Heels 101

Whether you've been pole dancing for a while or are fairly new to the scene, you may have noticed that heels are a whole big thing in the pole world 👠

Dancing in heels is a pole dance style all of its own. There are some EPIC tricks and transitions that you can only do in heels, and who doesn't love the way they make your legs look a mile long?! 😍 Investing in a good pair of heels will open up a whole new world of cool things to learn, from sexy, sultry heels flow to #badass kips and flips!

We've compiled our top tips on how to get started on your sky-high heels journey, from what kind of heels to buy to how to wear them without looking like a baby giraffe 🦒

Quality is EVERYTHING when it comes to heels for pole dance. As tempting as it is, try to avoid cheap brands found on Wish unless you want to become a #polelols fail reel. Stick with our tried and true classic. Our favourite affordable brand is Pleasers, or if you’re looking for something a little extra then Hella Heels won’t disappoint!

You can buy Pleasers while supporting local businesses (yay!) from PoleGearNZ and Bonita Danger Doll (use discount code altitudepole for an extra 15% off!).

Get your Hella Heels from their Aussie website for the best shipping prices to NZ.

It can be a little daunting seeing JUST HOW HIGH some of these heels are! But how high should you go for your first pair?

We recommend 7-8 inch heels for pole dancing - the reason for this is that we use the platform of the heels A LOT so any lower means you may not be able to do some of the tricks and choreography we teach in our heels-based classes.

The bonus to buying quality heels designed for pole dance is that the height is all in the platforms, so even though you're a long way from the ground, your feet will be surprisingly comfortable!

If you ask any experienced pole dancer whether they prefer boots or sandals, you’ll get a mixture of answers - each have their pros and cons. We recommend trying both!

Boots are great for beginners because they offer toe protection and ankle support - they’re like a suit of armour for your feet! But they can be quite heavy and will often make climbing up the pole more difficult. They also get suuuuuuper hot in Summer 🥵 Boots are your flow and floor-workers dream shoe 💖

Sandals are great for getting up the pole! You have more skin contact with the pole so you don’t lose your precious grip. They’re often a lot lighter than boots so upside down moves in sandals are much easier than in big heavy boots. Sandals don’t offer much in the way of toe protection or ankle support so they’re more suited to up-the-pole tricks and combos 💪

When you first try on your new heels you may notice they’re a little, err, snug. This is because the materials used to make heels are designed to eventually mold to your feet for the perfect fit.

The first few times you wear your new heels they will probably be a bit uncomfortable until you break them in.

Luckily you can totally speed up that process! Try wearing them around the house with thick socks on (be careful on carpet though!) and if you’re really impatient you can lightly blast them with a warm hair-dryer before use to help soften them up.

If you thought you could get away with not pointing your toes in heels then you have another thing coming!!! Even if you can’t point them all the way like you can in bare feet, that calf engagement you get from pointing your ankles not only looks nice, it makes everything easier! So point those toes!

Ankle strength is so, so important for your safety when it comes to wearing heels. You want to be up on your tippy-toes the entire time that you’re pole dancing in them to ensure you don’t accidentally hurt yourself.

If you find you're feeling like a baby giraffe, it may be because your weight is over the back of your heels instead of up at your toes 🦒

Some things you can do at home to help strengthen your ankles include doing calf raises or even walking around the house on your tip-toes! Don’t forget to stretch out your calves afterwards!!!

Heels are definitely an added challenge - they take some time to get used to. You may not be an expert in them overnight but keep at it!! Practice makes perfect 👌✨