Your New Pole Dance Instructor?

If you're ready to sweat? Shantelle O'Leary is a life-long dancer who's taken pole-dancing to a whole new level. The Manly Dance instructor and Miss Pole Princess 2006 takes a breather to answer Our Manly's questions.

Shantelle O’Leary: James Barwood and Galia Page (Manly Dance’s founding partnership) put the word out through X Pole, the manufacturer of poles for pole dancing.

Our Manly: What do you think about Manly Dance in relation to their desire to be sustainable, their use of recycled materials in the building of the studio, and their broad spectrum of dancers from all over the globe?

Shantelle O’Leary: I’ve taught at a lot of dance schools but I really love working there. It’s a lovely space. James and Galia have done it very nicely. A very good energy about it. I love that they do have teachers from everywhere. I find that a lot of the staff have really good experience in their genre. It’s quite an eclectic little group, all great in what they do, who probably would never work together, that all get to work together at a great studio.

Our Manly: What is the best time of day or night to learn how to pole dance? Can you learn to pole dance in the daylight?

Shantelle O’Leary: (Breaks out laughing) I’m the only one that does teach during the day, Saturdays. The other classes are afternoon and night. I don’t know if there is a best time. Anytime is a great time. A lot of people like doing it after work, to unwind.  

Our Manly: What are the merits of pole dancing?

Shantelle O’Leary: Great fitness and strength building, particularly core strength, upper body, your abs. It’s fabulous for your obliques. A great cardio workout. It’s like using weights but using your own body. It’s actually more weight than most women would do in a traditional weights session. And it’s fun! A lot of my ladies say that afterwards they are totally exhausted but while they are doing it they don’t feel like they are working overly hard because they are having so much fun.

Our Manly: Who chooses the music?

Shantelle O’Leary: I do.

Our Manly: What do you like to pole dance to?

Shantelle O’Leary: Well, I’m not your traditional stripper pole dancer. I am a musical theatre performer, like jazz dancer who went and learned how to pole dance. I have never stripped! I’m very proud of that fact. So I like to bring a real non-strippy vibe to it. Currently we are doing some 80’s disco numbers. I’ve done more theatrical numbers with songs from Chicago. More theatrical than sexed up.

Our Manly: Are there some stigmas associated with pole dancing?

Shantelle O’Leary: Yes. I let my students know as soon as they start class that I am not a stripper and they tend to relax. Everyone’s preconceived idea of pole-dancing is that it is for strippers. Even father was like, “What?” I told him, “Dad, I’m not stripping.” It is an art form, or a circus-y like skill as opposed to stripping. Students do feel a little bit intimidated at first, but once they meet me they relax and it becomes a very fun class.

Our Manly: Is it good for an introverted or shy person who sees it as sexy and fun and not just stripping?

Shantelle O’Leary: Yes, definitely. It is a great way to explore that side if they are quite shy.  I do have a couple of shy ladies who would never do it in front of anyone, but really let themselves go in class. They can feel sexy and attractive and good about themselves with no cheapening feeling at all.

Our Manly: Is the environment at Manly dance private and secure?

Shantelle O’Leary: Because the frontage is glass you can see in the front door. If anyone feels uncomfortable we can put up a curtain, but no one has ever really found it to be a problem. If you stood at the door you can see in, which is actually great advertising for us! The men in the surf shop across the road watch us every Saturday! (Laughs)

Our Manly: How did you go from Disney to pole dancing?

Shantelle O’Leary: I’ve danced all my life. I’m not a gym person but was looking for exercise that would stimulate my mind in terms of choreography but work my body really hard, because I am fairly physical. I went with a friend of mine, at first. We did one class and I absolutely fell in love with it. That was about four years ago. I still host kid’s Christmas shows, and still do that part of my performing but also teach pole dancing as well.  (Giggles)

Our Manly:  What was it like pole dancing in New Guinea and Kuala Lumpur?

Shantelle O’Leary: It was great. They were corporate events and fundraisers. In New Guinea we did our James Bond show, including a singer and four other dancers. Our audience were all ex-pats and they loved it.  It was good. Because it was done in the context of a theatrical show, people look at it differently. They admired the hard work and creativity that went into it.

Our Manly: Is there a minimum age for classes?

Shantelle O’Leary:  Eighteen at Manly Dance. I have taught sixteen year old daughters and their mums. Because it is not done in a sexual manner, the mums had just as much fun as the daughters.

Our Manly: How does someone new to pole dancing start?

Shantelle O’Leary: I run my classes in five week blocks. Enroll at the beginner level and then move up. You do need to do a course and then move up a level. You can keep going all year up the levels.

Our Manly: How many poles at the studio?

Shantelle O’Leary: Eight.

Our Manly:  Choreographed dances, individual routines? What’s a class like.

Shantelle O’Leary: A fifteen minute traditional warm-up where we don’t even touch the poles. Then we spend twenty minutes at different tricks. And then we put it all in a routine we choreograph ourselves. By the end of the course they have a routine.

Our Manly: Sounds like fun to me.

Shantelle O’Leary: It is.

Our Manly: Have any men wanted to pole dance?

Shantelle O’Leary: Not at Manly Dance, but I do know two men who are amazing pole dancers. They are classically trained contemporary dancers and they do performances. Again, they are a bit like me and don’t do it stripperish but make it quite acrobatic. So, yes, men can pole dance but we wouldn’t put them in the same class.

Our Manly: Will you retire from pole dancing?

Shantelle O’Leary: I could see retiring from performing, but I have a long time left to teach. Anyone can pole dance, fit or overweight. You can practice it for many years to come.

Our Manly: How would you entice a new customer to come and learn to pole dance from Shantelle O’Leary at Manly Dance?

Shantelle O’Leary: Come on down and  have a go and they will have so much fun they will completely forget they could be doing something with a sexual connotation; they will be having so much fun they’ll be banging at the door for there next class!

Our Manly:  Thanks so much, Shantelle and good luck.

 Shantelle O'Leary began her dancing career at a young age as the principal dancer and choreographer for the Mirthful Magician, John Barrand, during which time she appeared at leading variety venues as well as many corporate events. She trained under the watchful eye of David Atkins at his Dynamite Dance Studio in all facets of performance adding drama and singing to her already formidable dance talent.

Shantelle has had a long association with Walt Disney productions, touring Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

She has appeared and co-choreographed The Australian Rod Stewart Show, Disco Divas, and Hot Latin Nights. More recently Shantelle has been working with singing sensation, Nikki Bennett in various shows including the Moulin Rouge Show and the Chicago Show playing a leading role as well as having the role of Dance Captain.

Highlights of Shantelle's career include appearing in Home and Away,The Today Show, The Midday Show Pan, the "Ultra Swing Lounge", and many television commercials.

Shantelle took up pole dancing 4 years ago, to learn another skill associated with dance. She fell in love with it and quickly began to master the art of pole. Since taking up pole, Shantelle has won Miss Pole Princess 2006, performed on Home and Away and even taken her pole show to Noumea, Papau New Guinea and Kuala Lumpur. Shantelle is a sought after pole performer and loves to pass her love of pole onto her students in a fun atmosphere.

Read more about Manly Dance here!