole Heart – and still love teaching virtual classes. Last year during the pandemic, I launched an on-demand platform called Poletica Movement to help pole dancers unlock their power through movement they love. 



♡ How and when did you start your journey in Pole Dance?

I started pole dancing at around 30 years old. I used to be very exercise-averse. I hated the gym, tried yoga and was bored to tears (I’ve since fallen in love with it), and was traumatised by running because my high school volleyball coach forced us to sprint in 100 degrees F (about 38 C!). From the age of 17-30 the only exercise I got was dancing at raves on the weekends.
Something happens when you near decade markers in age. So when I turned 30, I promised myself I’d get off the couch, spend less time at my desk (I used to work in PR) and quit smoking and partying excessively. 
I signed up for an intro pole class and didn’t hate it like other forms of exercise. But I didn’t love it either! Eventually the movement, which had initially felt so foreign and challenging, developed into something I loved and couldn’t live without, like air. 


 
♡ How Pole Dance changed your life?

Pole made me fall in love with my body, and to treat her like the queen she is. 
Prior to taking my first class, I drank…I smoked…I did other things. But that lifestyle wasn’t conducive to what mattered to me most, which was getting up early for my pole classes and feeling my best so I could finally learn how to invert.
 
Pole dance has also led me down the path of being a teacher, which is the absolute best job in the world. To see my students achieve something they never thought was possible is more rewarding for me than any competition medal. 
Teaching has truly given my life a sense of purpose and fulfilment. 



♡ What inspires you to keep working with Pole?

There is just such an infinite amount of things to learn in pole. You could train every day and still not master every technique, nuance or move. And people keep creating and pushing the envelope, so the art evolves so quickly. 
Even at the age of 46, I’m still learning and growing as a pole dancer. I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning and wanting to learn. 



♡ What inspires you to move and dance every day?

For me, it’s like eating or breathing. I need to do it. We’re creatures of habit, so I like having the routine of dancing or training a little bit a day, or at least stretching, practicing yoga and taking a walk. 
Pole has also given me an outlet to release emotional and physical tension, and allows me to express myself creatively through movement. I used to write a lot of poetry, and the flow state I achieved through writing is similar to what happens in dance. Time stands still, there is a complete connection between mind and body, and everything flows effortlessly without thought. It’s my preferred form of meditation. 



♡ What is your life’s philosophy?

Just be a fucking good human. Treat others with kindness, treat the earth with kindness, treat animals with kindness and respect. 



♡ How do you describe your teaching methodology?

I like to blend elements of yoga, fitness and other types of creative movement like dance and handstands into my classes. I’m obsessed with technique and discovering modifications and variations so that everyone who learns from me leaves feeling accomplished and empowered. 



♡ What can someone expect from Pole Dance, meaning why Pole Dance and
not any other activity?

There’s a freedom in pole dance that you don’t often find in other movement modalities. Not many other dance forms incorporate aerial dance, grounded flow and basework, floorwork, acrobatics, sensual movement, moving meditation and circus arts. For many people who were intimidated or bored by traditional fitness classes, pole dancing is like exercise disguised as play. 
It’s also one of the more inclusive styles of dance and fitness. Anyone, regardless of age, gender, size, ability or fitness level can learn how to pole dance. 



♡ How would you like to see Pole Dance evolve in the next years?

I would like to see pole evolve so that it not just borrows from strippers and strip culture, circus arts, dance and yoga, but becomes an artform in its own right, with a universally recognized language and movement vocabulary, and teaching methods that prioritize safety and movement longevity.



♡ You taught two workshops at Pole Heart and you also had some training time; can you share your thoughts and feelings about the experience at the studio?

I love the vibe at Pole Heart! It’s a little enclave of creativity and serenity in the city. For me, the best studios are ones that focus not just on the fitness aspect of pole dance, but the artistry and dance of it as well, and Pole Heart is definitely an artist/dancer/creative-driven studio. 



♡ I organize Lisbon Pole Camp and you were the Pole Star Instructor in 2013, 2015 and 2016; can you share some memories from those experiences? 

One of my best camp memories were the intimate group dinners hosted at that artist collective’s house, where we had an amazing Portuguese meal under the stars. The vibe fit perfectly with the camp - effortlessly cool, bohemian and welcoming

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​♡ Can you share with us?
​
A picture that inspires you.

A video that inspires you.

Few live performers are as brave as Tanya Tagaq.

A song that inspires you.

“Cosmic Dancer” by T-Rex.
https://open.spotify.com/track/5N4vVbNotNwWGG8KcCdstR?si=40700c8c7ea04289 

This song speaks to me on a deep level! 



A book that inspires you.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro



A fun fact about you.
A few years ago, my friend Arloa Reston and I started a company making cat scratching posts that looked like X-Stages. We called it X-Purr, of course! 


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Follow Natasha Wang on her social media:
https://www.natashawang.com/
https://www.instagram.com/natashawangpole/
https://www.facebook.com/NatashaWangPole/ 

E assim passaram 5 anos desde a abertura do estúdio neste espaço fantástico localizado nas Laranjeiras em Lisboa.

Foram 5 anos de grande intensidade, com muitas aulas, alunos, workshops, espectáculos, convivios, treinos e eventos e ainda com uma pandemia (coisa impensável!) pelo meio!

Força de vontade, motivação e resiliência surgem quando sabemos o estamos a fazer e, que não é apenas para um bem pessoal, mas também para um bem global e com benefícios para toda a comunidade.

Estou imensamente grata pela confiança, carinho e apoio depositado neste projecto.

Grata a todas as pessoas que nos visitaram ao longo destes 5 anos (alunos, ex-alunos, professores, visitantes) pelo vosso contributo.

Que escutar e seguir o nosso coração seja a força motivadora para evoluirmos juntos através do Pole Dance.


FUN FACT:
Sabias que o Pole Heart começou em 2015 como um projecto de ensino de Pole Dance e que em 2017 é que se tornou um estúdio especializado?
 
 
 
Queres saber mais sobre o Pole Heart e a Carolina Ramos, lê os artigos:
https://www.poleheartstudio.com/blog/o-pole-heart-studio-faz-1-ano
https://www.poleheartstudio.com/blog/o-pole-heart-faz-2-anos
https://www.poleheartstudio.com/blog/o-pole-heart-faz-3-anos
https://www.poleheartstudio.com/blog/o-pole-heart-faz-4-anos​