Mama Mia! Will I straddle again?! Meet Jane from Pole Mamas

(Photo: Dance Flicks)

The pole world is like no other and many of us become fast obsessed with pole dancing, as booty classes and tricks classes fill up our schedules (#sorrynotsorry muggle friends). Being a pole dancer becomes a huge part of our identity, as we relish in our accomplishments during class and dive deeper into a freedom that only dance can create. 

And in our dazzling community, are so many soon-to-be or brand-new mothers. While it is an exciting time for so many women, suddenly you can find your worlds colliding and life changes from whipping out ballerinas to whipping out bottles of breastmilk. You start to wonder how you will ever get back to a normal sleep pattern, let alone find the energy to lift yourself onto a pole again! Having children may also start to shift your identity and stepping into motherhood while navigating your way back to pole can feel as daunting as putting on booty shorts for the first time. 

Then, like finding the wardrobe that leads to Narnia, you discover Pole Mamas. But instead of an ice queen showing up on a sleigh enticing you with Turkish delight, you meet the lovely Jane Blair who entices you with her amazing online course and community that is Pole Mamas.  

Along with her business partners Ally and Lisa, Jane has created an online platform specifically for expecting or new pole dancing mothers. Like the three (twerking) musketeers, they have created Pole Mamas to guide us safely through the world of motherhood, empowering us with knowledge and providing the key to health professionals who specialise in pre-natal and post-natal care for pole dancers. 

Today we speak with Jane, an Australian pole industry icon, self-proclaimed “pole-preneur” and a super-mum herself, to learn more about the brilliant online community that is Pole Mamas. 

A pole industry trailblazer 

Jane has played a huge role in the Australian pole community, not just as a stunning performer and competitor, but also in Australian pole dancing media. She was the editor of Australian Pole Dancers Magazine (APDM), the first magazine in our country dedicated to the pole world. APDM was released in 2013 and it soon became a must-read for every Aussie pole dancer. 

APDM was renowned for its interviews, opinion pieces, the annual Top 50 most influential pole dancer’s countdown, APDM Industry Business Awards, pole dancing tips, costumes highlights, and for raising important conversations happening in our industry. 

"That was the whole idea behind APDM,” says Jane. “To bring the community together and educate the community on big issues, like the not a stripper movement, men in pole and diversity within the pole industry. We had amazing journalists...it wasn't just Ally and I, so we were able to cover a lot of different things which was awesome!” 

When Jane became pregnant, her business partner Ally took the hot seat as editor and continued to publish APDM until 2020. Until it’s final issue, APDM inspired Australian pole dancers and united our beloved pole community, something which we will be forever thankful for. 

It was throughout the time of her pregnancy that Jane quickly learned there wasn't a lot of resources for pole dancers who were expecting. Her son Fox has recently turned 2 years old, but Jane recalls that during this time, there just wasn’t much in the way of information for pregnant pole dancers. 

“I continued to pole dance up until 34 weeks and I was teaching at two different studios at that time – it was just so important to me to continue pole dancing,” explains Jane. "I knew there had been quite a few pole dancers in the past that had pole danced through their pregnancies, but it wasn't as publicized. There wasn't any information about it and a lot of health professionals didn't really know what was involved in pole dancing, so it was hard for them to give advice.” 

PoleSphere 

In 2018, Jane, Ally and Lisa (AKA the three twerk-eteers!) launched PoleSphere – an online pole dance tutorial platform featuring accomplished pole instructors who bring to life fun, quirky and engaging tutorials for polers of all levels.  

PoleSphere became increasingly popular and was one of the first online pole class platforms in Australia, well before the “Virtual Era of Pole” kicked off in 2020. PoleSphere has both on- and off-pole classes as part of the subscription, as well as live Zoom classes which are free for members. And the line-up of pole instructors is NEXT LEVEL! 

