Westchester County Business Journal Not the same old grind
Not the same old grind
When was the last time you wore sky-high, bubblegum pink stilettos to work?
Wendy Traskos could respond, “Every day.”
As the owner of White Plains and Manhattan-based New York Pole Dancing studios, Traskos says that it’s truly about the exercise and maybe even a little empowerment.
The fun, flirty outfits don’t hurt, either.
On a chilly weekday afternoon at her downtown White Plains studio, the former fitness champion separated fact from fiction in regard to what some may categorize as a rather risqué career choice.
“It’s a great way to introduce women to the art of pole dancing in a tasteful, controlled, safe environment,” Traskos said. “In our first year, we did just under 200 bachelorette parties and now, we’re averaging about 350 a year. It’s a huge business. A lot of people want to try this, but they’re hiding behind things like, ‘My bride friend is insisting I go’ until they come and find something in themselves that they may not have found before.”
Traskos launched New York Pole Dancing in 2005 after her final fitness competition in 1998; she competed regularly in Fitness America pageants on ESPN.
She worked as a personal trainer both independently and in house gyms before deciding to delve into a more lucrative job prospect.
After securing commercial space in midtown Manhattan and opening the White Plains and Kalamazoo, Mich., studios, Traskos in 2008 co-launched the U.S. Pole Dance Federation, which “puts on competitions for women who are trying to take pole dancing to a very athletic level.”
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