On the Pole is a behind the scenes look of the art of pole dancing. My goal of this series is to fight the stereotype surrounding pole dancing. Pole dancing is about beauty, empowerment, and fun. Pole dancing takes hard work and practice, but can be for everyone.
This series shows several aspects of pole dancing that I had the honor of documenting. I was able to follow individuals practicing personal routines, observe group classes, and work with advanced pole dancers that have been dancing for years. Photographing the different situations gave me a chance to focus on the hard work that one has to put into pole dancing. I chose to make the photos black and white so that the focus is on the subjects and allow the viewer to see draw their own conclusions.
I chose to photograph pole dancing because of the incessant stereotype that everyone who pole dances is a stripper; this is not the case at all. Pole dancing, just like any kind of fitness, takes any kind of person that is willing to put the effort in. When I photographed Miss Pole Dance Oklahoma 2014, it gave me a new outlook on pole dancing. I went to the competition because I could not understand how it could possibly be a competition. What it showed me was that pole dancing is so much more than what society thinks of it. All different types of men and women, from all types of backgrounds, came from all over the state to display their skills. While this series may not exactly fight the negative stereotype surrounding pole dancing, I hope that it opens someone’s eyes to the other side of pole dancing.