Body, mind and pole: Embodied dance studio in Ottawa aims to foster collective healing

WARNING: This article contains sensitive topics. Those in need of support can contact the Mental Health Crisis Line: 613-722-6914 (within Ottawa) and 1-866-996-0991 (outside Ottawa), the Ottawa Distress Centre Crisis Line: 613-238-3311, or the Youth Services Bureau 24/7 Crisis Line: 613-260-2360 or 1-877-377-7775 (toll)

On the lower level of a brick building just steps away from Bronson Avenue, a handful of women sit cross-legged in a circle, their faces illuminated by low, purple mood lighting. 

Eight floor-to-ceiling silver dance poles surround them, but it’s not yet time for each dancer to begin flowing around them. First, coach Karolyne LaFortune guides dancers through the ritual of becoming present in their physical bodies. This process can sometimes be accompanied by journalling and result in intense emotional releases. 

LaFortune, owner of EmbodiPole Sensual Arts studio, intentionally curated this space to help members tap into what some describe as somatic movement — movement that celebrates a mind-body connection. 

Allison, a member of LaFortune’s studio, said somatic pole dancing has been transformative in her journey healing from the traumas of sexual assault, an eating disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Allison, who declined to have her last name published due to concerns about potential judgment from future employers, said she vividly remembers the first time she felt “embodied” while dancing. 

“I was just moving … I started to cry and I just felt this release through my whole body,” she said. “I realized I didn’t care about how I looked or moved. I was moving right then, in the moment, how my body wanted to move. I don’t think I’d ever done that before.”

Although somatic practices have long been expressions of Indigenous cultures across the globe, they have become widely studied in Western medicine as serious healing tools over the past two decades.

 “Somatics” was first coined by philosophy professor Thomas Hanna, who published Bodies in Revolt: A Primer in Somatic Thinking in 1970. This approach paved the way for physicians to consider how trauma is held within the human nervous system and how movement-based practices can help release it. 

A somatics framework challenges the traditional Western separation between mind and body, viewing these two parts as intrinsically connected. This connection can be unlocked through various practices such as body scans, yoga, meditation and, in LaFortune’s case, pole dancing. 

Heather Hlavka, a sociologist at Marquette University in Wisconsin, said somatic approaches could be especially helpful for those with historically marginalized and intersecting identities. 

“Embodiment is thinking about how our body develops these thoughts, identities and feelings, and then how we live through our bodies, historically, culturally, politically and collectively,” she said. 

With a background in a male-dominated industry, Allison describes the experience of feeling embodied through somatic dance as “unlocking this whole other world.” 

Allison’s experience is part of a larger movement that views somatics as a powerful tool for women and femme-presenting people who have experienced trauma. 

Still, EmbodiPole is a business with class prices on par with the rates of premium yoga studios in the city. A membership pass comprised of four 75-minute classes costs up to $144. LaFortune said this price tag reflects the limited number of poles for dancers in the space.

But for members, the service is more than just a sexy workout class. It aligns with mind-body healing approaches subject of a growing body of academic literature. 

Hlavka, who studies somatic approaches to gender-based violence, also noted the power of collectivity when engaging in these practices. In a group setting, reclaiming joy becomes not just personal but communal, creating a powerful sense of belonging.

‘From go mode to flow mode’

After transitioning out of teaching in her tiny Glebe apartment in 2016, LaFortune founded the studio under the name Iron X Fitness. 

In January 2024, LaFortune rebranded the studio to EmbodiPole Sensual Arts. Before, she was used to constantly engaging in high-intensity activity at Iron X. But after giving birth to her two children just 18 months apart, she said she was forced to rethink her approach. 

With a background as a professional violinist and a yoga instructor, LaFortune said the idea to shift from highly choreographed pole to embodiment-focused pole stemmed from her inability to continue at a high-intensity pace.

“My body was actually telling me to stop. It was preventing me from doing that go, go, go, high-level activity that I was used to,” she said. 

LaFortune said the phrase “from go mode to flow mode” best describes the change in the studio’s philosophy. “We’re [now] looking inwards, whereas a lot of other practices look out,” she said. 

LaFortune views embodiment as the ultimate act of listening to one’s own body. 

“[Embodiment is about] reconnecting to our senses — not just our external senses, but everything that we’re feeling inside,” she said. “Being able to feel more, being able to slow down and be with ourselves, rather than bypassing what our body needs.” 

Even so, LaFortune emphasized the importance of honouring pole dancing’s origins in strip clubs and sex work, while also celebrating the practice as a tool for empowerment and self-discovery.  

“This is the art. We honour that it comes from the clubs,” she said.

According to Allison, some beginners are quick to clarify they are trying pole dancing strictly for fitness — but she says it can be much more than that.

“It’s just this beautiful art form. There’s something about the steadiness of the pole and just wanting to flow around it.” 

Reclaiming play to heal 

Collective somatic practices can be especially healing because they help survivors reclaim aspects of themselves that have been taken away, Hlavka said, all within a supportive and courageous community space.

“[It’s] building up the skills to feel sensual in your body, because I do think that’s skill building: building up the skills to feel sexual, to feel confident in your body, whatever it looks like,” she said. 

Allison has always felt an intuitive draw to pole dancing and tried various other forms of erotic dance at different studios across Ontario. But becoming comfortable expressing her sexuality after being assaulted was a process, she said. 

“A lot of the moves are very sexy … My brain thought being sexy is dangerous. ‘I be sexy, I’m going to get hurt,’ right? So, I started to feel like, ‘Oh, I’m in a safe enough space to express that.’”

Samantha Bitty, a Toronto-based educator who specializes in sexual health, consent and gender-based violence, noted the importance of incorporating play into the healing process. She added it’s natural for this process to be non-linear.  

“People have all different types of coping tools for sexual trauma,” she said. “It’s important that we don’t assign judgment to them whether they’re good or bad. Different coping tools are going to be useful and effective at different times.”

Bitty said she believes the power of collective healing lies in the possibility of others planting “seeds” of inspiration. 

“That one-hour class that someone’s taking, that is planting a seed for someone. That’s giving someone an experience for a moment that they can then draw upon and be like, ‘Oh, this felt good,’ or ‘This didn’t feel good.’ ‘How can I lean more into what felt good?’”

Each EmpodiPole class ends with this type of knowledge-sharing, with dancers sitting in a circle, just as the class began. 

Allison has now become a coach at the studio and teaches a range of classes, including a four-week long introduction series. She said the classes bring her immense joy, and dancers often undergo a noticeable shift in energy. 

“You can just tell when they let go. They share, ‘I felt it today’ and ‘it felt so good’ or ‘I finally let go,’” Allison said. 

“You can just see the energy and the radiance coming off of them.”

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Featured image by Olivia Grandy/the Charlatan.