After yoga, it's around the pole dance to invite you to one of the few dance studios in Riyadh.
A few Saudi women have learned about this sensual and demanding sport, which clashes in an ultra-rigorous country.
At least three venues in Saudi Arabia now offer pole dancing lessons.
So far restrictions around what Saudi women can wear or do have drastically limited their opportunities for physical activity.
But in recent years, the authorities have sought to further open up the society to soften its image internationally, despite fierce political repression that targets feminist activists in particular.
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“We started pole lessons two years ago, when our gym opened.
In the beginning, there was a problem due to the low number of coaches.
We had to do several sessions to train some coaches, in order to have some who could train others, ”explains May al-Youssef, owner of a pole dance studio, in a burqa in front of the camera.
And for students, it is often necessary to ignore the anger of relatives.
Difficult for Nada, this passionate young woman to convince parents and friends that this discipline from the world of striptease had its letters of nobility.
“When I told my parents [that I wanted to start pole], they were totally against it.
Then, after a few lessons, I showed them the videos and told them that pulling up on a bar wasn't easy.
Besides, when I'm sad, I can't pull myself up [on the bar], and it's the opposite when I'm happy”.
