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HAVE YOU SEEN THIS 8 YEAR OLD POLE PERFORMER???
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I’m also very sensitive to the sexualization of kids, but keep this in perspective y’all. There are several studios out there that let kids take pole and aerial classes, in fact I can think of five just off the top of my head.
Keep in mind that if a kid wants to grow up to compete at an elite level, that training usually starts younger than 8. I might not push my kid to be an elite athlete because that in and of itself threatens childhood, but that’s reality for people with that goal.
Moreover, I see this as exactly identical to training for cheer leading, ballroom dance, rhythmic gymnastics, or modern/hip hop dance. In ALL of those sports, kids learn some kind of sexy moves, especially with modern dance, because it they want to be competitive, they have to know it. It’s the 18 and 19 year old dancers who get a lot of the work out there, and there’s a certain modern dance style that is marketable and has some of those sexy moves and you can’t expect someone to make a living dancing if you don’t show them any of those moves until they’re 16 out of fear that it will corrupt them. Frankly, this girl’s dance was NOT what I would call “sexy style.” And if I had done that particular dance she did I would NOT have been ashamed to have an 8 year old in the audience. It did have some movements that could BECOME sensual movement when she’s old enough to be aware of that, but this dance was not sexy, it was more demonstrating fundamentals of pole.
As long as the girl isn’t out there dancing in strip clubs, if she’s performing for these supportive “pole people” crowds, I don’t see any harm being done to her.
In these situations, I think we need to remember that we are looking at her performance with an adult understanding that the dancer herself does not have and is not aware of. And I think whenever you have a kid training in a sport that does have some sexual connotations, and all the ones I listed certainly do just as much as pole, what’s important is that a kid has good supportive adults in their life who are willing to help their kid grow in understanding of their sport and prepare for the adult world they are entering.
At the end of the day, I wouldn’t have a problem with my daughter poling from a young age and as she approaches adulthood incorporating that into discussions about adult sexuality and what sex and being sexy means for responsible and empowered adult women. I would feel like it’s my responsibility to show my kid that there is sex and some people with bad attitudes about sex out there. I would rather my kids grow up with sex as a TOTALLY open topic with me rather than trying to shelter them as long as possible.
FWIW, I grew up in a house where I was “protected from sex as long as possible” and it backfired HUGELY into my adult life because no adult ever talked openly with me and I wasn’t prepared. I think if you started a kid poling early and they stuck with it as they grew older it would be an amazing tool for teaching about healthy adult sexuality and keeping that topic open with my kids so they know they can come to me first.
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And if we say “OMG THIS IS DIRTY AND YOU SHOULDN’T BE DOING IT” that is going to send some very slut shaming messages to an 8 year old who is fast approaching that very confusing time in her life.
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All im saying is that a pole in a strip club is more known that pole sport, yes still. And another generation is not enough to changes that, I think. So I would not let my underaged daughter fight that battle. That does not mean that I in anyway would teach my kids that sexy is bad. I just dont want my future daughter (if I get one) to be on the internet on a pole. She can do whatever she wants when shes an adult and I'll support her. But I know what it means when a perv see's a little girl, I've tried that and it does not take much, so yes I would not allow it. That does not mean I dont think this girl is'nt amazing, but I do think its a little more than the ballet aspect to pole. Its a little too sexy for an 8 year old and I just hope she stays safe.
As for the cheerleading part, in my country you have to be 14 before you can even start training for it on a team, and you wont be able to compete untill at least 16.
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Correction; I havent tried being the perv, but the girl! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif
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I think this is awesome!
