By: NELSY RODRIGUEZ - Staff Writer | ∞
Whisper Studios owner Rogette Stebner, 33, seated, along with fitness instructors Jacie Wells, center, and Stefanie Aguilar, both 22, celebrated the grand opening of the pole-dancing fitness business in Murrieta on Friday. The studio's motto is "We take off inches not our clothes."
MURRIETA -- Toes up top and bare legs wrapped down the length of the pole, Rogette Stebner let her arms float behind her back as she arched -- her head just a foot from the base -- and held the pose. Her body cast a silhouette against the rouge walls of the cozy space.
Stebner is the body behind the newest fitness regimen in the valley. Owner of Whisper Studios in Murrieta, Stebner found herself holding her body up around a pole in class a year ago while looking for an alternate to her workout schedule.
"It's like working out with weights and doing jumping jacks," said Stebner, who is working toward a personal trainer certificate. "You notice it the very next day, you can tell you worked out your whole body."
Pole dancing has of late become increasingly accepted as an aerobic exercise that increases upper body and core strength by forcing the body to hold its own weight in various positions. The trend took fire in bigger cities such as Los Angeles and is slowly sliding its way inland, arriving in Murrieta. While the activity is layered with connotations of sexuality, Stebner said every woman gets to choose for herself how sensual she wants to make it.
Laurie Cary, of Temecula, said she doesn't consider herself a racy lady. She doesn't even own a pair of stilettos. So when the Temecula mother swings her body around a pole, she does it barefoot.
"Every woman wants to feel sexy and that isn't necessarily a bad thing," said the 44-year-old. "My personality and the things that I'm passionate about are women empowerment, so this to me is kind of another way of embracing that."
At last week's grand opening of Whisper Studios, women of all ages and shapes, with husbands, boyfriends or friends, and with intrigued minds watched as a handful of Stebner's students tossed themselves around two poles. Swirling to tunes from a stereo they watched as instructors with sweat on their cheeks demonstrated the butterfly-like moves, held their legs out in an unwavering V and slid themselves slowly down the pole and spun around it with their backs arched like sea horses.
While the business just celebrated its grand opening, Stebner has already been teaching classes to some 30 or so people through a dance for fitness program with instructor Stefanie Aguilar.
"I could not get myself off the ground and hold myself with my body weight" in the beginning, said Elise Herrera, a student who takes class on Wednesday nights. "Now, I can get both feet up off the ground."
Herrera, who started the program with a group of friends, said she feels comfortable expressing herself in this manner because she's not alone, but she's not in a crowd, either.
Often the class consists of only a small group of women to harvest a sense of security that encourages the students to let down their guards.
"It's just us," said Elise Herrera, who takes class on Wednesday nights. "We're all friends."
Adamant that the class is not about stripping, Cary said that many women her age are looking for new ways to stay fit and feel vivacious. Especially shy women, she said, who may not think they have the confidence to pole dance should try it once. It's not about stripping, she said. It's about fitness.
"Even if it's just an hour it steps you outside into something different," she said. "You leave dinner and laundry and for an hour you're doing something that embraces yourself."
Contact staff writer Nelsy Rodriguez at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2626, or nrodriguez@californian.com.
Whisper Studios, now open in Murrieta, offers eight one-hour pole dancing fitness classes for $170, six for $125 or $25 for individual classes. Private lessons are also available.
For information, call (951) 375-8194.
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oh no wrote on Jan 30, 2008 9:04 AM:First acceptance of illegals, now pole dancing in Murrieta. Our society is officially over with this ... I am appalled.
Peter wrote on Jan 30, 2008 9:29 AM:Nice, this is located right next to Hooters, right?
Steph wrote on Jan 30, 2008 10:38 AM:Upon reading the article it's clear that the focus of owner and company is to make women feel confident and strong. These ladies have my full support.
VeryMaryJane wrote on Jan 30, 2008 11:03 AM:It's amazing that people would post negativity in response to this article. It clearly states in the above article that the class is not about stripping. It is a fitness class with a dash of spice and sugar. ... There has never been an "acceptance" of illegals in any community. I hope that you two have registerred to vote so that your immigration issues are resolved. Bottom line is that we are all human.
For the 'sake' of society wrote on Jan 30, 2008 11:22 AM:I hope commenter 'oh no' is just deeply cynical of bloggers who preach morality. But I doubt it. (No, a pole-dancing class won't tarnish our society, buddy).
sign me up!!! wrote on Jan 30, 2008 9:49 PM:Can I get tickets on TicketMaster and how about if I bring my own beer? This is awesome!!!
