Alex Shchukin keep saying that “As long as we remember that Pole Dance is not only about sport, power and flexibility, but it is about dance and show, we can have more supporters and bigger audience”. He is the creator of Pole Dance Championship, the championship known as the one that let the participants make their wildest routines come to life. Some people say they chose only famous pole dancers. This is true, though it wasn’t their goal.
The Pole Dance Championship will be held in Prague, 26th of February at Hybernia Theater. Don’t miss it!
Verical Wise as a media sponsor of the championship, had the honour to interview Alex. Let’s see what he has told us!
Who is behind the Pole Dance Championship organization?
We have very strong and creative team:
I do all the choreography, creative part and keep contact with our participants, helping them to create appropriate and memorable routine.
My wife – Katia (professional TV producer and showrunner), takes care of our brand creation and all the video materials.
Olga (president of Czech Pole Sport Federation and organizer of many international championships) is responsible for our location, technical team, sponsors and many other details I would never be able to do myself.
Tonia (TV director, who did such shows as “So you think you can dance”, ”Got talent” etc.) will be doing our video presentations and film all the championship with 5 cameras and TV crew.
What motivated you to organize Pole Dance Championship in the first place?
Unfortunately, at the moment there are absolutely no championships where I could participate myself. Most competitions are done only for profit. No attention is paid to many important things such as safety, location, fair judging, promo or choice of participants. Elite pole dancers want to compete, but they are afraid to find themselves competing against their students or even worse – one day you compete against somebody the next day he judges you. Professional pole dancers have many ideas, but there is no place for them to make their wildest routines come to life.
What makes Pole Dance Championship different from other competitions?
I see this not only the championship, but also as a show, done by professional for wide audience. I believe that pole dance has a great future. There should be movies, TV shows, books about pole dance, because it is spectacular and challenging discipline. This is why we need to create and promote our own celebrities – people who will be interesting outside the pole dance, dance or sport world.
How do choose the line up?
We were looking for people who were not only strong dancers, but also unique personalities. We needed people who could do a show. I believe we did all the right choices, because now when we already have the list of all the ideas and music, they all are absolutely different and jaw-dropping. Each one of them has a unique style, this is why all performances will be creative. It will be a fantastic show. Some people say we chose only famous pole dancers. This is true, though it wasn’t our goal. It works both ways – famous pole dancers are famous for a reason. They gain their fame by amazing shows and hard work, their strong personality and ability to crate the style that will be copied all around the world. We took some polers that nobody knows (yet!), but had to reject the multi-world champions, because we were looking for people who will represent pole dance as a show business discipline, not sport.
The best memory…
So far the best memories are to come. Though, I still remember when we received the first application after we had just announced our championship and it was from Olga Koda. Then it was Eva Bembo and Natalia Tatarintseva. You see, these people are stars for a reason – they are not afraid of anything and they know what is hot at the moment.
Find more info about the Pole Dance Championship here
Thank you Alex!
Leave a Comment