GiedreB started this discussion ·
Totally mesmerized by this amazing performance. It's hard to believe she is so young and without any previous dance experience! I found this posted on FB by United Pole Artists. Her name is Olga and she trains in a studio in St Petersburg. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150914790944520
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GiedreB ·
And, by the way, she's been doing it for less than a year...
Olga...they are always Olgas. One of the world's best jugglers (she and her brother broke most of the juggling world records) name was Olga. But seriously, she's fantastic.
This is crazy amazing! Ha, something to inspire us all yet again. Though I hope the parents are helping her be safe. She should always be performing w/ a crash pad under it even though she is so good. She also slammed her pelvis into the pole mid-way and it looked like it hurt! It is easy to get pole injuries in this sport and I just hope she is taken care of properly. I would take a workshop with her! Ha, I give her so many props! My daughter is a 1 1/2 older than her and I only let her do "mini spins". I also let her climb. That's it. I know she could do more, but I don't want her to get hurt. But I do think the pole community should offer mother daughter pole classes or kids classes. It could be tasteful of course. Strictly strength. It could be the ballet pole classes or anything. It should be better accepted today.
Wow, she is incredible!!
Tali Kat ·
Wow that's amazing!! I hope she sticks with pole because she's going to be an incredible dancer! Glad to see that her performance and dance style are very age appropriate as well :3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZRA_BHIaeYk The link for the whole video:)
I have mixed feelings about it, because I have a daughter us pole"ers look at it as a sport she is good, (but) theres alot of sick individuals out there, you know what im talking about! How can we bring it as a sport for our kids not be judged like were perverts or something? Did you see how they treated that lady on that talk show for having her kid on a pole, and she didnt do nearly anything as close to this 8 year old, you dammed if you do or dont you just cant win in either situation!
I have mixed feelings about it, because I have a daughter us pole"ers look at it as a sport she is good, (but) theres alot of sick individuals out there, you know what im talking about! How can we bring it as a sport for our kids not be judged like were perverts or something? Did you see how they treated that lady on that talk show for having her kid on a pole, and she didnt do nearly anything as close to this 8 year old, you dammed if you do or dont you just cant win in either situation!
I have mixed feelings about it, because I have a daughter us pole"ers look at it as a sport she is good, (but) theres alot of sick individuals out there, you know what im talking about! How can we bring it as a sport for our kids not be judged like were perverts or something? Did you see how they treated that lady on that talk show for having her kid on a pole, and she didnt do nearly anything as close to this 8 year old, you dammed if you do or dont you just cant win in either situation!
wow shes made me feel rubbish lol :(
She is very amazing!! I dont have any kids myself, but If I had a young daughter tat wanted to pole, I would help her do that for sure. But I would not allow puplic preformances untill she was 16-18. This girl is just incredibl, but I dont see an 8 year old and I would want my kid to be a kid for as long as possible, and protect her from the pervs for as long as possible.
I see this really no different than performing in a dance recital or a gymnastics competition. There is a group here in NE Ohio that is amazing and performs all over the place. What about cheerleaders and such? WE are the ones putting the "naughty" into pole. People are going to be perverts no matter what.
I just think its important to remember that a pole is assosated with strippers. Wich for me is fine but I would not think it was fine for my young daughter.
Ferris ·
Awesome. But I would not let her do preformances until she's legal age. most pole studios won't let girls under 18 take a class without signed permission... soooo why now? Unless pole becomes an olympic sport it has that stigma.
And again, as long as it is presented in more of an athletic way there is nothing wrong with this. MOST studios do not teach this way, they teach the sexy and cater to women embracing their sexy. THIS along with insurance issues are the reasons studios will not teach those under 18. Last year at APFA the kids of Jasmine Dragons opened the show. The video was posted all over FB and here. I ask again, what is the difference between this and cheerleading? ADULTS are the ones who associate pole with strippers, kids DO NOT. We are the ones who teach future generations...so would you rather teach them that pole dancing is a dirty thing and should be shunned or that it is a healthy dance outlet? Oh, here is the JD site. http://www.thejasminedragons.com/
JASMINE DRAGONSJASMINE DRAGONSYoga, Acrobats, Aerial Silks, Aerial Fabric, Corporate Performers, Event Entertainers, Dance, Private classes, birthday partysI'm also very sensitive to the sexualization of kids, but keep this in perspective y'all. There are several studios out there that let kids take pole and aerial classes, in fact I can think of five just off the top of my head. Keep in mind that if a kid wants to grow up to compete at an elite level, that training usually starts younger than 8. I might not push my kid to be an elite athlete because that in and of itself threatens childhood, but that's reality for people with that goal. Moreover, I see this as exactly identical to training for cheer leading, ballroom dance, rhythmic gymnastics, or modern/hip hop dance. In ALL of those sports, kids learn some kind of sexy moves, especially with modern dance, because it they want to be competitive, they have to know it. It's the 18 and 19 year old dancers who get a lot of the work out there, and there's a certain modern dance style that is marketable and has some of those sexy moves and you can't expect someone to make a living dancing if you don't show them any of those moves until they're 16 out of fear that it will corrupt them. Frankly, this girl's dance was NOT what I would call "sexy style." And if I had done that particular dance she did I would NOT have been ashamed to have an 8 year old in the audience. It did have some movements that could BECOME sensual movement when she's old enough to be aware of that, but this dance was not sexy, it was more demonstrating fundamentals of pole. As long as the girl isn't out there dancing in strip clubs, if she's performing for these supportive "pole people" crowds, I don't see any harm being done to her. In these situations, I think we need to remember that we are looking at her performance with an adult understanding that the dancer herself does not have and is not aware of. And I think whenever you have a kid training in a sport that does have some sexual connotations, and all the ones I listed certainly do just as much as pole, what's important is that a kid has good supportive adults in their life who are willing to help their kid grow in understanding of their sport and prepare for the adult world they are entering. At the end of the day, I wouldn't have a problem with my daughter poling from a young age and as she approaches adulthood incorporating that into discussions about adult sexuality and what sex and being sexy means for responsible and empowered adult women. I would feel like it's my responsibility to show my kid that there is sex and some people with bad attitudes about sex out there. I would rather my kids grow up with sex as a TOTALLY open topic with me rather than trying to shelter them as long as possible. FWIW, I grew up in a house where I was "protected from sex as long as possible" and it backfired HUGELY into my adult life because no adult ever talked openly with me and I wasn't prepared. I think if you started a kid poling early and they stuck with it as they grew older it would be an amazing tool for teaching about healthy adult sexuality and keeping that topic open with my kids so they know they can come to me first.
