Pole position: Meet the 69-year-old Chinese grandma who loves to pole dance

Dai Dali may be dressed in a mini skirt and high-heeled sandals, but she is not like other pole dancers. She will turn 70 in December.  

Yet the slightly built, former bookstore employee from Chengdu, in Sichuan province, can climb nimbly onto the pole, and spins with such agility that people watching her can hardly believe she is 69. She maintains a rather serious expression while performing; unlike the professional pole dancers at nightclubs, her movements are also free of any seductive gestures.

She started practising pole dancing only five years ago, and has already shown her skills on state broadcaster CCTV, and represented China in the Asia’s Got Talent competition, where she reached the semi-final. Dai won an award in a Chinese pole dancing contest in June and has had a hectic schedule of numerous media interviews in recent months. But she says she is not interested in fame or winning a fortune from her pole dancing. “I do it because it’s a good way to keep fit,” says Dai.

What made you start pole dancing?

I had been practising folk dancing at a gym since my retirement. It was right next to a pole dancing studio. I had walked past it many times, but never thought that one day I’d be able to learn how to dance on a pole. Then five years ago, I walked into the dance studio and asked the instructor whether I could learn it. She said: “Of course you can.” So I came in and started.

Had you heard about pole dancing before?