Owner wrote on Jan 31, 2008 8:00 AM:My fitness studio in no way will affect society in a negative manner. I teach women how to use there own body weight to get a full body resistance training, cardio workout. I do not teach stripping in any way. I encourage any woman who might be skeptical to come and sit in one of my classes before they form such a strong opinion on what we do. In regard to 'sign me up' I feel you would be very disappointed as we do not strip, like the article plainly states and my classes are for women only. I am surprised you would all form such an opinion about something you "think" might be going on in my studio, the article stated what we do is very tasteful and fitness driven. To all of you who have supported me THANK YOU!
Owner wrote on Jan 31, 2008 8:10 AM:My fitness studio in no way will affect society in a negative manner. I teach women how to use there own body weight to get a full body resistance training, cardio workout. I do not teach stripping in any way. I encourage any woman who might be skeptical to come and sit in one of my classes before they form such a strong opinion on what we do. In regard to 'sign me up' I feel you would be very disappointed as we do not strip, like the article plainly states. My classes are for women only. I am surprised you would all form such an opinion about something you "think" might be going on in my studio, the article stated what we do is very tasteful and fitness driven. To all of you who have supported me THANK YOU!
Instructor Lola wrote on Jan 31, 2008 10:25 AM:Those of you that believe our studio is for stripping will be greatly disappointed. The only time we ever take our clothes off is when we are working out so hard we are sweating and we take our oh oh wait for it...sweatshirts off! Wow! How exciting huh? We are a fitness studio desinated for woman of all ages to come and feel beter about themselves. We offer an exciting workout that works muscles you never even knew you had! For those of you that get bored of the gym easily this is a perfect workout for you! Thank you to all of those that support us! We greatly appreciate it! :)
twidget wrote on Jan 31, 2008 2:00 PM:I'm so glad to see pole dancing fitness classes finally making their way to the Inland area. I was a regular for a class when I lived in the OC and loved it. It offers a great cardio workout and reminds me of yoga or Pilates in the way it tones up and leans out the body. For all the detractors...you sure do seem to have dirty minds if, after reading the entire story, you still believe it's about nothing but stripping and sex.
Christi wrote on Feb 1, 2008 12:33 PM:I have taken my first class and loved it. Not only did we learn standard pole manuevers, but learned a dance routine as well. It was a fantastic upper body workout! I recommend it for any woman looking for fitness and confidence!
Bobo wrote on Feb 1, 2008 3:41 PM:Do they offer daycare?
Angelika student wrote on Feb 1, 2008 5:39 PM:i looooooove whisper. I am a mother of a 7-month-old boy and this is the best way to get your body and your groove back!!!!! no, we are not stripping like some people might think, its just a fitness program that happens to be fun unlike all others (to me at least). i have been doing it for a few months now, and i have lost some weight and gained my confidence back. Whisper sure kept me from sliding into a post-partum depression. thank you Rogette
Barbora wrote on Feb 5, 2008 12:10 AM:Hi, Im so happy that we have this kind of place here in Murrieta...Im almost 29 years old female from Europe ..I just moved from the "city of glory" Los Angeles...I personally found this place very uptight and boring..There are interesting things to do no doubt...However and forgive me for my poor english (Im just and emmigrant myself) I was extemely exited about the whole idea of a great exercise for both of a body and mind...I think that this is an amazing oportunity for a most of a woman to get to know them selfs and learn something new and so sensual and rewarding...
This may be a class for building a beautifull body and free mind..
To me what else is better than exploring yourself and your body and mind??
To be more political I do not like coments of some kind of ingnorant or racist person about an emigration problems ...We all built this amazing country together and to remind you ..You are living on Indian land discoverd and colonized by Europian..So I do not understand comments like "First ilegal emmigrants and than strip dancing behind hooters...
Sorry your mind is on a long journey ...You have a long way to go..
This is 21first century...You should update your brain....
This is a fitness studio...Whats wrong with that???
The best wishes to an amazing owner of this studio
I truly adore you
Barbora
TBK wrote on Mar 7, 2008 3:04 PM:I would just like to respond to Oh no and other people with the 50's mentality. Fisrt off this class is amazing it does not involve any clothes being removed and focus on cardio and muscle tone. For you to say that class hass been lost in the town is utter bull. As well as the comments about it beeing located next to hooters. I support the work out center and am so happy it has made it out to this Stiff at times town
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