Pole to Pole Performance

We were very excited to support something totally different.  It was a pleasure to help fund Pole to Pole, a performance that was an art show, blending pole dance, fine art, and theatre with ecology and conservation, organised by biologist and artisit Alicia Hayden.

The performance featured 12 dancers with a diverse range of backgrounds and levels of experience. They choreographed routines for 11 endangered species from around the world, including well-known species like the Amur Tiger & Humpback Whale, as well as lesser-known species such as the Barbie Pagoda and the Puerto Rican Amazon.

Alicia used her understanding of ecology gained from her Biological Sciences undergraduate degree (University of Oxford 2018-2021) to select species and write up mini profiles to allow dancers to select species they felt best able to portray. She then worked closely with seamstress Pippa who made the beautiful costumes; as well as providing dancers with profiles detailing the behaviour, movement, and threats for every species. It was important to the team to create costumes which represented the species, as well as being safe to perform in. This was achieved using standard polewear bodysuits and sets as the costume bases, and adding lightweight fabric shaped into wings, tails, feathers, etc. all of which had quick-release fastenings to ensure they could be removed during the routine if required.

The sold-out performance was attended by 40 guests, of which 62.5% were under 30. In the post-show survey, 78% of respondees said their nature knowledge improved after Pole to Pole. All profits from the show were donated to David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, who fund conservation efforts across Africa and Asia - in total, £340 was raised.

The success of Pole to Pole shows there is a demand for performative art about the natural world and it was rewarding to see how you can engage and reach a new audience.