Farah Ihab, a Pole Dancer & Flexibility Instructor is pretty excited to share her story with us, in hopes that it would inspire other women to discover & fall in love with their bodies’ capabilities. Let’s rise along with Farah!
First foot forward
“I started my sports/dance journey 5 years ago when I took my first Pole Dance class at the age of 19. Prior to that day, I had never set foot in a dance studio before nor practiced any sports whatsoever. I was not strong nor flexible and was actually underweight and suffering from body dysmorphia.
During that 1st class I couldn’t even lift one foot off the ground and struggled with the most basic moves. Turns out pole dancing is HARD. It’s a beautiful sport that requires lots of strength, flexibility, coordination and grace. But I was hooked. I left the 1st class feeling amazing and challenged and I love a good challenge!”
Multitasking towards growth
“Fast forward to 1.5 years later, after so much hard work & training, I finished my instructors’ certification and started teaching Pole & Flexibility at one of the biggest pole dance studios in Egypt (Project Pole Egypt). At that time, I was still a Clinical Pharmacy student, so I went to university in the morning, studied on my way to work, taught pole & flexibility classes in the evening and studied a bit more when I got home. It was quite hard managing my degree, my training and teaching at the same time. But I wouldn’t have changed any of it for the world!”
Beyond All Stigmas
Of course, there’s a lot of stigmas surrounding pole dancing, and most people link it to stripping. But Farah haven’t really faced any difficulties in that area. Her family, fiancé & friends have always been very supportive of Her Pole journey. Because Pole only exists in Egypt as a sport in Ladies only studios, the stigma is somewhat not as pronounced as in western cultures.
Body Breakthrough
“Pole Dancing has helped me overcome my body dysmorphia and become the healthiest version of myself. I am not hyper-focused on how my body “looks” like anymore and rather more focused on what my body is “capable” of. My goals went from wanting to be skinny with hard rock abs to wanting to be strong, well-nourished and healthy both physically & mentally.”
A Sincere Community
“Pole Dancing introduced me to so many amazing women and the most supportive & accepting community. You could have a pole class filled with girls & women from the ages of 15 to 55 and from all walks of life and they ALL would get along and cheer for each other, and that’s the beauty about the Pole Dance community.; it has no limitations nor restrictions, ANYONE can join, regardless of age, weight, fitness level, we can all Pole Dance! “
In the Love of Pole
“Today, I’m a full time Pole & Flexibility instructor (& part time social media specialist). I loved studying Clinical Pharmacy but I fell more in love with teaching Pole. There’re so many perks to my job, I get to witness and be a part of strong women’s journeys. I get to cheer for them and motivate them. I get to help women OWN their bodies and embrace the beauty of womanhood.
My biggest reward is when one of my students tells me that they had a bad day and how that completely changed after attending my Pole class! Making a difference makes all the difference!”
