Pole dancing has left behind its seedy nightclub taboo to be embraced by Orange County suburbanites as legitimate exercise, and it's awesome. The crepuscular interior of Smoke and Mirrors Pole Fitness, adorned with twinkling lights and chandeliers, has exactly the kind of mood lighting needed for budding pole dancers to learn the trade. The instructors are chipper, encouraging and impossibly flexible. They guide OC soccer moms and young people alike through lithe, sexy versions of classic warm-up exercises, and then impart their pole knowledge by demonstrating a bevy of spins and flips. The classes are fun, racy and an exhaustingly good workout. Be prepared for soreness and bruises: You are worming your body around a hard, metal pole after all.
