UKPPC Preview Interview with Varie Anderson

We're excited about the UK Professional Pole Championships this week. Here's the lowdown on what to expect from this years event from event organiser Varie Anderson...

1.The UKPPC will take place next week. How is the event shaping up? What can we expect?
The main differences this year is that the competition will be held on one spinning and one static pole, where previously we only had the static pole. This year we have also opened up the Elite category to international entrants.

2.Tell us about the categories and competitors...
INSTRUCTOR CATEGORY:


Annalisa Muresu

Rebecca Howard
Natalie Elkington

Leyen Luu

Caroline Rees

Laura Pearson

Kassia Portas


SPONSOR'S CHOICE: Ruth Mills

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY
Dawid Skowronek

Charlotte Robertson

Steph Foster

Leah Rose

Julia Boccetti

Amy Williams
Sarah Ritch


SPONSOR'S CHOICE: Emily Smith

ELITE CATEGORY
Kristina Walker

Jess Leanne Norris
Bendy Kate
Penny Howarth

Lisette Krol

Dan Rosen
Hanka Venselaar


SPONSOR'S CHOICE: Kirsty Griffiths



3.As well as all the amazing competitors, you also have a panel of judges. Tell us about your judges and how the performers will be marked?
We have an amazing panel of judges this year, some of whom have been judges for the UKPPC before. We have Sam Remmer, Robyn Rooke, Donna Gant, Karen Chaundy, Jo Dandridge, Pippa Loveridge (nee Caesar), and our Sponsor's Choice judge is Stacey Snedden.

What the judges will be looking for is a good all-round routine - something that has a nice balance of everything (i.e. spins, tricks, transitions, floor work, dance etc). The judging is broken down into 3 elements, which each make up a percentage of the total score; Technical (40%), Presentation (40%), and Composition (30%). Each judge awards a mark for each element and then the total score from that judge is calculated based on the weighting of each element. Then the highest and lowest scores are disgarded, in a similar way to how scoring works in gymnastics, and the average of the remaining scores is calculated. This aims to eliminate make the judging as fair as possible.

4.How is your event different and what do you hope to contribute to the pole dance community with the event?
We feel that the UKPPC raises the bar for professional competitions as we aim to be completely transparent, fair, and ethical. We have worked hard to make sure that our judging criteria reflects what we represent, while enabling people to be free and creating with their routines. Have both competed ourselves, we strive to ensure that all of our competitors feel that they have had a good competing experience, and that audience feel that they have attended a well-organised and high quality event.



5.How has the standard of entrants changed/improved since you first started the competition?


The standard of entries has been amazing every years actually - what made the judging harder this year was the huge increase in the number of entries. Now that UKPPC is in its third year, more pole dancers are seeing what a great opportunity it is to get really constructive feedback on their work.

6.What is it about pole dancing that you enjoy the most?
When I started pole dancing in 2007 I never believed that I would be able to do the things I can do now. The feeling of achieving something that you have worked so hard for is incomparable to anything else - I certainly never got that feeling being able to leg press an extra 5kg at the gym! I also love being an instructor! Its an incredible feeling watching people grow and become more confident as they start to improve. I know that pole dancing changed my life for the better, and its great to watch that happen for my students.



7. Has pole dancing had an impact on anything else in your life such as giving your more confidence or making new friends?
I have met some of my best friends through pole and I have so much more confidence in my own body. I also gave up my engineering career almost 2 years ago to teach and perform full time!

8. Where would you like to see pole dancing in the future?
I would really like to see pole accepted more within the circus community. Chinese pole has obviously been part of the circus world for a long time, but pole dancing is taking time to infiltrate.