Pole Dancing Research Articles

Hip Nostalgia

The opening episode of season two of the AMC series Preacher begins with a big reveal that sets in motion the season’s subsequent action: God has come to earth and gone missing. The protagonists—a preacher possessed by the powerful, but amoral offspring of the illicit coupling of an angel and a demon, his contract killer girlfriend, and an Irish vampire—track the almighty to a small town strip club in East Texas he has been rumored to frequent. God is not there, mayhem ensues, and in the club’s office the manager—before succumbing to a gunshot wound—tells the preacher, with a sigh, ‘God didn’t come for the girls, you idiot. He came…for the jazz.’ The show then cuts to the club’s performance space where a piano-less trio led by veteran New Orleans drummer Johnny Vidacovich offers a Coltrane-inflected, hard bop-style tune while pole dancers writhe at the edge of the screen. Jazz is here partly, it turns out, to give the showrunners an excuse to set the season in New Orleans, but it is also here for more than simple exigency. This article plumbs the place of jazz in three contemporary American television shows’ soundtracks: AMC’s Preacher, Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here, and F/X’s Louie. Together they represent a distinct cultural phenomenon in a distinct historical moment: the embrace of jazz as a music signifying creativity and the new; hipness and the bohemian margins of polite society; and elite, left wing intellectualism in an America riven by hope, change, and retrenchment. It is perhaps no surprise that each of these shows has a similar soundtrack—not only inasmuch as each includes new jazz recordings, in fact, but also in the range of other music compiled for their scores. They share a format—the ambivalent ‘dramedy’—an auteurish quality, an embrace of indie film aesthetics on the small screen, and a target audience. God aside, each of these shows participates in a signifying chain that links jazz to other aspects of American entertainment that once thrived together in a kind of demimonde, and which have since largely become uncoupled from each other; a Cold War-era world of Playboy clubs and the Rat Pack.
 What, this article asks, might be at stake in reattaching jazz, stand up comedy, and strippers in these television shows? What does their target audience want from that set of associations? Answering those questions requires a close look not only at the narrative frames in which jazz is made to participate and the televisual techniques with which it is shown, but also at the particular sonic qualities that define jazz for these shows. Jazz is, of course, a famously varied genre label. Each of these shows features the same kind of jazz: an eclectic style based in Miles Davis’s approach to texture and form and in John Coltrane’s harmonic explorations as elaborated since the 1970s. Notably, in using this style of music they have found a jazz that is neither strongly associated with the middleclass Black project of the ‘neo-traditional’ resurgence of historical styles starting in the 1990s, nor associated with the Black radical project of hip hop and R&B-tinged Afrofuturist jazz growing in popularity at the time the shows were released. It is not so much that the vision of jazz these shows produce is white, as that it occludes its racial signifiers altogether. In the most critical assessment one might say that this is a (mostly) white, (mostly) male attempt to recapture a moment of white hipness: a chance to make Bohemian America great again. A more sympathetic interpretation may use Svetlana Boym’s distinction between restorative and reflective nostalgia to argue that the desire is to recapture the possibility of a different future offered by a selective memory of the past. These shows all make gestures toward a more multicultural world, and a world impacted by feminist and queer movements. This article holds open the possibility that by longing for a moment when jazz was hip these shows may be articulating with an audience’s desire for a more critical, more aware, more just future.

“I’m a Poler, and Proud of It”: South Korean Women’s Managed Experiences in a Stigmatized Serious Leisure Activity

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of South Korean women “doing serious leisure” in what is widely known as a stigmatized activity, pole dance. It seeks to understand the experiences of South Korean women participating in pole dance and to investigate the strategies that are used to cope with the stigma that is experienced during participation. A qualitative research method was applied with an “insider” approach to collecting data. Data were collected through participation observations and in-depth interviews. The findings suggest that South Korean pole participants construct unstigmatized identities through their engagement in pole with its social stereotypes and stigma. Participants’ identities have been firmly embedded as “pole dancers”, “pole athletes”, or “polers”, which they do not feel the need to elucidate to those who are not active members. Their identities are surrounded and intertwined with their rationalized reason for participating in pole dance as serious leisure, along with their individual dedication which manifests their commitment by entering competitions and upgrading their pole skills. Participants and the pole dance community create a social atmosphere where their participation is not taken with stigma but rather with serious dedication to form their own interpretation of pole dance.

