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More than just sexy moves
Safety first: The bare skin of a dancerâs arms, thighs, shoulders and even hips stick to the pole, preventing falls
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Safety first:: The bare skin of a dancerâs arms, thighs, shoulders and even hips stick to the pole, preventing falls. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)" border="0" height="205" width="512">Safety first: The bare skin of a dancerâs arms, thighs, shoulders and even hips stick to the pole, preventing falls. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
Although their class ended an hour ago, women could still be seen spinning, sliding and even hanging upside-down from poles at the Indonesia Pole Dance Associationâs (IPDA) studio in Kemang, South Jakarta.
The dancers appeared confident as they went through routines, guided by their coaches, dance champions Vicky Burki and IPDA founder Jun Ko Agus.
Pole dancing, a mainstream part of gym classes overseas, is a relative novelty in Indonesia, as attested to by one of Jun Koâs students, Agatha, a 25-year-old property agent.
âIt took four years for me to find a pole dancing class in Indonesia until I found IPDA. In 2010, I first saw [international pole-dancing championship winner] Felix Caneâs video on YouTube. I told myself I must learn this.â
Jun Ko, 38, is a professional dancer. He was introduced to pole dancing in 2000 when vacationing in New York and Miami in the US, started studying the art in 2004 at New Yorkâs Body and Pole studio before seeking more training and certification at the Groove pole dance school in Singapore and from the Hong Kong-China Pole Dance Fitness Association.
He was the first in Indonesia to offer pole dancing classes when he opened his own school at Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, in 2006. While pole dancing was less popular than his modern dance and hip-hop classes, several women, including moms and single women, joined.
Vicky Burki, a former actress and a national dance and aerobics icon, was one of his first students. The 49-year-old quickly took to pole dancing, continuing to practice at a school in Australia to become a certified instructor.
Jun Ko was invited to teach pole dancing at the Liza Natalia Arena fitness center in Kemang in 2012. Vicky again joined the sessions and eventually started assisting Jun Ko.
Meanwhile, pole dancer Yohanna Harso, Jun Koâs friend and sometime collaborator, became a finalist on television talent-search show Indonesia Mencari Bakat 2012, further popularizing the practice.
Jun Ko opened a new pole dancing studio in 2013 in Jakarta, working with Vicky to teach students who included housewives, working women and even celebrities. They moved to their current location in April 2014.
âI hope more and more people accept pole dancing as form of sport and art,â Vicky said. âIt is not an ordinary sport. It needs learning and training.â
One student, 31-year-old Alva Petra, described her first thoughts after she was exposed to pole dancing on YouTube. âAs the dancer on that video had a great body, I thought that it must be a kind of sport â not a negative thing. My friends and family also had a positive response when I told them I wanted to learn pole dancing. It is because they understand I love dancing.â
Mella, a 25-year-old account executive and IPDA student, says that she too fought the sleazy stigma of pole dancing. âWhen I posted photos from my pole-dancing class on social media, those who underestimated pole dancing changed their minds. Now they think that pole dancing is cool and not easy.â
While pole dancing means erotic moves in strip clubs for some, at Jun Koâs school, complex dance moves are taught â full of technique but still sexy.
âPole dancing is not striptease,â Vicky says. âIt depends how the dancer performs. It can stay as a positive form of art or might turn into striptease - it all depends on the dancer.â
Safety first: The bare skin of a dancer's arms, thighs, shoulders and even hips stick to the pole, preventing falls. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira) Although their class ended an hour ago, women could still be seen spinning, sliding and even hanging upside-down from poles at the Indonesia Pole Dance Association's (IPDA) studio in Kemang, South Jakarta. The dancers appeared confident as they went through routines, guided by their coaches, dance champions Vicky Burki and IPDA founder Jun Ko Agus. Not striptease: At Jun Ko's school, complex dance moves are taught ' full of technique but still sexy. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira) The dancers wear scanty clothing for efficiency, not to titillate: The bare skin of a dancer's arms, thighs, shoulders and even hips stick to the pole, preventing falls. Wearing sweatpants or traditional athletic clothing is a sure way to slide off a pole, which is why sports bras, shorts or even underwear is common attire.
Pole dancing, a mainstream part of gym classes overseas, is a relative novelty in Indonesia, as attested to by one of Jun Ko's students, Agatha, a 25-year-old property agent.
'It took four years for me to find a pole dancing class in Indonesia until I found IPDA. In 2010, I first saw [international pole-dancing championship winner] Felix Cane's video on YouTube. I told myself I must learn this.'
Jun Ko, 38, is a professional dancer. He was introduced to pole dancing in 2000 when vacationing in New York and Miami in the US, started studying the art in 2004 at New York's Body and Pole studio before seeking more training and certification at the Groove pole dance school in Singapore and from the Hong Kong-China Pole Dance Fitness Association.
He was the first in Indonesia to offer pole dancing classes when he opened his own school at Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, in 2006. While pole dancing was less popular than his modern dance and hip-hop classes, several women, including moms and single women, joined.
Vicky Burki, a former actress and a national dance and aerobics icon, was one of his first students. The 49-year-old quickly took to pole dancing, continuing to practice at a school in Australia to become a certified instructor.
Jun Ko was invited to teach pole dancing at the Liza Natalia Arena fitness center in Kemang in 2012. Vicky again joined the sessions and eventually started assisting Jun Ko.
Meanwhile, pole dancer Yohanna Harso, Jun Ko's friend and sometime collaborator, became a finalist on television talent-search show Indonesia Mencari Bakat 2012, further popularizing the practice.
Jun Ko opened a new pole dancing studio in 2013 in Jakarta, working with Vicky to teach students who included housewives, working women and even celebrities. They moved to their current location in April 2014.
'I hope more and more people accept pole dancing as form of sport and art,' Vicky said. 'It is not an ordinary sport. It needs learning and training.'
One student, 31-year-old Alva Petra, described her first thoughts after she was exposed to pole dancing on YouTube. 'As the dancer on that video had a great body, I thought that it must be a kind of sport ' not a negative thing. My friends and family also had a positive response when I told them I wanted to learn pole dancing. It is because they understand I love dancing.'
Mella, a 25-year-old account executive and IPDA student, says that she too fought the sleazy stigma of pole dancing. 'When I posted photos from my pole-dancing class on social media, those who underestimated pole dancing changed their minds. Now they think that pole dancing is cool and not easy.'
While pole dancing means erotic moves in strip clubs for some, at Jun Ko's school, complex dance moves are taught ' full of technique but still sexy.
'Pole dancing is not striptease,' Vicky says. 'It depends how the dancer performs. It can stay as a positive form of art or might turn into striptease - it all depends on the dancer.'
'Safety is important in pole dancing,' Jun Ko says. 'That's why pole-dancing instructor training and certification usually emphasizes safety. People who are able to pole dance don't always know how to guide others while at the same time preventing injury of tissue or bone.'
To promote the practice, especially to men, Jun Ko participated in another television talent show, Indonesia's Got Talent 2014¸which he says has helped to de-stigamatize the art.
He says that people are often surprised to learn that he likes pole dancing, even though he's a man. 'Pole dancing is also for men ' sure, with a different style compared to women. Pole dancing is very technical. It needs strength and flexibility that create the art.'
'I want to change people's mind-sets about pole dancing,' Jun Ko says. 'I want to be the trendsetter who introduces pole dancing in Indonesia.'
Visit facebook.com/PoleDanceIndonesia for more information.
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