To say that I’m absolutely Barry buzzing for Pole World festival 2019 is an understatement. Two whole fucking days of workshops (I’m going to shit myself when I meet Jordan Kensley I swear), seminars, give it a go sessions and overall all things pole related is going to be epic! To celebrate this auspicious occasion, I had a natter with Gem, the organiser of Pole World Festival, to talk about the history of the event and to see what us festival goers have in store for us this year.
What made you want to set up Pole World festival initially?
When I was at university I set up and hosted a number of regional and national events; this is when I caught the bug! I remember sitting on my sofa, after I had just hosted the first regional university pole competition, and thinking to myself ‘what else can I do… it needs to be big!’ and that is when I came up with PWF. Pole has had such a huge impact on my life and I wanted to create something that could impact others in a positive way.
This is your third Pole World I believe! How are the preparations for this year’s festival going?
It’s actually in its fourth year. I think lots of people think it’s only in its third year as it had a different name the first year. It’s going really well! After doing this for a while now, it does get easier as I now know what to expect and I can forward plan much better. The stress never goes away though as I care so much about it going perfectly!
What sets this year’s Pole World apart from the previous ones?
Well, of course it’s now over two days so double the fun! We also have even more international artists coming over to teach and perform and more performances throughout the day. Our guests will definitely not get bored!
What are you specifically excited for about Pole World 2019? Are there any specific workshops and seminars that you’re buzzing for?
I think what excites me the most is the diversity of the workshops and seminars – there is so much to choose from! There are workshops in almost every genre of pole dance so there is something for everyone and the seminars cover every topic a poler could possibly want to know about. Each year when we are planning we try to make sure we have as much diversity as possible and cater to lots of people.
Who are some of the big names in the Pole community that will be attending Pole World this year?
We are so delighted to have some of the biggest names in the industry attend this year; Anastasia Skukhtorova, Dimitry Politov, Hanka Venselaar, Bianca Bi, Alex Schuckin, Lisette Krol, Tiff Finney and Bendy Kate to name a few. We also have the amazing Jordan Kensley coming over all the way from America! We are incredibly lucky to have some amazing talent here in the UK, which is what I think makes our line up stand out so much!
Even if someone doesn’t get on their first choice of workshop, are there still plenty of activities to get up to anyway?
There most definitely is so much to do! One of the biggest pieces of feedback we’ve had is about how the day flies by as you can jump from one thing to another. The best thing is that it’s all under one roof so everything is right next to each other. We’ve got a whole host of free Give it a Go sessions running throughout the weekend, with some of the classes holding unlimited numbers, so there’s plenty of activities to take part in!
Do you have any tips for people who are attending Pole World for the first time?
Bring lots of cash and plan your time. We have all of the top brands exhibiting over the weekend so you’ll be spoilt for choice on what to spend your money on. Make sure to leave time to attend a drop-in yoga session, listen to a seminar, have a play in the aerial playground and watch some of the awesome performances. Don’t miss the ‘bring your freestyle’ segment on the main stage – this was a highlight from last year!
Pole World Festival will be taking place on 10 August 2019 at UWE Exhibition and Conference Centre in Bristol. For more info, visit their Facebook page and/or website. Chrome Chronicles will see you there!
Chrome Chronicles 