Red Network Moment News, August 28 (Reporter Fu Huanyu Intern Dai Anxin) "Come on! Be bold, climb up slowly, clamp the steel pipe with your inner thigh, let's try. ”
At Jiang Xiaojing's dance studio near Changsha's Wanjiali Plaza, some women were training here, only to see them grabbing steel pipes and levitating them in the air, spinning to the melody of music.
Beside them, paying close attention to the status of the trainees and giving timely encouragement and technical guidance, is Jiang Lei, a male athlete who has been engaged in pole for more than ten years.
In the studio, Jiang Lei (right) demonstrates steel pipe movements to the trainees. Photo by Dai Anxin
Men's pole dancer, this is Jiang Lei's title, a title that itself carries a lot of controversy and even "colored eyes".
Such a title has won Jiang Lei honors in the international arena, and it has inevitably caused him to encounter questions from the outside world.
Jiang Lei didn't care about this. No matter what others think, when the music comes to mind, Jiang Lei always climbs on the steel pipe again and again and flies freely, like a flower butterfly flying in the air, and every movement exudes strength and confidence.
Steel pipes should not be demonized
"What? Pole is also considered sports? "A big man, what pole dancing?" ...... Since 2013, questions about pole sports and male participation in pole have never stopped in Jiang Lei's ears.
Jiang Lei studied at Taiyuan Normal University and majored in dance choreography. Although he likes dance, Jiang Lei only started practicing dance in high school, so there is a huge gap between him and his classmates who have practiced dance since childhood. In order to shorten the gap, Jiang Lei used his spare time to participate in off-campus training classes, and it was this decision that allowed Jiang Lei, who was only 20 years old at the time, to appreciate the power and beauty of steel pipe sports. Soon, Jiang Lei, who was originally thin and weak, trained an enviable tendon meat after years of training.
Jiang Lei danced on the steel pipe. Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
"The power of physical expression trumps verbal expression. In my opinion, the pipe movement is the best interpretation of this concept. Jiang Lei said that by not participating in training, his love for pole sports has increased day by day, and a training session can bring Jiang Lei a good mood for a day, "I personally released pressure here, but also stimulated potential, opened a window to a new world, and I found my own dance sanctuary." ”
Jiang Lei said that it is normal to encounter cynicism in the process of participating in and promoting steel pipes, which are derived from the lack of fair, objective and rational understanding of steel pipe sports from the outside world, and only some unfair and false claims have been labeled as "vulgar" or even "erotic" demonization.
Jiang Lei appeared in the international arena wearing a special uniform. Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
"At the beginning, I told them that steel pipes are not vulgar, but now I respect everyone's differences in opinion, and I need to use practical actions to eliminate the one-sided perception of others." Jiang Lei believes that exposure and sexiness do not lie in the amount of clothes worn, but in people's hearts. Therefore, conveying the positive image of steel pipe movement during teaching is also an important work direction for Jiang Lei.
In 2017, the global pole sport reached a milestone moment - it was granted observer status by the Federation of International Federations of Individual Sports Federations, which made pole sport a sporty identity. Currently, the International Pole Sports Federation is working to apply for membership in the IOC.
Jiang Lei teaches students in the studio. Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
It can be said that as pole sports are widely recognized in the world sports arena, and more and more people participate in training, the negative label that has been attached to pole sports will eventually be uncovered by the era of continuous progress.
"After all, it takes time to change concepts." Jiang Lei believes that when people begin to look at the existence and development of steel pipe sports from a fair, objective and rational perspective, the positive and positive side of steel pole sports will eventually benefit participants. Pole Sports isn't just pole dance, maybe you can enter the Olympics in the future! “
There are no shortcuts to practicing steel pipes
However, behind the seemingly beautiful steel pipe movement, it is a boring, bitter and cumbersome training process, and Jiang Lei has naturally experienced all this.
"There is an action inside the steel pipe, which can be regarded as the basic skill that everyone must know: it requires people to levitate on the steel pipe, all rely on the two legs to clamp, and then rely on the other hand to pull the steel pipe, which inevitably leads to friction between the inner thigh skin and the steel pipe, and even peeling..." Jiang Lei said, when training, it feels like the skin is rubbing and catching fire, but there is no other way, there is no other shortcut to train the steel pipe.
Jiang Lei shows strength and beauty on steel pipes. Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
The flesh and skin injuries can still be tolerated, but some hard injuries make Jiang Lei unforgettable for life, "You look at this side of my wrist, there have been several fractures and bone cracks, and even once I accidentally fell and had a slight concussion..." Jiang Lei said frankly that the early awareness of protecting himself was not strong, and he suffered a lot of unnecessary injuries.
However, even though the training was hard and there were safety risks, Jiang Lei never complained, whether it was severe cold or scorching heat, he always walked through the biting cold wind and hot sun without hesitation, and walked into the training ground on time every day. "One more time!" Sweat continued to drip down, but the rotation of the steel pipe injured Jiang Lei did not stop. Whether spinning, climbing or handstand, he pushes his limits without reservation.
Jiang Lei (second from left) represents the Chinese steel pipe national team in international competitions. Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
Take to the international stage
Years of steel pipe experience allowed Jiang Lei to be selected for the Chinese pole sports national team in 2016 and began to go to the international arena.
"I remember flying from Changsha to Osaka in 2016 to compete in the Asian Pole Sports Open. Competing abroad, I felt both excited and nervous, dragging heavy luggage after getting off the plane, looking at the map on my phone but getting lost. "Fortunately, his calm performance after stepping into the ring allowed him to complete the race smoothly and won the championship with a high score.
