Pole Dancing Classes for Toddlers

Remember the Canadian workout studio that offers pole dancing classes to tweens? This week, another studio went even farther with a kiddie pole dance program. At Make Me Fabulous studio in Northamptonshire, England, children as young as 3 years old are taught how to pole dance.

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The studio, which also provides pole dancing instruction for adults, offers weekly Little Spinners classes for girls ages 3 to 7. According to the UK’s Daily Mail, during classes, the children learn how to lift, spin, and slide down the pole while “holding their legs in a V-shape.” (!!!!)

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Instructor Carly Wilford insists that the lessons for kids have been stripped (pun intended) of sexual aspects. “I am trying to remove the stigma from pole dancing and show that it actually helps children keep fit and learn balance, much like gym classes,” she told the Daily Mail.

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Claude Knights, director of Kidscape, a British organization established to prevent bullying and child sexual abuse, is not convinced the fitness benefits outweigh the risks. “The children will innocently enjoy copying the raunchy moves they learn, but be completely unaware of the sexual messages these send out, which inevitably can have dangerous results,” she told the Daily Mail.

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There is no shortage of fun, kid-appropriate ways to stay fit…team sports, gymnastics, active Wii games, or just running around the yard! Does pole dancing really have to be an option?

What do you think: Is it really just exercise, or totally inappropriate?