A Ballarat pole dancer will be taking on the world’s best when she competes in the International Pole Championship (IPC) next month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Kristy Sellars, 29, is one of two Australian women to qualify for the event which she shed blood, set and tears to prepare for.
“I’ve been training everyday for five weeks and I will continue that right up until the competition starts.
“The preparation for a competition like this is so detailed that even breathing needs to be choreographed into the routine,” Ms Sellars said.
Kristy was crowned Miss Pole Dance Victoria in 2012 with a sassy flight attendant routine that went viral on YouTube with over 750,000 views so competition is nothing new to her.
The IPC is the biggest pole competition in the world and is viewed as the “Olympics” of pole dancing. Competitors will be judged on their dancing ability, overall skill, creativity and showmanship.
This is the first time Kristy has qualified for the IPC and she is just hoping to do her best against a crack field of entrants.
“The Russian girls are extremely tough to beat, they were born to do this but I have their measure in the dance routine.”
Kristy, who has been pole dancing for over ten years, specialises in dance and unique performance.
She hopes pole dancing can be viewed as a legitimate sport and expects it to make the Olympics within eight years.
“There’s a stigma attached to pole dancing, every time I tell someone what I do they automatically think I’m a stripper which is not the case.”
In addition to competing, Ms Sellars also runs a successful pole dancing school called Physipole Studios which she has franchised into eight locations. For this she has been nominated for Victorian Young Businesswoman of the Year.
Around 230 pole dancing aspirants attend her classes in Ballarat alone and Kristy encourages everyone to come down and give it a go.
“We have all sorts come in, men, children, older people, it doesn’t matter what your fitness level is, everybody’s welcome.”
And if she isn’t busy enough, the self-proclaimed “polebrity” has been jetting around the world judging competitions, performing exhibition dances and teaching others her dancing skills.
“I've traveled overseas teaching workshops in New Zealand, Germany and the Netherlands just to name a few.
“It’s a lot easier on the body competition,” Ms Sellars said.
Kristy usually travels alone but is not away from her family for than two weeks at a time.
After the IPC, Kristy hopes to put more time into her business. She has already received expressions of interest to open pole dancing schools in Canada and the UK.
But for now her sole focus is the IPC and she will continue training and hopefully bring home a title.
“I’m an Australian woman competing against the world’s best to bring home the title for my country would be a great honor,” Ms Sellars said.