Asia-Pacific Pole Championships Full Report.

August 29, 2010

"Classic Pole" Winner, Luxe.

Australian audience was treated to a completely unique fusion of cultures & dance styles this past weekend at the 2010 Asia-Pacific Pole Championships.
Pole athletes, performers & studio owners from across the region converged on Brisbane this past week end for a two day pole-industry event at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

A world first: As the region’s best male and female pole dancers took the stage at the Asia Pacific Pole Dance Championships, no-one anticipated the drama & cultural expression this diverse group would offer. Finalists from across the region were competing in 4 separate divisions for titles & prizes. However in a
world first, two ‘showcase‘ performances were invited to perform their unique acts:

The first was an Indigenous Australian male pole dancer Matthew Shields telling the story of ‘Creation’ using traditional Australian aboriginal dance, music & costume, but incorporating the pole as a performance tool. The result was an incredibly powerful, culturally significant performance, that really was unlike
anything that has been done before.

Then, all the way from Singapore – Groove Dance School created a performance which fused a renowned traditional Chinese fan dance with Pole. This arrangement combined both fun of the Chinese cultural dance, gracefulness of the fan dance with the strength of pole dance, in ‘Oriental Pole Dream’.

Jenna & Leah.

The excitement continued as a surprise wedding proposal took place on stage between the Japanese mixed Open Pairs team, as Kazuya proposed to his pole dance partner Masayo.
Competitors hailed from across the Asia Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Japan to compete in four divisions, including a men’s division – the only pole dance competition to offer this.

The Asia Pacific Pole Dance Championships highlighted the talent, athleticism and artistry of pole dancers, supporting a broad range of styles of pole such as Chinese Pole which is most commonly seen in Cirque du Soleil. The championships sported a highly acclaimed judging panel of local and international judges including a member of Tokyo’s Cirque du Soleil.

The competition was part of a bigger weekend of pole industry networking and development, including a pole dance expo, pole dance workshops and business growth programs, ending with the Championship finals.

As a testament to the popularity of the sport of pole dancing, over 5,000 hits were recorded on the first
official Asia Pacific Pole Dance Championships online photoset in the first 24 hours!