“We've got an amazing instructor team and it was important for us to have instructors that were really knowledgeable in their areas,” Jane tells me. “It was also important to us to have a progressive platform so that we didn't have people coming in who have never done pole before, or have only ever done one beginner's course, then jumping into tricks that are too hard. We really wanted to emphasize safe and progressive learning.” 

PoleSphere became very popular however Jane says they started to notice that they were losing members due to pregnancy. That’s when the idea for Pole Mamas was, quite literally, born! 

Introducing Pole Mamas 

Along with her own pregnancy journey and a knowledge of creating online learning platforms, the stars truly aligned, and Jane pitched the idea of Pole Mamas to her team. 

“I thought wouldn't it be great if we had a resource for these pole dancers who were wanting to continue to pole throughout their pregnancy and get back to it postpartum. Just really give them the confidence to keep going if they want to,” Jane explains.  

After 6 months of perfecting the Pole Mamas course syllabus, Jane, Ally and Lisa then focused on building a team of health and wellbeing professionals who specialised in pre- and postnatal care to contribute to the course. “Obviously, we wanted to have the emphasis on safety, and we wanted to make sure that we had the best experts that we could find,” says Jane. “We've got people who know pole dancer's bodies and who know women's health. That was really, really important to us.” 

The Pole Mamas team consists of three physiotherapists. The first is Phoebe Armfield from Bump Fitness who is a women’s health physio, as well as a pole dance instructor on the Gold Coast. The second is Simone Muscat AKA The Pole Physio who specialises in pole dancing physiotherapy. And the third is Julia Vo, who is a part of the The Pole Physio team and specialises in women’s health physiotherapy. 

Along with the physio dream team above, Pole Mamas branched out to other very important health professionals. 

Eley May, who is their resident mobility expert and founder and director of Flexersize. Eley May was actually pregnant at the time of filming the Pole Mamas course – you can’t get more coincidentally authentic than that!  

Tris Alexandra who is a clinical nutritionist specialising in women’s health issues, such as nutrition for postpartum women and treating fertility issues or complications through nutrition.  

And Emma Hall who is a sports psychologist and a pole dancer, who talks a lot about the mindset in getting back to pole and managing postpartum depression. 

After months of remote filming with these incredible professionals and working around various Melbourne lockdowns, the Pole Mamas course was complete, and it launched in September 2021. 

What is included in the Pole Mamas course? 

Pole Mamas is a world-first online course for pregnant and postnatal pole dancers. There are 2 different courses you can do – the Complete Course which covers all aspects of the pregnancy and postpartum journey, or the Postpartum Course which focuses on returning to pole post-birth. 

“We figured that there's probably quite a lot of women that would find the course towards the end of their pregnancy and may not want to have any other kids after that. That's why we decided to offer the postpartum course for those women. Or if they weren't considering pole dancing throughout the pregnancy at all, and they just wanted the recovery stage,” explains Jane. 

When signing up for either the Complete Course or the Postpartum Course, you get lifetime access so that you can revisit parts of the course if you have more children later. The courses are then broken down into different modules. 

“We have an introduction talking about contraindications and safety, then it goes through a few videos that are talking about common issues or common concerns that you might have during your pregnancy,” explains Jane.  

In the Complete Pole Mamas course, there are a lot of videos of Pilates-based exercises with Eley May, Simone and Phoebe, which can be performed during pregnancy. 

“This is conditioning that you can do while you're pregnant off the pole. Even if you're not pole dancing, you can do these exercises to help keep your strength up. There's a nice foam roller release series with Eley May – that's really, really nice!” laughs Jane. “I was lucky enough to be the demonstration model in the videos and my body felt so good afterwards! I wish I had that during my pregnancy!” 

Jane tells me that there are also a lot of videos in the program about the basics around pole dancing while pregnant, explaining which pole movements may or may not be safe to do when pregnant. However, given that everyone’s pregnancy journey is so unique, it is hard to give specific advice. 

“Our main goal for the pregnancy section of the course is education,” says Jane. “Giving women the confidence to continue pole dancing if they want to and playing within their capabilities while they're pregnant.” 

