Good morning/afternoon/evening, my name is Mariana Baum. I was born in Argentina in 1966, but I’ve
been living in Paris, France, since I was a child.
I am an actress, director and drama teacher, with an extensive background in dance - classical, jazz
and contemporary - and a singer formation.
I pioneered pole dance in France, in early 2004, and first worked as a performer. Then I created the
Pole Dance Paris School in early 2007, with my associate Jean-Baptiste Plachez. The school now has
2 studios in Paris and a team of 10 teachers, all formed by myself.
I’ve been a judge in many national and international competitions, and since 2009, Jean-Baptiste and
myself organize and produce the yearly French Pole Dance Competition, this year’s edition will take
place once more at “La Cigale”, a famous Parisian theatre who hosted shows by Arletty, Maurice
Chevalier and, more recently, Radiohead and Eric Clapton.
The growing popularity of pole dance in France, as a mix between art and sport, led me to create an
instructional DVD series, and in 2010, a professional instructor training course and a 9 volume training
manual and certification program, who encountered a wide success. A significant part of Pole Dance
studio owners in France have followed this course before opening their studios.
I also created a pole dance company named La Fille de l’Air (The Daughter of the Air) in 2013, whose
first pole and burlesque show : Cabaret de l’Air du Temps, played in Paris in July 2013.
In August 2014, I became a proud CID member, which I believe will very much help me to promote,
improve and professionalize the image, the education and the practice of pole dance. I’ve always
focused on a very accurate educational methodology, and a deep reflection about technique and
safety standards. My goal is to achieve pole dance recognition as a respectable form of art and sport,
in France and worldwide.
Last year, we created the French Pole Sports Delegation, alongside with Jean-Baptiste Plachez, and
held the first French Pole Sports Competition, endorsed by the International Pole Sport Federation, in
May 2015, .
I am very proud to be here, and to have the opportunity to introduce you to pole dance, that
has become in the past decade both an art and a sport, but is still kind of unknown by many
people.
1) Definitions: Pole dance (or pole dancing) is a blend of dance, aerial tricks and
acrobatics, on or in rotation around one (or more) vertical steel pole(s), usually with a
diameter of 38 to 50 mm.
2) Origins: The use of a vertical bar (wood, at the time) to perform gymnastic movements
more or less if not downright acrobatic goes back to the 12th century in India, il was
practiced by yogi monks. That discipline, which is nowadays drawing more and more
attention in India, is called Mallakhamb, but its purpose is limited to body strength and
control… Closer to pole dance, the circus discipline called the Chinese pole goes back
to the very beginning of modern history!
3) However, most sources agree that the current form of pole dancing was born in
Canada, probably in the 1920s during the Great Depression. Fairground troops then
moved from town to town, setting up their many small tents around the big top, each
dedicated to a specific attraction. One of the tents, for adults only, sometimes housed
Hoochie-Coochie Dancers, scantily-clad (for the time) female dancers so named in
reference to the suggestive balancing (for the time!) of their hips. Because of the small
size of these tents, the pole supporting the central fabric was at the very center of a
small stage, and some girls started to use it for support before including it in their
dance moves, thereby creating a spectacular entertainment that still hasn’t lost its
erotic charge...
4) When the so-called “exotic dance” gradually left the fairground tents and settled in
bars, particularly with the birth of burlesque in the 1950's, the pole was automatically
included as an integral part of such performance. As of today, many strippers are using
a pole as a mere support, without actually achieving any of the tricks and moves
specific to pole dancing.
Only in the 1970s and '80s strip-tease and pole dancing became more popular, mostly
in Canada and the United States. The clubs are popping up everywhere, and the
phenomenon soon spilled over to England and Australia. The generally good and
friendly atmosphere of these clubs makes them socially more acceptable, and pole
dancing can finally grow, slow but steady.
In the early 1990s, Fawnia Mondey, a Canadian exotic dancer, began teaching women
who had no relation whatsoever with the art world nor the night-life. She also
produced the first instructional pole dancing DVD. Obviously, the erotic stigma
attached to the image of the discipline initially made it difficult to gain acceptance by
the general public. Nevertheless, and despite of the prejudices, those who dared cross
the threshold of one of these courses (often unbeknownst to their friends and family)
soon were starting to show their enthusiasm for aspects of both the aesthetic and
artistic but also the very athletic kind of fun of this activity so discredited at the time.
Gradually, other dancers, such as Tammy Morris and Kelly Kayne in Canada or Katie
Coates in England, followed Fawnia's example. Each with their own style, these
dancers and acrobats fought with a smile, lots of humor and undeniable physical
qualities to bring pole dancing out of strip clubs and gain recognition for what it is: a
fabulous way to develop muscles and flexibility, alongside with one’s artistic
sensibility and self-confidence, while having fun and stressing sensuality and
femininity.
5) Development: Today, the discipline gradually opens up to men, and we are witnessing
a differentiation between pole dance, pole fitness and pole gymnastics or pole sport.
