POLE? BabyRain

Today Niche met Sunny aka BabyRain to explore London's Pole Community, as part of our Why Do I Love? Series.

Sunny (Baby Rain) is a professional pole dancer based  in London. She’s been dancing since 16. She was born in South Korea but spent most of her adolescence in the US and New Zealand. She came to the UK for university and fell in love with London’s pole scene.

Niche attended one of Sunny’s classes and got to see her teaching style. Sunny uses such amazing techniques when explaining skills to her students and for those wanting unique choreography and to explore sensuality and expression, she currently offers London classes (timings can be found on her social media @babymadeitrain) she caters to all body types and levels. Perfect for those who want to add an extra kick to their pole abilities.

During our interview she walked us through her captivating journey so far and introduced us to her Scorpio alter ego that is BabyRain and why that persona is so important to her and the ways it’s protected her.

We dedicated a separate video to this persona and where it originated from titled 'Meet Baby Rain'

click to watch....

The full interview is available to stream across all social media platforms (19 Dec @10:00pm)

Interview summary:

1,What's the biggest misconception of Pole?

That the sexual expression you see in pole is specifically targeted to men.

Modern pole; they do it mainly to explore there own sexual femininity to the general public.

A lot of the times when you go to pole shows or burlesque shows; audiences in there are mainly women.

And I’ve never seen a man appreciate the art of pole like a woman does.

Pole being about sexuality is not a misconception that’s facts. Pole is inherently sexual; but a lot of the girls in my classes or who do pole professionally say that it’s like meditating for them and they do it to have a space to release that feminine sexual energy without risk.

2. The moment you fell in love with pole?

I had a rough relationship with pole in the beginning.

I’ve never been the most athletic person and I’d see girls who just started out get the moves that I was only just getting it was really discouraging.

But towards the end of my pole career I started to understand how much it meant to me; and I was like, I’m definitely in love.

3. The hardest thing about transitioning from hobby to professional?

A lot of people do try to put you down.

Reactions + responses:

Doing neuroscience at a prestigious university and graduating with bachelors and deciding against masters to pursue my pole career.

(She received a lot of mixed reactions and some backhanded compliments that were a bit discouraging.)

Especially from men around me when I tell them I’m a pole dancer it’s like oh…..

But it’s also women’s reactions, asking things like what are you gonna do when you get injured?

I know why they’re asking me these things.

There’s always going to be someone telling you you’re not good enough, like why are you being professional?

And even some preexisting dancers will try to gatekeep you.

People asking for free work:

I don’t do anything unless I get paid for it, or I agree with the sentiment behind it.

There was an event recently who tried to initiate being paid in tips, and they would take a small commission of 20% (of the tips)

Thankfully there’s a lot of big figures in the pole community who are trying to make that change for e.g. the Blackstage owner. And because we have platforms like that no one can set the bar lower anymore.

You can’t bargain with the dancers anymore that’s just not the way it is. You have to give us a flat fee. If you’re using our bodies, if you’re using our skills and images to sell events you have to value us for that; and if you’re not, then no one’s going to do your sh*t anymore.

4. What was the most pivotal moment in your pole journey ?

A. During lockdown I went back to Korea as they were locking everything up in London. I had been taking heels choreo lessons from DK, as she opened her own studio, one day we were watching pole videos on YouTube and she showed me this performer “Yoko” ( https://www.instagram.com/yoko_polechair?igsh=d28xazZldHVkNWl3 ) and her performance was the wildest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

It was so unapologetically sexy…. It was filthy and I was like wow. And that was the reason I got into the style I try to do now.

B. Watching Kitty Velour (https://www.instagram.com/kitty_velour?igsh=MXNvazhwdnFwd3hkZA==)

perform at Blackstage last year. That was the first time I’d seen someone do something in like that I had imagined in my head but in real life.

Like you never get to see pole performances of that scale in real life. It’s like I want to take pole to a new level in front of audiences to everyone in the world if that makes sense. But I had never been able to get a physical example of what that looks like.

And the way she plays with the audience and takes up the entire stage … it’s insane.

Full gallery and behind the scenes available on our social media pages @NicheExhibit