Brace yourselves, London. The pole dance revolution is coming, and no, it’s not the watered-down, wellness-only version. Blackstage Presents: Audacity is landing at The Clapham Grand on Saturday 5 April 2024, and it’s unapologetically flipping the script on everything you thought you knew about pole performance in London. This is pole dance, decolonised, diversified, and serving absolute defiance — and honestly, it’s about time.
Audacity: The Pole Show London Has Been Waiting For
There are pole shows. And then there’s Blackstage Presents: Audacity, where Black and POC pole artists take the stage not just to perform, but to dismantle the industry’s tired, exclusionary norms while they’re at it. This year’s theme is exactly what you think it is — bold, brazen, and fearless. Audacity to exist. Audacity to thrive. Audacity to show up as yourself in an industry that has, frankly, made a habit of ignoring you.
Forget what you’ve seen on Instagram’s sanitised pole accounts. This is about platforming those who have long been kept out of the spotlight. We’re talking LGBTQIA+, plus-sized, disabled, low-income, and sex worker performers bringing their full, authentic selves to the stage — and getting paid properly while they’re at it.
Why Blackstage’s Audacity Is More Than Just a Show
The pole industry has an inclusion problem, in case you missed it. Enter Blackstage, the boundary-breaking collective committed to decolonising pole dance and creating a stage for performers who are normally erased from the conversation.
But Audacity is not just about being seen. It’s about being heard, respected, and compensated. Every successful applicant in the show receives a £1000 fee, travel, accommodation, and portfolio-perfect footage from a crew that actually knows how to light and film Black skin (yes, that matters).
And, because details make the revolution, the entire production has been crafted to support the Black and POC creative community. Expect food from Black-owned businesses, a majority Black and queer production team, and even pole cleaners who get their moment. Because why shouldn’t they?
Pole Dance Meets Protest
Audacity is the kind of event that reminds you why pole dancing has always been more than fitness trends and viral tricks. It’s about reclaiming space. Nightclubs have long been sanctuaries for those pushed to the margins, and this show transforms that sanctuary into a battle cry.
The performers aren’t just defying gravity on the pole. They’re pushing back against racism, transphobia, whorephobia, ableism, and every other -ism the industry quietly pretends isn’t there. This is activism in motion, and frankly, you won’t find this kind of energy anywhere else in London.
The Party Doesn’t Stop There
As if watching world-class pole dancers fight the system on a competition-grade pole isn’t enough, your ticket also gets you into the PXSSY PALACE afterparty. Yes, really. So once the curtain drops, stick around and dance until the small hours with some of the most creative people in London’s nightlife scene.
In a city flooded with overpriced theatre and predictable nights out, Blackstage Presents: Audacity offers something rare — art that matters. It’s a chance to celebrate the performers London needs right now, all while partying your face off and supporting a radical movement that’s reshaping the pole world from the ground up.
So grab your ticket, plan your outfit, and prepare to witness a night of unapologetic, audacious talent.
