At Positive Spin, we believe that being a community with strong values of ally-ship is a constantly evolving process rooted in continuous action. It’s easy to hang a Black Lives Matter sign on the door, but we want to take direct action to support our students, not just as dancers, but as whole people.
Our core social justice initiative is Pole for Justice, a part of our studio that has historically done various forms of activism and currently runs bi-annual fundraiser shows for Green Light Project.
Below is a list of our core values, and some of the actions we’ve taken to create tangible change and provide resources in ways that reflect our values.
Far too often, the pole fitness industry has tried to distance itself from its roots in sex work. Not only is it hypocritical to shame the very people who created the sport we love, but the stigma around female/femme sexuality causes broad harm. Sex work is work, and consenting adults have a right to chose what they do with their bodies. Sex workers deserve rights, safety, and support just like all other workers.
- We hire current and former sex workers.
Not only because we don’t discriminate, but because we believe representation matters in order to create a space where everyone feels free and encouraged to talk about their identities and experiences. - Semi-annually, we run Stripper Skillshare workshops by SWers, for SWers! Taught by our active-duty stripper instructor and designed to be a space specifically for current and former sex workers.
- We have an ongoing partnership with the Green Light Project (GLP) and Strippers Are Workers (SAW).
- Pole for Justice, a pole competition series we created in 2020, has raised over $7,000 for sex worker outreach!
The pole fitness industry, particularly in Seattle, has been undeniably white, despite the many Black founders of the sport. We realized that we could be doing more to make the pole community more equitable, and to fight for Black lives in our broader community. Here’s what we’ve been working on:
- BIPOC Scholarship Fund
We’ve dedicated profits from certain sales and events toward providing scholarships for BIPOC polers. You can donate to this scholarship fund directly via venmo @alyssa-taubin with a note saying BIPOC scholarships. - BIPOC Empowerment Workshops
Led by a BIPOC instructor, these quarterly workshops are intended to provide an inclusive and empowering experience centered around BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) experiences.
In this judgment-free space, pole is used as a tool for self-expression, healing, and community-building.
The fitness industry, including certain sectors of the pole world, have played a huge role in enforcing toxic body standards. These standards can lead to disordered eating and exercise behaviors, but even when they don’t, they bring about shame that nobody deserves to live with. At Positive Spin, we have a ban on body shaming yourself and others. Our goal is to transform exercise into a celebration of what your body can do. Additionally, we believe it’s important to provide space for our community to discuss the ways that toxic fitness culture and beauty standards have impacted them and find healing together.
- Our staff is Roz the Diva trained.
Many would call Roz the face of inclusivity in the pole and fitness world. Roz is a certified personal trainer and pole instructor who travels the world teaching other instructors how to create supportive spaces and safely work with larger bodies. Most of our staff have taken Roz’s workshop on coaching plus size pole dancers and it was incredibly informative!
- We are an all genders studio.
This includes cis, trans, and nonbinary genders across the spectrum. We normalize sharing pronouns, and know that your pronouns may change over time. We strive to create a space where students of all genders can feel safe expressing themselves in whatever ways feel good to them. - Over half of the instructors at Positive Spin are queer.
Diversity in our teaching staff has helped us to create a culture where differences in gender, sexuality, and relationship styles are not just accepted, but understood. - Our Partners
We have partnered with Gay City, Northwest Network, and Lambert House on events that serve LGBTQ+ individuals and raise money for important LGBTQ+ causes.
This is the most central of our core values from which our other values are born. There are lots of accepting spaces out there, but we think accepting is a pretty low bar. We want to know and understand you so that we can celebrate what makes you you!
We hope that when you visit our studio, you can be exactly who you are, because we believe that this leads to higher quality relationships and a more connected, supportive community.
How can we do a better job of living by our core values? Let us know! We also welcome student participation in creating new initiatives in any of these areas.