I teach at a dance studio that offers hip hop and modern dance classes for kids that age and the moves they do in those classes are far "sexier" than anything I saw her do. When I'm putting up the poles the kids always crowd around asking what I'm doing and if they can do it. They see it as an extension of the playground (I often hear things like "We have a pole like that on the playground and school and I try to climb it.") and I wish I could let them play on the poles in the studio without being afraid of what their moms will say. I totally agree that the "dirty" idea is in the adults head – and that the perverts will go to leer at kids no matter where they preform or are (dance recitals, cheer comps, gymnastic comps, the local pool…. )
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The pole being associated with strippers is what our own association being placed to it is doing. Keeping it secretive and "naughty" is exactly what these athletes are trying to fight against! There is also lights music and mirrors in strip clubs but they arent associated?? The more we all try to disassociate this the better! This girl may be young but she did a wonderful performance and it would not even be a discussion if it was on a balence beam or paralell bar! She obviously worked very hard on her routine and should be praised and not have herself or her parents chasized for it. This is exactly what this sport needs to be taken seriously and to become a sport is people of all ages understanding the time, strength, flexiility, dedication and hardwork this sport actually takes! BRAVO YOUNG OLGA!!
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Im am not calling her or her parents out. And it is a fact that men will see this as sexy. It has just been around to long. That is NOT my opinion. Please do not tell me how I think. I in fact said it was amazing. But I also responded to another who had raised concern about the pervs who are out there.
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Fact is anyone who sexualizes a child is a perv reguardless of being on a pole or a playground. Its not the pole making her "sexy" its the pervs who make it this way. Reguardless of what sports children do, unfortunatly the pervs are out there and we have to protect our children. In that being said its still not the "pole" making it the way people veiw it but the views people put on the pole that need to be changed…
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I thought she was a terrific little phenomenon. Good for her. Personally though I like my poling grown & sexy…I'd love to see what she's capable of artistically when she's old enough to put some true emotional and artistic texture into what she does. For now, I felt the same way as I do when I watch little gymnasts or hip-hop dancers go hard: I enjoy the energy & innocent physicality but find it in a whole separate world from how I do what I do. Hope that makes sense.
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My opinion is simply that I would be uncomfortable giving pervs another thing to glanze at. I do not think this girls parents are bad parents, I just found it (as amazing as it was) to cross my boundries a little. Not because I dont like younger girls to pole, but because the thruth is that there will be forbidden attraction to it, and I would rather fight that battle with other adults before I would let my (imaginary:)) daughter be a public part of it. All though a part of me thinks it is impossible to distance pole from stripping even though it is acutally to very different thinks. Both of wich I have great respect for.
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I would just fear this video circulating on facebook. We all "get it" that poling and stripping are two totally different things. Others are not as enlightened, and I would hate to see a weird sping to this whole thing.
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OMG, she was amazing…and less than a year on the pole, I really can't imagine. That pheonix she did was HUGE! And splits galore, the girl is strong and flexible. The only thing that gives away that she hasn't been at it very long is a small lack of control in some of those bigger moves. Once she nails that, which I'm sure she will, she will be unstoppable.
How long until we see children's divisions in pole competitions, or pole dance in "regular" kids dance comps? 🙂
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As the chair of the technical comittee for Pole Sports who is hoping to get pole into the Olympics I believe that at some point it will be teenagers competing in the pole olympics and they will probably begin training as young children just as other olympic sports do.
I also know that perverts will find a way to twist anything they can into something sexual. There are sick individuals who watch childrens gymnastics for just this reason!
But I can't explain what it is about this video that felt a bit uncomfortable to me? I am not opposed to children pole dancing or taking classes if someone is trained to teach them but something just felt off when I was watching this. In some way she just looked too "adult like" doing it?
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I wanted to express, as a dance teacher ( and a girl who was klutzy in sports but discovered an early nredy age that she could DANCE) that I am not comfortable with the idea that the first place we go to when we see young girls being physical is the "pervy" place, even when we say it out of concern. I don't think we should be contributing to an atmosphere that takes away the innocent joy that children naturally feel when they accomplish something expressive and physical.
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As I stated in one FB post earlier, we all need to remember that this girl is from Russia. Things regarding training, sports and even the way the human body is viewed is totally different than here "across the pond".
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