Holding on to both ends of a pole: Empowering feminine sexuality and reclaiming feminist emancipation

In this article, we study pole dancing as a potential site of feminist theorization. Finding that instructors at pole dancing studios figure themselves in and through tensions between empowering feminine sexuality and the taint of sexualized labour, we discuss the productive potential of these tensions in terms of postfeminist discourse, on the one hand, and the feminist critique of this discourse, on the other. Holding on to both ends of this pole, the pole dance instructors twist and turn their words and bodies so as to produce emotionally attractive and socially recognizable subject positions for themselves and their female customers. We do not seek to dissolve the inherent tensions of these moves, but discuss how they can become productive: for the pole dance instructors, as they find opportunity to discursively resist sexualization whilst materially performing sexuality; and for us as feminist scholars as we become able to celebrate and criticize the idea(l) of empowering feminine sexuality.

Biomechanics and Physiology in top level Pole Dancers. A case study

The aim of this study was to investigate the physical and physiological demands of three top-level pole dancers’ performances during a simulated competition. Three elite pole dancers, participated in the study. Physical data pertaining to the accelerations and the rotational values were collected. A complete video footage was recorded. Blood Pressure, Heart Rates, Blood Lactate concentrations were recorded during the performance. Before and after the simulated competitions some postural stability tests were also performed. Accelerations along the vertical axis reached »2G and rotational movements around the pole, reached »400°/s. Blood Pressure values ranged from 120/75 before and to 145/58 mmHg at the end of performance, respectively. Heart Rates reached a mean peak value of »114% of the Maximal Estimated Heart Rates (HRmax) and a mean HRmax% of 74.59±8.82% during the simulated competition. Blood Lactate concentration ranged from 11.43±2.13 to 10.63±1.65 mmol/L measured at 1 min and 5 min after the completion of the competition, respectively. Postural effects were observed on balance, after the performances. The results of this case study confirm that the Pole Dancing requires heavy physiological and physical demands on the performers. Specific training routines should be designed in order to cope efficiently with this physical activity.

Pole studios as spaces between the adult entertainment, art, fitness and sporting fields

Taking an ethnographic approach, this article examines how pole is taught and embodied within pole studios. Pole studios stand at the nexus of the expansion of pole dance from the field of adult entertainment into the fitness industry, sporting world, and more. This article argues that pole studios serve as “spaces between fields” where pole is undergoing standardisation and production as fitness activity, sport, art, and erotic dance. Although divides exist, this study illustrates ways that pole studios can serve as a bridge connecting those fields. Studios in effect produced pole as a multifaceted activity by: offering specialised courses (e.g. fitness versus erotic pole dance classes), teaching leveled classes in the basics of poling that were hybridised and built students’ bodily capital in diverse ways without stigmatising them, and being ambiguous when discussing potential audiences. Such helps explain pole’s continued development. It also demonstrates the usefulness of Eyal’s concept of spaces between fields for scholars of sports and leisure studying shifts in the nature and function of physical activities.

“It's our little secret … an in-group, where everyone's in”: Females' motives for participation in a stigmatized form of physical activity

ObjectivesThe factors that encourage participation in ‘traditional’ exercise pursuits are relatively well understood; less is known, however, about the psychological motives that encourage female participation in forms of physical activity that are stigmatized. Using pole dancing as an exemplar of such an activity, the aim of this study was to identify females' participation motives for this activity. DesignGuided by an interpretivist approach, a qualitative method was adopted to allow a group of female pole dancers to describe their reasons for participation. MethodSemi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with 38 recreational through to regularly competitive adult female pole dancers (Mage = 31.24, SD = 8.41). Data were content analyzed using inductive thematic principles. ResultsStigma-related issues emerged as a driver of participation. Participants also described motives pertaining to themes of relatedness, autonomy, competence, and intrinsic motivation, as well as new stimuli and mental and physical wellbeing. ConclusionDespite the stigma and negative stereotypes associated with participation in activities such as pole dancing, participants described how this perception contributed to a heightened sense of community that, in part, drove continued participation. Accordingly, these findings make a novel contribution to established bodies of literature grounded in stigma and optimal distinctiveness theory. Given the rise in popularity of some female-predominant stigmatized exercise pursuits (e.g., belly dancing, roller derby, lingerie football), research that examines this network of motives in other settings would be valuable in the future.

