Episode 4: From Cruise Ships to Co-ed Classes with Kevin Adams

Join us on Between 2 Poles as we sit down with Kevin Adams, a dedicated member of the pole community since 2017. In this episode, Kevin shares his unexpected start in pole fitness from the quiet villages of Hungary to the vibrant studios of Las Vegas.

We dive deep into the technical side of the craft, discussing the mechanics of the Iguana Flip and the physical grit required to master gravity-defying tricks. Kevin also reflects on his time as a flight attendant and the surprising challenges he faced while seeking out pole studios across the country, highlighting the vital importance of inclusive, co-ed spaces in the fitness world.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Between Two Polls, where we meet the faces of Pole Fitness Studio and beyond. Today we're here with Kevin Adams, and Kevin's been with us since around 2017. Kevin, how did you find pole dancing? And thank you for being here, by the way.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Thank you. Welcome. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

How did I find Portal dancing?

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Where did you find pole dancing?

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Um here in Vegas or just in general. Okay. So I was dating this guy that um he lived in Hungary. So at the time I was doing cruise ships, and so after every contract, I would go to Hungary to go visit him. And he lives in this small village. And um I would just sit there and watch the trees grow. And so he felt really bad because I wasn't doing anything and I was so active to begin with. So then we decided to go into the city one day to take a workout class. And it so happened that the workout class was a pole dancing class. And um, yeah, I've been doing it ever since because I loved it so much.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Wow, I'm fascinated. I have never asked you that question, and I'm so glad I did. Wow, that's cool. Now, what are some of the craziest poll tricks that you've been doing lately?

SPEAKER_00 1:09

So there's this one, it's a flip. It's a flip onto the pole, and um, it goes into an iguana. And an iguana is when you basically have your your head is facing down, okay, your arms are behind you, holding you, and then your legs are facing up and it's parallel to the pole.

SPEAKER_01 1:30

Yes, okay. I know that one.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Yeah, so I would I'm starting upright. Okay, I grab on with my inside hand, which would be the hand that's closer to the pole, I guess. Yeah, for folks. And um, I grab on with my inside hand, and then I step on my outside leg, kick my inside leg up, and then head is going back as I grab behind me.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Amazing.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

Yeah, and it's pretty cool because like once you get it, it's so like satisfying because it's just like, oh, it's like an invert.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Right? But it's just a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

It's kind of like inside out, twisted.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Holy. Yeah. And then where do you feel that in your body when you're doing that trick?

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Um, you know, I kind of like lost the skin on like on my ankle because I kept kicking my my foot with my other with my other foot, and then like I didn't clip my nails. So then like I would just like peel the skin, the skin off. So I guess like that was the hard part, but an invert we do all the time. So it's not like stressful on the body, and then like being upside down and it reaching behind you is not very stressful on the body, too.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

So it's just like, oh, as long as you have good shoulders.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

As long as you have good shoulders and you have the flexibility, I guess, to get behind you. Because I forget sometimes, like, you know, you can't, people, some folks can't really reach behind. No, these things we take for granted. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Yeah. Yeah. So it's if for everyday life, you know, reaching behind might be just one degree, but for you, you're putting all your weight on your shoulder joint, going behind. It's some crazy stuff. We're gonna be posting that right here if we didn't already do that. Um, what are so you're taking classes at other studios? I know you've done a little bit of traveling in our time. Um, so when you've gone to other studios in other states, what what did you experience?

SPEAKER_00 3:18

So it's strange because like I take for granted being in Vegas and taking class with everyone, it's it's co-ed all the time. And um, I'm a flight attendant, or I was a flight attendant. And um, part of my goal was to go to all these different states and take classes and see what it's like um while I was in Florida. And I guess Florida just is a special place to be because um I call up all these like studios and it's like, hey, you know, like can I come and take class? And first of all, they didn't have a lot of classes going on, so it didn't work out with my schedule. But the time that it did work out with my schedule, it wasn't co-ed. And so they were just like, Well, you know, we do care about our clientele that we have here, and they may not feel comfortable with a male beginning class, and so I mean I get that part of it, but I was just like, say what?

