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No (former) strippers allowed in my studio competition :(
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I find it very interesting that our industry tends to be very quick to draw a line between exotic dance and pole dance, exclaiming quite emphatically that they are not the same thing and that being an exotic dancer does not make you a pole dancer.
Then we come to competitions, both large and small, and many of these same people will ban exotic dancers from their competition because they are considered professionals.
Which is it? Are exotic dancers professional pole dancers or is pole making a clean break from the exotic dance world? We can't have it both ways.
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To everyone who thinks excluding a person for being a competitive dancer or gymnast. These people are not making money when they are competing. However, a stripper is making money from their background. Now, if a gymnast or dancer has performed professionally. Then yes they should not be allowed.
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Why should it matter if you've made money from dancing before? It doesn't mean you've had more training, or more experience. There are many strippers who don't ANY pole tricks! It just means you were paid to dance. Whether that dancer has a high level of skill or whether she is not so good depends on the dancer's natural ability and work ethic, not on how much money she's earnt. If we discriminated against dancers who had previous professions that help them with their pole dancing, then most of the world's elite pole dancers would not be allowed to compete in Pole Art, World Pole Sports, etc. Some of them have trained and been employed as gymnasts, acrobats, ballerinas, fitness instructors, etc. Some of them have won medals at the olympics for gods sake! Some of them have had years working as dancers in clubs. WHO CARES!!?? Pole dancing should be appreciated and judged for what it is, an athletic, acrobatic, sexy, artistic dance form. Any studio, person or institution who believes that certain dancers should not be allowed to compete because of their personal lives (employment or training history) really needs to stop being so narrow-minded and prejudiced.
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As far as strippers being excluded because they make money goes, wouldn't that be the same for pole stars who do work shops as well as instructors who compete? They use pole to profit. Also don't they have more experience than whoever the supposed average competitor would be? Doesn't that give them the same edge if not more than a stripper considering that they are more likely to do competition moves on a regular basis than an exotic dancer would? While I respect and appreciate people sharing so many various opinions I have yet to see a reason that would convince me that strippers should not compete in pole competitions.
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I think most of us are in agreement that the question shouldn’t be whether or not someone can compete, just what category: professional or amateur.
A competition could easily say the requirement for the professional level is defined as receiving payment for any of these activities: teaching, performing–specifically on the pole, not just any dance style, and/or for winning a pole-specific competition. -
So by that set of rules – that receiving payment for performing on the pole puts you in the professional category – would a stripper who worked at a club without a pole (i,e she has never made any money from performing anywhere with a pole) be an amateur or a professional?
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No, I only said performing with a pole, not any other style of dance. Frankly to me, performing with a pole and being paid for it, is more the realm of Felix performing in Zumanity rather than using a pole at a strip club because she is required to perform tricks and a club doesn’t require that.
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Not only that but just because you strip in a club does NOT mean you are paid for it. I can't count the number of times I've gone to work and have left ALMOST OWING money. What if you are only a stripper or have only stripped a few days? Are you disqualified for making $100-$300 that ONE to THREE times?
I think that's silly. Just because one is paid does not make one a "professional". A professional is trained to do their job. Salon professionals go to school. Professional massage therapists go to school. These are TRAINED "professions". All of stripping is done through trial and error, or, just like that studio, by going to classes! There's legitimately no difference between a girl who might work at a club at night, and a girl who practices at night, when they come from the same studio.
Oopsey Daisey said it best; " the question shouldn't be whether or not someone can compete, just what category: professional or amateur." I should not be considering a "professional" just because the job economy is crap and I would rather take my shirt off than rely on government assistance and the tax dollars of others.
