Pole Fitness Club: Showcase Director

I started pole during the first year of sixth form back in 2018. It was at a small studio near my house in Korea and to be honest, I didn’t instantly enjoy it. I had no strength and it took me 3 months to do even the simplest tricks that others could do during their try-out sessions. I sucked. I was grudgingly completing my 6-month bulk buy membership when I went to watch a Christmas showcase put on by the studio at the end of that year and I saw this dancer, DK, performing a doubles routine. I fell in love. The lights, the velvet sparkly costumes, the strength and the confidence of the dancer mesmerized me.

That showcase I went to made me fall in love with the art of pole. There are moments when I hate pole because it makes me feel like I’m not good enough. However, every performance/show I do makes me fall in love with pole all over again.

There is no doubt that performances and showcases are an inseparable component of pole. Based on my previous experience as a pole performer and instructor, I want to take this opportunity to ensure the smooth running of our traditional showcases as well as encourage and aid other members to participate. Shows and performances are some of the most bonding, exciting experiences you can have with other polers. I want to continue to share this experience with our society members as a showcase director.

I am interested in the role of showcase director as it is the intersection between my passion for production and love for all my pole fitness peers. When I am unable to partake in pole, I am often involved in the production of various arts showcases and feel fortunate to have had experiences supplying me with the necessary liaising and organizational skills suitable for this role, such as those requiring regular contact with the SU, stage crew training, and prominent schedule coordination duties.

As a director, my main priorities are in liaising, scheduling, and encouragement of all members in showcase participation regardless of level. Mainly, I hope to maintain a positive and welcoming stigma surrounding performance. Although as someone who has yet to partake in a showcase and has potent performance anxiety, I want to bolster my involvement in the showcases from an administrative standpoint––a perspective from which I believe I am competent in––and also be a shoulder for anyone who may feel apprehensive regarding performing.

If I am elected, I will execute the aforementioned promises and additionally aim to enhance showcase publicity through a more standardized method of documenting the performances if the dancers provide consent. I believe cherishing the performances in this way will enhance the showcase experience and promote involvement.

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve as showcase director if elected.

I first joined the society in 2013, when I did my first MSc at UCL and, being still here 10 years after, while on my PhD, only shows how in love I am with the society, the supportive and empowering atmosphere it fosters and the people that make it so great. Hosting the 2023 Bloomsbury Spring Showcase gave me the opportunity to witness the full power of members’ talents and inspired me to take an active role in contributing to shaping the society and making it an even better space by joining the committee. I strongly believe that my love for pole, my commitment to full inclusivity, my interest and experience with performing and supporting with the organisation of shows would make me a great showcase coordinator. Having worked with Sexquisite, a sexworker-led entertainment company to create a digitally devised show in 2021 and having had first-hand experience with what organising a show entails, as well as the obstacles to take into consideration when planning, promoting and running an event, I would be great in this role. Additionally, this is something that really interests me because I would like to eventually build a more creative career for myself and this would offer me a great opportunity to learn even more about how to successfully plan shows and oversee everything behind the scenes. As a Showcase Director, I would make sure that performance opportunities are available to everyone in the society and would encourage less experienced members to also take part.