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SPRINGBORO — Jacqueline Allen's life has taken a polar shift.

A year ago, by her own admission, the 26-year-old Warren County native and former Springboro High School cheerleader and gymnast was overweight, unhappy and working a dissatisfying corporate job as a technical consultant.

"I hated my body. When I got home at night, it was all I could do not to cry, let alone work out," she said.

A year later, she's her own boss and a pioneer in a movement to "help make women feel strong and sexy."

A certified personal trainer with her own company, Femme Fatale Fitness, she's indoctrinating area women in the art, attitude and physical challenges of pole fitness.

Located in an upscale neighborhood of family homes adjoining a country club, her studio is in a private residence.

She insists there's nothing scandalous about what she teaches, "although you wouldn't know that if your only experience with pole was in a strip club or on a television show like 'The Sopranos,' " said Allen, who honeymooned with her stockbroker husband in December and expects to complete her Master of Business Administration at Wright State University in March.

Laid off last spring, she "didn't want to repeat the same pattern I had been stuck in."

With a goal of working specifically with women in what she said is the male-dominated field of personal training, she went to Miami, Fla., to earn certification as a personal trainer and a pole fitness instructor. Her teacher there was a former ballet dancer and a member of the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat dance team.

"That's a good combination, because this is like dancing ballet with a pole. It's about balance and defying gravity. Instead of a partner, you have the pole," she said. "You control your moves."

Six months in the making, she opened the business in September 2008.

Growth has been slow, but steady. "I told 10 friends. They each told 10. I'm adding an average of one new client a week."

Allen doesn't advertise, but word is getting around. "One woman started telling me all about it, with no idea I was the owner."

Although pole dancing is the most sensational, Femme Fatale's menu of services also includes personal training, "bridal boot camp" (four intense weeks to prepare for your wedding), "pinup prep" (six weeks of workouts ending in a photo shoot) and "pinup/glamour photo shoot."

The price for pole classes ranges from $45 per hour for private sessions to $150 for a six-week course.

Jaybee (her professional name), who does all of the photography for Femme Fatale, and Mandy Barnes, who does the clients' hair and makeup, don't just concentrate on grooming others. In their mid- to late 20s, the Beavercreek sisters are among Allen's most advanced pole students.

The studio team also includes nutritionist and Zumba instructor Tricia Rau.

Jaybee, who has completed Level 3, said she "can't wait to finally be able to go upside down" on the pole. That happens in Level 4 if a dancer is strong enough.

"There are other places where you can be one of 12 or more people in a studio. There may be several of you using one pole. You wait your turn. I think that can be intimidating and dissatisfying. I keep it one-on-one," Allen said.

"When you come to me, this is your time. Women come to work out and be pushed, but the value is as much psychological as it is physical. Pole is empowering. You can lift yourself. You can tell people where you want them to look at you without saying a word. You dominate the situation."

Some women sign up to lose weight and tone up. Some sign up to prepare a private performance for their husband's birthday. Others don't want their husbands to know they're there.

"I have women in college to women in their 40s and up. Typically, on the first day they are a bit nervous or scared. They soon discover that there's nothing lewd. My mission is to make them feel good in their bodies. I'm seeing that," Allen said.

"Just for an hour, they aren't a mother, a worker or a wife. They can do things they never imagined. They can look graceful and gorgeous."

It is for women only.

"I don't know how many men have offered to be my towel boy," Allen said.

Pole primer

Pole dance adapted for physical training began in the United Kingdom and spread to California and south Florida. "A lot of people don't think Dayton is ready for it. We aren't South Beach, but we're ready to do it our way," Allen said.

There are several types and models of poles. The four in Allen's studio are anchored to the ceiling and floor. They don't spin or whirl around. So is the one she has had for three years in her family room. "I can't walk through the room without doing something on it. I 'sit' on it and watch TV." "Sitting on" the pole consists of supporting your own weight on it. No seat is part of it.

"It gets easier when you get stronger, and you really do get stronger."

The pole she uses and sells ("there are many counterfeits out there that aren't safe") costs $299, plus $30 for shipping. Another model can be put up or taken down in 10 minutes, "in case Grandma is coming to dinner." It attaches to the floor and ceiling with suction.

Exit poll

Not everyone wants the world to know they are dancing with a pole. Others are glad to talk about it. Melinda Smith, 27, of Miamisburg will begin six weeks of Level 2 pole studies this week.

"I have finally found something that works for me. I tried gyms and crowded cardio classes. I tried personal trainers. Most are men, and I just wasn't comfortable with that. I had been curious about taking pole fitness but thought the nearest studio was in Cincinnati. I found Jackie online," she said.

"With her, it's one-on-one, very positive, classy and elegant in a comfortable, quiet atmosphere.

"People have been asking me how I'm losing the weight and telling me I'm looking better. When I tell them what I'm doing, they say, 'No way,' but they're accepting it.

"I have more confidence and pride. I have much more upper-body strength. When I started, I could barely do it without falling down. I can hold my body weight now."

She said having her own pole at home in the bedroom "is no different than someone else having a treadmill. It's a fitness tool."

Sue Chen, 30, of Miamisburg wasn't looking for a pole class when she came to an open house at Allen's studio to support her friend, Jaybee, whose glamour and vintage photographs were on display.

A demonstration by Allen piqued her interest. Three months later, she's about to move to Level 3.

"One, it's a great workout. It's way harder than I thought it would be. It's not just somebody running around a pole doing tricks. It's a different workout. It really tests the smaller muscles. It's great for posture and balance. It's also been a stress reliever and confidence builder," Chen said.

People have asked her what she is doing, "because I've toned up a lot and some clothes I really love wearing fit me a lot better. There were some raised eyebrows at first and some jokes about whether I was in training for a second job, but it's fine with my boyfriend, and I'm not worried about telling anyone anymore."

Pole progression

Level 1, for beginners, is for gaining strength and learning basic moves like the "Fireman," in which a dancer spins around and down the pole to the floor.

Level 2 gets more sensual in nature. "It goes a bit into lap-dance territory," Allen said.

In Level 3, tricks and techniques are combined into longer more complex routines.

In Level 4, a dancer begins to work upside down, which opens a whole new range of possibilities.

For more information about her pole classes and Allen's studio, go to www.femmefatalefitness.net, or send an e-mail to femmefatalefitness@yahoo.com

Pole fitness: Learning the moves

Pole dancing training at Femme Fatale Fitness

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2377 or tmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.