PoleCon 2026 Schedule Released!

February 14, 2026
Colleen
from the HBIC

The PoleCon 2026 schedule has been released! Here are some highlights and things to look for!

PoleCon has switched to Groovio! There are few new things about interacting with this system. Check out the details on that below as well as information about individual parts of the schedule.

NEW THINGS

You can switch yourself out of *ANY* paid workshop. The amount you paid for the workshop will automatically go back to your Groovio wallet and you can apply that amount to anything in the Groovio PoleCon system. If you’re a performer, you can even use money in your wallet to pay for your photos or video package!
Add all included “free” schedule items to your personal schedule! With your Day or Weekend Pass on your Groovio account, sign up for any “free” (as listed) showcases, seminars, panels, or workshops! See your entire schedule at a glance in the app! WOHOO!

See more detailed info on this page.

OLD THINGS: if you still like the “Cheat Sheet” see it here in all its color-coded glory!

SHOWCASES

All PoleCon showcases remain in the same timeslots as before with Thursday night showcasing Para Pole and Sexy Showcases and Friday night debuting our new Bet on Black showcase to continue the tradition of celebrating Black excellence. You do not need to buy a separate showcase only pass if you have a Day or Weekend Pass to PoleCon. There are showcase only passes available for people who are only attending a show.

Overall, 62% of all performers will be new to the PoleCon stage this year with some showcases seeing a more than 50% new performers. Showcases with the most new performers include:

Aerial: 80% new
Contemporary: 80% new
Creepy: 70% new
Pole Comedy: 70% new
Pole Masters: 90% new
Troupes 71% new
Up and Coming 100% new!!

Other showcases have lower percentages (between 33% and 62%) in many cases due to returning workshop leaders who have also performed in the past.

PAID WORKSHOPS

This year we have 16 new workshop leaders including international teachers from the UK!

Check out the full schedule here.

PoleCon prides itself on representing DE&I and is very happy to have so many new and returning amazing instructors that represent the diversity of our industry in terms of age, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and body type. Watch the blog for interviews with new instructors from now until the event. All instructors must be CPR/AED certified, use gender-neutral terms, and have appropriate insurance to teach at PoleCon.

There is a diversity in ability levels too and more compliance with workshop leaders on improving descriptions to clearly explain what is taught in the workshops.

As a reminder, this is what the levels mean at PoleCon for Pole and Non-Pole workshops:

Beginner: Pole Workshops—upright spins and upright poses on the pole (static or spin). Non-Pole workshops—may including any floorwork, flexibility exercises, pure dance or movement (no acrobatic elements), conditioning exercises, acrobatic moves like shoulder stands, and head stands.
Beginner-Intermediate: Pole Workshops—combinations of upright moves and spins, climbing, descending inversions, and descended inverted poses (3 points of contact or more) on the pole (static or spin). Non-Pole Workshops—acrobatic moves like forearm stands and handstands on the floor or wall or with a chair.
Intermediate: Pole Workshops—inversions from the floor and inverted shapes (3 points of contact or more), upright drops on the pole (static or spin). Non-Pole Workshops—dynamic acrobatic moves like the fish flop.
Intermediate-Advanced: Pole Workshops: aerial inversions and inverted shapes (2 points of contact or less), inverted drops and tumbles, working toward dynamic moves, and flips from the ground on the pole (static or spin). Non-Pole Workshops—dynamic sequences of acrobatic movement like leaps, tumbles, “falls.”
Advanced: Pole Workshops—aerial flips and tumbles, dynamic releases, and combinations of poses on the pole (static or spin). Non-Pole Workshops— “deadlifting” handstands/forearm stands without the wall.

There is also a diversity in style ranging from stripper-style, taught by current or former strippers, to sports-style, taught by current or former competitors.

AND there is diversity in the types of workshops including (but not limited to – seriously, it’s a lot) move-specific workshops like workshops focused on moves like spatchcock and the bird of paradise, choreography workshops, freestyle and flow workshops, detail driven workshops like heel edgework, workshops to get you conditioned to do pole moves, and even a workshop about how to do your makeup for the stage! WHEW!

Workshops are all listed: Instructor Name, Name of Workshop (Level)

Because of character limits in the Groovio system, some words have been abbreviated. Full workshop title is in the description.

FREE SEMINARS and WORKSHOPS and PANELS

All panel discussions remain in the same time slots as before. Some panelists are returning, and we have several new panelists joining us!

We have several new seminars and workshops as well as some returning favorites like Amorous Chair with Tanya Christopher now running for over a decade!

There is a mix of offerings for competitors, hobbyists, studio owners, and those looking to be employed in the pole industry as influencers or traveling workshop leaders!

Jojo Fox who has conducted TWO super popular webinars for the IPIA on neurodivergence and pole will conduct a live seminar on this topic! **unfortunately Jojo had to cancel her attendance due to injury. Another seminar has been scheduled in it’s place.

There are free seminars or meetups for Studio Owners Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!

PRECONVENTION ACTIVITIES

These have been released already but we’re highlighting them again! Check out many ways to get teacher certified for the first time or expand your knowledge as a teacher.

Not a teacher? There are still things for you too!

You do NOT need a pass to PoleCon to attend these:

AFTER PARTIES AND SPECIAL MEET UPS

We are working on after party and meet-ups now! Expect more information on that in the coming months.

Thank you for being a part of PoleCon!

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Colleen

Colleen Jolly is an entrepreneur and a pole dance enthusiast. She has been poling for 15 years, is the CEO of PoleCon and the Executive Director of the IPIA. She teaches pole, lyra, floorwork, and mobility online and in-person in the DC metro area. She has been active in leadership roles in several international businesses over the past two decades and is also an award-winning pole dancer, artist, writer, and speaker. She is certified in several movement modalities and wrote the book "Mobility for Pole" to help pole dancers move better.