We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lacin Keles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lacin, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

As women, we often find ourselves juggling multiple roles and neglecting our own needs. Living in a masculine-dominated world, it’s easy to become disconnected from our bodies, emotions, and feminine identity.

Personally, I experienced this disconnection when I was working as a mechanical engineer in a highly competitive, mostly sedentary, male-dominated environment. In order to survive and succeed in this corporate workspace, I adopted masculine qualities, losing touch with my body and feminine essence. I also felt constant stressed, with no knowledge of how to release tension from my body.

During this time, I began my pole journey, which became a transformative outlet for me. Pole dancing empowered me and helped me reconnect with my body. It helped me develop my physical strength and mental agility to survive the corporate world. Through this movement practice, I rediscovered my woman body and saw remarkable improvements in my posture and self-expression. Additionally, I forged meaningful connections with like-minded individuals within the pole community. These friendships provided me with a sense of belonging, support, and inspiration. My own experience with pole dancing fueled my passion to share this powerful and transformative journey with other women.

I wanted to create a space where women could experience the same empowerment, strength, and confidence that I found through pole dance and movement. Thus, Magnetic Pole Fit was born, with the mission of empowering women through pole and dance while providing them with the tools to embrace their inner power.

My aim is to empower women for a better world through pole dance and movement. Magnetic Pole Fit is a supportive and non-judgmental space where women support and uplift each other, allowing them to unleash their true potential and create positive change in their own lives.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been immersed in the world of movement and dance throughout my entire life, having trained in various countries and styles, including flamenco, ballet, modern and contemporary dance, and pole dancing. In pursuit of my passion, I attained a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance: Creative Practice, and was introduced to somatic movement studies during my time in grad school. This significantly changed my perspective in movement and dance. I wrote my thesis on applying somatic movement principles to pole dance performance and choreography – marking the first literature on this subject.

In 2018, I founded Magnetic Pole Fit, a pole and dance studio located in San Jose, CA. Since then, we’ve helped many women achieve their pole and movement goals and start their own incredible pole journeys. Drawing from my personal experience as a former mechanical engineer with a nine-year career in the corporate world, I understand the demands and fast-paced nature of life in Silicon Valley. Magnetic Pole Fit has been a safe space for self-connection, joy of movement, self-discovery and growth.

At Magnetic Pole Fit, we offer a variety of pole, dance, and movement classes, encouraging personal uniqueness, expression, and community. We believe that pole dance is an empowering movement practice for everybody, and we are dedicated to making it accessible to individuals from all backgrounds, body types, and skill levels. We encourage moving with ease, finding joy and flow in movement and dance.

This year, I took my passion for movement to new heights by launching my online movement coaching business: Lacin Keles Movement. This program is specifically for busy women who live a sedentary lifestyle, spend long hours working, and feel stiff as a result. I offer online guided movement sessions and courses that are perfect for those with limited space. These movement practices are designed to help release tension from our bodies, foster a strong body-mind connection, and bring out our playful side. It’s all about finding joy and freedom within our bodies and in life!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, Magnetic Pole Fit was thriving with a strong community of students, instructors, and classes. Unfortunately, like many other pole and dance studios, we had to close our doors for almost a year in San Jose, CA. It was a tough decision, but as a business owner, I had to permanently close the physical location of Magnetic Pole Fit.

During the closure, we faced the heartbreaking reality of losing our students and the sense of community we had built. There were moments when it seemed like Magnetic Pole Fit might never reopen. However, in mid-2022, against all odds, we made a comeback in a new location in San Jose. We started from scratch, embracing a non-traditional approach with free-standing dancing poles in our studio.

The journey since reopening has been filled with hard work and emotional ups and downs. Yet, despite the challenges, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved so far. It’s a testament to the resilience and determination of our team and the unwavering support from our students. Their belief in Magnetic Pole Fit and their commitment to personal growth has been the driving force behind our success.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve been dancing all my life, but it took me 30 years to turn dance and movement into my profession. My parents encouraged me to pursue more secure careers, such as engineering. So, I ended up getting a BS in Mechanical Engineering and found myself in the corporate world at the young age of 22. To be honest, I never found joy in my engineering profession and constantly searched for a way to make a career change.

While working as an engineer, I was still dancing actively and applying to dance schools in the US and Europe. Despite the uncertainties and insecurities, I made the decision to leave the corporate life behind and went to Costa Rica in 2015 as a volunteer. There, I had the opportunity to teach dance to children in a low-income middle school and orphanage. Deep down, I always believed that I could make a greater impact on the world as a mover, dance teacher, and movement educator.

In 2015, I got married and moved to San Jose with my husband, who had received a job offer in the area. It was here that I began my dance education and dance endeavors. With his support and respect for my goals and dreams, I was finally able to fully transition my profession to dance and movement at the age of 30.

I believe that it is never too late to pursue our passions and that anything is possible at any age. Doing what we love allows us to better nurture and inspire others.    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://magneticpolefit.com
• Instagram: @magneticpolefitca; @lacinthemover
• Linkedin: Lacin Keles

Image Credits
Indoor pole photos: Tony Nguyen Photography Outdoor pole photos: Milan Loiacono Studio photo and headshot: no credits