Who can be considered an "amateur" dancer??

Dirdy Birdy started this discussion · 9/28/2009

Hello everyone, I came up with this question when I read London's post on her amateur pole dancing comp victory. What is considered 'amateur' or what isn't? London (congrats on your win hun!) mentioned that one competitor danced at another club and so isn't considered amateur. I ask because I'm considering competiting in amateur pole dance comps but I recently started work as a pole instructor. Does this disqualify you as an amateur, having a job involving pole dancing? I have always considered myself an amateur (been dancing for 1 year, 4 months) as I'm still learning and self taught most of my skills. I just happened to be lucky enough to come across the job and now I teach and do pole parties. And what if London's competitor that dances at another club was only a beginner but happens to get paid for dancing at a club? What are your thoughts?

5 replies

Charley · 9/28/2009
I would say that if you get paid to teach pole, you are definitely not amateur - only because it's unfair to those who actually have been poling a short time or have little knowledge of pole. I don't think that dancing in a club is enough to say that you are a professional pole dancer in terms of talking about pole tricks. Not all club dancers do tricks and not all club dancers even care about them. I guess you'd also have to look at it from the standpoint of what they can and cannot do, years doing tricks. I guess you would have to look at it like how much do you know. It's hard to classify these things. On one hand a club dancer is infact a professional dancer - she gets paid to dance - it is her profession. So I would guage it off tricks. But if you are getting paid to teach someone how to do pole tricks, then you would no longer be an amateur as this is your profession. Semantics? MOST comps not held a clubs would likely require you to register as a professional or in an advanced division. I know it's unfair because although I teach I am no where near professional level tricking, yet feel I could compete with someone at my own standard. It would be unfair of me to register as an amateur because I would be far beyond their level. For example Berty's Boo Boo is an AMAZING tricker and dancer but she doesn't teach (yet) so she could be ranked as an amateur and she's done it for less than a year but I would find it unfair if she entered a contest as "amateur" because I think of amateur as beginner. Get what I mean? For all purposes she could compete in the USPDF but she's been doing it less than a year (maybe over now) so under a year I would rank as amateur, obviously she's not since she has surpassed most advanced instructors.
Trena · 9/28/2009
Definitions of 'amateur' - "someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime" - "an athlete who does not play for pay" I dunno if this helps but I thought maybe it might...
Dirdy Birdy · 9/28/2009
Hey Charley, Okay, I think I get what you're saying- an amateur is someone who has been dancing for a short amount of time and does not teach? I guess, the confusion for me is where do you draw the line. For example, if a beginner dancer who has basic pole skills but is a pole teacher for a beginner's level class, is this person an amateur? And on the flip side dancers like Berty's bobb boo who has advanced to a high level in a relatively short amount of time but doesn't teach, she would still be an amateur? I guess I'm just a bit disappointted that I'm not considered amateur now that I teach 🙁 I don't think I'm anywhere near 'professional'. I just don't think teaching or not teaching determining amateur status is fair. Perhaps set the 'amount' of time that a pole dancer has been dancing as a guideline to amateurship (not a word, I know). I guess that will reward those that have worked hard during the set amount of time (that's the whole point of a comp yes?). Definitions of 'amateur' - "someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime" - "an athlete who does not play for pay" I dunno if this helps but I thought maybe it might... That definition raises more questions, like, if a pole dancer has danced for 20 years but never got paid. Is she still considered an amateur and eligible to enter amateur comps? I still think the title of amateur should be time related.... 🤔
miss fern · 9/28/2009
I think it's way too difficult to make solid rules or lines for who is amateur and who is not in pole dancing. You cannot do it by how long the person has been poling, because what if they were a gymnast or a figure skater first and thus are already leaps and bounds ahead most of us? Or what if they started years ago but took a huge break? You cannot do it by whether they get paid, because as you said - some studios will employ beginner level pole students to teach beginner classes, and some club dancers are definitely not professional competitor level, but they too get paid too dance. I think the only one left is really skill level. Charley and I, for example, both teach and have been poling about the same length of time, but neither of us feel like we would stand a change in the pro division. Hell, I can't even do an aerial invert or shouldermount yet. BUT on the other hand, what if you just train very hard, are a quick learner, and so you have loads of the difficult moves with the first year (a la berty) - should you be disqualified from amateur because you're "too good"? See? No-one matter what restrictions the club owner / competition organiser decides to place, they will not be perfect. In terms of YOUR choice about whether to enter amateur... I think YOU decide what level you think you are.
yogabeachbabe · 9/29/2009
I really don't think most clubs (at least here, in Vegas) actually CARE if you are a dancer who gets paid, or an advanced level dancer who has never been in front of an audience, or a pole instructor who teaches for a living. I've never heard of anyone getting disqualified from the competition--or rather, if they did get disqualified, it was for bullsh*t reasons--not for being "professional". All the clubs here care about is if you bring lots of friends to watch and drink, and if their existing clientele like you or not. My friend entered an amateur comp and was probably the most advanced dancer there in terms of technique and tricks and actual dancing. Do you know who won? A girl who really looked the part and whose most advanced move was lying down propped up on her elbows performing "jelly legs" (basically you stick your legs straight up and wiggle them, clapping the sides of your shoes together every once in a while). I was totally outraged for my friend, but learned quickly that it has very little to do with talent in this town. So if you want to compete, go for it! Go have fun and screw the rest.