Pole dancing for nine-year-olds?
Categories: Kids+, Opinions and debate
Forget football, athletics and ballet classes. What about a pole-dancing class for children? Yes really. Up Yer Pole club in Lanarkshire, Scotland has launched pole dancing classes for kids aged 9 to 16.
Up Yer Pole, "an established pole-dancing school since 2002," is keen to promote the potential fitness benefits. Hour long lessons cost £5 and 'focus on strength, balance, flexibility and gymnastic based moves in a safe and fun environment', according to its website. "This is not just wiggling around a pole, this is fitness & specifically body conditioning & strength training."
But the move has sparked outrage among child-care campaigners - with one claiming the classes verge on child porn.
Children's charity Kidscape branded the classes "degrading" and called on them to be stopped.
Deputy director Peter Bradley told The Scottish Sun: "I am appalled. Having viewed their website I can say that these classes will sexualise youngsters at worst. Parts of the site verge on porn.
"This is exactly what paedophiles look out for. It's more Bangkok than Scotland."
Tory education spokeswoman Liz Smith also blasted the plans. She said: "It is totally unacceptable. Parents will be horrified."
The kids' classes were even linked to a website offering nipple tassle twirling lessons.
Despite the furore, Up Yer Pole chief Pammy Cameron insisted the classes were NOT pole-dancing but "pole fit".
She added: "These are gymnastic classes, although we will be using a pole. It is open to boys too.
There are no sexy routines or provocative dance wear, it just so happens there's a pole involved."
Celebrity - but older - fans of pole dancing include Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Teri Hatcher. But the traditional image of pole dancing remains that of scantily clad women writhing provocatively up and down a pole and watched by a predominantly male audience.
What do you think? Should children as young as 9 learn to pole dance? Or is it simply a trendy new exercise?
Related posts:
Toddlers perform Lady Gaga's hit
Is this Single Ladies video too hot for tots?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
claudebob2003 7-30-2010 @ 11:27AM
I'm not even a parent but I'm still totally disgusted. This is just completely and utterly wrong on so many levels. "Pole fit"? I've never heard so much nonsense in my life. Pole dancing may very well be a way to keep fit but it has NEVER primarily been done for fitness. The girls down at Stringfellows certainly aren't doing it to keep their thighs toned, and as if boys are going to want to learn it! For godge's sake, let the kids have their innocence for just a little longer and do normal 9 and 10 year old things like mess around on the swings or run around in the park with a mate.
Seriously, this is why we have kids like Jessi Slaughter in the news and girls like Victoria Thompson on Maury. Let them have a bloody childhood!
Reply
Stacey 7-30-2010 @ 2:00PM
I myself do pole dancing and I'm a nursery teacher... there is nothing sexual about what I do and it is excellent fitness... it is shallow mindedness and old fashioned views that makes people think pole dancing is a disgusting sexualised sport.... although i do think that it is too highly concentrated for little muscles before a child's body has fully developed especially for the core muscles but that's from an exercise point of view not a sexual point of view
irresponsible 7-30-2010 @ 2:10PM
Stacey - shallow minded is Pammy Cameron promoting it against a website with nipple tasselling lessons. If the organisers themselves aren't taking responsibility about the sexual implications why on earth would Joe Public be expected to view it solely as exercise?
nat 7-30-2010 @ 2:19PM
Truth is, it is highly unlikely a fat kids parents are going to sign them up for any sort of exercise class in the first place, whatever it is.
jason 8-05-2010 @ 3:04AM
It is totally naive to think that this will not sexualise children further. Please dont forget pole dancing came from sex clubs. Football didnt. Netball didnt. Hockey didnt. Athletics didnt. I am sure those parents who openly support their little children pole dancing have no intention of their kids joining the sex industry. The problem is, pole dancing will always be linked to that way of life.
There are so many more appropriate sports for children to take part in - please dont make your kids a part of a social experiment. I can see the BBC doing a documentary in 10 years looking at what happened to the 'pole dancing kids'. God help us!
Ruth 7-30-2010 @ 4:11PM
Hello? I am a nursery teacher and I pole dance? Not in my department, lady! Did you know that there are moves to scrutinise people in education as role models? Not that I approve of 1984 tactics and having to be on guard every time one of your former pupils spots you in the pub, but some decorum is necessary. I am also slightly queasy at the memory of a nursery teacher involved in internet porn exchanges about abuse of her charges. Be careful, Stacey. Not to recognise porn could lead to an accusation of promoting it.
Victoria 7-30-2010 @ 5:20PM
omg ruth! for real? in that case a recall numerous stories about nursery workers being involved in serious child abuse so you mus all be child abusers!!!
(I'm being sarcastic incase you didn't notice. Pole is not porn unless it's in a club and the dancer is provacative, if it in a gym and a person is lifting their own body weight and creating different shapes whilst testing the strength of different body parts and getting sweaty and bruised is see nothing pronographic about it...)
zoe 7-30-2010 @ 8:15AM
I think it is a very good idea, its people who turn it into a sexual thing that have the perverted minds, iv been doing pole dancing lessons for a couple of years on and off now and I am telling you now it is not easy. It works all of your muscles and leaves you a lot more toned after a few weeks of doing it. A long as the teachers dont get them to do it in a sexualised manner then it is fine. Its actually a very skilled thing to do and I think it is wrong to sexualise it the way people do, it's only sleezy because people make it that way. But I would go as far as saying that it works your body as much as something like ballet does, and you could even sexualise that, im sure paedophiles get sick kicks off anything they're given. Open your eyes people, the fat kids we have today is appaling. Its child abuse for your kid to be fat you know??
