Featured Instructor - PDC Approved 3 star pole dancing instructor Angie Voluti.

Angie Voluti is the principal instructor at the White Studio based in Bedford. The White Studio launched in May 2017 and is the first and only European business to manufacture bespoke flexibility yoga wheels in natural, sustainable materials and to the user’s specification. Angie chose Bedford as the city to hold its flexibility, dance and pole fitness courses.  

“I started producing the only UK-made wood and cork flexibility yoga wheels last year, and it became immediately apparent that there were no classes focused on the use of such a tool,” says The White Studio Principal Instructor Angie Voluti. “I decided to create a course to teach students, who wish to increase their flexibility and improve their fitness, how the flexibility wheel can help.”  

Fifty-two-year old Angie Voluti is a fully qualified pole fitness instructor with Spin City at Advanced Level and I have Advanced Pole Fitness Instructor certificate from Spin City, as well as being qualified to teach children from 5 years old (certificate from X-Pole). “I started pole fitness a couple of years ago; the following for this sport has increased exponentially over the last few years, and it is a fantastic way to keep fit, whilst having fun,” she explained. “Age is not a barrier, and I am living proof of that!”

Angie represented the Pole Dance Community live on BBC Radio 2 on UK Pole Dance Day in 2018 during which she was interviewed by Chris Evans whilst she pole danced in the studio.

Angie also runs the only flexibility yoga wheel classes in the UK.

We spoke to Angie to find out a little bit more about her pole journey to date.

How long have you been pole dancing?

On a day when the pole is not your friend, and you don’t seem to manage any of the tricks you are attempting, it may feel like you have barely started. Other times, the world is yours to conquer, and you may think you’ve done this for ever. In reality, it’s been three years.

What got you into pole dancing?

Boredom. I have always been an active person, and as the children became older and more and more engrossed in their own stuff (mainly computer games), and less dependent on me, I started to seek something which could be just for me. I am a single mum, and have a busy life supporting my family. It had to be something so special, so unique, that I could embrace it and make it part of everything else. Pole dancing did just that.  

What did you do before you started teaching pole dancing?

I work all hours, and still do! Gym, mainly, to keep fit. Also did ballroom dancing and latin-american. I got to quite high levels before moving to another part of the country, and therefore having to quit.

What is your favourite pole move?

Definitely whichever move I am working on, until I muster it, and it becomes mine. Then it’s time to move on. Having said that, Dragon’s Tails is something I find particularly charming.  

What made you start teaching pole?

I like to make a difference to other people’s lives. I also passionately believe that our bodies are magical temples of unending energy and strength. They self-heal, they grow, they manage amazing feats. I am 52 and can hang from a pole holding virtually my entire body weight by one hand. I wanted to show others who may be disillusioned after, say, having children, that it CAN be done.   

Have you done or are you considering any pole dance gradings.

I could be working on Level 6 of the PDC grading, but there are a few intriguing moves in Level 5, and it makes more sense to pitch the challenge at that level. Grading shouldn’t be about grabbing the highest level you can, it should be about personal development and getting something more, out of it, than a certificate.

Which pole dancers inspire you?

Those who have overcome any kind of difficulty to achieve whatever they have done. I don’t have a ‘heroine’, so if I see someone doing a cool move on IG, for example, that in itself becomes an inspiration.  

What move is your nemesis?

There are two kinds: moves which elude me because they are about technique and strength, and those which I simply can’t do because my body won’t twist/bend enough. I work on both, but appreciate that the former will take less time to manage. As an example of both, forward-facing deadlift Ayesha, and Broken Doll.      

Do you have any other sports/hobbies?

I teach and I train with my flexibility wheels (they are yoga wheels which my company manufactures, and the only bespoke wood and cork ones in Europe).  

Do you have any pets? 

My toy poodle, Princess. She is the little girl I never had.

What is your preferred footwear for pole dancing?

I am a high-heel kind of girl. For training, though, I prefer bare feet. Shoes are for feeling good when you are playing!  

Do you prefer 38mm, 42mm, 45mm or 50mm poles?

I was trained on a 42mm pole, and prefer it to anything else.

Preferred Pole Material?

Brass.

Static or spinning?

Static to learn technically tricky moves. Spinning when you ‘get’ them.

Any fun student stories?

I have a student whose back is so bendy, I simply cannot forecast where she will end up as I spot her for a move. This week, I was helpfully expecting her feet to dangle a bit as she twisted herself into a Dove, and found myself blindly looking for her legs towards the bottom of the pole, whilst she was literally folded over herself above my head. I felt very stupid, and not a little envious. :-)

Do you use any grip aids or gloves when you dance?

Yes, I use grip aids, no gloves. My first instructor always told me that you end up relying too much on gloves, whilst I can still pole even without gripping aids.

What are your plans for the future?

Get better, faster, sleeker, more advanced, and inspire other pole dancers: I am living proof that you can do it even after 50 and I am training two Beginner Pole instructors.

I took part in Radio 1’s Pole Dancing Day on 2 May 2018 and was interviewed by Chris Evans, also performed in his studio.

Thank you to Scott Brimley Photography for the studio images.