Pole the Other One!

How do you build a kinder relationship with your body to deal with the knocks life throws at you? UK pole icon Annie Norris isn’t afraid to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to what a human body can go through. From a powerful sexual awakening that helped her connect pole dancers from all walks of life to their sensuality, to experiencing multiple miscarriages and surgery tha...

What does “ugly” tell us about what we think is “beautiful?” Pole movement artist Callum Stevens is known worldwide for his incredible flexibility and expressive, fluid routines. In this episode, Siân travels to Edinburgh to take Callum’s signature “Ugly Pole” workshop and explore his specialist subject: the huge range of things you can unlock in movement, dance and creative work by focussing on “...

How do you slink into the most confident and badass version of yourself? A professional pole dancer since 2006, Old School Pole icon Jamie Taylor helps students from all walks of life celebrate their strength by mastering tricks on the pole and tap more deeply into their sexy, most vibrant selves. Renowned in the pole world for her trademark SERPENT POWER sessions and sensual movement classes, Jam...

Can pole dancing help the fight for sex workers’ rights? Siân and Lulu meet the UK’s slinky queen of campaigning for sex workers’ rights while literally grinding on a stick! Pole dance performer, instructor, competition director, proud sex worker and activist Gemma Rose joins the pod to talk de-stigmatising the industry, using pole to educate about workers’ rights and creating a new wave of allies...

What's it like living with ADHD? Political journalist, author and radio presenter Marie Le Conte talks all things neurodivergence and pole dancing! Siân catches Marie during a gap from reporting on politics all around the world to gush about the absolute joy of pole dancing and why we are so evangelical about this weird, difficult, and wonderful thing in our lives. We chat in more depth about Mari...

What do stand-up comedy and pole dancing have in common? After a hit Edinburgh Fringe Festival run of her show Bahookie , Scottish stand-up, writer and producer Jay Lafferty joins us to chat all things comedy and pole! From managing broken ribs to writing callbacks into a pole routine, we get the tea on how Jay brought these two mediums together to make a completely unique solo show. Follow Jay on...

What's the point of doing competitions? Pole artist, instructor, competition judge and award-winning choreographer Ayesha Agogo joins us to talk COMPETITIONS: Why bother doing them? How do they help you develop as a performer? And will Steve Bennett ever take down Siân and Lulu's mega cringe Chortle Student Comedian videos? Follow Ayesha for classes, workshops and collaborations on Instagram: @aye...

What is sex-positivity? How do you put enthusiastic consent at the centre of everything you do? Queer academic, recently qualified pole instructor and linguist Dr Alon Lischinsky is a specialist in the language around sexuality. Siân and Lulu chat to the most intellectually qualified deviant they know about power dynamics in porn, how to flip the script on sexy stuff, and how to help complete begi...

What actually happens in a strip club? Pole dancer, stripper and organiser with Bristol Sex Workers Collective Luna Minxx gives us the debrief! We talk about the difference between pole dancing in studios and in the club, how Luna is bringing stripper skills to her workshops, and why sex workers need the same rights as all other workers. Lulu tries to organise an ethical stag do and Siân finally g...

What does pole dancing tell us about the human species? We ask a real anthropologist! Lucy Davies is a pole dancing anthropologist who did their Masters thesis on the wonderful world of pole. We talk about how pole dancing can help you redefine the relationship with your body, gender and identity on your own terms. Also how pole can be a form of self-care, and the peculiar relationship that pole d...

What happens when your art becomes your job? Pole dancer, tattooist and artist Lana talks to us about moving pole dancing from strip club into studios and self-expression vs. capitalism. We also test the limits of how much visual stuff we can do through the podcasting medium, and Lulu's patience with astrology. Follow Lana on Instagram & TikTok for art, illustrations & tattoos: @moysilks T...

Is pole dancing like therapy? Who better to ask than an actual therapist! Siân and Lulu have a counselling sessio- sorry, INTERVIEW with Nika Jelendorf, pole dancer and practicing Gestalt Psychotherapeutic Counsellor. We ask: how do mental health professionals look after their own mental health? How much of your true self should you bring to work? And, crucially: who would be the most psychologica...

