The United Kingdom Professional Pole Championships.
PROFESSIONAL - ETHICAL - ARTISTIC - ATHLETIC
The UK Professional Pole Championships is the first competition in the UK to give professional pole athletes and dancers the opportunity to compete against their peers through our three professional categories; Instructor, Professional, and Elite.
Elite 2015 winner Charlotte Holstead pictured left.
UKPPC aims to be a fair, ethical, professional, and transparent competition that recognises the athleticism and artistry of pole dance on a national stage.
The UK Professional Pole Championships (UKPPC) is the UK's biggest competition for professional pole athletes. The UKPPC was established by Varie Anderson of Hidden Talent International, and Kate Edwards of Spin City Aerial Fitness, with the aim of setting a new standard in UK pole competitions. The UKPPC continues to be run through Hidden Talent International.
THE COMPETITION
Three Categories - Two Rounds - Three Champions.
CATEGORIES
Instructor - This category is open to all pole instructors who do not perform professionally.
Professional - This category is open to all pole dancers who have performed professionally but are not eligible for the Elite category.
Elite - This category is for the elite of UK and international pole dance and is open to dancers who have won, or been a runner up in, a professional pole competition 'of note' e.g. county, national, international competitions.
THE COMPETITON
Round 1 - Video Heat
Date: 1 May - 12 August 2016
The first round of UKPPC is conducted by video entry. Competitors in all categories must submit entries in this round via video link. Contact UKPPC to submit your video entry.
Round 2 - The Grand Final
Date: 27 November 2016
Our Grand Final will feature all of the successful competitors from the Video Heats.
JUDGING
The UKPPC Judging Panel will be made up of six experienced professionals from the pole industry. Our judging criteria have been subject to extensive consultation with key members of the pole community to ensure that they are fair and ethical. We will be using a system of marking where the highest and lowest of the six judges' scores will be discounted and an average of the remaining four scores will give the competitors final mark.
About UKPPC:
Varie (pictured left) started pole dancing in 2006, and joined Spin City as an instructor March 2010. She was a finalist in the instructor category of the UK Amateur Pole Performer in 2010, and joined the UKAPP team as an organiser for 2013. Varie is an experienced performer and founded the Macau-based aerial arts company Hidden Talent Aerial Dance and Acrobatics in 2013. Varie is a trainer and assessor for Spin City Instructor Training in Southeast Asia, and is an international competition judge.
Kate (pictured below right) founded Spin City in 2007 and has been an influential member of the pole community ever since. She helped establish the Equity Pole Dancers Working Party, an organiser of the UK Amateur Pole Performer competition and an X-Pole Girl. She competed in the Professional category of PoleDivas in 2009, won the Doubles Category of Miss Pole Dance UK 2011 and was runner up in the World Pole Sports Fitness Championships Doubles Category 2011. She went on to develop Spin City Instructor Training, which provides courses in pole fitness and aerial hoop instruction from beginner to advanced level and is the author of the Spin City Pole Bible and Aerial Hoop Bible, which retail internationally. Kate is also an international competition judge.
Having both experienced competing first-hand, Kate and Varie felt that although there were 
already a variety of excellent competitions within the community, there were no competitions designed solely for professionals. It was from this that the idea of the UKPPC was born; a competition where professionals can compete against their peers in an environment that embraces all styles of pole dancing and recognises the artistry and athleticism that pole requires. The core values of the UKPPC are:
To showcase the depth and breadth of professional pole talent in the UK.
To give professional dancers the opportunity to compete against their peers through our three categories; Instructor, Professional, and Elite.
To ensure our system of judging is fair, ethical, and transparent at all stages of the competition.
To have a judging panel made up of a team of experienced professionals from the pole industry.
To reflect the views of the pole community as a whole, taking all feedback on-board and working with the pole community to develop a competition we are all proud of.
To educate members of the public on the true athleticism and artistry involved in pole dance and raise the profile of pole dance as a professional sport.
2011 saw the inaugural UKPPC, which was a huge success. In successive years the UKPPC has grown to be the biggest professional pole competition in the UK, attracting over 900 spectators each year.
For details on how to enter check out our Competitor Info page. If you would like to be involved in UKPPC, or would like to be a sponsor, please Contact Us. We look forward to seeing you at the Grand Final, and we hope you enjoy being part of the UKPPC 2016.