Pole Mamas Postpartum Course 

In the Pole Mamas Postpartum Course, again you will not find a list of dos and don’ts. Instead, you are guided by this team of professionals in your own journey back to pole dancing.  

Jane explains that there is a pelvic floor rehab sequence from weeks 1 to 6 so that after you give birth (vaginally or not), you have a range of gentle exercises to help re-strengthen your pelvic floor. Along with pelvic floor and core Pilates, there is Pilates conditioning for shoulder strength and to support you while taking care of a new baby. 

“There's a lot of lifting, putting down and holding your baby for extended periods which a lot of people underestimate, so it's important to have the conditioning behind you so that you don't get injured," says Jane. "A lot of new mums will get back pain or neck pain from looking down at their baby while they're feeding, or they'll get lower back pain from lifting them up. These Pilates exercises will address those issues while also re-conditioning the body to prepare to get back onto the pole after birth." 

There is also a range of pole classes in the Postpartum Course with women’s health and pole physio, Julia Vo, to help you build your basic skills on the pole again such as getting your invert back. It's perfect for pole mamas who need to focus on re-building foundations but want to do so in a fun way! 

“I'd been pole dancing for 9 years before I had Fox, so I had a little bit of experience under my belt and I kept quite fit during my pregnancy as well,” explains Jane. “When I did go back, I could still shoulder mount and aerial invert. I could still do most of the things that I could do could do before, but it would've been nice to have that gradual progression and have someone make me do the conditioning and ease into things." 

Not only are these classes 45min long (perfect to squeeze into your baby’s nap time) but you can always pause the class and come back to it later if bub wakes up. “You don't have to worry about missing half of the class if your baby needs a feed and ends up feeding for 30 minutes! It's a convenient way I think for new mums to train, which was a big barrier for me getting back to exercise after having Fox,” says Jane. 

Mindset & mental hurdles 

In pole dancing land, our mindset can resemble that of floorwork. Some days it’s like liquid gold as we flow flawlessly around the floor being fancy AF in our glittery heels, living our best life. Other days, we feel closer to a poorly executed fish-flop, wearing battered old Pleasers and shining with more sweat than sparkle. 

Throw in some morning sickness, pregnancy hormones, random vanilla slice cravings, body changes, oh and birthing a tiny human into the world – and suddenly your mindset is jumping more hurdles than Jana Pittman once did. Thankfully, Pole Mamas comes prepared and introduces you to Emma Hall – their resident sports psychologist and a pole dancer herself (so she knows a thing or two about battered fish-flop feels!).  

“The mental hurdles while you're pregnant are tremendous," says Jane. "My mental hurdles while I was pregnant were more around my body image, which was strange for me because I'd never had any body image issues in the past. But when I was pregnant, I was like 'I look completely different and my body's changing all the time' - you never just get used to it." 

And once you have given birth, Jane explains that it doesn't stop there. “I was diagnosed with postnatal depression and anxiety when my son was six months old. Looking back now, I definitely had those signs throughout my whole pregnancy, and I just didn't address it until much later on. Having Emma on board will hopefully be able to steer women in the right direction if they do experience some of those hurdles and mental challenges. Hopefully they can get the help that they deserve sooner rather than later, because it is quite horrible to live with for so long.” 

Not only do the Pole Mamas courses have modules with a sports psychologist, but there is also an incredibly supportive online member’s community you can be a part of with pole mamas from all over the world. 

“We've got a member's community so it's nice to normalize that kind of thing within the group and within a safe space. Just show women that it's okay to look different after you've had a baby and our bodies change all the time, baby or no baby,” Jane says. 

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is that Mama when she’s not 8-inches tall? 

It’s no surprise really, that so many people are drawn to the sense of community, socialisation and “dance your fitness” elements of pole dancing classes. And for those who have been pole dancing for a long time, the thought of pressing pause on pole because of pregnancy or raising a family can be difficult. So how can we embrace our new identity as an 8-inch heel wearing super-mum? 

