Pole dancing gaining in popularity

Zoraya Judd says there is nothing she would rather do than pole dance. She’s one of the best in the world at it and someday, she says, there might even be a place for her talents in the Olympics.

Riding a wave of popularity that has transformed a striptease genre into a cleaned-up and clothed version for fitness clubs around the world, Judd and dozens of the world’s top pole dancers — male and female — gathered in Tokyo this week for the International Pole Dancing Championships, a premier event in the budding sport.

As always — the championships are in their third year — it was a colorful field.

Japan’s Mai Sato defended her title as the women’s champion, and Duncan West of Australia won in men’s. This year also had a disabled division, which was won by hearing-impaired Eri Kamimoto of Japan.

See Japan’s Mai Sato in action

“There is a tremendous amount of talent here,” Measday said. “It says a lot about where our sport is going”.

Pole dancing’s destination, organizers hope, is the Olympics.

Hong Kong-based Ania Przeplasko, founder of the International Pole Dance Fitness Association, said efforts are underway made to make pole dancing a “test” event for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016. Pole dancers had tried to get on the schedule for London in 2012, but were too late to make a serious bid.

I recently took up Pole Dancing/Fitness and I love it! It is great exercise and lots of fun. It is also great for your sex life! Asian women are excelling in this area too. Is there no end to our talents?

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