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Yeah, pull on the extra flavor, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:11

Right, and yeah, they weren't buying it, so I ended up like not taking classes because I was makes me really mad. Yeah, there was no room for it.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

That's crazy. I remember when you first told me that, I was like, I almost created this whole website, a place where it's a safe space, and right, you know, at the end of the day, everywhere should be a safe space. I didn't make that website, but this is very good to know. And hopefully those studios in Florida have changed their tone because you are a human and you have money, you deserve to give them money because studios need money and you deserve to have a good time. Of course, work out. Yeah, you have a body.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

And your studio is so different too, you know, like people are different everywhere. And it's just it's I just felt like it was I missed out and they missed out big time on like forming a new connection there.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Yeah, and I think that if the studio owner is somewhat stuck in the I don't even know what year that would be, but if they're kind of stuck in the past, um, then they're holding everyone else back as well.

SPEAKER_02 5:09

Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

So if the studio owner says, you know, this is okay, I feel comfortable, and obviously I've screened this guy over the phone and I get a good energy from him, then the rest of the tribe is gonna feel the same. Everything's gonna be fine. That's craziness. Now you've done a little of other forms of dance. Tell us about your dance background.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

So dance background, oh my god. Um, I've been dancing since 14. And I'm 48. What's the math? It's like 30 years.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Don't ask me.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Wow, yeah. So I've been dancing for 30 years now, and um I started off with ballet, so ballet is like my first love because it was my getaway from everything, you know. It's like my coming to America thing because it was I came into this country and it was just so brand new, and there were no like trees in New York.

SPEAKER_01 6:05

Where did you come from?

SPEAKER_00 6:06

I came from Jamaica. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Nanu Nanu, where are you from? What planet are you from? You come in peace. Okay, so you came from Jamaica. I love Jamaica. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Yeah, heathenism, all of that stuff. Yeah. Um, but uh yeah, so when I first got here, it was it was it was a transition for me, and then to assimilate into the whole thing, and ballet was that thing for me. So it has always been my my safe space.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

That's very cool. Now, what are some of the stages you've performed on around the world?

SPEAKER_00 6:39

Performed on all over the world. So um San Francisco. I was in San Francisco Ballet School for a while. Um, and from there I went to Oakland Ballet. And with all the dancing places in New York, it was is it's so many. Um Ballet Academy East is where I I started, and I my foundation started there, and then I went to Pennsylvania um at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and um that was dancing in a barn. So we didn't have dancing in a barn. Dancing in a barn. We didn't have anything around. It was just a barn, so it was just that was on purpose. That was no, no, no, that was just what you got. It was just what we're okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Um I was like, this could be cool.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Yeah, it was like a whole bunch of like Amish people out there. So the best part about it was just it was dance, like we were there for dance, so it's just like, okay, we're gonna dance all day.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

You need nothing to dance.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

You need nothing to dance. Well, we need a barn.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Oh yeah, some earth and some gravity.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

And some earth and some gravity. Um, but the best training that I that I that I got was was from Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Um, from there I went to San Francisco, um, went back to New York, um, danced there a whole bunch. Then I got hired. Well, I thought I was quitting dancing because I was like, I'm done. Because dancing is just like a love-hate relationship.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:03

You know, you love it, and then it's just like everything is so painful. You look in the mirror and you're supposed to be like, I know for me, it was supposed to be like this standard, right? Um, like five, eight, five, nine. Um, you want to be, I guess, flexible. You know, you want feet, you want all the things, natural attributes, the perfect body. And looking in the mirror all the time. And you know, if that doesn't add up, then it's like are you five five and a half? Five, five.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

Are you five, five?

SPEAKER_00 8:35

I might be shrinking though, but I'm not even sure.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Oh wow, yeah. You are not cut out for ballet.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

Yeah, apparently not, because like, you know.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

Ridiculous though.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

Yeah. So I danced on the fringe like side, not on the fringe side, but like on the on the outside of that. Like I did dance, you know, with some companies, but and you did do the nutcracker recently. And I did do the nutcracker recently, yes. Doing the prints and nutcracker. Um, so then and that's where the love hate, right? Because like I love it so much, but then wanting to do really well at it and doing so well at it, but never really like I feel like getting the chance because it was more like, oh, well, you're in the ballerina the same size. And when she does go and point, she's a lot taller than you are, and then you know, I'm on my teepee-toe, like joint. The party is just not fun when it's hard.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

When it's yeah, you need a small girl.

SPEAKER_00 9:29

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

Which is some, which is where my most of my injuries are. That's like 13, 12, what 10? Maybe 10. Maybe 10. Yeah, they haven't gone through it like their growth spread yet. So yeah, so that would work for me.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

But then you guys wouldn't dance in the same tribe, would you?

