Life

Putting a new true spin on the soul of the pole

By Todd Balazovic (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-03-24 07:55

A contestant dances during the second round of the pole dancing competition at Zeta Bar on Nov 13, 2010. Provided to China Daily

Forget the waltz or the tango - this weekend marks the return of one of Beijing's most polarizing dance contests.

With a flurry of leather, latex and leggings, the third round of Zeta Bar's pole dancing competition at the Beijing Hilton will be staged this Saturday, with some of the capital's best dancers battling it out to be crowned, "queen of the pole".

Although it is considered seedy by many in the West, Zeta's manager Anny An said the popular pole dance-off is more about the fascination with a foreign dancing style than about drunkenly discarding $1 bills.

"In China, we don't look at pole dancing the same as they do in the West," An said.

"Chinese people who come to watch want to see something different. They love it because it's something they don't see often."

Replacing dark smoky rooms, 1970s funk music and disco lights with Zeta's opulence, the competition offers participants a bit of class while they shake their tail feathers.

"It's actually an athletic competition. These girls have been training very hard," Hilton's marketing and communications director Sandy Yang said.

Part of an ongoing competition coordinated through the Love Show Dance School, this year's event pits 10 of the best in Beijing against one another for a top prize of 5,000 yuan.

Four judges, comprising dance instructors and hotel staff members, will determine the winner based on costume, charm, technique and overall coordination. The audience also gets to cast one vote to determine the most popular dancer.

While there will be a hefty cash prize, Yang said the event is about more than winning.

"For the participants, being involved in the party and to have fun is the most important."

With last year's contest attracting more than 200 spectators - almost half of whom were women - Yang said the hotel hopes the dance-off will help cast on a new light on the sport.

"People have this idea about what pole dancing is," she said.

"But I think if you come down to the event, you will see it completely differently."