How pole and aerial arts can build kids’ confidence
Whether children are full of or lacking in energy, they need to do regular physical activities to either use or rev it up. Experts say that just like with adults, physical activity is vitally important to achieve good physical and mental health, as well as overall well-being. It also helps grow healthy and strong bones, muscles and joints.
That’s why parents typically enroll their children in sports programs or dance classes. Lately, as pole dance (now just called pole) and aerial arts start to become mainstream fitness activities as well as artistic expression, parents, usually mothers, who are into such pursuits find their little ones taking an interest in and actually trying these out.
Case in point: Gia Recio, a lawyer and an avid poler-aerialist, and her daughter Aria, 5, who she always brings to the studios she frequents for either regular group classes or private training sessions. The little girl wasn’t even 2 when she tried climbing and spinning around each of the poles set up in the studio.
Soon she learned how to properly climb and do basic tricks, such as Dream Girl and Scissors. Thanks to her mother, who bought a portable pole platform called X-Stage, she could continue her training and take online classes at home during the pandemic.
Recio tells Lifestyle, via email, that seeing Aria ace those pole tricks for the first time made her feel “immensely proud.” She also felt “wonderful” to witness her daughter’s “quiet determination and fearlessness when moving around or climbing such a challenging apparatus.”
She then shares this observation of Aria and other children of the same age who also pole or do aerial arts: “They are generally quite fearless and don’t seem to experience the bruising or physical pain that most adult beginners have to go through, which is amazing.”
Shared hobby
Seeing her daughter’s excitement to learn more at age 3 or 4, Recio enrolled Aria at Aphrobabe Pole Dance Studio in Las Piñas, which she considers her “home studio.” Then early this year, she signed up her precocious child for more lessons in pole, plus dance and aerial arts, at another place, Fame Artists’ Studio in Salcedo Village, Makati City, where Aria also joined her first recital class.
“In the weeks leading up to the day of the recital,” Recio recalls of Aria’s pole journey, “she had to take a number of pole classes at Fame Artists’ Studio, where she and her fellow baby polers would learn the whole routine, including their blockings, dance routines and respective pole tricks and combinations. They did an ‘Alice in Wonderland’-themed routine, choreographed by teacher Melanie Brillantes.”
She adds, “Aria only did pole for her first recital. I was a bit nervous before the actual show, perhaps even more nervous than my daughter was, but I knew she and her fellow baby polers would be fine. And when their recital number began and Aria started performing onstage dressed up in her cute ‘Alice in Wonderland’ costume and twirling around the spinning pole, I actually felt like tearing up because I was so, so proud of her.
“As a pole fitness enthusiast and as someone who also performs at recitals, I know how challenging it can be to train for and to memorize an entire routine for weeks or months prior to the actual show. But Aria and her fellow polers put on such a beautiful, adorable routine and nailed all their pole tricks, and they all really seemed to be having fun while performing!”
Recio, who’s a finalist in the Pole category of the upcoming 2024 International Aerial Cup competition, says she didn’t really give Aria any performance tips. But she constantly reminded her daughter of her own mantra before going on stage: “Do your best and have fun.”
She further says of her daughter, “Aria has loved performing for as long as I can remember, and I think that pole fitness (coupled with her first-ever recital experience this year) has helped boost her confidence and strength and deepen her love for performing. Pole fitness has also served as a shared hobby/activity that Aria and I can enjoy together and bond over. She tells me that she wants to be my Pole Doubles partner when she grows up!”
Aerial Playground
In Antipolo City, kids aged 5 to 9 have found a place where they can do active play while learning aerial arts and have fun with their new friends. They attend the Aerial Playground class that PxA Dance Studio gives every Sunday afternoon. Many of them have parents who attend regular pole or aerial arts (such as hoop, hammock, silks). Those parents suggested an aerial arts class for their children while on a school break, says studio co-owner and teacher Ronn Lloyd Lagdameo.
“We limit each class to 12 students for optimal learning and safety,” he tells us in an email interview, adding that he begins the session by putting the students at ease and chatting with them, especially the first-timers. Then they play a fun game to set a lively and engaging tone for the next one-and-a-half hours of doing mainly aerial hammock, which, he explains, is more accessible for beginners.
“We move on to warm-up exercises to ensure everyone is prepared and safe,” Lagdameo points out. “Typically, each child learns a new trick and connects it with previous lessons. If time permits, we let them perform their new skills to music, helping them get a feel for an actual performance.” This last part of the class excites not just the students, but also their parents or guardians who accompany them to the studio.
The teacher notes that the kids who join the class “grow in confidence and make new friends.”
He elaborates, “The joy on their faces when they greet classmates, share hugs, and chat is truly priceless. New students often start off shy but quickly fall in love with the class and their new environment. It’s heartwarming to see their excitement when they try out Aerial Playground for the first time or master a trick.
“At our studio, we believe in letting kids learn and grow at their own pace. We focus on making sure they have fun, knowing that discipline will follow naturally. Our goal is to offer a safe space and for each child to leave with a sense of accomplishment and a new milestone in their life.”
