Vertical aerial dancers - pole dancers to the layman - Steve Ting and partner Caitlin Dunstan Harrison are off to the New Zealand amateur pole performer southern regional heats in Christchurch this weekend.
Mr Ting said male pole dancing had a ''bad rap'' and the activity was not appreciated for its strength building and flexibility benefits.
''We had someone come in who does Crossfit and they said this was way harder.''
He had been training for about a year and a half at a specialist vertical aerial dance studio in Princes St, Dunedin, after friends suggested his body stature would be perfect for the activity, which demands both strength and agility.
''People have this idea of male dancers as `pretty little pole dancers'.
''It's hard for guys to get into, but it is tough work ... it hurts sometimes.''
The activity was the best form of exercise he had undertaken to keep in shape.
''I'm in the best shape I have ever been in.''
Mr Ting would ''probably be one of only a few'' men at the regional heats.
He would compete against his partner Caitlin Dunstan Harrison at the regionals, in which competitors have three and a half minutes to fit as many moves as they can into a routine.
Miss Dunstan Harrison is the more experienced dancer of the two and by Mr Ting's own admission ''more graceful''.
But Mr Ting said he had a different approach, including flips and tricks that could even the score.
As for their rivalry, both were unsure as to who would win. The national finals will be held in Christchurch on May 23.
