Natalie Te Kanawa, who says she is Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's
niece, is expressing the family's artistic genes in a whole
new direction - poledancing.
The younger Te Kanawa is bringing together poledancers from
both sides of the Tasman for a national championship in
Melbourne.
She has set up a company, Australian Pole Dance Pty Ltd, to
promote pole dancing as a legitimate activity for both men
and women, despite its reputation in venues such as strip
clubs.
"This is a competition designed to showcase all the styles of
pole from across Australia" she said in a statement. It
starts on Thursday, with the finals on Saturday.
"The inclusion of men allows a demonstration of the circus
and acrobatic pole that is often overlooked when people talk
about pole dance," she said.
Te Kanawa said that in 2005 there were only six companies
teaching pole dancing in Australia, but today there are over
120.
