PUBLISHED ONDecember 28, 2022 9:55 AMByMelissa Teo She can, He can is an original AsiaOne series where we showcase Singaporean men who are working in female-dominated jobs and their empowering personal journey in overcoming stereotypes.
When the topic of pole dancing is brought up, many would visualise skimpily dressed women shimmying up and down a metal pole.
But the sport isn't just for one gender and Louis Sue is here to break that stereotype.
He is the co-founder of PXD Pole Studio Singapore, which he helms together with his girlfriend, Dionne Shen.
All in all, he's been pole dancing for nine years and an instructor for seven.
Recently, the bubbly 29-year-old gave AsiaOne a peek into his life and invited us to his studio located in the heart of the Central Business District.
And apart from learning more about why he rejected a place in university to pursue this passion, Louis also shows us why pole dancing is for everyone, including men.
It all started with a trial class
Towards the end of Louis' army life, he had plenty of spare time on hand. Hence, he decided to look for something new to try and chanced upon pole dancing.
"I thought it was very cool how the dancers actually carried themselves, as if they could defy gravity," he shares.
To get a taste of what it's like, he went for a trial class with his sister in 2013.
And though the idea of swinging around a pole may be daunting to some, Louis' first time went smoothly and he fell in love with the sport.
While he admits that pole dancing did initially hurt, it got better as time went by.
"Everything about it was just very exciting," he recounts enthusiastically.
"Yes, it was a trial class and I was doing simple stuff. But in a sense, it felt like I was getting closer to flying. I was doing spins and it was very comfortable for me. It felt like I was in my element."
In fact, Louis picked up the sport so fast that he participated in his first competition as an amateur one and a half years later and even won the overall title.
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Around the two-year mark, he even jetted off to Las Vegas to compete in another competition in 2015.
Realising that pole dancing was something he was actually good at, Louis was motivated to pursue it further.
To do so, he became an instructor at the dance studio he was attending back then.
That was also where he met Dionne and eventually, the pair decided to start PXD Pole Studio Singapore together in 2016.
He gave up a spot in university for pole dancing
When pursuing a passion, sacrifices have to be made.
In Louis' case, he gave up opportunities to go to university — not just once, but twice.
But it took him a very long time to make that decision.
"There's a bit of fear there because I'm not going via the mainstream path," he confesses.
Louis had applied to the first university prior to his first pole dancing competition in 2016 and succeeded in getting a spot.
Back then, he set himself an ultimatum where if he won the competition, he would not go to school.
And he did win, so he gave up his place.
While his parents weren't the happiest with his decision, they still gave him the green light to explore pole dancing.
However, they expected him to go back to school after a year. So, after his year was up, he applied to another university.
But deep inside, he knew this was not what he wanted.
"I already knew where my heart was at that point in time," he confesses and adds that he was so disinterested in his studies at the time that he didn't even properly check if he got accepted by the school.
He did not reveal which universities or courses he had applied for.
While it was a tough call to make, Louis says that he is grateful for Dionne, who was by his side all the way.
"My girlfriend encouraged me a lot because she knew that I really wanted to do pole dancing and she knew what I could do, and I think she could also see my potential in some sense," says Louis.
Dionne also brought up a valid point — if Louis was going to continue pole dancing after graduating from university either way, he might as well start early.
And eventually, his parents were convinced by his decision.
"My parents already knew where my heart was as well and they didn't push me any further. They've been very supportive," he says.
Now, his mum even asks him to send her all his pole dance videos.
'Pole dancing is not feminine'
One misconception some have is that pole dancing is only for women, he shares.
"Back when I first started pole dancing, there were very few males, just me and one other senior," reveals Louis.
This senior also confessed to Louis that his parents were not aware that he was a pole dancer.
"To me, pole dancing is not feminine. It is perceived as feminine simply because it was or is mainly done by females," Louis explains.
Inevitably, he has received his own fair share of nasty comments over the years.
"Some of them will like to poke fun at my persona on social media and say that wearing heels is feminine," he shares.
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However, what matters more to Louis are the positive remarks.
"There are these comments, but honestly speaking, the positive comments I get from the students, families and friends outweigh this negativity," he shares.
"So, I think that's also why I don't pay attention too much to [the negative comments]."
These days, the stigma surrounding pole dancing is getting better too, as evident from the increase in males signing up for pole dance classes.
"Sometimes, we like to joke that there are suddenly more guys than girls," Louis says with a chuckle.
If you're a man who's afraid of entering an industry that's predominantly female, Louis has some advice for you.
"One thing I like to tell my students, to be honest, is sometimes, the only thing that is making you not get your pole trick is your own fear," he explains using the context of pole dancing.
"You're just holding yourself back, right? You'll never know if you never try."
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