Pole & Highlights

Fawnia Dietrich

I was born in 1975, in the small town of Kamloops, BC Canada. In 1983 I made the move by camper trailer to the beautiful city of Victoria, BC. My interests growing up included running, art (drawing), theater, and dancing. Growing up I always knew I loved to dance however I never took formal training.

In Oct, 1994 at the age of 19 I began my training and career as an exotic dancer. Learning as I went, live in front of the world I fell in love with the pole. Seeing the women on stage doing the most amazing moves on the poles inspired me to learn and create as much as I possibly could. Where was the school?

I asked the club staff where were the Exotic Dance School was located, to learn pole work. Their reply to me was "There is no school, you just learn while you are on stage." I couldn't believe there wasn't a place to go, and learn how to do pole work, walk, dance, and crawl; do everything that makes someone a great exotic dancer. Just two months after I learned my first move, "The Fire Man", I purchased a brass pole from a metal store, and started teaching. The date was Dec, 1994. While the rest of the world was going about their business, I opened the world's first Exotic Dance School and produced the instructional DVD: Pole Work, volume 1. The first of its kind, making me a pioneer of what's now America's latest fitness craze, pole dancing for fitness!

I love pole dancing. Pole dancing gave me a unique way to express myself which felt more natural than anything, the first time I set foot on stage. Though I was nervous and my jaw was shaking, I found my home. How could their not be a school? How can women just walk up there and pole dance? Where is the guidance? I had to start teaching! I never wanted anyone to go through what I did my first time. Being an amateur is frightening and for some lucky reason, I realized it was my purpose to stand behind the pole and support and guide every person who wanted to try.

Today I live in Las Vegas and I have the luxury of teaching women (and men) from around the world how to pole dance. I created the Pole Dance Instructor Certification (PDIC) which is a complete guide for running a safe, informative and successful pole dancing school. I have been voted The United Pole Artists Pro-Poler of the year 2011, and will hosting the Pole Expo in Las Vegas, Sept 2012.

Where would we be without The Pole? Thank you “The Vertical Pole” for you gave us a unique way to express ourselves as we discovered how strong, beautiful and talented we really are!

Career Highlights

Produced the world’s first instructional video Pole Work, volume 1 in 1998 and went on to produce six more titles: ‘Dance Moves & Floor Work”, “Fawnia Live in Stage”, Lap Dancing & Entertaining Your Man”, “Making Fitness Fun” (formally “Fitness for the Dancer” ), “Male Exotic Dancing”, and “Advanced Pole Work & Fire”. I have also graced the pages of four Playboy magazine issues, Playboy's Best of Canadian Girls Calendar, cover of Muscle Mag International, and back cover of Oxygen Magazine and three spreads in Muscle & Fitness Magazine.

I work closely with BodyBuilding.com as a writer and spokes model to promote health and fitness alongside their amazing team at events such as The Arnold Classic, The Olympia, and The UFC expo in Las Vegas. Search for my name to read my articles on BodyBuilding.com

The History of Pole Dancing

Pole dancing has been around for longer than you may think. Here is a short history on how pole dancing has evolved. Pole dancing originated in the 1920's at height of the American depression. Traveling fairs would go from town to town entertaining the crowds. As part of the fair there would many different types of sides shows in small tents surrounding the main tent. One particular tent housed the erotic Hoochi Coochi dancers. The word Hoochi Coochi originates from the hip movement performed by the Hochi Coochi dancers, the equivalent of the bump and grind today day. The girls would dance suggestively on a small stage in front of crowds of cheering. Due to size of the tent, the tent pole would be situated at the very edge of the stage. The dancer would approach the tent pole and begin to dance with it. The tent pole became known, as the dance pole, which still exists today, be it in a more technically advanced and socially acceptable form. Pole dancing gradually began evolving from tents to bars as burlesque became more acceptable in 1950's, nothing much was heard until the 1980's when pole dancing and striptease became popular in Canada and then the USA. 1990's saw Miss Fawnia Dietrich (Canadian, formally Fawnia Mondey) take the art of pole dancing and begin teaching this to the every day woman. She produced the first instructional pole fitness and dance DVD. 2000 - current have been the most promising years. Pole dancing has evolved into different genres, exotic, empowering and pole fitness. There is a great deal of difference between them and as the student you should try them all. The UK POLE FEDERATION formed in 2005 celebrates all of these, as does the Pole Fitness Association, formed in 2009. Pole dancers across the world hope that 2010 - 2020 will see pole dancing accepted as a reputable form of dance, fitness and exercise and without a doubt in the Olympic Games. Vertical Dance – Pole Fitness Studio