Art & Artists

I attended Miss Pole Dance New South Wales yesterday, and it was incredible. The athleticism, power, beauty, and grace was astounding. It was a professional level competition, hosted by my instructor Chilli Rox, an influential figure in the Australian pole dance community who’s hosted all of the regional Miss Pole Dance competitions this year (and previous years — she’s had a crazy schedule), and will be hosting the national competition later this year.

The local pole community here is wonderful — pole has become more popular and main stream over the last two decades, likely owed to its positioning as a workout and fitness routine (brand strategy!) and perhaps a slight willful ignorance and intentional blind eye to its history in sex work. But what I love about the community here, granted I’ve only danced in Austin (Texas, US) and Sydney, is that they wholeheartedly acknowledge and welcome pole dancing’s roots — actually that feels wrong because it’s not like they do that, but more so they don’t see it as an issue and just as fact because of who the instructors are and who the students are. It’s a wonderful group, and I feel so grateful to have found them and to find an activity that empowers me to express myself through a beautiful art form, something that last happened almost 20 years ago back when I was figure skating. when I was figure skating almost 20 years ago.