In 2016, Jiang Lei won the Asian Pole Sports Open championship in Osaka, Japan. Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
In 2018, Jiang Lei, who has won many international awards, was selected as the world's best male pole athlete of the year. For Jiang Lei, this is the pinnacle of his career as a pole athlete.
At the same time, Jiang Lei was also invited to participate in the variety show activities of Hunan Satellite TV and other TV stations, became close friends with domestic young dancer Li Xiang, and won the praise of American Hollywood superstar Schwarzenegger in a pole event to the United States. In August, Jiang Lei was invited to Israel to serve as a judge for the local pole competition, and in October this year, Jiang Lei will also compete in the World Pole Championships.
Jiang Lei (left) performed brilliantly and won Schwarzenegger's (right) praise. Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
"When I stand on the podium again and again and watch the five-star red flag rise, I know that everything I give is worth it, and I will be with steel pipes for the rest of my life."
In addition to participating in competitions as an athlete, Jiang Leihai has been invited to serve as a guest performer in pole events or participate in referee work many times. In 2019, Jiang Lei founded the Unique Pole Star Championships (UPSC) in Changsha, providing a platform for more pole enthusiasts to show their style.
The UPSC competition founded by Jiang Lei in Changsha has been successfully held for three times. Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
Promote the power and beauty of steel pipes in Changsha
After graduating from university, Jiang Lei returned to Hunan and founded Jiang Xiaojing Dance Studio in Changsha.
"The reason for starting the studio was that I wanted to have a place where I could practice dancing at any time. Slowly, I realized that I should shoulder my responsibility and sow the seeds of the steel pipe movement in Changsha. Jiang Lei said that he wants to pass on the things that harvest happiness, health, and growth to more people, so that more people can discover different beauty in life through steel pole sports.
Jiang Lei stretched with the students. Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
In the early days of entrepreneurship, Jiang Lei did not have much funds, the only way to publicize was to pull the stage of the mobile steel pipe every week, to the subway entrance of Wuyi Square for street performance, and distribute leaflets to people, occasionally some passers-by came to ask, Jiang Lei explained enthusiastically, insisted on street performance for several months, Jiang Lei slowly accumulated popularity and began to recruit the first batch of students.
Many friends have advised Jiang Lei to give up, find a 9-to-5 job to work properly, or follow the public to teach some mainstream dance, but Jiang Lei's dream has always been in his heart, allowing him to go through the initial difficult entrepreneurial time.
Jiang Lei teaches movements to the trainees hand-in-hand. Photo by Jiang Lei
"Up to now, I don't have too many students in each session, on the one hand, because of the limitation of the size of the venue, on the other hand, I also pay more attention to the quality of teaching, I must ensure that every student who studies with me can succeed."
Nowadays, the rise of short video platforms has given Jiang Lei more platforms to share the beauty of steel pipe sports and transmit steel pole sports culture, and he is very happy to upload teaching and his own dance videos to Kuaishou and WeChat Channels, and many netizens are also amazed after watching them.
In 2023, Jiang Lei (middle) once conducted pole coaching for Xie Xin (left) and Zhifu (right), who participated in the program "Sister Riding the Wind and Waves". Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
Jiang Lei has always believed that his love for steel pipes can allow him to overcome all difficulties, relying on his achievements and persistence, and strive to show the positive image of steel pipes to the public, and change the prejudice of the outside world on steel pipes bit by bit. As a teacher with rich dance experience, Jiang Lei tries to break the barriers between men and women in the field of steel pipe and break the prejudice of the world through dance teaching.
"Recently, I have been trying to make teaching materials for pole teaching, hoping to teach more people the sport of steel in a more specific way through my own experience. As a steel pipe practitioner, this is my interest and my responsibility. Jiang Lei said.
Jiang Lei (right) poses with domestic young dancer Li Xiang (left). Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
The courage to persevere
At the beginning of his business, because he was worried about the opposition of his family, Jiang Lei did not tell him that "I am engaged in steel pipes".
It was not until 2015, a reality show "Mother's Concern" on Hunan Satellite TV, that the family discovered that Jiang Lei had been active in the pole movement.
Jiang Lei's program poster when he participated in "Mother's Concern". Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
Just when Jiang Lei was worried about the revelation of the matter and worried about criticism from his family, his family gave Jiang Lei the greatest support.
"Through that episode, they thought I had achieved a little bit in pole sports, and the show showed my confidence and health, and it touched my family. So, they didn't oppose me, they just asked me to pay more attention to safety. ”
On the road to entrepreneurship, his mother gave Jiang Lei the greatest support. Photo courtesy of Jiang Lei
Jiang Lei said frankly that when he decided to devote himself to the steel pipe world, the sound of the outside world was inevitably harsh and noisy, but fortunately, with the support of his family, Jiang Lei had the courage to persevere, no matter how hard and tired he was, he would not give up, and Jiang Lei could have no distractions, devote himself to the cause he loved, and find wings to fly freely in his own sky.
The love of steel pipes and the persistence of his family are the reasons why Jiang Lei is where he is today, and his progress and achievements not only bring self-confidence and achievements to himself, but also inspire his students to learn from him.
Jiang Lei (right) teaches in the studio. Photo by Dai Anxin
Jiang Lei seems to be a warrior who always moves forward, always sticking to the road of steel pipe training; His perseverance and determination allowed him to transcend his physical and psychological limits and become an elegant and skilled dancer on the poles; He exemplifies the strength of perseverance with his actions and becomes an eternal example in the hearts of everyone.
"Steel pipes are a bridge that connects people's inner world. Participation in steel pipe is not limited to age, gender, body shape, as long as you love it, you must break prejudice and follow your inner choice. I still have dreams in the world of steel pipes, and I have to realize them slowly. ”