A pole dance teacher, this Narbonnaise bet on Rodez in 2015 to teach her passion. A move later, from rue de la Barrière to rue de la Penderie, it has nearly 200 students.
The story began in 2015. At a time not so long ago, but when pole dancing had not yet conquered rural territories. And above all, where she still suffered from her sulphurous reputation, associated with the strip clubs of great America… In 2015, Claire Chemla was 26 years old. Masters in management of tourist structures in her pocket, she then discovered the pole, as they say. The first class takes place in Béziers, not far from his native Narbonne. It’s love at first sight. “It reminded me of the effort and performance I knew in the judo that I practiced at a high level. I loved it and immediately wanted to go further,” she recalls. Further, it is higher and the Parisian capital which offers training to become a pole dance coach. Claire Chemla gets it, “by sweat”, she laughs. All that remains is to get started. She then chose Mende… then Rodez!
200 students, à la carte lessons…
“And frankly, I’ve never had any disparaging remarks here, people are as open as in town,” she insists. Success doesn’t wait. In her small studio on rue de la Barrière, she pushes the walls to accommodate more than a hundred students. But, impossible to grow more and place the famous bars at a suitable height.
In 2019, the professor is heading for the Cardaillac district where she is setting up her own studio, rue de la Penderie. Besides pole dancing, aerial hammock and hoops are also installed. La Narbonnaise attracts even more, from 8 to… 63 years old. Today, she reached the mark of 200 practitioners. And not just women, because two men have recently embarked on the discipline where arms, abs, shoulders, back and many other parts of the body are put to the test. Not to mention a certain strength and flexibility necessary.
“A sport open to all!”
But on this point too, Claire Chemla twists the neck of several clichés. “Pole dancing is open to everyone. It’s not an extremely difficult sport as we hear too often. On the contrary, we progress very, very quickly. And that’s why it becomes addictive. Strength and flexibility, it comes over time”, assures the one who in weightlessness is disconcertingly easy. And who enjoys seeing the progress of his students every evening. For some, the pole is much more than an effort, “it’s a real therapy”.
Because at Pole dance moving Rodez, if you work hard, it’s always in a good mood. Courses are created by level and everyone can find their account, from a first hour of discovery to several sessions per week. “It’s hard work but the adventure is great and I absolutely don’t regret having chosen Rodez as a city…”, concludes Claire Chemla, delighted to see that pole dancing has become a “trendy” sport in France. . The Ruthénoises and Aveyronnaises also caught the virus. “Some even install bars at home now,” smiles the teacher, before repeating her ranges, sometimes vertically, sometimes horizontally. It is said of pole dancing that it offers endless possibilities. The story that began in 2015 still promises to last.
