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Date: 7/27/2021
SPRINGFIELD – Soul Pole Dance & Fitness has brought an unconventional form of exercise to Springfield.
Soul Pole is a pole dance and fitness studio which offers pole fitness classes, sensual flow and movement classes, chair dance classes, strength and conditioning classes, flexibility classes and even specific classes for plus size or curvy individuals.
“There’s a misconception that if you are big or you have a few extra pounds you can’t do pole, but that’s obviously not true,” said owner of Soul Pole Dance & Fitness, Amanda Cumberbatch.
Pole classes are offered at the introductory level all the way up to the most advanced level at Level 4. Soul Pole also has virtual classes and even hosts private parties and events. Individuals must be 18 or older to take a class and they are not exclusive to women.
“It’s not gender specific, so we welcome any individual,” said Cumberbatch.
Cumberbatch said that she knew she wanted to open a pole dance fitness studio of her own after taking only two classes at another location. She said this is rare, as most studio owners are women who have been in the pole industry for five or more years.
“I knew right then and there I was going to. The studio that I was going to, I noticed that they were not marketing to many of the Springfield community, specifically people of color, so I wanted to make sure that I tapped into that population. That was one of my main drives. To introduce pole dance and pole fitness as an alternative way of exercising, dancing and expressing yourself to the Springfield community,” said Cumberbatch.
Soul Pole Dance & Fitness had their soft opening in November 2019 and their grand opening in January 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cumberbatch decided to close Soul Pole only a few months later in March 2020.
“We closed down and, fortunately for us, we adapted to the situation pretty fast and pretty well,” she said.
According to Cumberbatch, Soul Pole was able to move some classes online and stay afloat through the virtual sessions. Even when they reopened their physical location, she said that they had to limit the amount of students in the studio and some still felt uncomfortable coming in because of compromised immune systems. Soul Pole continues to accommodate these individuals through their online classes.
Despite facing challenges from COVID-19, Cumberbatch said that Soul Pole has many repeat customers and a wide variety of community support. She said that she has people taking classes from all over Massachusetts and even into Connecticut.
“With pole, what I’ve noticed is that you either love it or hate it. There’s no in between. So people will usually come in, take a few more classes and they’ll end up purchasing a five class pass and then they find themselves running through that rather quickly, so they’ll come in for a monthly pass and they stay. We have some students who have been with us probably since we opened,” said Cumberbatch.
Many people might see pole dancing as an eccentric way to work out, but Cumberbatch said it is amazing at helping individuals gain confidence and improve fitness outside of a gym.
“What I’ve noticed is that when people begin they’re very shy, they’re very self-conscious of their body, their shape and as they get comfortable their confidence just shoots right through the roof. Especially with women. They become so much more comfortable and confident in themselves, they start moving to the music, to the sound and you can see it coming from within them. They become stronger, physically stronger, more flexible and fierce,” she said.
Cumberbatch herself used to go to the gym at least four times a week. Now, she said, she doesn’t have to.
“I can’t remember the last time I went to the gym. My body’s in better shape now than it’s ever been at my age, so it works body parts and muscles that I never knew existed,” said Cumberbatch.
Soul Pole Dance & Fitness is located at 125 Main St. and hosts a variety of classes at different times each day. A full schedule of classes, their descriptions and frequently asked questions can be found on the Soul Pole website at https://soulpoledance.com/. Cumberbatch also encouraged individuals to call 342-0680 with further questions or concerns.