Pole Dance

benefits to general strength and fitness.^[9] These forms of exercise increases core and general body strength by using the body itself as resistance, while toning the body as a whole. A typical pole dance exercise regimen in class begins with strength training, dance-based moves, squats, push-ups, and sit-ups and gradually works its way up to the spins, climbs and inversions which are the métier of the exercise.^[10] Pole dancing is also generally reported by its schools to be empowering for women in terms of building self-confidence.^[11]

Pole dancing as an exercise is very similar to Mallakhamb, an Indian men's sport with no erotic component.

A growing number of men are incorporating pole dancing into their fitness programmes.^[12][13]In Australia, the UK and the US, dance studios are beginning to offer classes just for men. And in China, 2007's National Pole Dancing competition was won by a man. Dance instructor Zhang Peng, 23, beat a host of women dancers to the top prize.^[14]

Pole dance competitions[edit]

A wide range of amateur and professional competitions are held in many countries around the world. They are strictly non-nude and focus on pole dance as an athletic and artistic form of dance and fitness. The first "Miss Pole Dance World" competition was held in November 2005 in Amsterdam and Elena Gibson from the UK won the championship. The following day Elena was disqualified by the organizer John Benner amongst much controversy and the title went to the runner up Reiko Suemune from Japan.^{[citation needed]}

A group of advocates even pushed for pole dance to be represented as a test event in the 2012 London Olympics.^[15][16] But because this is a relatively new trend, scoring for competitions is not standardised, while names of the techniques vary among different clubs in different regions.^[17]

In Australia, "Miss Pole Dance Australia" was started in 2005. Felix Cane took home the first prize in the latest 2010 (named Miss Pole Dance 2011—for the coming year) competition.^[18][19] The first US Pole Dance Federation (USPDF) Championship was held on March 19, 2009, first place was taken by Jenyne Butterfly.^{[citation needed]} The 2010 winner of "Miss Pole Dance Canada" was Crystal Lai, who went on to win the People's Choice Award at the worlds.^[20]

World Pole Sport & Fitness 2009 (World Pole Dance) is a competition opened to all nationalities and all continents and changed the venue with time: was held in 2009 in Jamaica and was won by Australian Felix Cane,^[21] took place in Switzerland in 2010 and was won again by Felix Cane^[22] and took place in Budapest in 2011 and was won by Alesia Vazmitsel^[23] from Belarus.