The Olympics might be over, but it hasn’t left our hearts! There are few things more exciting than watching humans do super human things with their bodies, and this year did not disappoint! From Simone Biles returning with new tricks and mind blowing routines to Breaking making it debut! With the drama aside, there were so many powerful and beautiful moments this year that made this Olympics one of my favorite ones to watch.

But as a pole dancer, there was just one thing lacking this year… Pole Sport!! For those not in the know, pole sport is a competitive sport where the athletes have to perform on and between two different poles (one set to spin (it will spin when you move it) and the other static). One is expected to showcase extreme strength, flexibility, dynamics, and stamina during a four minute routine. And if you haven’t seen it before, you should really give it a watch on YouTube — it will blow your mind!

While pole sport is still considered a fairly new discipline there are international federations like the International Pole Sport Federation (IPSF) and Pole Sports & Arts World Federation (POSA) fighting to bring pole to the Olympics. There is just a bit of debate over the issue…

For those not in the know, pole dancing as we know it these days was originally invented by strippers in clubs, some of these amazing trailblazers later created studios to teach what they had mastered to the lay population. Since then, like all things, pole has evolved in so many directions! Honestly, one of my favorite things about pole is how diverse it is! There are so many styles and tricks that fit different personalities and body types. I have seen anything from super sexy to extremely athletic to adorable comedy to incorporating ballroom dancing or ballet to very serious pieces that talk about social issues on the stage.

One can watch pole all day long and get a taste of every person this world has to celebrate. On top of that, there are dancers who are extremely flexible or strong or just crazy dynamic. To be a pole dancer you can be all of these things or none of them. To be a pole dancer you just have to love pole. However, to be an elite pole athlete, you have to be extremely flexible, strong, crazy dynamic, have good musicality, great stage presence, and stamina! This is not an easy sport, and I strongly feel it deserves it’s place in the Olympics.

The issue lies in its origin, and this might surprise you, but it isn’t just people being prudish about the origin (which is silly, the original Olympics was done naked after all), but rather many of the sex workers of today are very reluctant for pole to join the Olympics. All concerns are valid, and it is very important that sex workers are protected. So, Jejune took the opportunity to speak with one of Team USA’s (yes, the US has a pole dancing team!) top athletes, who is a stripper and found pole through stripping nine years ago. We felt Taylor Dalton’s unique background can hopefully bridge the two amazingly talented communities in the pole world and help us all get to our goals — bring pole to the Olympics, legalizing/decimalizing sex work, and keep pole the fun and inclusive art we all love. Let’s dive deeper with Taylor as she enlightens us to how her life works bring a strong empowered woman taking charge with her body to make money and show the world what a woman can do! Please read on!

Where are you based?
My name is Taylor Dalton, I was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL. I now live in Charleston SC, and have been here since 2020!

You are an exciting lady! You have been part of the USA Team for pole sport for the past three years. How did you get into pole dancing?
I started pole nine years ago, when at the time I was working three restaurant jobs, and no longer wanted to work three restaurant jobs. I wanted to upgrade my time by finding a higher paying job. My roommate at the time recommended to me that I started dancing. I like many others had a very typical response, which was “absolutely not”. I had an idea of what that looked like and wanted no part of it. My idea of dancing was prostitution, drugs, pimps, pretty much danger.

You don’t know about club life until you have experienced it yourself. All of the things you hear about clubs are true. The good, the bad, the pretty and not so pretty. Most of us only hear about the bad and not so pretty. I quickly learned through my roommate (after learning then and there that she had done it before) that it wasn’t what it was made out to be. That it was actually quite simple. You get pretty, you talk to some guys, you learn to clap your booty-cheeks together, and you sell lap dances. I’m thinking, okay yeah maybe I can do this.

