Pole Dancing Minister

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On a pole-dancing mission: Ordained minister joins with Cloverdale entrepreneur in fitness venture

By Simone Blais

It only takes a short conversation with Jan Janzen to realize she's a pole-dancing minister - and proud of it.
Janzen, an ordained, non-denominational minister, is the brains behind A Pole Lot of Fun Enterprises Inc., a party company that has supplied poles for living rooms across the country and franchised the industry around the world, allowing women to try their hand at whirling and twirling around what, in the past, has been considered a pole reserved for exotic dancers.
Janzen first became aware of pole dancing when she was invited to a friend's stagette party.
"I walked into this room and there was this pole in the middle. I couldn't believe how unnerved I was," she admits, adding she's not usually afraid of taking risks. "I have walked on fire, I have jumped off a cliff, I got in a plane and went to Africa by myself, and yet this stupid piece of metal had me uncomfortable. That fascinated me."
Janzen noticed how she and the other women, initially shy and embarrassed about pole dancing, completely transformed by the time the night was over. She asked one of the women who taught the lesson for a business card - but went away empty-handed, as they didn't even have cards.
That got Janzen's brain working overtime.
"I went home and got into bed, and the business plan came flying into my brain for the next four hours," she recalls.
Within two weeks, the Belcarra resident had attracted an investor in Colin Sprake, a Cloverdale-based entrepreneur whom she met at a networking event.
"I usually don't get involved in trendy products," says Sprake, a veteran of the mining industry, "but this one intrigued me."
The company's head-office franchise is registered in Surrey. Since Dec. 1, Janzen and Sprake have sold their pole-dancing business concept to eight franchisees in Ontario, New York, Texas and other areas, according to Sprake.
Janzen credits pole dancing's newfound popularity to daytime diva Oprah Winfrey, who paired with stripper Sheila Kelly to do a segment on pole dancing a year-and-a-half ago.
"When Oprah did it, it was kind of like God spoke," she says. "Barbara Walters pole danced on The View. Sheila Kelly's doing it, Angelina Jolie's doing it, Kate Moss, they're all doing it.
"People really started looking at the fitness side of things. They're tired of the Pilates and the yoga and the step class. But now, there's this thing out that's a bit naughty - not because it is, just because that's the perception of it."
What makes the activity so appealing to women, according to Janzen, is that it incorporates a sensuality into exercise.
"People have taken that sexuality and sensuality out of being a woman, and I think we're at the time to bring it back. I just want to see it brought back in a wholesome, respectful, honourable way."
-with file from Tom Zillich