With less than a month to go, our world is hotly anticipating America’s largest Pole Fitness convention. Yet all the attention is focused on the shocking news that three Russian pole dancers were turned away from the States when authorities discovered that they were travelling to compete in a pole dancing competition.

It seems that even now, pole dancing is still seen as something seedy and related to the sex industry. Pole Spin Magazine were the first to report this story.

Never-the-less all the other performers who are in the Elite category are flying into the States (hopefully without Visa problems) over the next few weeks to start their last minute training before the competition kicks off on the 14th.

Our very own “Judge Lucy” is flying out to be part of the Elite judging panel. Lucy can’t wait to meet all the American pole people she knows by reputation, but has never met! Judging competitions is a great responsibility, as Lucy knows that competitors have dedicated hours, days and weeks to their training and as a performer she knows how nerves can get the better of you.

Particularly with pole, where nerves create your sweat glands to go into overdrive, having to then grip a very tall and spinning pole is something that is extremely tricky to do. Practice is the key to a successful performance, some performers swear by freestyle, but experience teaches us that you should rehearse until you can do your routine backwards and in your sleep.

Oh, and if you’re reading this Stateside or even New York City where the competition is being held you can buy your tickets here and if you do make it, make sure you track Lucy down and say “Hi” to Lucy she’d love to meet you!

Lucy Misch – producer, pole dance trainer, instructor and now American Pole Fitness Championships judge!

Competition season is upon us with the 2nd annual American Pole Fitness Championships taking place soon. The best news? I’ve been asked by the editor of Pole Spin magazine to be on the Elite Judging Panel!

About the American Pole Fitness Championships

The first Championships took place last October and were a huge success. Last year’s competition had a massive impact on the pole world, bringing the cream of the pole crop together. Both male and female entrants from all over the world took part including Zoraya Judd, Amber Richard, Josiah ‘Badazz’ Grant, Marlo and Steven ‘Princeton’ Retchless. Marlo and Steven went on to win first place in their categories. Read more →

Are you curious about pole dancing? Think you may be catching the pole bug? Perhaps you’ve seen it advertised on your local gym, watched some videos on YouTube or have seen Alesia Vazmitsel on Britain’s Got Talent. You’re itching to have a go – but where do you begin?
Read more →

We’re really excited to be able to tell you about our latest pole dancing product: Lulu Mat pole dance mats.

There are four Lulu Mats that we have designed to suit many different pole spaces and pole dancers, so hopefully there’s one that’s right for you and your needs, whether you’re a beginner with a small pole room or a pole dance diva with a brace of 8 m high poles. Read more →

Home to Mecca, Saudi Arabia is usually thought of as a highly religious, and often rather intolerant, country. But I was invited there to teach pole dancing.

Women in Saudi Arabia

Saudi is now the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive. Women must also cover their bodies with an abaya in public at all times and are asked to cover their faces and heads with a burqua.

Men may marry up to four wives and until recently women had almost no rights in the judicial system, effectively making them the property of their husbands. It’s not an easy place to visit for anyone, but all single women travelling to Saudi need a sponsor to explain the reasons for the trip in order to secure a visa. Read more →

A regular series showcasing moves from Pole Exercise DVD 1.

Difficulty: Advanced

The Half Flag is an eye-catching pose. It’s a very graceful move when performed properly, while at the same time showing demonstrating impressive strength and core control.

About the Half Flag

You’ve probably seen advanced pole dancers pivoting into a Half Flag at the top of a pole and holding it with impressive control. Start at the bottom! Once you feel confident performing the pose, then move it up the pole to wow the crowds (or your cat :). It’s also an easier pose to get into from the floor than when hanging onto a pole. Read more →

There has been a revolution in pole design over in the past few years. Dance poles like the X-Pole have transformed what we can get – and what we now expect – from a fixed pole, with static and spinning modes, extensions to fit almost any room and load spreaders rather than ceiling screws.

And things are finally changing for stage poles too. The X-Stage did away with the need for a mass of heavy sandbags and has a modular (if not exactly compact) construction, making it much easier to transport. The R-Pole has was the first stage pole with an almost flat base, allowing it to fit in a normal-sized room like, say, your living room.

And now Platinum Stages has launched its latest stage pole, the Star Pole. Though not so well known on this side of the Atlantic, Platinum Stages is a major manufacturer of poles in North America and will soon start selling their poles in the UK too.

We were lucky enough to get hold of what is perhaps the first Star Pole in the country to review. Read more →

I first saw Chinese pole on stage in the Cirque du Soleil show Saltimbanco, and it completely blew me away. I was amazed by the effortless grace of the acrobats as they worked on the poles, climbing to and dropping from dizzying heights through a sequence of death-defying tricks. If you haven’t seen the show, please take a few minutes to watch this video – go on, I’ll wait.

I’ve wanted to learn to scale these giant circus poles ever since, and I’ve recently been lucky enough to start learning Chinese pole with instructor and performer Jon Young. Read more →

Pole dancing is making an impact. When we last looked at pole grip aids in 2007 there were no grip products specifically made for pole dancers, but in this review half of the products are.

We’ve tested the most popular pole dancing grip aids to let you know what will help you beat those sweaty hands and what will leave you slipping and sliding down the pole.

DMM chalk ball

< ?php PeTheme::post_popup("dmm-chalk-ball-thumb.jpg", "dmm-chalk-ball.jpg", "DMM chalk ball", "", "Border Left"); ?>I came across this wonderful white powder (really, it’s chalk!) while shopping for a new jacket. DMM chalk balls are made specifically for rock climbers, who perhaps have an even greater need for good hand grip than we do.

And the climbers have obviously got it right – this chalk offers superb grip. Whether you’re about to perform on stage in a hot venue or are working hard to nail a new move, this chalk should guarantee you sweat-free holds and give you the grip and assurance you need. Read more →

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We’re very excited to announce the release of a digitally remastered version of our first Pole Exercise DVD.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been hard at work reworking and improving the quality of the video.

We’ve had a lot of comments from you about the DVD, some of it telling us what you liked (which is great :) and some telling us what you’d change. Read more →