I was incredibly nervous as everyone is when they start so I called my best friend Sabrina who was living in south Florida at the time, and told her about my roommates idea of trying to dance for money. Sabrina was all for it. She said “girl send me pictures of you and I’ll get you the job”. I did. And my gosh she got me a job pretending to be me. I drove my little butt from Jacksonville down South Florida where I worked my first day shift and landed $600. However something else caught my eye my first night aside from my newfound “mulla”. I saw my first pole trick when I stepped into the club. I wasn’t just witnessing sensual dancing, I was watching some girls do true acrobatics on the pole. I was so inspired to do those tricks. From then on to now I have diligently been learning the skill of pole, and other aerial sports. Long story short I ended up quitting all three of my restaurant jobs in my hometown and moved to south Florida where I started my pole career.

How would you describe your style?
I would definitely describe my style of pole as Sport. Even at the club I’m wearing sports tops, and doing the most acrobatics to showcase Olympic criteria. Now before I move along I would like to make it very clear that although there are terrible outcomes for some strippers, mine has been an empowering one. I am honored to showcase Olympic Sports in the club industry. To help shift the mindset of negative thoughts towards pole dancers. I have the opportunity to create my own schedule and maximize my time with my family, train, and coach. I am a respected athlete, and I, like many, many other dancers represent the percentage of successful woman that are in the sex industry.

What is your favorite trick?
My favorite trick is definitely the Russian Split. I have put it in every single routine since the day I landed it. In the Code Of Points for International Pole Sports Federation (the Olympics of Aerial Sports), it is valued at 1.0, which is the highest value for a singular trick (0.1 being the lowest value).

What came first for you, stripping or pole sport? Do they influence each other?
So as you all know, I started off with Pole as an entertainer in the industry. What you all don’t know is I’ve been an athlete my entire life. Although not on any teams, I grew up a typical 90s child who played sports outside. My favorite sport was basketball growing up, and still to this day — I love to shoot some hoops!

I immediately fell in love with the fitness challenges of pole dancing as well as learning new tricks. I loved the tricks portion so much I eventually got to where I was doing things nobody else in the club was doing. For awhile I thought I invented the sport. Yes, go ahead, laugh, it’s funny because little did I know the sport had been around for a long time. I had no idea there was already a federation, International Pole Sport Federation (IPSF), and a team USA, US Aerial Federation (USAF), I had no idea the tricks I thought I invented; like the “pencil” is actually called the “Iguana with straight legs”. I diligently learned Pole Tricks for five years on my own before I ever took a pole fitness class.

I moved to Charleston SC with my family in 2020 right when the pandemic started, it wasn’t until the end of 2020 I discovered there was a Pole studio 30 minutes from where I was living at the time. Amorous Dance Pole and Fitness. I booked and did my first private with the owner of the studio, Tanya Christopher. She discovered I could do the hardest tricks in the book, like the Crossbow valued at 1.0, but not certain basic tricks like chair spin valued at 0.2. She coached and taught me the basics of pole and recommended that I trained in Miami Fl for a Code Of Points training camp. And so I did. This is where my love for the code started. And part of why I love Pole Sports so much. Although intrigued by sport I entered into my first pro competition with IPSF in 2021. Through Tanya’s coaching I entered the Artistic Category for my first year. I placed first at nationals and 17th at worlds that year. From then to now I have entered in sports categories every year and placed. Through pole Sports I have traveled and trained at multiple beautiful countries with the most talented athletes on the planet. Making friends from literally all over the world and then see them at Worlds once a year. This sport is so beautiful in so many ways and there’s so many of us out there that get to experience the beauty of the variety of pole through community. I feel extra special to share my story on both the lifestyle of the stripper industry, as well as Olympic Pole Sports.

Today, Tanya Christopher is the president of the USAF, and we are team USA for IPSF. Today I stand as a 4x National Champion and a 3x World Competitor. I am a certified pole instructor since 2022, and have won Pole Instructor of the year 2x in a row. I take this sport seriously with all of my heart and will continue to represent the positive outcome of how dance changed my life in a positive way. You can make it in dance. And you absolutely can choose what to do with your life and fund that through dance.

Do you think pole sport should go to the Olympics?
I think you already know that I am totally for Pole being in the Olympics. Pole and Aerial Sports tests strength, flexibility, stamina, & endurance. In Olympic Aerial/Pole Sports, every single judge is trained in all categories, and then tested before being certified to judge a competition. It is all based on the Code Of Points which is updated every one-two years. We are on our way to be recognized as an Olympic Sport as the federation is diligently working to taking the proper steps to ensure our athletes, like myself, make it to the Olympics!

