Pure Joy Pole Dancing

Pure Joy is a little dance studio based in the Jewellery Quarter (just down the road from the Chamberlain Clock). It’s easy to get to by train (closest station is Jewellery Quarter) or bus and there is on street parking outside the building. It is worth noting there is another studio in Moseley.
Pure Joy is a newer form of exercise in the form of Pole Dancing. I quite fancied doing this as a weekly workout, as I figured it would be good fun as well as a great way to gain some upper body strength and toning. I wasn’t wrong…
It was my first session last Thursday. Filled with trepidation and excitement, myself and Emma S. walked down the road a few times to find the venue. The address on the website is listed as above, but it might help to point out that this is held in the Warstone Centre (the bottom end of Warstone Lane), as the property number isn’t shown.
We were greeted by Joy (the owner of the studio) and led up to a cute little room at the top of the building. The walls are mirrored (as you might expect from a studio), but there are 5 poles (meaning everyone can do the moves at once). When we first got in there, the room was pretty chilly — but once the storage heaters were turned on and we started exercising — we all warmed up pretty quickly!
We started off with some stretches and basic exercises, but ended up being on the pole within 20 minutes of getting there (which was a surprise as I figured we might have a bit of a cop-​out lesson for our first try). This is NOT a class for those just looking to get light exercise. We were taught moves to swing around the pole, support our weight, climb and build upper body strength. As I have the upper body strength of a gnat, I was rubbish on my first try (and still aching the Monday after), but I have the upmost confidence that I will be better on my second go!
Joy was funny, helpful, supportive and a great teacher. Even though I’m not very good at the moment, I’m looking forward to my second go (as it was so much fun). If you are looking for an alternative to a regular exercise class, give it a go!