With Christmas on its way there are many activities facing students this term, and 3rd year Classical Civilisation student Alannah Davis is certainly what HC would call a busy bee, as the Pole Dance society’s publicity officer. We spoke to Alannah about her involvement in the society’s upcoming Christmas Showcase for Refuge, a charity supporting victims of domestic abuse. HC also found out about the changing impressions of pole dancing as a sport, and why the society is great for girls who want to enhance their fitness and confidence whilst having fun!
How long have you been a part of the Pole Dance society and what made you want to get involved?
I started pole dancing in February last year just after refreshers. My friend and I went along to a taster session and I just really enjoyed it so stuck at it! I really wanted to try pole dancing because I’d watched some dancers at work (The Sal) doing pole and it looked amazing! I got involved on committee because of how much I enjoyed it and because I love being part of changing people’s perceptions about the sport. (And committee members get free lessons!)
What does your role entail as a publicity officer?
As publicity officer it’s my job to make sure that as many people know about the events we’re putting on as possible. That includes spamming people on Facebook, making posters and flyers for things like Fresher’s Fair and our showcases, and organising nights to get people interested in the sport/ coming to the showcases. I also deal with getting sponsors for the society – this year we have Brass Monkey which is awesome; they let us put up a pole in the upstairs room for our socials! I help out with other roles too, just because I want to get as involved in the society as possible!
Why have you decided to put on a Christmas Showcase?
We put a Christmas Showcase on every year to raise money for a charity, which is Refuge this year. It also gives our members a chance to show off the moves they have learnt and are proud of. We run confidence workshops which teach performers key skills for dancing but also for things like interviews or public speaking, which are fantastic! This year we’ve got a group performance for beginners who don’t want to do a whole routine by themselves – so everyone can get involved! The Showcase is great for creating a little community within the society too – rehearsals and workshops mean you talk to people you might not have met yet because you go to different lessons.
You must have to dedicate your time to practise for the showcase with your team, how have you found the preparation for the event?
Preparing your routine for a showcase can take a lot of time – that’s why so many people buy their own pole! I’ve been so busy getting everything else sorted for the showcase, like the event, the tickets & posters etc., that I haven’t actually started mine yet, but I have chosen a song! So that’s good! We’re running plenty of practice sessions for people so that they can be as comfortable as possible with their performance!
Do you feel there are any negative attachments that people may have with pole dancing as a type of fitness or sport? What are your opinions on this?
There are definitely people who still have negative impressions of the sport, although there has been a lot of press recently about the Swansea SU’s ban of their Pole Fitness Society (which has now been revoked) and it’s really helped change perception! I’m always more than happy to explain what pole dancing is and why it isn’t about the sex industry. People often associate us with strippers or ‘pole dancers’ you find in strip clubs, but we’re nothing of the sort! Pole dancing (or fitness) originated from Chinese pole and African sports, not strip clubs. There are certainly sexy elements to pole dancing, I mean, who doesn’t want to look nice when they’re dancing? But fitness and athletic ability are much more important to us! Some of the moves our members can do require a lot of strength and practice! When I’m explaining this to people I like to point out dancers such as Olga Trifnova – she’s 10 years old and is incredible. There is certainly nothing sexy or stripper-like about her performances! We’re also very proud to have male members of the society, two are even on committee. Pole is fantastic for men because most of the time they have the strength required to progress really quickly. I think this also changes perceptions of the sport, because it’s obvious from their involvement that we have nothing to do with girls you find in strip clubs. (I must say though, even if pole dancing were about strip clubs, I believe in allowing women the right to their own body, not denying them their freedom in the name of ‘feminism’ as SUSU tried to do!)
Finally, how can we find out more about the Christmas Charity Showcase?
Our Christmas Charity Showcase is on Wednesday 4th of December at Alea Casino.
The Facebook event is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/173654019502900/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
The SU event is here http://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/events/9628/5387/. It’s going to be a fantastic night of performances from pole members and special guests too. We’re going to be running a raffle and a bake sale which are both going to help raise more money for Refuge. It’s definitely the biggest showcase we’ve ever put on and we’re so excited about it!
If you’d like to join the society, there are three weekly sessions on Wednesday every hour from 2pm-5pm. You can also join their Facebook group here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/UoNPoleDance/