What do you think needs to happen to get pole into the Olympics?
I think what needs to happen for pole sports to be officially recognized as a sport is continued exposure. We need to continue to educate on the varieties of Pole. Hearing different reasons WHY people do pole: Self esteem , Fitness, Freedom of expression, Community, Self Encouragement/Empowerment, tricks, sensuality, Olympics, strength, flexibility, endurance/stamina, cardio, the list goes on and on. I think it takes just seeing one routine to understand what Olympic Pole is capable of. And one class to understand how fun it can be.

What would you like the lay population to know about pole sport?
What I want the population to know about pole is that there are hundreds of styles and variations of pole. That all people of all ages can do and compete in pole. That you can start pole at any age. Last but not least, I want the population to know that, your body type does not matter, anyone can do pole fitness.

The pole community is a bit divided on the inclusion of pole into the Olympics because they feel that it will pull the direction of pole further from its origin – sex workers and strippers. What are your thoughts on this?
My viewpoints on the hidden battle between sex workers, strippers, and Olympic pole? Well, I’ll keep it short, sweet, and simple. Sex work, strippers, and Olympic pole are ALL DIFFERENT THINGS. Legalizing sex work and putting pole into the Olympics has NOTHING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER. As an ELITE pole dancer who also works the club at night, I’m telling you my Pole Tricks are not what’s making me my money. It helps yes, but girls who do ZERO pole work make just as much money as I do. It’s all about sex appeal and selling the fantasy. If you’re mad that a stripper can do Olympic pole tricks and you think her going to Worlds is going to stop YOU from making money, then your problems are bigger than pole sports and sex work.

Do you feel that pole sport has impacted sex work and/or stripping?
I do not think Pole Sports have impacted sex work. The pandemic, and then inflation are the economic reasons why the strippers/sex work is suffering. Club management can also determine how good or bad a club is. Simply put, a good club holds high paying clients and holds the crowd responsible for their actions. A bad club will just not care about anything — dirty, high fees, unorganized.

Many on the anti pole in the Olympics side believe that pole should not be in the Olympics until sex work is decriminalized/legal. What are your thoughts on this?
I think anyone who associates Olympic Pole with Sex Work needs to educate themselves on what they are first. I am strongly firm on the fact that Sex Work has Zero Relation to Olympic Pole. Stripping is dancing while taking your clothes off, sex work is the act of sexual favors. Most clubs do not allow sex work with stripping, as sex work is illegal. However this is where each club and how management manages the club will vary. Olympic polers do not train at clubs, Olympic Polers train in Aerial sports studios and pole fitness studios and train countless of hours doing just pole tricks and building routines for competitions. Strippers doing Olympic Pole is lucky for the customer to see, however strippers will most likely showcase low flow and will dance seductively. You can bring pole to sex appeal, but you can’t bring sex appeal to Olympic pole routines.

There are debates on what is more ideal – decriminalizing sex work or legalizing it. What is your view on this issue?
Decriminalizing sex work is great, but what will help the strippers is making sex work legal. Because then you can separate strippers from sex workers. Strippers and sex work are two different things. Strippers entertain using a pole, and sex workers do sexual favors. Strippers are often mistaken as sex workers. However a stripper is not required to do sex work and some clubs do not allow sex work. It is up to the stripper herself if she offers sex work or not. I believe that it should be legal.

We are starting to see more stripper unions in the USA. What are your thoughts on these unions? Are you part of one?
I think it is fantastic that strippers have a union, it’s important in this industry for women to stick together and be surrounded by healthy friendships. Since the industry CAN be dangerous it is important to have a good surrounding to help keep a positive mindset. I believe you can be who you want to be in the club world, it’s possible to lose yourself in the stripping/sex industry. Positive role models and healthy club environments are important for individual success. The more stripper unions, the easier it is to stay out of danger and learn the dos and don’ts. I am part of some groups on Facebook and Instagram that are my pole family. One is for my Olympic pole since we talk Code Of Points, and the other is for my club life, where we talk about how to reel in customers, new tricks, and even safety protocols.

