Many people now engage in pole dancing and aerial activities such as aerial silks. Increasingly, adults have taken up these practices as leisure and fitness activities. The social theorist Bruno Latour tells us to follow objects and to look at those who attempt to speak for them. My research on pole and aerial includes examining how a pole and other aerial apparatuses have become more than simple pieces of metal and fabric.
Pole dancing currently straddles the adult entertainment, art, fitness, and sporting industries. From symbol of seduction to empowering sport, many people are now attempting to shape how we perceive poling. I am particularly fascinated by the people that have made this happen and the pole community that has developed around poling. My research on this topic is ongoing. |