Breathe through your vagina!—An attempt to catch ineffability

This article is an experimental journey witnessing one moment of my 20-minute performance, where I deconstructed pole dance with the symbol of a cross to analyse intricacies of the female body. I chose to explore one moment as it holds a range of indefinite interpretations. This one moment offers multiplicity, where I introduce my female body as speaking subject and parody the male gaze associated with pole dance. Further, I highlight the meanings I derive from the symbol of the cross and the crucifix coloured by my Catholic upbringing. Additionally, I share an exploration of a feminine imaginary and the fluidity of deconstruction. During my investigations, I question how undisciplining dance relates to my experiences. This writing implements artistic linguistic structures and word usage to sense destabilisation and unexpectedness.

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INJURIES IN POLE SPORTS: EMERGING CHALLENGES IN A NEW TREND

BackgroundPole sports, such as pole dancing, are recently gaining popularity as a form of fitness, combining dance and acrobatics. Many new, recreational athletes are joining pole sports every year. According...

Inglês

This study had as the mean goal analyzes and compare the real effects of a Pole Dance training in the bodycomposition of its performers, for six months they had two classes a week with one hour of training in each one, the evaluationwas established with pre- and post-test through anthropometry, circumferences, skinfold thickness and bone diameter, all theresearch was conducted in Studio “Art Fitness” and significant changes p≤0,05 were found, there were the fractions ofcomponents, fat percentage, fat weight, the residual weight, bone weight and muscle weight, changes related to fat percentage,fat mass and muscle mass could be clearly seen. Explicit changes in averages, standard deviation and value of p = 0.05 for eachcollection used in the evaluation could be noted. Getting to the conclusion of the real health benefits that are possible by thetraining program of Pole Dance demonstrated through significant changes in body composition.

Anthropole-ogy: The (Re)creation of Female Bodies Through Pole-dancing

No abstract

Effects of exercise training experience on hand grip strength, body composition and postural stability in fitness pole dancers.

Although the growing popularity of pole dance as a leisure-time activity of people of all ages, the problem of physical effects of exercise on the pole is not considered in the scientific literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the hand grip strength, body composition and postural stability of fitness pole dancers with different training experience. The inclusion criteria for this study were met by 52 female pole dancers. The research program included assessment of body composition (using BC-418 Segmental Body Composition Analyzer, Tanita, Tokyo, Japan), hand grip strength by hydraulic dynamometer JAMAR, and postural stability using ALFA stabilometric platform. Significant differences depending on the pole dance advancement level were found in postural stability and hand-grip strength. The average values of the surface area and the length sway indicated by feet center of pressure were significantly decreasing with the increasing group experience (P<0.05). Strength level was increasing with the consecutive advancement level (right hand χ2=9.595, P=0.008, left hand χ2=8.936, P=0.011). Regular practice of pole dance fitness can contribute to a significant increase of strength and improvement of the postural stability, which is important for the entire musculoskeletal system. However, further studies on the beneficial and negative (e.g. injuries) impact of exercises on the pole on the musculoskeletal system are required, including larger group of respondents, their diverse age and, above all, longitudinal studies.

Physical and physiological demands in women pole dance: a single case study.

to investigate the physical and physiological demands of a pole dancer's performance studied during a simulated competition, lasting 3 min 30 sec. one single woman pole dancer, (age: 22 years; height: 1.56m; body weight: 52kg; BMI: 21.4kg·m-2; estimated HRmax:192.6 bpm) participated in the study. Physical data pertaining to accelerations and rotational values were collected by the means of a tri-axial accelerometer device integrating three gyroscopes. A complete video footage was recorded using four video cameras, using different sampling rates. Blood Pressure, Heart Rates, Breathing Rates, Blood Lactate concentrations were recorded during the performance. Accelerations (positive and negative), along the vertical axis reached 2G and rotational movements around the pole, reached 400°/s. Blood Pressure values ranged from 120/75 before and to 145/58 mmHg at the end of performance, respectively. Heart Rates reached a peak value of 96% of the Maximal Estimated Heart Rate (HRmax) and a mean %HRmax of 92.85 ± 3.15% during the simulated competition. Breathing Rate reached a peak value of 37 bpm and a mean value during competition of 31.87±3.42 bpm. Blood Lactate concentration ranged from 10.2 to 10.7 mmol/L measured at 1 min and 5 min after the completion of the competition, respectively. The results of this case study confirm that the Pole Dance is a performing art requiring heavy physiological and physical demands on the performers. Specific training routines should be designed in order to cope efficiently with this physical activity, taking into account the performance model we provided with this study.

