Most mothers and daughters enjoy trips to the shops, but these two have a hobby that’s made them so wrapped up in each other there’s almost no separating them.

Sonia Hendry (34) is a pole dancing teacher and her 12-year-old daughter Sera has shown so much promise in the sport that she’s joined her mother’s pole fitness classes for children.

All of Sonia’s seven children and stepchildren, who are aged from four to 16, have fun swinging on the pole
that Sonia has in her lounge in Lower Hutt, but it’s Sera who seems to have a natural talent for performing.

“She’s more serious about it than the others,” Sonia explains. “I’ve never been one to push my kids – she wanted to do it for fun. If she’s serious about competing when she’s 18, then I will start training her. But at the moment I just want to let her be a kid and let her have fun.”

Sonia teaches Sera and six other children pole fitness at her Kiwi Pole Fitness studio, which has drawn concern
from women’s groups that say children are becoming over-sexualised.

But Sonia defends her kids’ classes, insisting the children wear sports gear, and the focus is on fitness and learning fun tricks – unlike the adult dance classes, which include sensual movements as part of the performance.

“I’ve been getting so much criticism about my kids doing pole dancing. But the kids don’t see anything degrading or disgusting about it. It’s an adult’s perception that makes them see that side of it.

“Pole sport originated in India as a gymnasts’ pillar and it was the Western world that turned it into striptease,”
Sonia explains.

“The kids haven’t seen anything slightly sexy or sensual because we don’t want them doing that. We don’t want them to be seen in that light.

“One lady complained that the kids finish with the splits like strippers do, but splits are part of lots of sports like
rhythmic gym, where the kids are in tiny leotards with ribbons and dancing all over the floor. So what’s wrong with kids climbing up poles and doing cool tricks?” asks Sonia, who would like it recognised as an Olympic sport.

“There was a lot of controversy in Australia about it but a lady was teaching the kids sexy pole dancing – which I don’t agree with. We only do gymnastics and pole tricks.”

And Sonia’s adults classes are strictly R18. “There’s quite a bit of booty shaking and slow dancing. I get women up on their tiptoes, which makes it look like they’re wearing heels, because that makes your legs look great and toned.

“I also teach women to take off their gloves and work with scarves and boas so it’s a bit like burlesque. There’s a big difference between that and the kids’ classes I run.”

Sera, one of the many children who took part in a performance at the Central Pole Dance Championships in Wellington two weeks ago, tells the Weekly that she loves mastering new moves on the pole. “It’s fun and the tricks you can do are really awesome and cool.”

Although most of her friends have never tried pole dancing, they are all supportive of Sera’s sport. “They say it
looks fun and the ones who have tried it think it’s cool.”

Being able to practise on her own pole at home gives Sera an advantage over most of the other competitors who can only use the poles in the studio.

“I’m lucky because I get to do it at home as well as at pole class. Also my mum helps me to learn new tricks.”
It’s also improved Sonia and Sera’s mother-daughter bond.

“We’ve become closer,” reveals Sonia. “We do a lot of trapeze stuff, which means we’ve got to really trust each other.”

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