The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards
Oakland Pole and Dance Wins for Best Bay Area Virtual Workout Classes in 2020
The East Bay fitness studio helped bring body positivity and physical activity into our living rooms
This article is part of The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards, which celebrate the Bay Area’s small businesses and local residents who have hustled and shown creativity throughout 2020. See all the award winners here.
When Jennifer Lopez’s core-straining, attention-grabbing scene debuted in 2019’s Hustlers, pole dancing experienced a wave of newfound popularity. (In fact, “exercise polls” were nearly sold out on Amazon for a good while after the movie was released.) With all of us spending more time indoors, spinning and twirling on a lofty metal shaft has become a means to get some much-needed exercise while traditional gyms remain closed.
Though Oakland Pole and Dance’s in-studio group classes haven’t been a thing for some time, its virtual dancing series has garnered widespread love and adoration. These classes have also helped bring a community together and helped people celebrate their bodies — in the comfort of their own homes.
