Men Of Pole

The Men Of Pole Showcase is always a show stopper at Pole Con International. It’s an absolute thrill to watch these shooting stars as they blaze the stage! These guys leave the audience in awe with their presence and precision, but they are few in number.

Pole dance has been primarily associated with CIS females, but our shared community is made up of incredible people of every gender identity. We are known for celebrating and accepting ALL pole dancers regardless of how they identify. EveryBODY has a story to tell, and we should all feel free to express ourselves fully on and off the pole. That being said, today we will meet some amazing men to learn about their perspective of pole dance.

Currently, there are not that many men in the pole dance world. Society’s ridged view of masculinity and antiquated ideals of what it means to be “manly” have discouraged guys from getting on the pole. Those daring enough to try, discover new abilities they never thought they had. It’s crucial to consider the marvelous contributions men and male presenting individuals make to living art of pole movement.

Brian Wolf mesmerizes with dynamic performances that have enraptured Pole Expo, PSO and Mr. Pole Dance America. This Dance Filthy USA 2018 Professional Champion is notorious for getting nasty on the stage! Originally teaching burlesque classes at Luscious Maven in North Hollywood, CA, a student suggested he stay for a pole class where he met his marvelous pole coach Veronica Nichols. Brian has training in fire dance as well as vogue.

DEY PHOENIX is a sensational stripper/pole instructor who is slaying NYC while celebrating a three-year poleversary on August 5^th!! With a stunning performance that dripped sensuality, Dey made a grand debut at Pole Con last year! Additionally, this superstar produced a pole dance version of the Broadway show Rent titled “Out Tonight”. With self-taught pole skills plus a background in hip hop & dancehall/reggae, Dey PHOENIX makes Black Magick on the stage.

Brian: Inside leg hangs are my jam!! I also love to do my backflip handspring, it always scares me, but I get such a sense of accomplishment after I complete it.

DEY PHOENIX: My current favorite move because it was my nemesis move is a twisted grip handspring. Outside of that when it comes to dancing, I love to twerk and clack my heels!

Brian: I have faced some, not a lot, there are still some studios who don’t allow men into their facilities and that’s kind of heartbreaking. I have also seen some competitions where females have 5 different categories to compete in, but the men only have 1 category they are only allowed to do, which I deem a little unfair. Men’s pole dancing can range from so many different styles and to lump them all in one category seems a little backwards.

DEY PHOENIX:To be completely honesty, surprisingly no! It took my mom a bit to get used to it, but even then, she’s very supportive of me. The pole/stripper community is the first place as a dancer where I genuinely felt celebrated and SEEN!

Brian: Honestly, it’s the community. Everyone is there to have fun and meet and mingle. Also, I LOVE how it’s in different cities each year! Traveling to different states with the community with your pole friends, it’s a win-win. Another thing I love is how Colleen runs her event. She is so on top of everything and plans everything so well. It’s always the event of the year and Colleen always knows how to turn out this event. Especially next year when it’s coming to my beautiful home of New Orleans!!

DEY PHOENIX:When it comes to Pole Con, I enjoy the diversity! There’s so many expressions of pole dance, so many people represented in terms of race, sexual orientation, etc., and I love that Colleen has fostered an environment where everyone can be seen and heard. Pole Con really shook the table for me as a newbie last year!

Brian: I prefer heels when I am going into my flows, but if it’s hard stuff I will take my shoes off just to be safe. The only time I will use sneakers if it’s a move that deals with foot holds. I am so terrible with them, I always slip! To this day I still cannot do my cupid.

Melvin: Bare feet.

DEY PHOENIX: Heels for sure! I do like to kick them off and go barefoot every now and then, but heels make me feel powerful lol.

Brian:For me it’s creating a routine. I love it when an idea pops into my head and I get to put that idea on stage. One of my favorites was a guest performance I did for Dance Filthy USA and I was Mr. Slave from South Park. It was so fun just to be funny and be as dirty as I want. At the end I pulled a fake rat out of my butt.

DEY PHOENIX: The most rewarding aspect of pole dancing for me is the confidence I feel within my sensuality/sexuality. I admittedly wasn’t as bold or out with showing my body in this way, and as soon as I became comfortable with my body expression and fulfilling my own fantasies, it has changed me both inside a studio/strip club and in the outside world. While most may not see the juxtaposition, to me that doesn’t exactly matter.

Brian: I think the main thing people should keep in mind is that everyone is on their own journey. Everyone is kind of built differently. I have heard the excuse he can do it because he is a guy and honestly that sometimes hurts my feelings. I work hard for the moves I train and perform and when I show it to other dancers all my hard work is discredited based on my sex.

DEY PHOENIX: Funny enough, anatomy does come into play. Often times, I forget that as a someone in a male body, I have extra parts or even lack thereof in other areas that would need adjustment. I would love to teach more male/male presenting individuals how to navigate our bodies for pole when it comes to that!

Brian: Be patient! As pole dancers we sometimes get so caught up with instant gratification we forget that some moves takes years of practice. Look at dynamic moves like a fonji or even handsprings. The first-time students do those moves it can be scary and even painful. Some training days may suck and other times we can make huge progressions, sometimes we need to be patient with ourselves. The best training advice I always give is try those hard moves, then go home and rest, come back the next day with a new mindset and sometimes that can work wonders!

DEY PHOENIX: My main advice is do it for YOURSELF! Whether you want to be the next top stripper, or you find inspiration in other dance styles such as contemporary that you throw into the mix, pole and dance overall is a personal journey. There will be many on the outside who will not get it, who will try to push stigma and heteronormative views on what men should and shouldn’t do. Blatantly, f**k that. Gender norms are for the weak, and the way you express yourself is for you and you alone!

Brian:My list of inspiration pole dancers will run on and on. The biggest place I will get inspiration is actually the strip club, especially Hustlers Club here in New Orleans. The way these dancers move is like butter. The coolest part is the pole goes through the second story of the building! The dancers can do super cool combos and I always go ape shit and throw all the dollars!! I have 2 girls who come to mind that I am super excited about. @riskay_rene from Chicago. She did a performance for Exotic Generations based around the movie Us, and it was KILLER!! The way she moves, and she adds dynamic moves with exotic oh I was in HEAVEN!!

Next is one of my pole babies from New Orleans and that is @glitbot on Instagram. She makes me so proud. Her movement is so fluid, and she even started doing silks and is killing it. It is so humbling seeing her come to her own style of dance! She is even on the road to becoming an instructor at our studio Awakenings. I cannot wait to see her more on stage and I am always beyond proud of her.

Jim: I admire Alberto Del Campo who is from Las Vegas and a Cirque Du Soleil acrobat. Lots of creativity, patient with me and very supportive.

DEY PHOENIX:  Since we are focusing on male pole dancers, I have to always shout out Bentley Rebel! He was the very first Black male pole dancer I ever saw when I started out, and it was then I knew I was doing the right thing. His musicality, his energy, everything has been inspiring!

Brian: As cliché as it is, I just say try it. The hardest thing to do is to walk into a new studio. The most beautiful thing is this community is so accepting and it can be easy to make new friends. Those friends will help push you and will turn out to be your biggest cheerleaders.