Pole Divas are searching for the strongest female pole dancer in Victoria, in this challenge based Pole Power competition at FitX Sports & Fitness Expo on March 17th 2012.

Victoria’s strongest pole dancers will battle it out in the FitX Pole Power Championship hosted by Pole Divas! Nine contestants will have to prove their all over body strength through 4 tough rounds, until just one is left on the pole!

9 contestants. 3 poles. 1 winner.

These amazing feats of strength, agility and technical ability prove that it’s not just the men that have the power. This competition has been specially designed to push the limits of the very best, so be there to witness the intensity as we discover our Pole Power Champion for 2012!

Warning: Do not try this at home or unless supervised.

Are you ready?

Only the strong will survive!

Check it out here. You still have time to participate. I’m not ready yet – I can do two reps of majority of the initial moves, but not the handspring (your version of a human flag) type of move.

For polers in Southeast Asia, save the date on 28 April 2012. There will be a time where I’ll return to conquer Southeast Asia, still in prep-mode!

Last year’s winner – Hanna from Bobbi’s Pole Studio Singapore, looked like this:

Awesome! Really can’t wait.

Seriously! You don't agree?

Here’s my first male pole student (one of my buddies). I’m not a qualified instructor yet.

Strength? Yes. Possible? Of course.

Alethea Austin, a very sexy favourite in the pole industry from the U.S. must have been a cat in her past life. Here in Australia as a guest performer at the recent Miss Pole Dance Australia 2011 at Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Alethea visits Pole Divas in Melbourne for a two-day workshop. I, for one could not miss this opportunity to pick up some new tricks from the sensuous inked pole lady.

True to what she is best known for, her signature floorwork is absolutely unique to the one and only Alethea Austin. She explains her moves very technically in layman terms, applying the physics of body movement. As if she was a feline in her past life, she made a few references as to how a cat would move. Now, this is very interesting because as a cat owner myself, it now makes me study my cat’s movement a little closer and I am able to apply it to my dance moves. Alethea was formerly trained in gymnastics and it did help that she understood every limb and muscles of how her body works. Now get me some of that flexibility with strength, Alethea. Please?

Alethea advised that it is important for pole dancers to identify their signature style of dancing. She takes pole dancing for what it is. When it comes to strippers pole dancing, she finds it as an art form. To her, pole dancing is women empowerment.

That’s Alethea’s left leg on my shoulder in an overspilt. This was meant to look like this…

The lot of us from Pole Divas at the workshop.

Alethea had a few merchandises to sell.

I bought this grey top that says “Pole is my salvation” plus two signed postcards.

“The overwhelming support from the group of women who do pole is what makes it so special. I’ve never seen anything like it… pole has been my salvation, not only dancing for myself but teaching others. If you are thinking about trying it please do, you will start to release emotion through dance and music and find strength you never knew you had.” -xo Alethea

Alethea Austin Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/AletheaAustinFanPage

One of Alethea’s slow, sexy and controlled freestyle dance.

This is not for children under 18. You have been warned. I just love the videography and the artistry of the well-put video, apparently it was taken with a Canon G9.

As Alethea mentioned in the caption of her video, “Please do not try and imitate.. I can make a whole list of things here that probably aren’t a good idea.. ; ) xoxo”

We just love this sexy bad girl. Can’t wait for tomorrow’s workshop at Richmond.

I am a firm believer that if you feel good, you’ll look good and vice versa, eventually you will be confident in all you do. I have a few more years before I approach the big 3 so I thought I might have a photography session with my new found interest in pole-dancing, might as well leverage off the muscles I have built over the last two years and the flexibility I never found in ballet in my ten years of dancing. Photography session for who, for what – you might ask. I’ll say, for vanity purposes.

So here goes – behind the scenes with Adam Jay, world class pole photographer, shot at Pole Divas Richmond. He has a background in pole dancing himself and has taken photos of the top pole dancers in the world. In saying that, he is very experienced and prompts really well when it comes to poses and tricks.

The man himself; Adam Jay.

Thank you Aerial Amy for the Bad Kitty Pole Fit Spider Back pole top I won in the pole-giveaway contest. Love it!

L-R: Josiah (yes, I made him join me too!), Jen (my pole partner in crime) and Adam Jay.

Of all the photoshoots I have had in my entire life, this was the one that made me sweat the most and I woke up the next morning with massive muscle aches. Imagine trying to pose a difficult trick while trying to look effortless at the same time.

All in the name of vanity. All in the name of passion for the sport. More than 300 photos in my computer. One for the blog header here coming right up.

See more of Adam Jay’s work here: http://www.facebook.com/poledancephotography