The biggest issue with sex work, correct me if I’m wrong, is the safety concerns and mistreatment. Do you feel the club(s) you work at address this? How would you like to see this improved on?
I think with every club the management of how they are run will determine if it’s a good club or not. There are good clubs where the women are well dressed, hair and makeup is done, goal oriented, level headed, and great clients. There are also bad clubs where girls are on drugs, doing illegal things in the back, not level headed, pretty much the opposite of a good club. You also have clubs that are sorta in the middle. A club has to hold a certain amount of standards for me to work there, and the money has to be good enough. I certainly wish there were legal guidelines that were enforced. Like not over charging fees, holding customers accountable for giving no business. However, at the end of the day, it is up to the dancer if that club is her style or not.

What would you like the lay population to know about strippers and sex workers?
I would like the population to know that Olympic Pole has nothing to do with strippers/ Sex work. You should not assume a stripper does sex work. You should not assume a stripper can do Olympic tricks on the pole either. Do not assume we are in danger. Just do not assume anything. If you’re curious, go to the club, tip, and ask! The story will be different with every girl you meet.

How can the lay person better support sex workers?
I think people can support sex workers by not assuming things about them. By respecting that sex work and stripping is a job like anything else, just an exotic one. That we too have family, goals, dreams and ambitions in life, hobbies, and even other jobs. If you do go to the club, tip!

You also teach pole in a local studio to you. What style(s) of pole do you teach? What do you find to be the most popular?
As mentioned earlier, I’ve been a pole instructor for over two years and a hoop instructor for almost a year. My favorite style of Aerial to teach is, of course, Sports! However I teach everything from beginner hoop, beginner pole, intermediate, and advance pole. I also teach a prep class to prepare students for competition, and sometimes I dabble in sensual pole so I’m a little more well rounded. I notice pole fitness in general is popular, but if I had to pick a style that I see people resonate with it’s mostly sensual fitness pole — where people learn to move their bodies slowly learning self love and tricks along the way.

Do you think pole sport going to the Olympics will change the pole studio environments?
I honestly can’t wait for Pole to make it into the Olympics, I don’t think it will change Pole Studios, I think it will just add another variation of pole for people to choose from! Olympic Pole won’t take away from Sensuality classes. Sensuality is popular for so many reasons, self love, sex appeal discovery — there are many fitness bonuses to sensual dancing. It too is an art form, and a lot of men/women prefer the sensuality over sport. Many people know of sensuality pole through strippers, however not many people understand Olympic pole.

Once people see a pole sports routine, they will be inspired by the variation and discipline of sports, therefore filling sports classes up in pole fitness studios and ultimately building team USA to a bigger group. Olympic pole will not take away from the credit or availability of sensual pole. Simply an added style, another form of pole fitness. Some examples of what you might learn in a sensuality class are: slow and controlled movements, floor transitions, sexy approaches to getting up off the floor, kips, rolls, sensual movements, sensual touching, and of course the list goes on and on. Some examples of things you might learn in a Pole Sports class are: acrobatic catches, drops, re-grips, flips, technical bonuses, criteria for compulsories, form, performance under pressure, routine creation, and even artistic creativity of movements and transitions. As you can see sensual pole and pole sports are two different styles of pole, both approaching fitness, but with different pole outcomes.

How would you like to see the different pole communities come together?
I would love for fitness polers to accept strippers/sex workers. And I would love to see strippers understand that Olympic pole won’t hurt their money. The way to come together is to support each other through our already huge community and to ACCEPT each other’s journeys no matter what style of pole we choose to do.

What is your motto in life?
My motto in life has always been “if I’m not intimidated, I’m not impressed”. I always want to go after the things that push me out of my comfort zone — like competing, traveling, and trying new things. Growth comes from moving out of our comfort zone.

To learn more about Taylor, please follow her pole journey on Instagram at @atadtalented.

To learn more about stripper unions and support check out Strippers United.

Stripping Down The World Of Pole Sport With Taylor Dalton