Cynthia Muniz opened her pole-dancing studio in 2010. Back then, the activity was still stigmatized as a stripper’s sport. But over the next six years, she says, pole dancing has become recognized as a form of exercise, and her KittyKat Pole Dancing studio in Midtown Miami functions more like a gym (albeit one very sexy gym).
Now Muniz is looking to break the pole-dancing paradigm again, this time by offering a class at her studio for children and teens. She got the idea last year after learning ofchildren’s pole-dancing classes in Europe. But it hasn’t caught too much traction on this side of the Atlantic. So far, Muniz has held only one class.
“There’s a big pushback because of the pole,” Muniz says. “It’s the acrobatic side we want to teach, not little girls in high heels wearing tutus and sexy dancing.”
For adults, pole dancing has been accepted as a form of exercise in recent years. It’s been shown to help coordination and flexibility and relieve stress. Muniz believes children can reap the same benefits.
