In conversation with... a pole dancer

We spoke to Kara Bates, a 27-year-old pole dancer and instructor from Swindon about her background, what she loves about pole, her new business ventures and even performing on stage with Snoop Dogg!

Words by Natasia Smith

Tell us about your upbringing and your relationship with exercise and self-esteem.

As a child I was quite active despite the fact that I never really did any sports, but I was always out and about with friends participating in active days out such as swimming or ice skating. I was creative and carefree as a child, my parents gave me freedom to explore whatever avenue I wanted. I dipped my toes in a few activities to build skill, such as ice skating, dance and gymnastic lessons as these combined flexibility and strength which I’ve always been in awe of, but then I gave up quite quickly due to social anxieties. I was always quite a natural in picking things up so it’s a shame it prevented me; I only ever did about max of 5-10 classes of anything. During my childhood I was never really phased by my looks as such, I was more tomboyish growing up to start off with then that all changed during secondary school. I was thrown into a school in which I didn’t know a single child, so as I found my feet there, I started to wear make up, maybe to fit in a little. As someone with ADHD and autism, that can be tricky. This is when I started to develop more awareness of my looks, the societal pressures of being a teen I suppose. Then from there on I always felt a pressure that I put on myself to present and look a certain way. I think social media and societal pressures are to blame for this and then fitness started to become important to ensure I kept slim as body image was something I struggled with for many years of my life.

How old were you when you began pole and what was it that inspired you to start?

I started pole dancing when I was 19 and I discovered it firstly when stumbling into a strip club after a night out with some friends. I remember watching a stripper dancing on stage shaking her booty and being mesmerised, thinking I want to learn how to move like that. After then, I started watching people on YouTube and enhancing my desire to learn. [I was] captivated by how they made it look effortless.

Did you initially find it easy or challenging?

I started by teaching myself so initially it was a bit of a challenge, as I had no dance background and started with little strength, but I did also find that I had a natural ability to pick some things up quickly too. My autism helps me hyper focus on new hobbies and pole has always been what I’ve fixated on and I would train over six hours a week.

What was

Your Biggest Dream Or Goal When

you started, and are you on track to achieve it?

I didn’t really have any big dreams when I first started, I just wanted to be good at it. After never pursuing sports activities as a child even though I wanted to, I wanted to have one thing where I could put my all energy into and having a pole at home gave me the confidence to eventually get myself to a class. I’m at a level which I am really proud of so I would say I have achieved this. Now my dreams keep getting bigger and bigger and I’d love to travel the world teaching workshops. I have had interest from people in other countries so I’m getting close!

What was the process like for getting chosen to perform with Snoop Dogg?

The process was pretty straight forward as I just had to submit a video of me freestyling to one of his songs and then some other bits but the mental process was the hardest. I questioned my capabilities and had a lot of self doubt. I had only just started to move towards what’s classed as a professional in the industry so this felt like a huge next step, but after watching so many incredible dancers grace the stage with Snoop Dogg in America, I knew this was an opportunity I didn’t want to let pass me by.

How was performing with Snoop Dogg?

The tour was incredible, I got booked for two shows, Manchester and Amsterdam. The person who hired me was a dancer called Nicole who would give you all the details of where to be and give you advice before stage and hype you up! They wanted to get the best out of you as well, so honest feedback during the show was given so you could recognise and improve on the spot.

It did get in my head a little bit and I struggled to connect on stage during the first show, so I had felt like I had let myself down and actually felt quite low afterwards. That doesn’t erase the good memories I had though. I was with such a lovely bunch of dancers, and it was an absolute pleasure to share the stage with them all. Backstage it was so lovely to see all the dancers clothes sharing and giving advice for different outfit changes. It was a nice way for us all to bond before the show started. After performing for eight songs, we settled in the dressing room waiting for the green light to meet Snoop Dogg backstage. We were all quite timid to start with and stuck with each other at the start. It’s not every day you get to share the same room with a worldwide icon. A few drinks and a spliff later, we eventually left with our signed gear and headed off to leave the venue.

