Walking into Brandis Lounge on her 19th birthday, Crystal Lai never imagined her then-boyfriends unconventional gift of a night at a strip joint would give rise to a calling that would lead her all over the world. Now 26, Lai is the reigning Miss Pole Dance Canada, a fifth-place finisher and crowd favourite at last years world championships in Zurich, Switzerland and, as of this weekend, a competitor at the Pole World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
So I guess I cant complain, she says with a laugh.
Lai had never even been in a gentlemens club before that birthday surprise, but she quickly became a regular after being awed by the dancers. It took my breath away, she says. They were gymnasts on the pole.
A high school athlete whod played basketball and volleyball, Lai was bored at university and searching for a physical outlet when she began taking classes from former Brandis dancer Tammy Morris at UBC. Lai discovered that her natural flexibility and compact build allowed her an uncanny ability to execute death-defying stunts such as the jade drop she holds her body parallel to the ground in a perfect split, anchored to the pole only by the pressure of thigh against abdomen.
Im more comfortable upside-down than right-side up, says Lai, who also teaches two pole classes a week at Tantra Fitness, the studio Morris opened in 2004. Many of her students will be competing in Saturdays Miss Pole Dance Canada competition at The Vogue Theatre, though Lai will be missing out on account of her appearance in Brazil.
Pole dance has made gradual inroads into the mainstream through the niche industry of sensual fitness, but Lai says its still an uphill battle to have the sport taken seriously. Pole still suffers from the stigma that its done only for male gratification, she says, adding that the stereotype is primarily propagated by men. I get it all the time. I tell say Im a competitive pole dancer and they say Ive got a pole you can dance on, she says with an eye roll.
In reality, competitive pole is exploding in popularity in Asia and Europe, where its not about men, unless theyre competitors. At Tantra, pole is about empowering women to reach their personal and athletic best, says Lai. She and the Miss Pole Dance hopefuls train as much as three hours a day on top of full-time jobs (Lai is a pharmacy administration supervisor), offering criticism and support as they develop routines.
A supportive female-focused environment is present in all aspects of pole dance culture, says Tantra owner Morris, noting she learned most of her moves from other girls working in exotic dance clubs across Asia and Europe. When I was working in Japan, the clubs would open at 7 p.m. and the men wouldnt come in until 9, so girls would just teach other girls, she says.
After 10 years in that industry, Morris became a certified fitness instructor and opened Tantra to promote the confidence and fitness-boosting benefits of pole dance. After placing second in the inaugural pole dance world championships in 2005, Morris bought the licence to hold Miss Pole Dance Canada and has been working steadily to help the sport gain mainstream attention. The fact that this years competition is being held in a theatre, rather than a bar, shows her efforts are starting to pay off. Still, its difficult to find sponsorship.
To separate contemporary pole fitness from its adult-only counterpart, Morris has strict rules on how provocative the routines can be, but most of the contestants naturally focus on athleticism rather than titillation, she says. The routines are more akin to something youd see in Cirque du Soleil than in a strip club.
For aspiring Miss Pole Dance Sarah Korba, sexuality doesnt even enter into the equation. Korbas routine, set to Arcade Fires My Body is a Cage, focuses on strength poses and long holds to build artistic tension. I try to stay off the ground as long as humanly possible, she says.
After disruptions in her personal life led to a disappointing 10th-place showing at last years competition, Korba says shes back this year to prove something to herself. Between graveyard shifts as a prostitution outreach worker in the DTES and running her own burlesque fashion line, Korbas been prepping by practising daily yoga and contortion exercises and hitting the pole at Tantra as much as possible.
The days I cant get to the pole, Ill playground it, she says, noting city infrastructure provides a great supplemental training facility.
Though Korba, a third-time competitor at Miss Pole Dance, would love to win the crown, as well as an all-expenses-paid trip to compete in the world championships in Budapest, Hungary, for now shes focused on going into the competition with the confidence to give a great performance.
Its the day I decide I can do this, thats when I fly.
