World Pole Dance Championships 2014 World Pole Sport & Fitness London UK
By Kay Penney
February 3rd 2014
Pole Passion, West Sussex, Pole Fitness Company, hosted the World Pole Dance championships at the Hawth Theatre of arts on 1st February and the female preliminary round on 31st January at Taylors Pole Retreat in Dorking.
Over 50 men and women competitors and 10 professional international pole fitness and dance judges descended on Crawley, West Sussex over the Friday and Saturday of last week from countries as far as China, New Zealand, Belarus, Cyprus, Brazil, Japan, all of Europe, Ireland, Russia and Ukraine.
Joining the contestants, many respected and previous world champion winners;- Alesia Vazmitsel – Belarus, World females champion of 2011 and males World Champion, Keem Martinez, World champion 2012, represented the professional judging panel.
The closed, semi finals for the females, the most attended and popular category, was hosted on Friday 31st at a luxurious pole studio with 2 x 3.8metre tall poles in a converted and bespoke barn -Taylor's Pole Studio, offering aerial skills and pole dancing opportunities and the competition venue for the annual National Miss Pole Dance UK Amateur and Semi pro championships, which was established in 2005 by Pole Passion
From the 26 female contestants, who travelled the length of the world, battled and flexed it out for the 14 finalist positions held on Saturday 1st at the Hawth Theatre.
Each contestant for the finals, from the three categories Men's (7 competitors), synchronised doubles (6 pairs) and females (14 competitors) had to compete a demanding series of pole tricks, spins, poses transitions between 5-6 minutes on two stainless steel poles, one static and one spinning, both creating different dynamics and techniques on and around the pole.
The areas of judging that was taken into consideration for each contestant consisted of maximum 10 marks in their presentation of their routine, including costumes and props enhancing their performance element and storytelling, many contestants bringing in their ancient art and countries history to their presentations, the dance and fitness performance section consisted of 10 marks per judge which includes their variety of choreography music interpretation control and demonstration of strength and power, elegance and grace, throughout their gruelling routine also including the use of both poles, creating height and depth to their dance and acrobatic performances and finally the tricks section awarding 15 marks per judge, demonstrating the tricks and combination of tricks including fluidity and effortless transitions to their performance including, but not limited to, floor work, acro balance and circus skills
RESULTS For the MEN’S DIVISION
Additional Awards -
Best COSTUME - Egor Churakov
Best TRICKS - Kristian Lebedev
Best ENTERTAINER - Sun Yingzhi
WINNER FOR GOLD - Kristian Lebedev – RUSSIA
SECOND PLACE - Monika Ell – USA
THIRD PLACE - Egor Churakov - RUSSIA
Sun Yingzhi – CHINA
Yan Xu – CHINA
Ian Matthews - UNITED KINGDOM
Liu Yan - CHINA
RESULTS For the Synchronised DOUBLE’S DIVISION
Additional Awards -
Best COSTUME - Meng Yifan & Zhong Qianie
Best TRICKS - Lisette Krol & Terri Walsh
Best ENTERTAINER - Nora Berthold & Zsuzsanna Toronyi
WINNER FOR GOLD - Lisette Krol & Terri Walsh – IRELAND
SECOND PLACE - Manuela Badessi & Erika Lombardelli – ITALY
THIRD PLACE - Viktoria Nikolaenko & Tatiana Mitina - RUSSIA
Meng Yifan & Zhong Qianie – CHINA
Keiko Takemoto & Satoshi Murakami – JAPAN
Nora Berthold & Zsuzsanna Toronyi - HUNGARY
For the FEMALE’S DIVISION
Additional Awards -
Best COSTUME Fang Chunyan
Best TRICKS – ‘Bendy’ Kate Czepulkowski
Best ENTERTAINER – Polina Volchek
WINNER FOR GOLD - Kate Czepulkowski - UNITED Kingdom
SECOND PLACE - Polina Volchek – RUSSIA
THIRD PLACE - Tatyana V Gordiyenko - UKRAINE
Galina Musina – RUSSIA
Hanna Antonova – UKRAINE
Valeria Bonalume – ITALY
Alessandra Rancan – BRAZIL
Fang Chunyan – CHINA
Elena Kravchenko – UKRAINE
Felicity Logan - UNITED KINGDOM
Lorna Thomas - UNITED KINGDOM
Ekaterina Guseva – RUSSIA
Margit Deak – HUNGARY
Mona Arbinger - AUSTRIA
For the synchronised doubles -
Lisette Krol & Terri Walsh this dynamic double from Ireland took gold
And for the prestigious title of World Champion our very own ‘Bendy’ Kate Czepulowski from the UK
Ambassadors of Pole Award
Additional Award – also created for the pole fitness and dance industry. The first time in History ‘Ambassadors to Pole Award,’ whereby contributors to the health and safety and development of professional Pole throughout the world are awarded and officially recognised by their piers and the World Pole Dance Organisation.
More information is expected to be released in the fourth coming months, as the head of China Pole Dance championships, Mr Fing Yung Biao, a qualified Lawyer who now dedicates his time in supporting and professionalising the sport and the national competition in China, has shown considerable attention to our championships for the last three years and is posing a serious bid to host the next World Pole Dance Championships in Taishun, a town half an hour away from Beijing.
Mr Yung Biao has been studying English to prove better communications between Pole Passion and the head of World Pole Dance and originator
Kay Penney, to make this a reality in 2015.
For more information and pictures please visit
www.worldpoledance.com
And
www.polepassion.com
Contact
To learn more about this competition, please contact
Kay Penney, Media Relations
Pole Passion Ltd
Crawley
West Sussex
RH10 7QE
Office: 01293 888200 / mobile 07921948606 or 07753585054
Email: events@passion-fitness.com or kay@polepassion.com
