L-Ewwel Vista

Abram Tomasi

Vlada Zrinzo is a 22-year-old professional pole dancer and mother of one. She has fought against prejudices and stereotypes all her life, but has learnt to believe in herself. She now feels welcome in her own community here in Malta. Her dream has always been to provide the island with something new through her skills and passion for her career - something that is not commonly explored. As the years went by, she achieved great success, getting the respect she deserved in her field.

When she was a child, Vlada wished to save animals from the streets and eventually wanted to join a circus. Now, the magic and mystery of pole dancing and her studio is her own form of circus-life that she always dreamt of.

Vlada’s mother used to pole dance when she was younger and encouraged her to try it out for herself. Her mother used to teach older women basic pole dancing in her own home, which quickly attracted Vlada to this very expressive form of art. She initially found it strange, especially the fact that many of the routines involved being on the floor unlike most traditional dance forms. However, she decided to give pole dancing a go on her own.

It was difficult and physically demanding, especially in the first few months. In spite of this, Vlada persevered, constantly aspiring to be as talented as her mother one day. Vlada decided to share her progress on social media when she startedfeeling confident enough. Her friends were incredibly supportive. Somewere even interested in trying it out for themselves, and Vlada was more than keen on helping them out. What started from basic home classes for her friends at the tender age of 16, eventually spiraled into a fullyfledged teaching business.

Usually, pole dancers and instructors face harsh criticism from their family, friends and even outsiders. Narrowminded people much too often miss the art and skill of pole-dancing for its supposedly scandalous nature. As a result, pole dancers get shamed for a career that they’re genuinely pursuing. Vlada considers herself extremely lucky to have had such open-minded parents. Regardless of what anyone does for a living, they are always open to understanding and learning about new things. It was both her parents’ mentality as well as Vlada’s own openness and drive, that led her to achieve success.

At a time when Vlada was still teaching at home, her parents decided to shift their energy and resources from their failing business to a new venture with their daughter. They closed up shop and started doing pole dancing and gym classes. Soon enough they were also able to add on a beauty salon.

Despite the support and encouragement of her parents, Vlada’s friends were not wholly supportive. She explains how some of them thought that her career choice was inappropriate, and slowly fell out of touch with her as a result. Some people even went to the extent of sharing negative and sometimes hurtful comments on her social media pages. “Close your legs, bitch” is a reoccurring one which she finds hurtful but also very misinformed. Most of these individuals tend to think that she is a stripper or someone who is using her body sexually.

At the beginning of her journey, Vlada avoided the sensual aspect of pole dancing in order to avoid the stigma and instead focused more on the athletic side of it. As she grew

older, her confidence and passion continued to increase, and she decided to embrace it fully to explore all that the art has to offer.

Despite the booming pride in her work, the stigma still persists. A couple of years ago, X-Factor Malta asked her and her crew to perform during a live show. Although, they weren’t paid for their work, this gave them the perfect opportunity to reach a wider audience. Vlada had incurred several expenses to rent the pole, make the costumes and pay her crew. The performance promised to be a highlight of the night’s show. The X-Factor team was even loving the rehearsals and rooting her on, that is, until they cancelled her performance altogether. A politician was going to be present on the night, and the team feared that the performance was too provocative for the public official. Vlada felt humiliated, but this obstacle only made her mission to bring pole to mainstream even stronger.

Vlada always sought to include everyone in her classes to diminish the stigma as much as possible, but also inspire people. Pole dancing is not as easy as some may think. It requires flexibility and strength. Her classes are full of women aged between 20-40 years old. Many older women tend to think they will not manage to master this dance form, but after several sessions and practice, they quickly realise that anyone can do it. Pole dancing is also becoming popular with a number of men – mainly gay men, who consider her classes a safe space where they can tap into their femininity through dance.

Nowadays, Vlada’s main priority is to find a balance between her family and her work. Before she became a mother and later on a teacher, Vlada used to train much more. She wanted to compete in tournaments, and as a very competitive individual, she used to practice a lot and always achieved good results. However, since she became a mother, she now sticks to her classes only and train only three times per week.

Her Saturdays are now stripped of partying and drinking. Staying in to rest with her child is her priority now. Vlada wants to make sure her daughter grows up as strong as her mother and grandmother, and continue her mission to fight against women being sexualised for their art. With each twirl about the pole, Vlada has her daughter’s future at the back of her mind.