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And herein lies the problem. “Stripper only means to “remove clothing” and is a overused term with little or no understanding of what it actually means.Not all strippers get naked, perform on stage,pole or give lap dances and some do all of the above and in this category some do it artistically and some not so much. Showgirl, adult entertainer and exotic dancer are all loose terms and that vary among different clubs, dancers,states,countries and decades. The unnecessary shame projected onto these w women is what pole dance industry is up against not it’s evil stripper twin! When Pole studios, instructors, amateurs, pro competitors stop trying to cut away their lineage and apologizing for they’ll be taken more seriously. Many women over a long time span have been exploited as dancers yet they still made beauty and art.Not for the men but for eachother. The documentation, unification and education of strength, anatomy and technique of the pole industry are valuable tools legitimizing pole dance as a real performance art but is is not the whole of Pole nor is it the origin . Pole dance can never be separated from its creators but it perfected and celebrated without defining it to death.I choose to celebrate the countless women who danced in the dark , who changed their names, hypnotized their audiences night after night. The ones who didn’t survive the shame are with me when I dance their signature moves . They’re elated we’ve brought them into the light.Lets not exploit the once again by locking them out of their art and denying their legacy! Be proud,be free, and dance your heart out- NO SHAME! Xoxo
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Darn auto correct, sorry for bad writing but you get the point.
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I totally agree with you. I think it's awful too the way some people are discriminated and told you can not enter a competition if you have ever done any adult work I think its nuts and unfair. It's disappointing ,everyone should be given the chance to express there dance no matter what there background or job. Just because someone was once a stripper dose not mean they will get naked at a competition if that's what they are all afraid of lol….. Great point thanks for posting this it's the one thing that frustrates me as I do not judge others in their choices x
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But who would know anyway … do they check everyone who enters? or would that take too much time and money to do ? …. lol x
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Is there an update? What happened?
As for the topic it's a gray area and without knowing what the competition really is I can't say so I'll generalize.
The only reason I could possible see not allowing strippers is if the rules also stated that "no one who has been paid to dance professionally" was allowed in making it truly amateur. I also think that if a competition is going to make a hard line about professional performers they should also not allow anyone to compete who has already done so and maybe even extend it to not allowing those who have performance experience. IF that's the reason.
On the other side of it, some organizations don't want to be represented with exotic dancers and are truly focused on the health and fitness aspects. I think it's ok for organizations to make rules and to protect their identity. Think about it, you're running a show and the winner is a porn star – your family finds out – an organization in pole is still just a single person. That's WHY this is really complicated. Can you imagine trying to explain it to your uptight parents? Kinda hard. The BIGGEST issue is not being upfront about your thoughts and feelings about it and then telling someone to change jobs – kinda late for that.
It's really a struggle in our industry to see all sides of it. The nice thing is we have a lot of options as far as competitions go and I think we have to realize while we may not agree with castrating pole dancing from it's exotic roots – that may not be the real intention behind an organizations thinking-they might just have to explain to their husband, mother, child, grandma, etc why they allowed someone from the adult entertainment world (still working) to win the high trophy. Winners are a reflection of organizers whether we like it or not.
With that said, we should be moving towards more professional competitions that don't include background checks. We need to focus on the actual art and sport and not where/how someone uses pole dancing. I think it's important for everyone reading this to realize we all have a purpose in pole and all versions of pole are great. It's also important to remeber, I as an organizer am always sure to do this, that it's really easy to assume something about someone because of what you see on a piece of paper – it's a whole other ball game to walk in their shoes and understand the choices they made.
Personally – I'd rather see better defined divisions based on skill level as opposed to time/experience simply because there are girls who have worked for 5 years to get to great and some who've worked for a year to be great. Time/experience is relative it should always be about an level playing field skill wise. 🙂
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definitely divisive and descriminatory… not ok. Studio events should bring the ladies of the studio together, not exclude and divide them. I would bring it up in a nice way….it is important to voice this very legitimate point and concern….perhaps she will change your mind if you explain why you think it is not right.
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I only know of one major pole competition that doesn't allow you to compete if you are currently a stripper… and that would be the one Nicki Shaw one. Are there any others? And this doesn't make any sense to me…..because it is EXPENSIVE to fly to other parts of the US and world to compete. Airfare, food hotel, time off……most people aren't getting sponsored by big pole companies, and many people don't have rich husbands or well paid 'respectable' jobs. I have actually known girls who have competed, and picked up some extra stripping shifts just to make plane fare, as their $10 an hour they received at their 'regular' job didn't allow enough money left over for such luxuries.
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