And if we say "OMG THIS IS DIRTY AND YOU SHOULDN'T BE DOING IT" that is going to send some very slut shaming messages to an 8 year old who is fast approaching that very confusing time in her life.
All im saying is that a pole in a strip club is more known that pole sport, yes still. And another generation is not enough to changes that, I think. So I would not let my underaged daughter fight that battle. That does not mean that I in anyway would teach my kids that sexy is bad. I just dont want my future daughter (if I get one) to be on the internet on a pole. She can do whatever she wants when shes an adult and I'll support her. But I know what it means when a perv see's a little girl, I've tried that and it does not take much, so yes I would not allow it. That does not mean I dont think this girl is'nt amazing, but I do think its a little more than the ballet aspect to pole. Its a little too sexy for an 8 year old and I just hope she stays safe. As for the cheerleading part, in my country you have to be 14 before you can even start training for it on a team, and you wont be able to compete untill at least 16.
Correction; I havent tried being the perv, but the girl! 😲
darcit ·
I think this is awesome! I teach at a dance studio that offers hip hop and modern dance classes for kids that age and the moves they do in those classes are far "sexier" than anything I saw her do. When I'm putting up the poles the kids always crowd around asking what I'm doing and if they can do it. They see it as an extension of the playground (I often hear things like "We have a pole like that on the playground and school and I try to climb it.") and I wish I could let them play on the poles in the studio without being afraid of what their moms will say. I totally agree that the "dirty" idea is in the adults head - and that the perverts will go to leer at kids no matter where they preform or are (dance recitals, cheer comps, gymnastic comps, the local pool.... )
The pole being associated with strippers is what our own association being placed to it is doing. Keeping it secretive and "naughty" is exactly what these athletes are trying to fight against! There is also lights music and mirrors in strip clubs but they arent associated?? The more we all try to disassociate this the better! This girl may be young but she did a wonderful performance and it would not even be a discussion if it was on a balence beam or paralell bar! She obviously worked very hard on her routine and should be praised and not have herself or her parents chasized for it. This is exactly what this sport needs to be taken seriously and to become a sport is people of all ages understanding the time, strength, flexiility, dedication and hardwork this sport actually takes! BRAVO YOUNG OLGA!!
Im am not calling her or her parents out. And it is a fact that men will see this as sexy. It has just been around to long. That is NOT my opinion. Please do not tell me how I think. I in fact said it was amazing. But I also responded to another who had raised concern about the pervs who are out there.
Fact is anyone who sexualizes a child is a perv reguardless of being on a pole or a playground. Its not the pole making her "sexy" its the pervs who make it this way. Reguardless of what sports children do, unfortunatly the pervs are out there and we have to protect our children. In that being said its still not the "pole" making it the way people veiw it but the views people put on the pole that need to be changed...
I thought she was a terrific little phenomenon. Good for her. Personally though I like my poling grown & sexy...I'd love to see what she's capable of artistically when she's old enough to put some true emotional and artistic texture into what she does. For now, I felt the same way as I do when I watch little gymnasts or hip-hop dancers go hard: I enjoy the energy & innocent physicality but find it in a whole separate world from how I do what I do. Hope that makes sense.
My opinion is simply that I would be uncomfortable giving pervs another thing to glanze at. I do not think this girls parents are bad parents, I just found it (as amazing as it was) to cross my boundries a little. Not because I dont like younger girls to pole, but because the thruth is that there will be forbidden attraction to it, and I would rather fight that battle with other adults before I would let my (imaginary:)) daughter be a public part of it. All though a part of me thinks it is impossible to distance pole from stripping even though it is acutally to very different thinks. Both of wich I have great respect for.