Reply
sophie 8-01-2010 @ 12:59PM
@Nick: oh, so its bad to let kids to pole dancing but not bad to be sexist like you've just been?
take that lady on britains got talent for example. she did pole dancing and it was totally mesmerising, and it was no way sexual. if pole dancing is sexual, why isnt the human flag sexual? its pretty much the same thing except with pole dancing you move around more. its a bit like gymnastics on a pole (and no, not sexual gymnastics)
Al 7-30-2010 @ 1:38PM
And only a man could say something so stupid in reply.
bigger picture 7-30-2010 @ 2:00PM
Be honest, when did you first hear about pole dancing? It's roots lie in adult clubs and no matter how hard you try to sell it as an exercise regime the sexualised image will stick. Young girls are always in a rush to grow up too fast and adults should be holding them in check rather than cashing in on a youth market. Are they going to give counselling alongside the classes to teach minors how to deal with inappropriate attention they are not emotionally mature enough to deal with? At this rate, give it a few more years and unemployment will be promoting it as a 'back to work' initiative.
Scott 8-03-2010 @ 3:43AM
You've got to understand Zoe that there's a dark agenda behind it, an agenda to sexualize children, you might think its all innocent but trust me it's not, research the new world order and the illuminate, the guy's at the very top are obsessed with kids, check out the alex jones channel on youtube as well, peace
oh em gee 7-30-2010 @ 8:20AM
I have to say - and I know there'll be lots of flaming for it - that I thought it was an ok idea. What I mean is I can see the health benefits and I think if it encourages children to exercise in a new and fun way then that's fine. What I'm not ok with is the link to the nipple tassel twirling website, I think the website for the classes should not be affiliated with 'adult' pole-dancing.
How is it different to all that rope climbing spinning stuff in gymnastics?
Reply
amy 7-30-2010 @ 1:00PM
i agree with you. although pole dancing as always been seen as something sexual it just depends on where, when and how you do it. i think it seems a great way to stay fit, because the kids will obviously tone their legs and arms and basically everywhere else
Hannah 7-30-2010 @ 8:32AM
I have also had pole dancing lessons and they are great. They really work all of your muscles and it's great great fun. However,the difference comes when you think of where it originally came from. It came from strip clubs and the moves originate from people who are dancing in a sexual way. The moves are designed to be sexy and sultry and I wouldn't want my child to be doing sexy and sultry moves at the age of 8. Maybe later on in life, but not at an early age. It's not sleazy because people make it that way, it's sleazy because that's where it originally came from.
There are other ways to get your kids fit, you just have to introduce it from an early age (although that is difficult because you have to fit everything else in as well).
Reply
barbara 7-30-2010 @ 1:54PM
Do you realise that many people are thinking in pole dancing and not pole fitness, which are not the same? The first is sexy and the second is gymnastic. Besides have you even saw what pole fitness is about? How can you judge a book by its cover? You can only judge something after you seen it and even practiced it so you can have all the elements to judge. I have a 16 year old boy that does pole fiyness since he was nine! He is not gay if someone is thinking that! Although I must agree that advertising children fitness classes (pole or not included) in a web with adult content is not the best idea. Whoever did it did not thought it through. They should have had it separated. And just one more thing... I know that everyone has the right to their opinions but call respectable people whores or degrading peoplewhen they are doing fitness just because there is a pole involved is really low. I know is going to be a war that will be won ion the end. The worls is channging and there is nothing you can do about it, wether we like or not things change.
betty 7-30-2010 @ 2:28PM
Barbara - why call your child's sexuality into question if it's just a fitness routine. Just curious!
Don 7-30-2010 @ 8:32AM
Of all the stupid half baked ideas, Why not teach the kids to become strippers or worse.
The idiots behind this really shoud resign then throw themselves off Beachy Head.
Sports have been all but banned in schools as being to competitive or dangerous, and then they come up this this.
Reply
kevpadcock 7-30-2010 @ 10:53AM
Just get a life! My wife teaches pole dancing and recently my 9 year old daugher and my 5 year old son have started to attempt some moves.Just because a pole is used people think its wrong.Just because they are using a pole doesnt mean they will be dancing in a G-string in front of adults.
michael 7-30-2010 @ 11:35AM
Using Beachy Head as an example is to take away the dignity of people who for many reasons choose that way of exiting this sphere.
Usually good people that may have been wronged or bullied the list is endless.
The reason schools no longer have facilities for sport is that the fields surrounding them have been sold off to developers for gain or just to meet the shortfall from successive governments.
The person that mentioned that we should catch up with the rest of the world maybe has not noticed that the REST OF THE WORLD IS LIVING HERE. WE HAD ENOUGH OF OUR OWN BAD HABITS WITHOUT IMPORTING MORE, with the good came the bad. Drugs, guns, knife culture to name but a few.