Aerial arts academy in Dubai takes fitness to new heights. Pole Fit Dubai is an aerial arts academy that offers students a fun alternative way to stay fit while exploring their acrobatic abilities. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00This might look like the start of your average fitness class, but the students at Polfit
00:09in Dubai Marina spend most of their time in the air.
00:13The two aerial artist co-owners, Michelle Amvalada, opened the centre two years ago
00:18and are passionate about sharing their acrobatic skills with anyone who's interested in learning
00:23the aerial arts.
00:25We wanted to offer an alternative fitness source for people, so something that was primarily
00:31fun and then fitness was a side effect of that, so we started with pole and from there
00:36the things that complement pole, so stretching, flexibility, dance, silks and aerials and
00:42they all kind of go hand in hand and we felt like that was something that was really missing
00:45from the market here.
00:46The fitness centre offers a variety of classes, including aerial hoop, aerial pole and aerial
00:51silk.
00:53The cost of a class ranges from 75 dirhams to 100 dirhams, a small price for those who
00:58have found themselves taken by this alternative approach to fitness.
01:02It's much more fun and sociable, you get to train with friends and things like that and
01:05you make a lot of friends doing it.
01:06I'm really passionate about this and it's a big part of my life and the community is
01:10very very important.
01:11While the centre has seen a positive response from the community, the owners have had to
01:16work at overcoming certain stigmas attached to the art of pole fitness.
01:20There are people that are a little bit more conservative that want to try silks first
01:24because in silks you can cover up a little bit more but I think that the stigma around
01:29pole definitely goes away as soon as you attend your first class because you realise that
01:32there is nothing sexy about that, that is a fitness, that is a sport, that is something
01:37that requires so much strength and it's just really admirable so I think when people see
01:42it as soon as they see it they're like wow, that's tough, I want to do it.
01:44While many of the techniques can appear risky to a casual observer, the instructors are
01:49quick to assure newcomers that safety is their first priority and they always start
01:53slowly with beginners.
01:56Touchwood has all been very safe and we make sure that the environment is very safe so
02:00that we control that.
02:02According to these practitioners, the aerial arts offer an empowering alternative to traditional
02:07gym workouts and have a positive physical and spiritual impact on their bodies.
02:12Pole and aerials is a great workout, it's a full body workout that tones all body plus
02:18increases flexibility and body awareness, it has so many positive things about it, so
02:24for example I can't go to the gym because for me a monotonous workout is not interesting.
02:30Whether it's pole or aerial, every day you learn something new and that's what keeps
02:34me going and that's what most of our students love.
02:37This is a great activity, I love dancing and then dancing on the silks requires so much
02:43focus and stamina.
02:45Basically muscles, abs, everything that you want from gym you can get it here because
02:51you need to be fit and it gets you more fit day by day.
02:54With a global community constantly developing new techniques, the routines in these aerial
02:58classes are constantly changing, providing exciting new challenges for students and instructors.
03:05Every day we have new moves and tricks and combinations being created.
03:10You can always invent moves and create moves and create different combinations of moves
03:14and that's why I find it so addictive because there's no ceiling, you can keep going, keep
03:18getting better, keep challenging yourself, so you might think that you're really good
03:22and then this new move comes up and you're like oh that just sets me back and it really
03:26gets you fired up again and really ignites that passion and makes you want to keep being better.
03:32So if you find that you're tired of exercising with your feet firmly on the ground, it might
03:36be the time to take to the sky and give the aerial arts a try.
03:40Raneen Hamdoon, DOLF News.
03:44For more information visit www.dol.gov.au