SPEAKER_00 9:45

No. Unfortunately. No, yeah, because they're but here we love you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

And we love your lines, we love your pointed toes. And we're just gonna get right into a little bit of rapid fire. Okay. So I'm gonna ask you some questions and then say the first thing that comes to mind. I don't even know if I warned you about this or not. So, so Kevin, spinning or static?

SPEAKER_00 10:06

Spin.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Okay. Yoga or Pilates?

SPEAKER_00 10:10

Oh my god, both.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Pilates.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Top or bottom.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

In between.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

I don't think that's a you know what? I'd love to see you in the bedroom.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

I just don't know where this is gonna fit right now.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Okay, which fit it, figure it out. Coffee or tea?

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Coffee, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

Okay, cat or dog.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

Oh my god, cat. I know. You've been converted. I've got converted.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Okay, leash or be leashed.

SPEAKER_00 10:39

Oh my god. Uh leashed.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

Okay, I'll remember to bring mine. Um, summer or winter?

SPEAKER_00 10:47

Summer. Okay. All day summer.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

Ballet or contemporary?

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Uh yeah, it has to be ballet, but contemporary is so freeing. But ballet.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

It is, it's a little theater, isn't it? Okay, it's okay. It's okay. You know what? There was contemporary right there.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

I know where I little contraction. It was contracting. Some gram.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

And then do you want to do a little rave or meditation?

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Oh, meditation. Yeah, I love the rave I can do.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Okay, well, on off of that, that was that's fun. Now, let's get into your workout. What do you do to stay in great shape here?

SPEAKER_00 11:26

Uh, besides class, oh my God. So I live um in a school bus. And yeah. Love it, love it, love it, love it.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

And here's a picture of it right here. We're gonna show some pictures as we're talking.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

And um, so I do have a shower in there, but in the wintertime, it's it's cold. And my heater, it just takes forever to heat to heat up. So after classes here, I go to the gym to take a shower. And because I'm at the gym, I might as well work out because you can't just go to the gym and not work out.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Yeah, they know I've done that once.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

Yeah, yeah. And it's a little bit, I don't know. I feel a little bit embarrassed about it too, because I'm like, no one's no one's watching. I know no one is watching, but aren't they though? Aren't they always watching?

SPEAKER_01 12:09

Always somebody watching, right? I mean someone's watching right now, right? Anyway, so yeah, you do a little bit of this, you do a little bit of that.

SPEAKER_00 12:19

Yeah, um, a lot of stretching here, a lot of people watching there too. Um, so I feel like I'm working out a lot, majority of my time. I'm working out. Um, and then showering, of course. And then once I'm showered and I'm clean, I head back to my bus to hang out with my cat. And then we meditate together, I guess. Like I love that.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

Tell us about your bus, though. Let's see. Okay, how did that all happen? What was the transition? What did you have to do to the bus? Where'd you find the bus? How does one live on a bus?

SPEAKER_00 12:51

Oh my gosh. So during COVID, you remember when we were doing the whole COVID thing? Um so glad that's done. But I loved COVID because everybody was in their apartment, like doing stuff to themselves. Like, I don't know. I don't know what they were doing either. Yeah, but a lot of kids like popped up from nowhere, right? Okay, got it. And um, so my apartment was just getting too much. Um, I hated being there. I hated like having to pay rent, right? And then someone coming into my apartment and telling me what I can and can't do. Because at the time, like my bed was on the match, well, it was on the floor, my mattress was on the floor, and they were like, Oh, you can't have your mattress on the floor. I'm like, Well, why were you in my apartment? Like, I didn't give you permission to go in my apartment. So then I decided like this is the time to like move out, take control of my life a little bit, and just be off-grid. And it had been percolated in my mind uh for a free for a few years, right? Because that's partially one of the reasons why I moved to Vegas, because it was like, oh, I can just travel around the different states and explore the states and just be free because I just come off, came off of a cruise ship. I had tons of money and I didn't have to work. What were you doing on the cruise ship? I was dancing.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Why do you tell people this?

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Oh, now you know.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

He's really good, you guys. If you haven't seen Kevin dance, uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

Yeah, I spent 10 years on a cruise ship dancing. So I guess I was going there, but then I forgot.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

You totally forgot about the cruise ship?

