It's a full body workout that takes a lot of strength and flexibility, but it's not a sport you'll see every day. Pole dancing is usually associated with women, but a man from the northern territory is taking on the vertical pole and breaking down barriers.
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00:00 Twisting and twirling, practice is everything for Simon Ferguson.
00:05 A lot of training. At the moment I'm training about four times a week so that I'll be at
00:11 my peak fitness in time for the competition.
00:14 The 39-year-old is taking his love for the pole to the national stage this weekend at
00:19 the Australian Amateur Performer Competition. And for the self-described introvert, it's
00:24 more than just a sport.
00:25 Pole dancing has allowed me to dip into my creative side and explore that and express
00:31 that in terms of my choreography as well as my costuming and theming for every performance.
00:37 The Darwin local gave pole dancing a go to boost his fitness and is playing on male stereotypes
00:42 in his performance.
00:44 The juxtaposition between the sort of traditional blokey, tradie man and then the dance aspect
00:51 of the pole.
00:52 And he's not the only man taking the plunge. At this gender inclusive studio in Darwin,
00:57 more and more males are signing up to the sport.
01:00 We've definitely seen an increase in men taking up pole dancing through the studio. We're
01:05 pushing it even more because we want even more men to come through.
01:09 In competition mode, he's training four days a week to get ready for the national comp.
01:14 3D Fitness couldn't be more proud of supporting Simon through the national process.
01:19 It's a sport which generates interest, but stereotypes still persist outside the studio.
01:25 There's a few misconceptions that come along with pole dancing, so they're pretty keen
01:28 to ask a whole heap of questions.
01:30 Simon's been practising for more than two years and whether you're looking to compete
01:34 or not, it's a unique physical way people can express themselves and have some fun.
01:39 Pole dancing for me has now become an obsession. It's just a fantastic form of fitness.
01:44 A full body workout, now accessible to everyone.
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