A Brighton pole dancer has been banned from a citywide sports festival after being told she could damage the council’s reputation.
Chloe Anderson, who runs pole fitness school Passion 4 Pole, applied last year to give free lessons as part of Take Part 2015, a festival celebrating sport, dance and exercise organised by Brighton and Hove City Council.
After registering and attending preliminary meetings, she was shocked to receive an email this week saying that she would not be able to participate after all.
The council’s sports development manager told her: “The activity is currently not permitted within council-owned leisure facilities and it is felt that there are perceptions associated with pole dancing which the council needs to avoid.
“We work within a politically sensitive landscape and that inclusion of pole dancing within the festival would pose a reputational risk that we do not wish to incur.”
Miss Anderson, 29, said: “I have been running classes in Brighton and Hove for more than three years now and teach men and women from the age of 16-57, ranging from students, to mothers, doctors and nurses.
“Pole fitness is now more accepted than it has ever been, yet we are been told it is still unacceptable for Brighton and Hove to showcase free pole fitness classes to the general public, in a fitness-based environment.
“They also neglected to see that pole fitness classes have been run from their facilities over the years and their sudden change of heart comes as a massive shock to all.”
Today the council stood by its position. Assistant chief executive Paula Murray said: “We are aware of differing views among residents around pole dancing.
“However, our Take Part festival focuses not only on encouraging people to be more active but also on promoting positive body image.
“This is an important and sensitive issue for many people and for young women in particular.
“Within this context we do not feel including pole dancing in the Take Part festival would be the right thing to do.”
Miss Anderson said that she would now be starting a petition urging the council to let them participate in the festival.
In 2008, a Pole Dancing Passion class was banned from the King Alfred Leisure Centre in Hove for being “inappropriate”.
Hi this is a message for Chloe please start a petition you have a lot of supporters x
Chloe: Please petition soon!
Poling has more self-promoting and body-positivity than any other sport I’ve participated in. There are so many positives to the sport, not just physically, but also mentally. Please reconsider this ban!
What absolute narrow-minded nonsense from a supposedly forward-thinking council that ought to be supporting any activity that encourages fitness and promotes a healthy lifestyle. You can sign the petition at https://www.change.org/p/brighton-hove-council-takepart-pole-fitness-to-be-part-of-takepart-2015
I used to teach Pole Fitness at Gateshead city council leisure centre. It was a successful and enjoyable experience for both parties. Thumbs up to Gateshead Council for not being silly, but a massive thumbs down to Brighton Council!
Really brightons whole culture and history is built on the pavillion and events surrounding it.. and an lil pole twizzling petrifys the council… i know what id do…. sod the perition do a flash mob pole dance… fight the buggers their wrong
I am outraged by the this! How dare Brighton and Hove council insult this fantastic, confidence building, empowering sport! I used to look at my body and notice all the bits that were wrong with it (as promoted by stupid media images of painfully thin celebrities). Since taking up poling, I have become so much stronger and more confident. I have learnt to love my body. I can lift my own body weight and invert it on a vertical pole, I’d like to see the narrow-minded, naive, insensitive council members do that! This sport is all about positive body image and well being, I can’t think of a sport more in tune with what they want to promote through their festival.
Perhaps Chloe needs to Lobby The Pole that is a Councillor I am sure She would support it as She is a former Dancer Herself ,whatever you do do not mention the word ‘inbred’.