Enjoyment of Sexualisation and Positive Body Image in Recreational Pole Dancers and University Students

The study aimed to investigate the construct of enjoyment of sexualisation and how it relates to positive body image. In addition to undergraduate university students, a sample of recreational pole dancers was included to demonstrate how results might generalise to an activity identified as representing both the potentially negative and positive aspects of enjoying sexualisation. Participants were 162 heterosexual Australian women aged 17–30 years from Adelaide, South Australia. They comprised 71 recreational pole dancers recruited from local recreational pole dance schools, and a group of 91 undergraduate students who were not currently participating in pole dance. Participants completed measures of enjoyment of sexualisation, self-objectification, embodiment, and positive body image. For recreational pole dancers, enjoyment of sexualisation was positively correlated with both self-objectification and embodiment which were, in turn, respectively negatively and positively correlated with positive body image. For university students, enjoyment of sexualisation was positively correlated with embodiment which was positively correlated with positive body image. Recreational pole dancers scored higher on embodiment and positive body image than university women. It was concluded that enjoyment of sexualisation is a multifaceted construct with both positive and negative aspects. Further, the sexually expressive component of enjoyment of sexualisation, in the case of embodying exercise such as recreational pole dance, may be beneficial for women’s positive body image.

Of Pole Dancers and School Lunches

Of Pole Dancers and School Lunches

The future of pole dance

From its genesis over two decades ago in exotic dance clubs, pole dance has consciously shed its striptease origins to become a global phenomenon. This article takes Japan as a case study to explain the evolution of pole dance as both a competitive sport and as a performance art, and then proposes that Japanese pole dancers are leading the way in the latter category. The analysis is driven by the author’s personal experience as a pole dancer in Japan: an experience ineluctably marked by gender and ethnicity. As a Caucasian male, the author stands apart from Japanese pole dancers; yet, this difference also enables him to stand in for the non-Japanese audience most likely to view the new performances in Japan through the racial stereotyping that defines ‘Oriental’ fetishism. However, the psychoanalytic concept of fetishism, reformulated and depathologized in recent queer theory, also yields insights into how pole dancers across the world have developed the new pole dance around a shared, embodied experience. This article employs queer theory to analyse the new expressions of this shared experience that troupes of Japanese pole dancers are developing. The article concludes by proposing that the global pole dance community comprises the best site of resistance to the inevitable fetishization that Japanese pole dancers will face as their highly theatrical ensemble shows debut to an international audience.

La danza del volador y algunas creencias de Tempoal en el siglo XVIII

In a 1783 report preserved in the papers of the Inquisition at the Archivo General de la Nacion, Mexico, the parish priest of Tempoal, Panuco, Veracruz, denounces a number of unorthodox practices in his village. They are: corruption of Catholic teachings, pagan medical practices, the celebration of feasts centered about the flying pole dance, unorthodox ideas about the afterlife, and beliefs in the evil eye and ailments caused by the "loss of shadow".

How to Make the Most of Turning 40 and Beyond

How to Make the Most of Turning 40 and Beyond

‘Pole-arized’ discourse: An analysis of responses to Miley Cyrus’s Teen Choice Awards pole dance

Sexualization of girlhood is a current issue in the US and around the world. Concerns that girls are asked to self-sexualize at younger and younger ages have led to an examination of the influence of media on girls. The current study attempts to explore public views on the ‘self-sexualization’ of a Disney pop star, Miley Cyrus, in what was called a ‘pole dance’ by the media. This performance at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards stirred considerable debate in the news and on public websites. The current analysis examines website responses of 13 websites through a qualitative, thematic analysis of over 500 individual responses. Analysis of internet comments revealed themes of agency and innocence in adolescent female sexuality as well as the function of these themes in US culture. The dominant themes are discussed in light of the largely absent gendered analysis of the performance and its significance.

“Work That Body”: Precarity and Femininity in the New Economy

Adapting elements of exotic dance, burlesque, and circus, fitness pole dancing is taught and practiced globally. Exemplifying post-feminism's putative “freedoms,” it represents a scene of precarious labor in the new economy, and evidences the continued purchase of older patriarchal constructions of “women's work” and “precarity” in capitalism.

Book Review: Pole Dancing, Empowerment and Embodiment

Book Review: Pole Dancing, Empowerment and Embodiment