Bloem - April 24

‘Dancing is in my blood’
– Tanya Cogle
Compiled by: GYPSEENIA LION
he principal instructor and owner of Vertitude
Pole Studio, Tanya Cogle, who is passionate
about dance and body movement in its
entirety, was born to dance. She comes from
a long tradition of dancers in her family. Pole
fitness was about her wanting to try something out of
the ordinary, and with dedication and commitment,
it moved into her being elated to create and educate
the public about the benefits and the misconceptions
surrounding pole fitness.
“I was born into a dancing family, my grandmother is a
dance teacher (she still teaches), and my mother and
my sister are dance teachers too. I have been dancing
all my life. After school, I wanted to try something
different and gave pole fitness a try, and that’s where it
all started,” expressed Tanya.
As a result, she founded her dance studio in 2016 which
is currently based in Pellissier. “This passion eventually
led me to pursue a career in dance and more so pole
fitness, where I have had the opportunity to train award
winning pole fitness dancers and be acknowledged as
a leader in my industry.”
Aware that pole fitness is often met with bad
connotations, and a stripper stigma, Tanya mentioned
that through explanation and education people will
realise that it serves beneficial to people of all ages and
races. “Anyone can do it whether you are 6 or 65-yearsold.
It is fun and never boring, improves your mood and
your health,” she explained.
Tanya highlighted that pole fitness is about combining
strength and flexibility. Which means the use of your
own body weight to train.
“The aim is to give you self-confidence, to trust yourself
and believe in yourself while training. It’s not easy for
most people to climb up high, go upside down or to
spin around the pole.
But each accomplishment is a step closer to our aim.
Pole fitness is not easy and needs dedication,
commitment, and endurance to continue as it gets
tough. Most people stop as it gets difficult, but that’s
where dedication and willingness to get ‘that’ move
right, comes in.” How does a typical class work then?
“In my pole fitness class, we would start with jumping
jacks/rope skipping to get the heart pumping and to
activate the muscles. We will do a general warm up
and include specific warm up/conditioning for what
will be taught on that day. A recap of the previous class
moves and then a new move/spin or combination will
be taught, or we will just work on challenges from the
previous week. A cool down and stretch during the last
10 minutes end the class,” she explained.
She mentioned that although one is not always up for
an exercise or for class, once you’ve started a routine,
you almost never regret it as it is a great stress outlet.
“We all motivate each other.
If you get a move right, the class will always celebrate
with you by clapping hands/cheering. We laugh
together and no one judges anyone.”
The feeling of getting
‘that’ move right,
which you have been
practising for a month
or so, is like winning a
battle, you get a sense of
accomplishment and feel
so proud.”
Tanya concluded by saying that pole fitness is for
anyone who wants to become a part of an uplifting
community,
where they can make friends and have fun while
exercising. “Progress isn’t always about learning
something new; sometimes, it’s about mastering what
we already know,” she said.
8 Get It Bloemfontein April 2024 getitmagazine.co.za/bloemfontein