The Sexiest New Craze to Hit the Market
by Tamara McHatton

Envision this…you've arranged for the party. You've invited your ten best girlfriends. You've got the snacks made up, the hubby and kids out of the house for the evening…and the fun is about to begin.

You're all excited, because you're the first female in your neighborhood to throw one of these kinds of parties. Tupperware? Nope. Liquid Embroidery? Not even close. Okay...Mary Kay. Still off base...think more erotic, more flavorful. Ah-ha...a Passion Party? Wrong again.

The newest craze to hit the neighborhood is Pole Parties.

Pole what, you say? What is a Pole Party?

A Pole Party, also known as Pole Dancing Parties, is the hottest rage hitting America, Europe, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and now Japan. It has been seen on 20/20, The View, A Current Affair, and Oprah. Yes, Oprah and Barbara Walters have pole danced in front of millions of viewers!

Recently, pole dancing has caught on as a new and increasingly popular form of exercise, in which women (and sometimes men) use the pole as a workout prop. This form of exercise increases upper body strength (by using the body itself as resistance) while toning the body as a whole.

Once reserved for the privacy of a men's club, pole dancing is turning up in unexpected places. Health clubs and dance studios offering this form of slow exercise are attracting women who might have otherwise settled for a step class.

"You let your hair down, and it's that girl's club, slumber party feel," said Teri Jaworksi, who works out at the S Factor, an all-women studio in Los Angeles. Jaworksi discovered the hip sway she learned in class had other powers when she showed it to a male friend. "I was just demonstrating, and I saw the look on his face," she said. "If you move your body in a very female way, the male mind is programmed to respond, and you get that reaction. It's fascinating. Plus, it counts as exercise because it leaves you extremely winded”, she said.

Crunch, an urban-oriented subsidiary of Bally Total Fitness (which has since sold   more >>