THE FOUNDER
Kay Penney
Kay Penney - How the dream began....
It was the Millennium Kay had recently given birth to her third child and she felt that although she loved being up Mum somehow along the way she'd lost who she was....It was time to make a change, she didn't know what she was planning but she knew it would be something big. She simply couldn't carry on feeling the way she did, something had to give
A few days later Kay saw an article in the local newspaper stating simply- 'learn to lap, strip, pole & Burlesque dance'.
She was nervous but she wanted to attend, she felt that this could be the thing she needed. Almost immediately she rang her friend and after some gentle persuasion Kays friend begrudgingly agreed to accompany her to the lesson.
Kay found herself in awe of the beautiful techniques, strength yet graceful movements required and simply loved every second of it.... That was it, she was hooked, in fact she loved it so much she couldn't understand why every woman didn't want to it. The Mission way born...
Kay Penney-Burlesque Style
Kay Penney
The Mission....It dawned on her in the midst of all the excitement surrounding her new found love, that of course, every woman wanted to do it !...they were just apprehensive as she was... I mean who wouldn't be? walking into the unknown in a seedy club, surrounded predominantly by men, at a time when all pole dancers were deemed sex workers. How were they to know that it would make them feel more Empowered than ever before, giving them a Confidence that knows no bounds, Fitness and Fun all in the space of an hour! Kay wanted every woman to feel as amazing as she did. As her confidence grew she decided to make it her mission to bring pole dancing out of the clubs (The only place in the early 2000's where pole dancing was happening in the UK, and create programmes what were fit for the UK and Worldwide gyms making it accessible to all.
Pole Passion, the idea was born (2001) Kay continued her training in secret for two years, from fitness professionals and exotic pole dancers, lapping up every bit of knowledge she could.
Kay's first studio was her own private 'dance studio' style apartment, in Brighton with stunning high ceilings, beautiful long mirrors, and sensual mood lighting. In 2003 Pole Passion Ltd was established and Kay started teaching her first lessons in West Sussex. As the demand for her programmes rapidly grew, where people were traveling abroad to train with Kay. She moved to private hotel function rooms specially selected across Brighton & Worthing, choosing Brighton because of its accepting cosmopolitan approach.
As the craze for pole dancing rapidly expanded, still with the mission of dispelling the myth of sleaze, Kay decided the women needed a stage to showcase their talent for the public to see with their own eyes and decide for themselves. In 2004 she co created the UK's first National Pole Dance Championships- Miss Pole Dance UK. - www.misspoledance-uk.com
The dream was big....Kays dream was bigger than anyone could have imagined. As a fully trained Beauty Therapist Kay opened her first combined beauty/pole fitness parlour in 2004 she named it 'Beauty Passion'.
Kay began to write pole fitness programmes but still wanted an outlet, a stage to perform on. She innovated the rules to Miss Pole Dance UK as well as the Judges and judicial scoring criteria in 2004...At that time her partner Steve who supported her pole dancing dreams decided he would work alongside her.
In a mission to get more women and men fit and bring the opportunity of pole dancing to more people, it was decided that Kay needed a more portable pole. Kay with Steve then for 2 years designed the RPOLE (Revolutionary Pole), with a strict brief to accentuate her teaching methods. Kay and Steve worked tirelessly with Brighton & Hove University Sports Innovation Department who helped create it, test the weight limits and prove it was fit for purpose - RPOLE was established, created and patented in 2005.
The most light weight and portable pole in the world - www.rpole.fitness
The Penney family were on a roll, if they dream it and worked for it then it would surely happen!! As if creating Patenting and Manufacturing the worlds lightest most portable Pole wasn't enough for a years work. Kay finally bought her dream alive...
Kay Penney
2005 Was the year... Not only had they invented and patented the RPOLE, Pole Passion became a Ltd. Company and with that Kay through Pole Passion Ltd bought us the first ever Miss Pole Dance UK CHAMPIONSHIPS. It was held in the Honey Club in Brighton on one static 50mm floor to ceiling pole which was specially made by a promotions friend of theirs named Tarin.. It was a roaring sell out success and from the roots of where it all began, every year it just grew and grew as pole dancing rose in popularity. Kay went on to write her internationally accredited Pole Sports and Fitness teacher training programme in 2006 which has since become a worldwide instructor training programme. In 2007 Kay began teaching in her first gym in Burgess Hill, West Sussex...Working with the forward thinking Tom Mcguire (He now runs Arun Leisure) He could see the benefits of pole dancing and was not eager to dismiss it like other gym managers at that time.
2009 saw the introduction of Mr Pole Fitness UK professional category along with Organising the first ever World Pole Dance Sport and fitness Championships in the same year.
She then co created the World Pole Federation networking Globally
2010 saw the first Miss Pole Dance UK Amateur Semi Pro Championships category, which was run at The Triangle Leisure Centre in Burgess Hill.
2010 Kay innovated the first Miss Pole Dance UK Synchronised Doubles Category and in 2015 being the beginning of Mr Pole Fitness Amateur Semi Pro Division.
2017 Kay innovated the Miss Pole Dance UK Groups Category and in 2018 she will be introducing the youth category for Miss Pole Dance UK, Pole Dance and Fitness. She is currently writing teacher training programmes for pole fitness instructors to add to her Grading systems already established on her international training website - www.polepassion.learnupon.com
So promoting the talented and ambitious is surely now her living moto
Kay Penney
