Think pole dancing’s just for the amusement of moneyed man-boys? Think again. Today sees the last day of the annual pole dancing world cup taking place in Rio De Janeiro and holy crap, the moves these guys and girls can pull? Mindblowing.
The competition pulls in 150 competitors from 36 countries around the world. In Brazil, pole dancing isconsidered to be a serious sport, and watching the competitors it’s easy to see why. Have you ever tried to roll yourself up and down a pole nearly three times your height, or hold your body horizontally in their air with no support? No, us either, but we’re betting it wouldn’t end well if we did.
The World Pole Cup’s not just for women either – competitors can be of any gender. One male dancer speaking to the BBC said, ‘Male pole dancing is something that’s going to be very big and very exciting. As soon as people get past the idea that it HAS to be stripping then I think there’s a lot of amazing things we can do.’
In fact, the competition has done a lot to distance itself from the notion of stripping. According to the rules, it is forbidden to perform ‘semi-nude or indecently dressed’ or in ‘bikinis, thongs or other attired that suggests nudity.’ Also on the no-no list; ‘Any movement relating to sex’.
Now, if only pole dancing could stop popping up in the background while fat guys drink whiskey and talk business in every TV show that happened ever, perhaps people outside Brazil might start thinking a bit differently too.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.