I’ve been pole dancing now for nine years and I’ll hold my hands up and admit that true authenticity is not always something I have put at the forefront of my practice. In the past, I adopted much more of a one size fits all approach, and attempted to get all my pole dance needs met from just one instructor or studio on multiple occasions. Whilst some element of this was down to financial constraints, this was mainly due to my lack of education and knowledge on how important it is to learn a craft from those who live, eat and breathe it.
For example, in recent years and going forward I only learn sensual, stripper style pole dance from current or former strippers. (Please note, I am not referring to Russian hardstyle heels dance here, as I class that as a different movement style, but that’s a topic for another day). Again, this isn’t a practice I always had and I’ve previously learnt sensual dance styles from instructors who do not have a background in stripping. However, after taking the time to educate myself and listen to both current and former strippers’ voices, they shall be the only people I learn sensual movement from going forward.
To me this is a bit of a no brainer. Strippers and sex workers live, eat and breathe the art of seduction. It’s how they make their money and therefore they’re going to have a far deeper connection to sensual movement than someone who has learnt to dance in that style via a more academic route so to speak. Learning a specific style of movement from someone with whom it’s their lived experience is going to add far more depth and authenticity to your own movement style. Moreover, it’s obvious when a dancer in any capacity is genuinely passionate about their craft as opposed to someone who is just adding “sexy style” classes to their repertoire in an attempt to be all things to all people and increase profit. I said what I said.
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The same can be loudly said for how powerful it is to learn Twerk from Black instructors. I still have much more learning to do regarding Twerk, its origins and culture, but I know 100% that learning Twerk from Black instructors is very fucking important. Twerk is a dance which originated firmly within Black culture and to erase that, or at the very least not contribute towards its growth within the pole industry is quite frankly bollocks. Respect the origins and culture of a dance and learn from those whose culture it is. I recommend reading this interview with Vertical Joe that the wonderful Blogger on Pole did back in 2021, especially the paragraph Twerk and Cultural Appropriation.
Most importantly, it’s essential we support strippers, sex workers and Black instructors within the pole dance industry as, despite it being 2024, they’re still having their content stolen and voices silenced. Last month, I attended the fabulous Filthy Friday showcase in Manchester, which was founded by the absolute powerhouse that is Beanie the Jet. Filthy Friday was created by Beanie as a fully inclusive space for people of all races, genders and sizes to express themselves without fear of being silenced and prides itself on being Stripper and Sex Worker positive. I have written a more extensive blog about Filthy Friday previously, but one thing that really stood out to me this time around was a mini speech given by performer Destiny at the end of the night. Not only did Destiny praise Beanie for creating such a brilliant space, she also said that Beanie’s classes were the only space where she felt safe and seen in the pole dance industry, and this is not okay.
We need more genuine Black and Sex worker inclusive spaces within the pole industry period. By genuine, I mean studios need to create authentic and fully inclusive spaces, not just perform tokenistic acts of diversity to tick a box. Incorporating genuine diversity and inclusivity in your space is an ongoing exercise which involves lifelong learning, and if you’re a pole hobbyist such as myself you can help make the industry more inclusive by taking your practice down the more authentic route of learning Twerk from Black Instructors and sensual, Stripper style movement from strippers. It will add authenticity to your own movement style and help to make our industry a more genuinely inclusive place. For bonus points, encourage your studio to employ Black and Sex Worker instructors if they don’t already do so.
In summary, I urge everyone to explore how they can develop their pole dance style and craft more authentically, and a fantastic way for my fellow pole hobbyists to do this and make the pole dance industry a more inclusive place is to learn sensual pole dance from strippers and Twerk from Black instructors. So get out there, do the work and encourage others to do so too!
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Photo credit @thedanhb
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