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Most of us associate pole dancing with svelte, sexy women, but this China champion in pole dancing is a young man.
Lianhe Wanbao reports that Zhang Peng, a popular male pole dance instructor from Liaoning beat a whole host of women to win the National Pole Dancing competition in China last year.
The 23-year-old, who has been pole dancing since high school, is teacher to about 200 students at his Shenyang dance school.
His mother once objected violently to her son's interest in pole dancing as she saw it as part of the sex industry, but he managed to persuade her to let him compete in Beijing after he spent three months showing her materials related to pole dancing.
His family has progressed from objecting violently to pole dancing to being very supportive, and his mum has even learnt a few moves herself.
Zhang hopes to promote the dance as a sport and change the perception that it is only found in strip clubs.
Pole dancing as a sport has taken off in China, according to reports in China Daily. Its advocates say it is more acrobatic than erotic.
The National Pole Dancing competition in July last year attracted about 50 participants.
In Singapore, Jitterbugs is organising the Asian Pole Summit - the first of its kind in Asia, on Nov 27. The event showcases pole dance workshops, a competition and performances with participants from the Asia Pacific region.
Look out for more details and videos on AsiaOne this week.
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| Zhang Peng in a white-tassled dance outfit |
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| Zhang Peng's mum tries out a few moves |
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| Dance students suffer for their art... |
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