Watch: Aerialists swing to victory

Local aerialists Alana Jackson and Cheree Simpson will travel to Switzerland to represent South Africa at the 2022 World Pole and Aerial Sports Championships from October 27 to 30.

This comes after the duo won first place in the artistic hoop doubles category at the national pole and aerial championships in Randburg on May 7.

The City Times caught up with them after their class at the Anti-Gravity Studio in Morehill on June 25.

On a chilly Saturday afternoon, we found the pair dressed in yoga pants and light jackets. It must have been an intense class to come out of it not feeling the pinch of the breeze outside.

We sat next to the studio and excitement started building up as the passionate duo prepared to unpack their journey.

“The sport is empowering. We weren’t sure if it had to be the top 10 scores or if you go through immediately. We then got a message that we have made it. It was exciting,” said Simpson about their win.

Jackson (from Kempton Park) and Simpson (from Benoni) have only been dancing together for a year and have only competed in two competitions as a team. At the nationals they achieved a feat only a few can dream of.

“The second exciting moment was that our score set the new world record in our category.”

That record has since been beaten but the synergy that has led to their success in such a short time is complemented by their respect for their craft and each other.

While pole sport is technical with focus on angles, spinning and climbing; artistic pole athletes tell a story by incorporating music in their routine.

“Our story focused on mental illness. Within all of us there are two sides. It’s your shadow and stronger self.

“Our routine goes through the struggle of fighting your dark side and eventually accepting and understanding that it’s a part of you – the more you embrace it, the more you can over overcome it.”

As mental illness was brought to the fore during the height of the pandemic, Simpson argued that it was a strong story to tell as people spent time in solitude and had to ‘face their demons’.

“For us, it was therapeutic as well to understand that we were struggling with a few mental things at the time. We wanted to send a message to other people to not try to push aside things they may be struggling with.”

Also Read: Local pole dancer finishes second in World Championships

Storytelling in the sport is judged on choreography, degree of difficulty, execution and presentation. How have they managed to gel and communicate effectively in such a short time?

“In our routine, we have to include elements of strength, flexibility and being in sync. There are other elements like fly and base where one of us is holding the base of the move while the other is flying off of it and we get into the pretty pose.

“Between the two of us we try to divide those roles,” said Jackson.

They also scooped runners-up honours in singles competition at the nationals – Jackson in pole sport and Simpson in solo hoop.

The pair has started fundraising for the trip by hosting dance and fitness workshops in Ekurhuleni and also a BackaBuddy campaign.

They need an amount of R80 000 to realise their dream of competing for South Africa in Switzerland.

If you would like more information on these events or would like to help get them to the championships, contact Phenomena Aerial Dance and Fitness Studio at phenomenadance@gmail.com

Also Read: Pole athlete Bouwer wins gold