Karina Ramos Villalobos

Body High:

Exploring somatic liberation by pole dance liberation by pole dance

by Karina Ramos Villalobos

by Karina Ramos Villalobos

Photos by Abraham Navarro

Feeling liberation can come from diff erent creative and unique outlets. Pole dancing is one. Dancing on a pole and embodying your inner somatic liberation is sexy, empowering and beautiful.

Natalie Abeja, a former stripper and pole fi tness instructor, began to gather people in diff erent places to teach private pole dancing classes to groups of eager students. During this time in 2015, the closest thing to pole fi tness in Arcata was aerial silk acrobatics. At one of the sessions her friend and business partner, Naomi Leitu, returned to town to fi nd her dance pole in use, and at that moment Leitu saw the potential for this to become a business. Leitu helped Abeja organize and transform the vision into a fully operating business now known as Body High Pole Dance Studio (Body High). Body High offi cially opened in March 2017 with a mission to provide a safe space to learn, practice and explore your sensual, sexy self without the risk of experiencing sexual harassment or trauma.

“I intend in creating this space to have other people have access to places where they can feel they can explore, where they can play, where they can fi nd their own bodies wanting to be sexy without consequences,” Abeja said. “Without punishment, they can develop that muscle and even when they go out in the world that punishes us for being in our full liberation they can have that in their back pocket, [and] be more whole.”

Abeja (37) and Leitu (33) are former strippers who met pole dancing and developed a bond that blossomed into a business partnership naturally. They both brought diff erent strengths to the process and were able to help share responsibilities to grow their community in a safe space. “We’re Black and Latina-owned,” Abeja said. “We are former-stripper owned and so we are able to off er those things that are kind of rare to come by in Humboldt.” Owning a studio as people of color in a predominantly white rural area is expanding the representations of diverse locally-owned businesses. Body High has made history by being the only local pole dance fi tness studio in Humboldt County. “Humboldt needs diverse voices, they need creative energy, they need people who are doing and bringing something new and diff erent to the community,” Abeja said. “Even if folks aren’t ready for it, there’s plenty of us who are.” At Body High, people can explore different ranges of classes from beginner classes to intermediate and advanced levels. Each class teaches unique pole and body style movements along with fl oor work motions, all with positive support from instructors.

A highly demanded class at Body High is ‘Dirty Filthy Flow’. This is a core class where students get to experience fl oor and pole work together. Floor work is performing pole dance movements on the fl oor with or without the assistance of a pole. Pole work is beyond upper body strength. Upper body strength is needed in all aspects of pole dancing to help pull yourself up and down on the pole. Pole work helps build strong core muscles used in this art. People’s abdominals and lower back muscles are used to perform moves where people need to climb on the pole, lift their legs and support their bodyweight while dancing.

“Once I realized I could dance, I felt it was important to show other adults that you can dance, you can be sexy and you can be beautiful,” Abeja said. “This is available to you no matter what age, no matter what size you are, no matter what gender you are.” Abeja has been pole dancing for 13 years and has been teaching since 2015. She fi rst learned the art of pole dancing at a club; before that she did not consider herself a dancer.

However, through this industry, she has found a somatic liberation, meaning she is able to embody liberation through the work she does in pole dancing.

Leitu has been pole dancing since 2011 and her favorite class to instruct is called ‘Twerk.’ “It’s high cardio,” Leitu said. “I like to see people move their butt in a way they didn’t think they could.” “Some goals that we have for next year and this year are to host more events in our space that cater to the community,” Leitu said. “A few of our instructors were in Northern Nights and I got so much positive feedback so I would love for us to host or actually have a set at a festival next year.” A regular class session allows for time to warm up the body, cool down and for people to enjoy and perfect their pole practice. A recommended class for people who have an interest in learning how to pole dance is ‘beginner pole.’ In this class, students learn basic pole tricks and transitions.

There are about 8-11 instructors at Body High, most of which were people who fi rst started as dancers at the club where they collectively worked. All the instructors off er diff erent classes and techniques because everybody works diff erently and people want to learn various tricks, styles and movements. “I was a student for about a year and a half,” said Angela Spellman, the studio manager and an instructor at Body High Dance Studio. “Natalie and Naomi are wonderful, they were giving us opportunities to do showcases and

I got a taste of performing, I was so hooked. I was here all the time. I got my own house pole so I could keep practicing, it defi nitely became something that was a ritual, that was a part of my everyday life.”

Spellman (37), originally from Brooklyn, New York, discovered Body High in 2018, after having a recurring dream about her pole dancing. After that dream, she told a friend and got encouraged to go and attend a class for the fi rst time. Spellman’s fi rst experience in pole was out of curiosity, yet it manifested into a career and grew into a new passion. There was a need for something new in her life and pole dancing was another outlet for creative expression. Before Body High, Spellman was working as an artist creating window displays for businesses. According to Spellman, anything where she is able to create and feel stimulated is the validation she needs to continue. When she found pole dancing she immediately recognized it as an art form. Pole dancing was something that Spellman realized she can be a long-life student and share her knowledge.

“As a mother, for a while, I was only in that role and pole dancing has brought me back to myself as a woman and in touch with my sensuality more,” Spellman said. “For me, I’m going to be pole dancing until I’m old and gray.”

“You can dance, you can be sexy and you can be beautiful.”

Spellman became a regular skilled student and danced her way up to her role now. As the manager, Spellman is in charge of communicating with the staff , scheduling, instructing classes and maintenance around the dance studio.

“I feel really confi dent with all the instructors we have now,” Leitu said. “I always get positive feedback. I’m happy it’s still thriving without me being actually there. I still do the paperwork and everything behind the scenes.” Co-owners Leitu and Abeja have moved away from Humboldt County and still manage the business from where they live now. Leitu is in Atlanta, Georgia and Abeja lives in Oakland, California. They both consistently travel back and forth to Humboldt to be in their studio and occasionally instruct a pop-up class. Abeja’s favorite class to teach is sensual movement and fl oorwork. Students learn how to embody their own sexuOSPREY 29

ality in acrobatic movements both on the fl oor and on the pole. “All of those are kind of deep movements,” Abeja said. “Moving around in a deeply sensual way just like you’re this exotic animal. You’re just existing. It’s less about [choreography] or hitting a rhythm, it’s about thinking of yourself as a big jungle cat that looks gorgeous no matter what you’re doing.” Community members are encouraged to organize any form of workshop or event at Body High Pole Dance Studio. People can rent out the space hourly for certain events as a venue. More information on this can be found online through Body High’s website or social media platforms. “Black Humboldt has rented out the space a bunch and has hosted events,” Abeja said. “People can also host any kind of party, bachelorette party, divorce party, birthday party, any of those things they’re welcome to host.” Body High has allowed people to blossom, heal and discover diff erent elements about themselves through the art form of pole dancing in a space that empowers and supports individuals with community. Students like Ali Metcalfe, who just started becoming a regular student at Body High in Aug. 2022, described how she appreciates the community aspect that Body High has created. She feels that by instructors allowing time for their students to introduce themselves and share names, pronouns and anything else that promotes personal connection, it embodies the security of the space. “I love the instructors and all the girls are really nice,” Metcalfe said. “Everyone is really supportive when you mess up or when you do something right, everybody is on your team. I’ve also made a couple of friends here. I carpool with one of the girls here whenever we go to class, which is nice.”

Body High will help new students that are fascinated and intrigued by this art form. It’s a place where one can grow, transform and fi nd somatic liberation within community, dancing and creating future possibilities or opportunities from these skills. OSPREY 30

“I’m going to be pole dancing until I’m old and gray.”