By: Tan Yi Hui

Firemen are no longer the only guys who regularly slide down poles. Men who want to get fit are taking up pole dancing.

Yes, pole dancing. A dance form that up until recently was exclusive to women here, and which, despite its new popularity as a gym workout, is still trying to shake off its association with strippers.

Local studios which offer pole dancing classes for women say they have seen an increasing number of inquiries from men.

Dance experts attribute this surge of male interest to people being more open-minded nowadays.

One such person is project manager Mun Leong, 47, who has had 'no background in dance', but signed up for pole dancing classes after taking a trial lesson.

He says: 'I see it more as a form of exercise, and also a chance to build up some coordination.

'If I were younger, I would have done gymnastics. So this is the next best thing. It completely changed my impression of pole dancing.'

To cater to the interest, one school, Jitterbugs Swingapore, is kicking off some men-only classes in October, while other schools are considering holding them.

Jitterbugs' pioneer classes, which will be called Fit Pole, consists of eight weekly sessions priced at $144 for members and $216 for non-members.

The school held a trial session earlier this month to 'overwhelming response', according to principal pole dance instructor Linna Tan, 34, who has been teaching pole dancing to women at Jitterbugs for two years.

Professionals ranging in age from 20s to 40s, such as Mr Leong, showed up.

Says Ms Tan: 'Our men's classes will be conducted by male instructors as the men's version of pole dancing differs in style and technique from that of the women's.' (See story in box.)

Over at another dance studio, Acro Polates, owner and instructor Ming Leong, 41, has two male students attending her pole dancing classes for women, but she intends to set up a class for guys in a few months' time.

She says: 'Guys are starting to realise that it's not just a girl thing. Pole dancing is not just dancing. There is a lot of fitness and acrobatic work involved.'

According to instructors, pole dancing started to get popular in Singapore only three to four years ago. Even now, it still remains a niche form of dance, compared to others such as salsa or hip-hop.

The main stigma is to do with its origins: Images of scantily clad women shimmying their nubile bodies around a metal rod come to mind.

But Ms Leong's female dancers have pole danced their way into the national consciousness at the National Day Parade earlier this month with a wholesome yet scintillating performance.

Since the performance, she has received positive responses, especially from men, she says.

But what happens when guys want to give pole dancing a whirl, too? According to Ms Leong, the fact that pole dancing is associated with women means that 'even if men are interested, they're probably afraid to get laughed at when they tell their friends'.

In Western countries such as Australia, Britain and the United States, however, dance studios are already offering pole dancing classes just for men, according to experts.

In Singapore, trailblazers include hairdresser Eric Yeoh, another aspiring male pole dancer. The 28-year-old, who has a background in freestyle dance performances, has been training informally under Polates' Ms Leong ever since he tried pole dancing three months ago.

He says that he has no issues with the fact that more conservative people might frown upon his interest.

He adds: 'Actually, any form of dance can be done in a macho or feminine way. To me, pole dancing is an art. It depends on how you interpret it.'

This article was first published in The Sunday Times.