The adrenaline after the first show is quite a wild ride, I’m glad I had my friends afterwards to chat their ears off as I was still in shock from the whole night! It was truly magical and an incredible step for my career. Then the adrenaline wore off eventually, and that’s when the low kicked in as I started to overthink everything. This lasted a fair few days and then I had a call from Nicole. We spoke through the night and I spoke to her about what went through my mind and then the next day she booked me for Amsterdam. I couldn’t believe my luck! I was so happy to hear that Nicole saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself, it was the confidence boost that I needed and then before I knew it I was booking a last minute flight to Amsterdam to do it all over again. I felt much better about the show the second time round, Nicole did say that you get better and better with each show which just gets me more excited to see how my confidence progresses with each show, no matter how big or small!

How did you get into competing and what are some of the highs and lows?

Has pole helped your confidence and if so, how?

Oh massively! I was shy and lacked so much confidence in my teen years that if someone told me back then that I’d be travelling the UK teaching workshops, classes and performing on big stages I would’ve laughed! Public speaking still isn’t my jam I must admit; and I’m still socially reserved too so it still does baffle my mind that I am doing all these things. My passion has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and I couldn’t be more grateful to have found my thing in life.

When I was a baby poler, I was so impressed when I saw other dancers around me competing. I idolised their dedication, strength and perseverance and it was something I wanted to strive towards. It was also a way to get a chance to perform and after being in a student showcase show, I had caught the performing bug and knew that the stage was a place I wanted to be. There are so many highs of competing, the main one has to be winning your category, as it’s a rewarding feeling after all the hard work you’ve put in. Getting to meet and socialise with other dancers in your community is also incredible as I’ve always felt so inspired being surrounded by creatives like myself and being on stage can be so much fun and having the crowd enjoy your creation is fulfilling. Equally, performing can turn into one of the lows depending on what happens on stage. When you’re competing rather than doing a show for fun, there’s a lot of pressure to be ‘perfect’; fuck ups are deductions so it’s easy to get in your own head. Not being present is more common when you first start competing. At my level now, I try to only focus on enjoying my stage time without caring about fuck ups as I don’t want to put a downer on my time there. Other lows include lack of time to focus on other training you may have which can make training a bit more stressful and less enjoyable at times but overall competing has been very positive for me. I wouldn’t have so many incredible friendships within the pole community if it wasn’t for competing. One recent competition involved having the opportunity to connect with two dancers I had idolised over instagram from the US, so these competitions do bring dancers far and wide together! I also had the opportunity to dance with one of them at their workshop the following day which was a huge highlight for me and I got to share the experience with some of my dearest friends that I see often.

How did you decide to become an instructor, and what are your favourite aspects?

I can’t remember how I decided as such but I remember me and a friend deciding to do [a teaching] course together. I think I was eager to start teaching to spark that passion in others. My favourite aspects of pole are getting to see the support of the classroom environment. I remember when I first wanted to do pole dancing I only wanted to do private lessons as I was too nervous to join as a group, which is a shame as the support from everyone in a pole dancing class is something quite special. The way we all celebrate strangers and friends in the room is heartwarming and that’s what I love about the community. I love seeing my students progress too, nailing moves they’ve struggled with and seeing their faces light up when they’re proud of themselves, it melts my heart! But also, sharing my art with others is a great feeling and I feel so lucky that I get to call it my career.

Tell us about your workshops and online studio, and is it challenging to essentially have yourself as the business?

It has been an amazing experience being able to take my work online and connect and teach dancers all over the world! I’m still in the process of growing my business into something bigger so I’m excited for the future! It can present some challenges. You have to battle a lot of self doubt and develop a strong and positive mindset such as understanding that lower numbers doesn’t equal lower self worth, as this fluctuates all the time. I have a lot of faith in myself that I can do whatever I put my mind to so I’m only thinking positively about my future and my business.

Any advice for those wanting to take up pole dancing?

Don’t second guess it, it could be the best thing you ever start. You won’t know until you give it a try. Find someone to go with for your first few classes if you’re worried, that helped me dip my toes in. No-one there cares about how you look either, so don’t worry about what shape you’re in, what clothes you’re wearing. When you’re there you’re not thinking about how your body looks, your minds to busy focusing on how to nail the pole trick your instructor just showed you!

You can follow Kara on Instagram: @karamel.aura for her main account

@karamelstudio__ for workshops and online classes

She instructs pole and heels pole classes for beginners up to intermediates at: @momentum.pole.aerial in Cheltenham and @inspire.ciren in Cirencester

She also does workshops around the country so keep an eye on her Instagram to find out more and to check out her talent!