SPEAKER_00 14:20

No, I well, I was going there, but we went someplace else.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

We went on the bus.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

Yeah, we went on the bus.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

Um, and so yeah, so COVID was just like now is the time to just make a whole different lifestyle change. And I went online and we were teaching here too. I remember I was teaching a class and I'm bidding on like different school buses because I'm like, okay, wait, wait, guys, wait guys. I think I'm gonna get this bid. I'm I'm gonna win this, I'm gonna win this. Yeah, and uh do your other side, right? Right. Do your other side please um because someone is always watching, and so I got I got the bus and it was in Washington. It was a state, I I showed you the bus. It was like, you're like, I know this place. Washington state, up Seattle, in Seattle, and so um I drove, I drove up there with my friend and um picked up the bus and then drove it back. And during COVID, I ended up getting the bus, um, learning how to, I guess, plumb, how to be an electrician, just learning how to build. And so I ended up like building it out. Um, and it was the most like it was the most fun summer that I've had. But I remember like having to call you up because someone had stolen my catalytic converter from underneath the bus. And then the cops were like, you can't be building out your bus on this on the streets here.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

That's right. I remember that. Yeah, and then you moved into my backyard.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

So I moved into your backyard and I'm so happy we had that space for you.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

Yeah, because it kind of hid beside the house.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

Yes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

We used to have Andre Agassi's old house and that had a huge yard with tennis courts and grass and a little side driveway where you parked your school bus and renovated it.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Yeah, so thank you. You're welcome.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

I think that was 2021 winter.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Is it?

SPEAKER_01 16:11

Yeah, because I moved into the house that year. I have a long story with that house, but we'll save that for another time. Yeah. Um, now, where in the world would you like to live if you weren't on a bus?

SPEAKER_00 16:23

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 16:24

Or where could you drive your bus anyway?

SPEAKER_00 16:26

Um, I can drive my bus anywhere in the United States, but not now because gas prices is just like way too ridiculous. Yeah. Um, but I feel like I love traveling, hence, this is why I did cruise ships for so long. Um, and being a flight attendant. And I feel like every country that I go to, I'm just like, I'm moving here. I'm moving here. And so it started out, it started out in Hawaii because I really want like I love volcano. I feel like I'm a water sign and I need to be next to water, and but then like I need like that fiery like ground beneath me. And so Hawaii was that.

SPEAKER_01 17:05

That's right. We had a huge conversation about it.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

I gave you like a five-year plan.

SPEAKER_00 17:09

Yes, yes. And then like shit started to happen. And so I'm just like, okay, well, I guess that's not gonna work because Hawaii is just way too expensive, and then the taxes are just like ridiculous. So then I went to um Colombia and I was like, Colombia is fantastic, I have to move here. Medellin was just like the perfect temperature, it was like 78 degrees all year long. Um, and what what I loved about that city is that I'm Jamaican, as I said before, and so I get to see all the tropical like trees. I see bananas and I see mangoes, and I it reminded me of home a little bit, um, a little bit safer. And so wanted to move there, but that was a little bit kind of expensive too. And my recent trip was in Guatemala, and I just love I just love the Guatemalan people. Um, they have the volcano that I need. Um everyone needs a volcano. Everyone needs a volcano. Okay, so I have that fire underneath my feet, right? And it's close, it's close enough to the coast to where I can go and get my water in at the same time. And then just the fruits and vegetable, because I think deep down I'm a farmer inside, and that's my ultimate like goal is to have a for an affordable piece of land on really rich fertile land to grow my own food.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

I can picture you long gray dress down to your butt, topless, yes, gardening, yes, and looking hot as ever, and then there's a stripper pole between the corn.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

Yeah. From your lips, the gaudi airs. Yes. That's how it's gonna work out.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Yeah, I love that. Well, thank you for giving us a piece of your life and your story, and shared everything that you shared. It was very fascinating.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Oh, yeah. Thank you for having me here. Oh, you're welcome.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

I feel like we might need to do this again. Okay, because I just love talking with you.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

Yeah, me too.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

So fun, so fun. We have a lot of fun together. Um, well, that was fun with Kevin Adams. You have to check him out. We have his Instagram posted. I think it's Pull Dancing Yogi. E underscore in there somewhere. Pull dancing underscore yogi. And so go ahead and like this video if you like it. If you don't, that's okay. We do not care. And you can share and subscribe. That's a hot word. All the things. We'll see you next time on Between Two Pulls. Peace.