Male pole dancer helping change perceptions
It has taken Wang Wenbin over a decade to go from dancing on scaffolds at construction sites to the stage of a national pole dancing contest.
Now the 28-year-old former construction worker is devoting much of his time to practicing for the world pole dance championships in South Korea in May.
It will be his first trip abroad and a good opportunity to correct misunderstandings about pole dancing held by many people — including his parents, he said.
Born in a village in Sichuan province, Wang was raised by his grandparents until he was 9 years old. His parents are among China’s 280 million migrant workers and earn a living at construction sites in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province.
Dancing was an important part of Wang’s childhood, and he never missed any school dance competitions. “I didn’t learn any techniques back then, but my teacher thought I was a gifted dancer,” he recalled.
By chance, he saw pole dancing on television when he was in middle school and fell in love with the art form, which combines dance and acrobatics centered on a vertical pole. “The power, flexibility and beauty when spinning in the air really impressed me,” he said.
His father asked him to work at construction sites every weekend and during summer vacations, and Wang started working full-time there after graduating from middle school.
But his quest to learn pole dancing did not end. Without money to attend professional training courses, he studied pole dancing from online videos and practiced on scaffolds at the construction site.
He mastered most of the basic techniques, although the rusty poles wore out his clothes and often left him bruised.
In 2007, one year after he had started working full-time, he had saved up 5,000 yuan ($800) and used the money to enroll at a dance school in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, despite strong opposition from his parents.
“They argued that dancing is not a long-term profession, and worried that I would be penniless when I got old. They wanted me to find a stable job,” Wang said. “But I think young people should strengthen their character by battling difficulties — and try your best even if you fail.”
It was the hardest time in his life. High tuition fees, rent and living costs left him unable to make ends meet. “I would not give up as I didn’t want construction sites to be my lot in life,” he said.
With talent and hard work, his dancing skills improved rapidly. After three months, he began giving performances to earn extra money to keep his dream alive.
Wang traveled to many cities during the following years, studying and performing, until when he set up his own dance studio in Jiaxing in 2012.
After paying over 30,000 yuan in rent, he found himself penniless again, and the former construction worker had to renovate the studio by himself. His studio now has 300 students, most of whom are migrant workers from rural areas, as he once was.
The studio offers courses ranging from pole dancing to jazz and street dance styles. His income has increased to more than 300,000 yuan a year, enough to support himself and his parents.
Last year, Wang took part in a national pole dance competition and won the men’s division. Professional dancers said his moves demonstrate “a slow and elegant feeling like a sculpture that has come alive”.
But to Wang, his success has a greater meaning — to show people that pole dancing is not just for seedy karaoke bars and scantily clad girls. It is about keeping fit, staying healthy and having fun.
“If pole dancing becomes an Olympic event one day, I want to be the first Chinese dancer to compete,” he said.