It could be a scene from any workout class: about a dozen women, outfitted in tank tops and T-shirts, sports bras, and stretchy pants, waiting expectantly for the instructor to begin. The difference?

"It's all about this rhythm,” he says. “I have it in my head and I can feel on the runway when it's right.” Finding that rhythm takes effort, but with enough practice, the payoff is a sweet reward.

My legs are spread open in the instructor’s face as I attempt a basic wrist sit move (where you grip the pole with one hand under your butt, then kick your legs wide open), and she’s telling me off ...