Mia's Story: Part 1 - I was basically forced to pole dance

Studio Owner - Amalia Mia Lang on her Pole at home

My friend annoyed the sh*=t out of my, to finally start pole dancing...

My pole dancing journey is quite different from others. Not only was I basically forced to pole dance, but I am also completely self-taught.

Before I started pole dancing, I was a cheerleader for over 10 years. I tried many different sports, but none really suited me. Most of the time, I found them too boring and monotonous. Cheerleading was different; it was the perfect mix of adrenaline, acrobatics, gymnastics, and dance. However, our cheer team peaked, and staying at the top was the hardest part. Shortly after, the team started to crumble, and what I thought was my life began to slowly fade away. I felt heartbroken and defeated and cried for a couple of nights. I realized that even though I loved cheer so much, my joy for the sport seemed to disappear, and I couldn't really identify myself without it.

My body suffered greatly due to mental blocks, stress, and incorrect practice methods, and I felt I was getting too old for it. Many smaller girls joined, weighed less than me, and were just easier to throw. They weren't scared of new stunts, and I carried this big stone on my back of being too heavy and having to compete with girls that were like 10 years younger than me.

I was struggling mentally... I had an eating disorder...

Mia's First Outside Leg Hang

I started going to the gym more often, and that's where I met my friend Angela, who was working there as a personal trainer. We quickly became friends, and she helped me with my fitness while I helped her with stretching. But not only that, I was suffering from a couple of mental issues back then, and my relationship with food was really unhealthy. I don't know where I would have ended up if it weren't for Angela.

One day, Angela told me about pole dancing. She thought that, since I was so strong and flexible (which I really wasn't back then), I should try it. I declined many times because, at that time, pole dancing seemed like stripping to me. But Angela didn't give up. She kept sending me pictures of herself on the pole. Maybe I was still grieving about my cheer career ending, and I wasn't ready yet to try a new sport.

The Rainbow Marchenko....

Mia doing a closed Leg Hang

Days passed… but one day, I got really curious and started looking for pole dancing videos. I think it was when I saw the "Rainbow Marchenko" that I fell in love with pole dancing. The trick was so beautiful, strong, and graceful that I really wanted to learn it. So, I decided to give it a go. I went online and looked for used poles. A few days later, I had a 50mm (I didn't know what the norm was) used X-Pole in my bedroom.

In love with a 50mm piece of metal...

Angela kept coming over, and with my first touch on this piece of metal, my heart was fully in love with pole dancing. I remember quite vividly that I was practicing up to 5 hours a day, which turned me into a smurf from all the pole kisses (bruises). I was basically teaching myself everything because there were no studios nearby. Angela and I searched for every available online tutorial at that time. Nonetheless, I have to say that pole dancing came quite naturally to me. I remember doing a shoulder mount during my first practice and posting it on a pole forum. People couldn't believe that it was my first time trying it out. I felt like I found something that awoke my spark again. I couldn't stop thinking and breathing pole… I was totally in love with it.

Bye Cheerleading, I will always appreciate you and be grateful for you....

That was in October 2013. Not too long after I started pole dancing, I decided to stop cheerleading actively. The team was breaking down, and a lot of my fellow teammates decided to leave the team. I also felt like it was my time to leave this sport. I was lucky to have found pole dancing because I couldn't imagine myself without any sport. I was practicing relentlessly on the pole and started teaching my friends how to pole in my own house. And this is where I started to put my focus on…. away from a team sport, where I felt too fat, too heavy, too scared, too old… back to me! For me, it was the best thing that could have happened. And I wouldn't want a dang thing to change... all this sweat, tears and blood was worth it.