About Pole Dance

Pole Dancing is a modern and vibrant performance art combining moves of incredible strength and agility with sensual style and individual flair. It has emerged over recent years as an exciting competition sport, blending elements of dance, gymnastics and acrobatics. Such is its jaw-dropping appeal, Pole Dancing could be seen as a demonstration sport at the 2020 London Olympic Games!

From Australia and New Zealand to Britain and America, Europe and Asia, Pole Dancing continues to shed its blue image as devotees discover its benefits for fitness, flexibility and fun. And while some men are tuning into this vertical phenomenon, Pole Dancing remains a celebration of female beauty and a means of tapping new confidence and empowerment for many women.

Pole Dancing today is a dynamic art, its combinations of spins, holds and inversions limited only by the imagination of its practitioners. As a new dance genre, it is evolving into a legitimate style, mirroring the development of other genres that were originally maligned as too risqué, including waltz and ballet.

While recognised in the Western world as an offshoot of exotic dance, top Pole Dancers identify with elite gymnasts and draw influence from diverse sources. These include Chinese pole -- an 2000-year-old act in which acrobats climb and tumble between tall, coated poles – and Mallakhamb, a traditional Indian sport of aerial tricks performed on a wooden pole that was introduced around 1800 as a supporting exercise to wrestling.

Pole fusion styles are also being developed – Latin, Bellydancing and Hip-hop among them – with a stronger focus on dance technique. Others, meanwhile, use the pole purely as a resistance prop for strength-building, replacing traditional gym workouts.

The introduction of Pole Dancing as a popular form of exercise in the early 2000s created a global sensation. American actress Sheila Kelly was at the forefront of the movement, founding The S Factor Striptease workout after discovering the physical benefits of playing a Pole Dancer in the movie, Dancing at the Blue Iguana.

In 2003, it was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey as a new celebrity workout, with devotees including Christina Aguilera, Carmen Electra and Kate Moss – who was featured pole-dancing in a White Stripes video. Pole classes at dance schools and gyms around the world took off, and competitions at local, national and international levels soon followed.

Australian pole dancers are among the best in the world -- with Australia's Felix Cane taking home top honours at the World Pole Dance Championships 2009 in Jamaica, USA (video link). She now performs with Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity show in Las Vegas.

The Australian Pole Dance Championship debuted in 2009, adding a second national competition to the pole-dance arena. As an alternative to Miss Pole Dance Australia, APDC recognises the diverse nature of the sport today. It includes divisions for men and mixed doubles, and does away with the requirement of wearing stiletto heels.

The APDC is backed by The International Pole Federation, which was launched in 2006 as a governing body for the booming industry. Overseen by a board of representatives from all member countries, the IPF aims to bring transparency and standards to pole dancing for the benefit of all involved.

Despite its explosion in the fitness world, pole dancing's sensual appeal has not been lost – not least because it continues to flourish in strip clubs. The pole was first adopted as a prop by exotic dancers in the nightclubs of Canada in the 1970s, quickly spreading through America and abroad. Exotic dance itself claims an ancient history stemming from the Sumerian myth of the Goddess Innana, who unveiled at the Gates of Hades in search of her lover Damouz.

Above all, Pole Dancing is a great way to get your groove on while reaping serious fitness benefits. It delivers total body conditioning with a focus on core strength and controlled movement, while also improving flexibility and coordination. Dancers can lose up to 250 calories in a good Pole Dance session. But be warned – Pole Dancing is addictive!