Sonia Majumder

Anita Sadasivan – Co-Founder of The Brass Barre & MindFi Singapore.

Dance, fitness community and a growth mindset. Here is why Anita practices and teaches pole dancing to feel good holistically – mind, body and soul. 

Anita, a dance and mental wellbeing enthusiast leads an active lifestyle. She loves pole dancing, solo travelling and practicing self-care. But what’s her secret to calm the mind? Morning meditation and an after-work energizing pole dancing class with her community helps her destress after a busy day.

Life can get stressful for all of us and sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated. “Pole dancing allows me to relax, express myself, move my body and feel free. I want to empower others to feel the same.” Even a 30-minute pole dance and fitness session can shift your mindset.

Why Pole Dancing? 

“My dance journey began at the age of 5 and I have loved it my whole life. When I chanced across a pole dance class at the age of 22, I was instantly hooked. It was beautiful, mind-blowing and sexy all the same time. I went from being a student to competing, to teaching, and eventually opened my own studio – The Brass Barre. For me pole dancing & fitness empowers confidence through dance and self-expression.” says Anita.  It’s not a one size fits all experience, there is a range of courses but all of the classes celebrate feeling good holistically – mind, body and soul. We all go through moments of self-doubt, highs and lows in life. “Pole dancing classes changed my life. It helped me build strength and confidence. Most importantly, I became comfortable in my own skin.”

Dreams & Career 

“Growing up, I never had big career dreams. I always wanted to be a mom and focus on my family! Interestingly, I now have zero children and two companies.”  I am the co-founder of The Brass Barre Singapore’s premier pole dance studio and also the co-founder of MindFi A Mental wellbeing platform for modern workplaces. 

At TheBrassBarre her classes are high energy and fun! Courses include pole fitness, burlesque, pole art and rock chick to name a few. “What motivated me to start – The studio I was instructing at was closing down because the owner was moving to Australia. As one of the senior instructors at the studio, I felt a huge commitment to keeping the community together and making sure we had a safe space to congregate and dance. I quit my day job and set up The Brass Barre.” says Anita 

“I wanted to create a safe space where people can heal mentally, physically and emotionally with a community. A place to celebrate beauty, confidence and give people a sense of belonging. A place where we could feel free to be ourselves.”

For Anita, moving her body allowed her to dance out her feelings whether she felt stressed, sad, happy or joyful. It was a place to let go of everything outside and focus on the beautiful artistic flow while building athletic skills and grit. Teaching pole dancing and sharing her energy every weekend keeps her fulfilled as she is able to empower women to feel good and confident through dance and movement. She encourages people to step out of their comfort zone, enjoy the journey of movement and music.  

“I studied Psychology at the University of Michigan and did my Master’s in Counselling at Monash University. I worked as a psychologist & counsellor at Raffles Hospital provided counselling on a variety of issues including work stress, depression and domestic abuse then a therapist for Banyan Tree and became a program head for emotional training at Bettr Group, an award-winning social enterprise start-up where I helped individuals create healthy habits, improve resilience and self-esteem, enhance communication skills, and effectively set and work towards goals.”

Build Mental Strength

Pole dancing challenges the mind, body and spirit. Learning movements, flexibility and flow requires focus. “I am excited by challenges. I have always seen it as an opportunity to learn something valuable and grow. I constantly and intentionally challenge myself. Some of the challenges I’ve set for myself include climbing mountains, solo travelling and learning new languages. I’m proud to say that I’ve now climbed 5 mountains, solo travelled through Indonesia, Ukraine and the US, and speak basic French, Spanish and Russian. The world is your oyster – explore and find something you love then work on it consistently.” says Anita.  

Health & Wellbeing 

The last few years have presented immense uncertainty and thrown unexpected challenges, especially for small business owners and startup owners. Our life is constantly changing and it is how we respond to it that matters. “Times have been tough, it’s important to pause and check in with ourselves. To see if we’re doing okay during these challenging times.” says Anita. Pole dancing helps her lift her spirits, feel her best and grow mentally. “ I love how it allows me to connect with myself, my body and my community.”  

Self-Care 

I love self-care days. She believes in practicing gratitude and appreciating the small things such as good friends, good food and supportive family. “Sometimes, the tough days feel overwhelming. But I remind myself to be grateful for these opportunities for growth as well as for my own resilience and the support of my friends and family. “I do my best to see these challenges and setbacks as an opportunity to build my character, resilience and really grow. We all are constantly learning and improving in life and the same goes with pole dancing. Everyone is a beginner and has to start somewhere, and no matter how advanced you get, there are always new challenges as well as fundamentals to continuously perfect” 

What’s your advice to anyone new wanting to try pole dancing?

Go for it! You’ll be amazed by what your body can do

What’s one quote you would like to leave your audience with?

Get out of your own way. You can achieve amazing things.