Two mums from Huddersfield have a new goal – to be top pole dancers.
Both Cariad Fairless and Rosa Collier-Wraith are well on the way, having made the finals of a UK contest.
They are now preparing for the finals in Luton next month at the Princess Pole Dancing studio in Marsh, under the expert guidance of tutor Sarah-Jayne Marcussen, 27.
She has been teaching them for the past 18 months and is delighted at their success and with the way the sleazy image of the craft is being dispelled.
She said: “There is still this very negative image of pole dancing which refuses to go away. That’s far from the case and the work that Cariad and Rosa put in shows a great deal of strength, gymnastic moves and dance ability.
“It saddens me when I read that Swansea University have shut down their pole-dancing club, deeming it to be sexist, even though they had both male and female instructors.
“I have helped run a club at the University of Huddersfield for more than a year and we have 60 members who practise each week purely to help get and stay fit”.
She said Cariad and Rosa took first place in the Doubles category at the United Kingdom Amateur Pole Performers competition in Manchester.
The Doubles category was fiercely fought at the Manchester heat, where competitors were marked on how well they worked with a partner, the ability to synchronise and also tricks performed together.
Fluidity, overall tricks and dance transitions were also marked.
Cariad, 33 and a mum-of-two from Slaithwaite, and Rosa, 26 and mum-of-one from Lindley are both students at the Marsh studio.
Both started pole dancing for fitness around 18 months ago, as complete beginners, so have come a really long way with theirs performance art.
The pair will now compete in the final on November 10 and will be travelling to Luton to compete against heat winners from around the UK.
