Long gone are the days where pole dancing is just for seedy men’s clubs. Today, gliding around a pole is a mind and body workout, enabling a woman to feel sensual, self-aware and strong.
Pole dancing, aka the S Factor workout, was originated and founded by actress Sheila Kelley after researching and preparing for a part in the movie “Dancing at the Blue Iguana.” After witnessing “beautiful, slow and accentuated moves made erotic because of the presence of men,” she was motivated. “I created S Factor to take back the organic movements that make up pole dancing in clubs, and have given it back to women in a safe, wholesome way,” Kelley said.
Exclusively for women, this original workout movement has caught on like wildfire, as is apparent from the numerous studios sprouting up in major cities across the country. S Factor means Sensuality Factor. According to Kelley, “Sensuality is just like a muscle — the more you work it, the stronger it gets.”
Increased sensuality brings a heightened awareness of your senses, and S Factor is a safe way to explore your sensuality, Kelley said. It brings with it a sense of empowerment and changes your point of view to a female viewpoint.
It creates a sense of confidence and self-esteem in being a woman. The actress-turned-fitness gal believes it’s a man’s world out there; she has created this movement to level the playing field, to help women revel in their own femininity without judgment or ridicule. She said, “You don’t have to be a man to survive in a man’s world.” She implores you to “be a woman and create your own culture.”
She feels as though women are not allowed to feel sensual, that it’s an area of our lives made taboo, an area we are made to feel guilty about. “All our lives, we are messaged to ignore this side of us,” Kelley said. S Factor enables you to free those inhibitions and shed the outer layer of skin that society (the male dominated one) makes you wear and allows you to truly be yourself, freeing you to feel natural, sexy and sensual.
So what does it involve?
It is comprised of natural movements, organic to your body, designed to accentuate the woman’s natural curves. S Factor is original, while utilizing moves from yoga, ballet, striptease and pole dancing to give you a full body muscular and flexibility workout, primarily using your own body strength. Muscles are strengthened as they are stretched, giving your body a long, lean, dancer-like look. It’s a strenuous workout different from anything you’ve ever done.
“I have muscles where I didn’t know I could. And now I have curves!” Kelley said. “I went from being boy-like and washboard straight to having these sensual curves that I didn’t know I could have.” It also greatly improves your range of motion. It is a very feminine workout, both strenuous yet intimate. There are no mirrors in the rooms where you workout, which she describes as warm and cozy and where you are asked to “leave your judgment at the door.”
She believes S Factor helps you to organically awaken feelings dormant in you: your curves and sensuality are heightened and you tune into what your body is able to do and how it moves. “You bring S Factor into your daily life, and it makes you walk differently, breathe differently, feel the wind against your chest differently — it’s all female and it naturally flows into all areas of your life, making it an all over positive experience for women,” Kelley explained.
What is offered
S Factor offers a range of classes for all levels of people including G-Rated teen classes for young girls who are turning into young women. Kelley said, “They don’t know how to move in their body; they feel men’s eyes on them and they don’t know why.” These classes help them own their body. For the older generation or those with joint problems, “Gentle Splendor Classes” are offered.
S Factor has a signature series of 7 levels of classes, which Kelley said are the most popular. Tied for second position are pole dancing and lap dancing. Strip classes and stiletto classes are also offered. Interestingly, the largest category of women who attend classes are professional women — lawyers, doctors, executives, etc. Moms are the second biggest fans of this movement. Kelley calls the women who attend S Factor classes the “United Nations of Women” due to their diversity.
A typical level 1 class begins with sensual floor work, moving meditation described as circular movements of the body, followed by abdominal strengthening, then feet strengthening with a series of standing exercises, then comes the pole work and then routine work (which is similar to creating a dance routine). A typical class is two hours held once a week for eight weeks. You attend the same class at the same time each week, which has the added benefit of being able to form friendships with the other like-minded women in your class who are all there for the same reason: to get a great workout and feel good about themselves! Kelley said the embarrassment factor, while huge for first-timers, is broken through in the first five minutes of floor work. Sometimes it takes longer she admits for a “tough one to crack.” She said it’s astounding how frightened women are of this side of themselves. “It just shows how much they’ve shut out this side of their life.”
Kelley has also set up a scholarship program, S Fund, providing financial support to ensure no one is unable to attend because of financial constraints. “I feel that women should not have any excuse not to live completely in their body,” she said. Kelley even has a work-study program for students who have benefited from the S Fund. She is a firm believer in “women helping women.”
The instructors
As with any exercise, the quality of instruction is only as good as the instructor who teaches it. S Factor instructors have to submit to an extensive application and, if accepted (there’s only a 50 percent acceptance rate), they go through an intensive assessment process where their moves, strength and understanding of the movement are tested.
Regardless of their level of experience or fitness, they are provided training on anatomy, kinesiology, as well as the history of the movement and how best to help students move and grow. They undergo six months of exhaustive training and have more than 100 hours of class observation. All trainees must then pass a written, oral and physical exam. The teachers come from all walks of life. “From boxing instructors to yoga instructors, they run the gamut of professions, including women with degrees in nuclear physics, engineering, microbiology and even nurses,” said Teri Jaworski, director of S Factor’s teachers department, who oversees hiring, training and curriculum of the teachers.
The benefits of S Factor overall, Kelley said, include a fitness workout for your body and your spirit — and a boost for your self-esteem because of the confidence gained from ownership of your own sensuality. Physically, expect to give it at least eight to ten weeks to see results, although you can expect to see emotional results quite quickly. Kelley said doing the S Factor makes you feel different, as it is engineered to make you extremely female — and to accentuate your body and your curves! So go ahead! Give it a whirl around the pole!