"I think just staying involved with your community and your friends from pole dancing is really good. I was lucky that quite a few of my friends from the studio also had babies around the same time, so we started a little mum's group chat on Facebook...and that's a really nice way to connect without doing pole necessarily,” says Jane. “Staying involved in the community and going to events when you can or watching the live streams online or doing online classes if you can't get to the studio. It is tough, but you’re so many other things – you're never just a pole dancer! There are so many different faces of your identity and pole dancing, even though it feels like a huge part of your identity, it's really just part of many things.” 

Motherhood can be an exciting time to explore the pole world and find things that help you reconnect with yourself! Perhaps you discover a pole dance style you didn’t do much of before kids which feels great now, or you could re-discover hobbies you used to love. 

“It's a great time to explore different movement and different skills,” agrees Jane. “Maybe you want to try lyra or silks or something similar to pole dancing. I started taking music lessons in again when Fox was younger, because that was something that I could do for myself that didn't involve me going into the studio. I could practice at home and it gave me a little bit of an outlet being a creative person naturally. I'm sure a lot of other pole dancers feel the same, so just experiment with different things.” 

Not just for the baby mamas 

While the Pole Mamas Course has been created for pregnant or postpartum pole dancers, it is also an incredible resource for pole dance instructors! Having this knowledge will help you to support your pregnant/postpartum students safely and create an environment that they feel comfortable in. 

"We are in a women dominated industry, so it’s likely that if you're a teacher you've got a postpartum mum or someone that's going to be a postpartum mum in your class,” Jane says. “It's really important to have that some sort of knowledge behind you and to be able to recognise when [students] may need to be sent to see a professional. An example would be if they're experiencing pain in their pelvis when they do split moves or straddles, that's an indicator of pelvic girdle pain. Lower back pain and coning of the belly could be in indicator of ab separation and in that case [students] shouldn't be doing some moves. It's really, really great if an instructor can recognise these things and encourage students to see a health professional that can help." 

(Pictured: Jane’s pumpkin belly for the studio teachers & students show, Jane’s belly strapped by a physio to help with pelvic girdle pain)

Pole Mamas unite! 

Jane’s position is so unique having been a pole dancer herself for so long and now being a mum, she can relate to a lot of pregnant pole dancers and pole dancing mothers. Everyone’s pole AND pregnancy journey is so special and different, however thanks to the power of hindsight, Jane shares some tips for pregnant and new pole mums. 

“Seeing a women's health physio regularly is my number one tip!" says Jane. "Also continuing Pilates to condition for pole and to cross train is important to have that support behind your muscles so that you don't get injured, particularly when you're coming back after having a child. I didn't start doing Pilates until I was pregnant, but now that I've had Fox, and as a hyper mobile person, I'm like 'wow, this is the best thing ever!'” 

Jane also encourages pole dancing mums to take care of their mental wellbeing, as she adds, “Don't compare yourself to other mums or other pole dancers, especially when you're pregnant or postpartum, because you are not them. You might have different strengths to them, and you only see the best bits on Instagram anyway! Go at your own pace and your body will thank you later.” 

Just like the magical lands of Narnia, the pole world has its main characters who shine brightly onstage. However, it’s the hardworking behind-the-scenes beavers, the creators and motivators like Jane and her team, who keep our community sparkling strong. 

So what’s next for Jane, alongside running PoleSphere and Pole Mamas with her talented twerk-eteers? 

"I'd love to do maybe Floor Play if that's coming to Melbourne later in the year but we'll just see what happens. I really do miss performing, being onstage and creating a routine!” she says. “I am also loving teaching so much at the moment! When you've been in the industry for so long, you kind of lose the excitement a little bit yourself, so it's really nice seeing other people super, super excited about pole and getting really into it. They're the things that really make me happy these days.” 

If you would also like to be a part of this amazing pole community, you can purchase the Pole Mamas courses online here.

You can also find Pole Mamas on Instagram at @pole.mamas.society for valuable information and lots of inspiration from other pole dancing mamas!