The History of Pole Dance Fitness
Welcome to RPole Fitness – We manufacturer the World’s lightest free-standing portable pole
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Pole History
When pole dance fitness started to take off in the UK way back in 2003 (5 years before the first XPole) If you wanted a pole it was available in 50mm dia and was only available from people operating from their garage (in Newhaven) The first pole was actually a bike gear welded to a stud that wound into the pole!
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Soon Alistage (then a scaffolding company) started making poles and this was soon followed by an innovative pole design called the Kitten Kit Pole. It came in a handy carry bag, was very lightweight and easy to install and won many awards for innovation but sadly was too soon for the market and never really took off.
Like many great ideas, the idea of a free-standing pole came about in the shower back in 2004 after having to visit so many studios to check the height of the ceiling and fixing options where a non-fixed free-standing pole would cover all uses.
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To put this timeline in perspective, in 2005 when Pole Passion Ltd ran the first Miss Pole Dance competition, we had a pizza in Brighton with practically everyone involved with teaching pole in the UK and we all sat around one table (for 5)!
The Kitten Kit Pole
So in 2004 with support and funding from the DTi for innovative sport fitness and help of SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) Pole Passion Ltd developed their Pole Instructor Training programmes and invented the idea of a *revolutionary free-standing pole that did not require a base.
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To complement the (now accredited) Pole Fitness Instructor Training, we wanted a portable lightweight pole that was designed exclusively for POLE FITNESS
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Our original brief stands and RPole are the ONLY pole manufacturer in the World to offer a portable fitness pole that,
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NO step design
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NO tripping hazards of extension feet.
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Designed for fitness and safety when teaching with the largest safety mat of any pole
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Safety mats are a priority in gyms (and no safety mat design for outside use at the beach)
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Lightweight stable design that would allow easy transport between venues
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Easy and fast to assemble – just 60 seconds
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NO tools or screws required
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Designed to give the best core workout available from any pole
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Travel friendly - weighs just 29Kg and fits in any car
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Break down into small parts for storage in gyms
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One person design to comply with Manual Handling Regulations
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UK Manufactured for quality.
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Built to last! RPoles manufactured in 2009 are still in use today!
In 2009 we had a prototype design that we took to the World Pole Championships in Jamaica. While on the beach one day we decided to see how stable it was in a real-life situation so asked some of the (very fit) locals to break it. They couldn't, nor could they tip it over!
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A Star is Born!
The new 'Revolutionery Pole' was a success and the name was very quickly shortened to 'R'Pole
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The RPole was designed in conjunction with Brighton University, who carried out a full safety audit and testing. This project was supported by SEEDA (South East England Development Agency) and Sussex Enterprise (now Sussex Chamber of Commerce).​
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RPole use hypoallergenic stainless steel poles so they will never peel and can be repolished if scratched. Colour options include a high grip feel and quality bespoke finish. We pride ourselves on the longevity of our product and have many examples of poles produced in 2009 still being used in weekly fitness classes. As a result of this, we offer a full 2-year guarantee with all our products and will often go the extra mile to help out after the guarantee period with parts and servicing.
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RPole is the perfect portable free-standing pole designed and developed by Pole Passion Ltd.
Manufactured exclusively in the United Kingdom our innovative design allows installation in under a minute without the need for tools, extra weight, stabiliser bars or adjustable feet.
