In celebration of Pole Heart 6th anniversary in September 2023, we will interview the person who created this project, Carolina Ramos.

♡ Hi Carolina, can you introduce yourself to new students?       

My name is Carolina Ramos and I’m 42 years old.
Since I was child, dance and gymnastics were always part of my life as way to express myself.
My child dream was to be a dancer and I worked hard to make my dream come true!
I have a BA in Dance from Fontys Dance Academy in The Netherlands since 2003 and I’m a dancer, teacher, choreographer, educator, studio owner, coach, judge and producer.


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

In 2009 I saw a video of Felix Cane on YouTube and I loved it! So, I searched in Lisbon for Pole Dance classes and I took my first class in 2009 as a birthday gift to myself. The class was fun and I loved the union of dance and acrobatics. After I went to work in Italy in a dance company as a choreographer assistant and dancer and in 2010 when I returned to Lisbon, I started to take regular classes at Academia de Pole Dance. At that time, I felt the need to find something new and challenging to my life and it always had to be movement involved. In 2012 I was invited to start teaching at the studio, so I started also performing, competing and I searched for more education on Pole Dancing. I started my own project in 2014 and I got certified as a Pole Teacher in elevatED Training USA with Kyra Johanessen and created Pole Heart in 2015.


♡ How Pole Dance changed your life?
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When I started taking classes I never intended to be a pole dancer, a teacher or even a studio owner but things just came to me.  I was loving the process, so I accepted all the challenges that came my way because I felt it was transforming me very positively and also helping other students. As my physical strength was developing also my inner strength and confidence. Pole Dance challenged me in my purpose of transforming people lives through the expression of movement. Pole also united my professional skills and keeps challenging me every day single day.
 

♡ What inspires you to keep working with Pole?

To see the wonderful benefits pole brings to my students and myself. Not only physical but also emotional and spiritual. Pole combines many skills and it’s a continuous journey full of potential and creativity and you can be free to express yourself the way you feel the most.


♡ What inspires you to move and dance every day?

Movement is my life and it's the way I express myself and my emotions since I was a child. Even if it wasn’t my career I would be dancing and moving every day because it makes me feel good, grounded and connected to my soul.

 
♡ What is your life’s philosophy?

I believe in the human connection and in love and kindness, so I support everything that involves bringing positive transformation into this world, uplifting and evolving humankind with art, nature and creativity.
 

♡ How do you describe your teaching methodology?

I perceive the student as a whole, so in every class I am very sensitive and empathic to my students to bring the best of them. Inside my classes I work with an union of dance and acrobatics. My focus can be on the technique and dive deep into movement and biomechanics of the body, and/or sharing my experience and giving more confidence to my students and awareness to their bodies, and/or giving to my students ways to be more creative and express themselves in a clear way without being judgemental and push away their negative thoughts.
 
 
♡ What can someone expect from Pole Dance, meaning why Pole Dance and not any other activity?

Because Pole is so empowering! It will give you a sense of being free and this amazing feeling of flying but also being grounded. It’s the combination of earth and wind!
Pole teaches you how to gain more physical strength, balance and coordination, to have deeper conscious of your body, to express your feelings and emotions, to be humble, confident, patient and it give you super powers!

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

I would like to see pole evolve more as a recreational class, giving the possibility for everyone to do it, not requiring any previous skills and giving students a way to express themselves using the pole as an apparatus in a non-competitive way.
Also, to see Pole as a modality you could do as long as you wish, making adjustments to the needs of the students, with movement technique and also creativity.
I would like also to see more pole teaching methods that give more priority to safety, creativity and longevity of this beautiful art form.
It would be also interesting to have more pole shows instead of competitions, to see more movement expression than fitting into competition rules.

 
♡ You are the artistic and pedagogical director, studio owner, teacher, coach at Pole Heart Studio; can you share your thoughts and feelings about the experience at the studio? 
 
The opening of the studio has been the biggest challenge of my life but it’s been a beautiful and hardworking process where I put my heart on it every single day. It gives me a great life purpose to put all my personal and professional skills into action. To have built an amazing community inside the studio and to see the positive transformation on my student’s lives through pole classes it’s a blessing and honour. I love to connect with my students and celebrate all their victories but also helping and motivating them on their losses.


♡ Can you share with us?

A picture that inspires you.

​It’s me with 2 years climbing a tree and the photo was taken by my father.
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To see that I felt comfortable climbing trees with that young age, motivates me to face my fears while on the pole.

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A song that inspires you.

A book that inspires you.

The Heroine's Journey by Maureen Murdock

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A fun fact about you.

My favourite all time movie is “Thrashin”, a skateboarding movie from the 80´s.


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O POLE HEART STUDIO FAZ 6 ANOS!

Foi precisamente no dia 6 de Setembro há 6 anos atrás que abrimos as portas ao Pole Heart Studio numa residência fixa, após dois anos de varões às costas, por diversos espaços em Lisboa.
Que aprendizagem e que intensidade, têm sido estes 6 anos, a todos os níveis!

O Pole Heart é um render-me à vida, aceitar e confiar nas minhas mais profundas capacidades profissionais e humanas.

Dando asas à minha imaginação, recriei um espaço que acredito plenamente com base na intenção do meu coração, no meu propósito de vida, numa oferta de um serviço fora da caixa, com a sua própria metodologia e modo de funcionamento.

Hoje reflicto sobre a comunidade que se criou dentro do estúdio, algo que desde o primeiro dia tinha como intenção construir, numa perspectiva de dar e receber.

A minha motivação vem da confiança de que sei o que estou a fazer, com um misto de confiança na magia da vida. Há que dar um salto de fé! Sinto que o que faço não é apenas para um bem pessoal mas sobretudo para um bem mais alargado que trás benefícios para toda a comunidade.

Estou imensamente grata à comunidade  Pole Heart pela confiança, carinho e apoio depositado neste projecto.

Grata a todas as pessoas que nos visitaram ao longo destes 6 anos (alunos, ex-alunos, professores, atletas, bailarinos, visitantes) pelo vosso contributo.

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

YOU CAN FLY,
IF YOU GIVE WINGS TO YOUR HEART
❤️

Por Carolina Ramos