International Pole Championship 2013 Singapore : Pole-dancing Empowers Women (and Men)

If you see a scantily-clad woman standing next to a vertical
metal pole, would you first think of her as an athlete or stripper?  The point is most people would still
traditionally associate pole dance to strip clubs. However, over the years,
pole dance has evolved to become a form of a performance art, which combines
dance and acrobatics. The media has also played an important role in giving new
meaning to pole dance after Hollywood celebrities like Sheila Kelley started
creating her own pole-based fitness routine. Today, it’s more than just a form
of entertainment but also a sport, which could become the next Olympic sports.

Last Sunday, thirty elite athletes in the sport of pole
dance fitness from all over the world were gathered here in Singapore for the
International Pole Championship (IPC) 2013 which was held at University
Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore.

The director of the International Pole Dance Fitness
Association (IPDFA), Ania Anna Przeplasko was the brainchild behind this annual
pole-dance competition. “Finalists will
be arriving from countries as diverse as Brazil, Australia, Poland and the
Ukraine. All of the finalists are locally renowned pole artists, and most of
them hold multiple local, national and international pole dance fitness
titles,” she said.

Ms Przeplasko also said IPC made history by being the very
first pole-dance competition in the world to include a Men’s and Disabled
Division. That evening, we saw not only women of various shapes and sizes,
but also men who exhibited a different form beauty and grace to pole-dance. The
most noteworthy in the entire championship is a talented 63-year-old woman from
the United States of America named Greta Pontarelli. She was doing full splits
and swirling around the vertical poles, looking like a young ballerina dancing
so elegantly on stage.

What impresses me further is when IPC 2012 Disabled Category
Champion, Deb Roach from Australia, took on the stage and did so many athletics
movement on the pole with just one hand. “ Deb is a beautifully graceful and
technically brilliant competitor, who has a unique feature – she has only one
arm,” said Ania.

It does seems like this competition isn’t just about
discovering great talents in pole-dancing but it is also about providing equal
opportunities to all, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity and ability. I
conducted an email interview with Ania who spearheaded IPDFA and IPC.

Email Interview with Ania Anna Przeplasko

1) Could you talk about your encounter with pole
dancing?

When I got to Japan to design outfits for a show, I happened
to see pole dancing being performed, and saw how toned the dancers were. The
only mechanism for exercise was the pole, so I decided to create a fashion show
on the pole. Unfortunately I could not find any models who could pole dance, so
I decided to learn and teach the models. That was 13 years ago.  

2) Is pole dancing to you, an art or sports?

Both – the power of pole dance can be used as artistic
expression and a means of achieving goals in sport.

3) Do people raise their eyebrows when you told them
that you’re a pole dancer? How would you respond to them?

Not anymore. Up to 5 years ago they did, and I responded
“come to my class, see what its about and gain respect for it.”  A
lot of them became students after that!

4) Til today, people still associates pole dancing with
strip clubs and sexual entertainment acts. So, how does IPDFA play a role in
changing people’s perception of pole dancing?

We are the first competition to promote a male and disabled
division (our disabled competitors enter to achieve their ultimate best and
push their boundaries, and do not have a sexual entertainment purpose in mind!)
We are lobbying for inclusion in the Olympic Games. We are working with the
Government in some countries to include pole as a form of exercise for a
healthy lifestyle. IPC showcases amazing talent, strength and athleticism,
proving how far away we are from strip clubs.

5) Pole dancing classes are now offered in several
fitness centres and gyms in Singapore. What are the fitness aspects of pole
dancing? 

Pole Dancing is a form of dance gymnastics, using a vertical
steel dance pole.  It requires substantial muscular strength, endurance
and flexibility, with emphasis on the arms, shoulders, back and core, as the
majority of movements require physical lifting of bodyweight.  Frequently
momentum is used in order to add movement and is generated from the lower body
to perform spins, mounts and climbs.  Pole Dancing is renowned for its
acrobatics known as ‘tricks’ which describes a series of poses using limited
body contact, leveling from beginner upright poses, intermediate invert poses
to advanced aerial rotations.

Pole Dance is a physical activity that activates both
cardiovascular (aerobic) and muscular (anaerobic) systems, which means it is a
complete body workout.  Depending on the frequency and intensity of an individual’s
pole dance practice, it can help maintain or it can dramatically improve
fitness levels.

6) The international pole championship also has
competitive categories open to men and the disabled. Why so?

Why not? If someone tells me I cannot compete in a sports
competition because I am a woman, this is surely discrimination. So I feel the
same way about introducing a men’s and disabled division. Pole fitness/pole
sport is for everybody, even for kids.

7) In your opinion, why do you think some men would be
interested in pole dancing? 

Some men even see pole as a career path; they can approach
international productions like Cirque du Soleil, as have many of our
competitors, and other men see this as a great way to build core strength,
flexibility, and polish their dance skills.

8) Should pole dancing be considered as an Olympics sports?

Definitely. There are similarities between pole sports and
gymnastics – we use the bar in a different position.

9) How does Pole dancing empower women?

One of the biggest challenges of pole dancing is to learn a
routine and see yourself in a mirror. A lot of women do very well with learning
new moves and tricks, but have difficulties with facing themselves as a
reflection. They have to start to face themselves and start to like their own
body. Pole dancing is helping women to love themselves, regardless of their shape
or size. Because, after a while, the excitement of learning a new move
overtakes the feeling of self consciousness.

10) Can everyone do pole dancing? What does it takes to
become a pole dancer?

As with every sports activity, there are restrictions,
depending on your health and medical conditions. However, right now pole is
being learned by men, women, kids, seniors citizens, and people with
disabilities.

It depends which level you wish to achieve – hobbyist pole
dancers, instructors, performers, competitors. Each of them requires different
type of education and investments of time. Students require one hour a week to
have fun and meet new people. Instructors need to invest in instructors courses
to approach pole from a different angle, while performers need to invest more
in learning showmanship and costumes. The most dedicated are the competitors,
who need to spend between 2-5 hours a day on training if they want to be recognized
on an international level and succeed.

This year’s international pole championship is an eye-opener
and it simply affirms the saying that ‘anything is possible’. It’s an art and a
sport that can empower women, and even men too. And to empower ourselves, women, is to love and accept for who you are. Learning to love and respect your body as the power to stay happy lies in you. You decide.