Pole to Pole Fitness

AUTHOR Kenneth Fremer

“I’d never thought I’d be able to have my own business in East Harlem,” admitted Jennifer Rivera, who recently opened the third location of Pole to Pole Fitness, a pole dancing fitness studio, in her home neighborhood. Her first location opened in Woodbridge, New Jersey back in 2005. Rivera first saw pole dancing on TV and realized that she could open up a studio of her own. “In the beginning, a lot of people had their reservations of what I was trying to actually do,” she explained. Though some people may not take pole dancing seriously, or don’t see the benefit of pole classes for fitness, Rivera has been able to expand her business to include locations in Staten Island and East Harlem.

“I grew up with a single mother and I’ve been around a lot of strong women, and pole dancing promotes that strength, both from a mental aspect and a physical aspect,” said Rivera. With Pole to Pole, she is able to pass on that strength to class attendees, regardless of their size or level of confidence. “Sometimes I have girls or men who are not too keen on wearing short shorts or showing skin, or have body image issues,” she explains, adding that having a bigger or smaller body type can enable you to accomplish your fitness goals in different ways. “As the months and years go by, they don’t care if they have stretch marks or if they’re too big or too small.”

After years of teaching pole classes and operating Pole to Pole, Rivera has been able to accomplish a longtime dream of opening a studio in East Harlem, where she grew up. Opening this studio has been difficult, largely because of high rent prices in the neighborhood. “The people that live here don’t have those opportunities to build their community,” she said, adding that a lot of the tax credits and aid given to entrepreneurs are often hindered by requirements that are too specific and don’t help most business owners. “They’ll advertise and say hey, we’ll give you a tax abatement, or we’ll do this for you,” she says, “but then there are barriers like it needs to be in this area, it needs to be a non-profit, it needs to be this type of business—it’s a lot of bullshit.” 

As a result of the many funding barriers, Rivera had to open the first Pole to Pole location in New Jersey, working full-time at a hospital while developing her business. “I had to fight for it,” she said, and though it’s been a long road to get to open up a studio in East Harlem, she is proud to finally be able to grow her business in the neighborhood she grew up in. “I’m starting to realize that fitness has a lot to do with community—that’s what Pole to Pole is, community.”