As the names implies, the latter three are more focused on sports than dance, although
they often include some transition movements, as well as elements from rhythmic
gymnastics. However, the techniques are the same in all three domains, and they can
be considered as variants of the same discipline. Then, of course, it is more a matter of
style, teachers, and what the students are aiming for. For you must know that, despite
to appearances, pole dancing is accessible to most people, physically speaking. Today,
Pole studios are constantly opening almost everywhere on the planet …
6) Professionalization and structuring: Over the years, pole dancing has gradually
codified itself, like most dance styles, and names were given to the different positions
and move to distinguish them from one another, especially for educational purposes,
but also in order to write choreographies or to facilitate the work of the judges at
competitions. But the extreme youthfulness of the discipline and the rejection that it
suffered from "serious" dancers or athletes prevented – until now - a real
standardization of the positions' names, and they still can vary from one country to
another or even from one school to another within the same country! ... Obviously,
since pole dancing was born and first developed in English speaking countries, the
names of the moves were originally English. But even in English speaking countries,
there are sometimes significant differences in terminology. In addition, some schools,
particularly in countries where English is not widely used in everyday life, choosed to
translate the names in their local language or change them completely. It is a choice
that does not promote a global codification, needed to open the way to a formalization
of the discipline, and therefore its acceptance as an art and as a sport in its own right,
far from the stigma of another age.
7) As a sport: Fortunately, a few international organizations, including the International
Pole Sports Federation (IPSF), the International Pole Dance Fitness Association
(IPDFA) and Pole Fitness Association (PFA) are actively working not only to promote
this art and sport, but also to professionalize all the pole styles through a precise and
carefully thought through codification, as well as through a serious and thorough
instruction of its teachers. Since the middle of the 2000’s, more and more competitions
are organized in many countries all around the world. It has become crucial to adopt
safety rules, as well as certified judges, trainers and coaches for the athletes… The
IPSF has tirelessly been working on all those aspects during the last 4 years now. The
goal of this international federation is to bring pole sports to the Olympics in the next
15 or 20 years. They have started the needed process to be officially recognized by
Sport Accord, as the governing body of Pole Sport, which is the first step in order to
reach such an ambitious goal.
8) As an art : Pole dance can match with all kinds of music, and choreographic styles :
rock, jazz, blues, soul, tango, salsa, classic, hip hop, oriental…That list is far from
complete, and that variety proves how versatile this art form can be, and how old
prejudices are totally out of date! Today’s pole dancer, male or female, can be sensual
in a much more subtle and creative way, just like any other dance discipline… The
true challenge in pole, both for teachers and performers, is to find a real fluidity when
going from one acrobatic move to another, but also from a dance move to an aerial
spin, and then to another trick, and so on… When those transitions are executed in a
mechanical way, the performance loses its beauty. It is only when the moves are
shown in a continual flow that the magic happens, and that the dancer can demonstrate
its control, stamina, strength and flexibility. Today, Pole is included in many artistic
shows, concerts, events, circuses, movies and serial TV shows. As a result, demand for
professional trainings and formation has increased tremendously. Felix Cane, double
world champion, joined the famous Cirque du Soleil in 2012, soon followed by other
“polers”, while many pole dancers, especially the male ones, are now coming from the
circus arena. Many recent moves and techniques in pole originate from trapeze, aerial
silks and rope, and obviously Chinese pole.
9) Accessibility, and reasons of a great success: Despite the appearances, pole dance is
accessible to most people, physically speaking. It is not necessary to be slender,
flexible and muscular to be able to practice, as those abilities will naturally increase
through practice. One reason for the amazing success of pole dancing in so many
countries is precisely this accessibility. Anyone who is able to practice sports (dance,
gym, judo, cycling ...) can practice pole dancing. A serious course will, obviously,
require a complete warm-up and a cool down stretching at the end of the session.
Students will move gradually and smoothly according to their ability: just like any
other physical activity!
10) Benefits: Starting from there, you can pole dance with confidence, knowing that you
will work your whole body in both flexibility and tone, and that you will especially
strengthen the upper body and the core. Indeed, your arms, shoulders, back and also
your abs and buttocks will be in constant demand, even to achieve the most basic
beginner moves. You will also work on ease and coordination, and your reflexes will
be optimized.
Now, this is where it gets interesting: because the aerial side of pole makes it fun and
entertaining, your body will grow stronger and become firmer, while having fun and
learning beautiful and spectacular moves, which are often much easier to accomplish
than one would have thought at the beginning of a course, and you won't even realize
how intensive the workout is!
Last, but not least, another important aspect of pole dance, unknown to the general
public is the self-confidence it provides. Indeed, its acrobatic side forces us to confront
two fears: falling to the ground and collide with the pole. Once you overcome these
fears, the feeling of strength and control is overwhelming, defying gravity is
exhilarating, especially for those who see themselves as shy or fearful. With that in
mind, pole dancing is not only aesthetic and spectacular, but it is also a very effective
self-confidence booster! This mix of self-confidence, control and aesthetic is the core
of what makes pole dances so fascinating...
Once you’ve learned the basic techniques, you can start creating more and more
artistic and challenging choreographies. Addiction is usually almost immediate