Is pole dancing a feminine art form? Queer pole dance performer, instructor and goth queen of kittens CAT LEE joins us for a chat about honouring the stripper origins of pole, finding a style that works for you, and opening up pole spaces to everyone while keeping it cosy for the girls, the gays and the theys. Follow Cat for news about their performances and classes on Instagram @the_pole_cat ! Po...

How can everyone make spaces more fun and inclusive for trans and non-binary people? Pole dancer and newly-qualified instructor Ali Peach explains how introducing pronouns is a simple way to make pole studios (and everywhere else) more trans-inclusive, finding a more authentic gender by pole dancing, and the practicalities of performing with snakey friends. Find Ali on Instagram @polepiglet and Me...

How do you learn without stealing other people's material? Is copying ever OK? Is there a pole dancing version of that time in comedy when everyone was doing a terrible impression of Stewart Lee? Siân talks to multi-competition winning pole dance performer and instructor Leanne Cummins about drawing on your influences to find your own style. From working with your specific body type to putting obs...

How do you build self-love into your business as well as your life? Pole dancer, instructor and owner of Edinburgh’s hidden gem Pivot Pole Studio explains how pole can change a whole circus of harmful ideas about yourself and your body, and help everyone feel more at home in themselves. We talk getting past imposter syndrome, constantly learning how to make spaces more inclusive and fun for all st...

Workers of the world!… Pole dance? How do you unionise people who don’t think of themselves as workers? From feminist organising for abortion rights in Poland to becoming the first UK stripper to win an employment rights case where she was legally recognised as a worker, Sonia Nowak AKA Electric Girl has amazing activist credits served with a high-voltage mix of humour, pole dancing and techno. Sh...

How does the way you move evolve with you? From training with English National Ballet to becoming the pole dancing face of Nike, Burberry and British Vogue, Leila Davis a.k.a. Cutie Whippingham is one of the biggest movers and shakers in the UK pole scene. We talk about moving between dance disciplines, the magic of collaborating with other QTBPOC artists, and changing the game by founding Blackst...

How do you build a more compassionate relationship with your body, whatever it needs? George Lou Bon is a queer pole dancer and multidisciplinary artist who creates work about invisible disabilities including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and multiple sclerosis. They give us the DL on how pole has helped to build movement and exercise back into their life while living with chronic pain, and brought bette...

What is art? The Irish Queen of Sexistential Dread, very first Miss Pole Dance Ireland and all-round walking album cover Arlene Caffrey talks ART! With over 15 years’ skin in the pole dancing game, multiple national competition titles under her belt and an international community around her studio Irish Pole Dance Academy, Arlene has plenty wisdom on overcoming creative blocks, managing the busine...

Is Nu Metal the answer to all our problems?? Dancer, instructor, Hoodlum Fang clothing designer and all-round queer pole legend Chlo Hood joins us to talk about creating more fun and inclusive spaces for trans, non-binary and neurodiverse pole beans. We also go in-depth into early noughties music nostalgia, teaching students how to freestyle into what’s most fun for you and your body, and why the...

What's it like to learn pole as an autistic person, and how can classes be more welcoming and fun for all flavours of neurodiversity? Comedian, writer-performer and pole dancer Ian Lynam talks neurodiversity, comedy and masculinity in an episode we recorded just before the premiere of his solo show "Autistic License" at Dublin Fringe Festival! We talk about the mental health benefits of pole danci...

How do you psych yourself up to do something terrifying? Or deal with the voice in your head that says “I can’t”? Circus-trained pole dancer, burlesque artist, actor and conqueror-of-all-sky-shapes Kelly Vee shows us how to face the fears and fly! From the psychological torture of drama school (yes, everything you’ve heard about it is true) to whipping out the most bonkers acrobatics and mastering...

Strippers and sex workers to the front! Has mainstream pole dancing been taken away from the strippers who created it? And why is the Labour Party so backwards when it comes to sex worker rights? Carmen Ali a.k.a. April Fiasco is a comedian, stripper, burlesque artist, co-founder of virtual socialist strip club Cybertease and Artistic Director of Sexquisite Events. We talk about how pole dancing o...

Do all performers create a fantasy version of themselves? Can this help you in other parts of your life? Launching the series like a glitter canon of sparkly stripper-style magic, it's Kitty Velour! Kitty is an internationally touring pole dancer, booty-popping princess, showgirl and dreamy aerial artist. She's as comfortable dangling off a hoop ten feet in the air as a unicorn mermaid as serving...