From Not Wanting to Be Seen to Taking the Stage: Interview with Amanda Strand

by Sara Schreiber

Amanda Strand’s first pole classes were at a studio that soon closed, but a few years later, she went looking for adult hip-hop classes and found a pole fitness class at First City Dance. The class wasn’t running at the time, but Amanda rallied a group of women and convinced Cathy Marcotte, the studio owner, to run a Community Ed pole class in fall of 2021. Just three classes in, Cathy pointed to Amanda and said, “You know you’re going to take over these classes, right?” Amanda’s reaction then does not reflect her confidence now. Amanda says, “I was really uncomfortable…I felt really inadequate and surprised and scared.” But pole changed that for her, and a year later, she was instructing. “There’s been a big transition in who I am today versus who I was then, before pole,” says Amanda. “Then, I was somebody who was scared to show up and to be seen and to be put on the spot and certainly couldn’t imagine myself teaching class.” Saying yes changed everything.

Photo by Jon Heller

For Amanda, pole has been a source of healing and a way to grow her body confidence. “I feel really free in my body,” says Amanda. “I’ve always really loved to dance and I’ve always felt really good dancing, but something about having a pole and dancing with the pole…it’s like a dance partner. It’s grounding. A lot of times when you’re just dancing, you’re free floating in the air doing things, and then, when you have a pole, you have something to push against, to resist, to pull, and I just really love that dynamic. It made me feel really strong, and I was building muscles that I had never been able to build before. It’s given me a lot of confidence, and I feel really sexy with pole dancing.”

Photo by Jon Heller

In Bemidji, MN where there are few options for such unique methods of fitness, Amanda has been growing the pole community and spreading it beyond Bemidji. This fall, she moved to a new location to teach at Boss Lady Fitness. She’s also teaching pole classes in Brainerd, MN. Recently, she’s brought her pole performances to music shows, expos, and other community events. Even as her classes are growing, she continues to push herself. She’s putting a lot of focus on developing her performance skills. “A big thing for me is getting comfortable with eye contact with the audience when I’m performing because I tend to go in my own world and shut out everybody,” says Amanda. “That and incorporating more floorwork into my routines. It’s a really important part of the whole show, and I think I overlook it, thinking I need to be doing all these pole moves.”

Photo by Jon Heller

Amanda’s biggest pole goals are opening a studio in Costa Rica—where she lived for a time—and placing in a competition. Amanda loves a challenge, but she has never been a particularly competitive person. “Growing up, I didn’t compete in anything because that’s just not my personality,” says Amanda, “but I want to expand and have a different perspective on competing than I used to.” That drive is bringing her to the Land of Lakes Pole Festival in October where she will take the stage as Amethyst Aura. While she is still debating between showcasing and competing for her first time at the festival, she’s very excited to connect with the larger pole community. “One thing that drew me to performing at Land of Lakes is that I’m ready to expand,” says Amanda. “I haven’t really tapped into things outside of local, like even in the Cities.” She already has plans to make LOL Pole Fest an annual event for her: “Even if I showcase [rather than compete], I’m sure I’m going to think, Man, I wish I would have competed. But then I’ll have that clarity of knowing for next year.” Amanda’s drive to grow herself and her pole community has brought her to a new place of confidence. That young woman who thought “Who? Me?” when called upon to become an instructor is a woman ready to take on a bigger stage than ever before.

Amethyst Aura will perform in the Intermediate Artistic category on October 12 at the Land of Lakes Pole Festival 2024. In the meantime, you can follow her pole journey on social media:

Instagram: @kaleandchamomile

Facebook: Amanda Strand

Website: https://bio.site/kaleandchamomile