Celebrating beauty in every body

Plus-size pole classes create a space for students to explore movement and build confidence

Fringe ArtsJayde Lazier — Published October 21, 2025 5 minutes

At Milan Pole Dance Studio, the pole isn’t just a prop—it’s a symbol of empowerment.

The studio’s plus-size pole dancing classes redefine the rules of who belongs in the spotlight. For students, these classes aren’t just about exercising, but about celebrating their confidence, challenging preconceived notions, and exploring a type of self-expression that embraces every curve.

Milan introduced their plus-size pole classes a few years ago, becoming the first studio in Montreal to introduce these inclusive classes. Milan also tries to offer plus-size merchandise at the studio and ensures that they have purchased poles, hammocks, hoops and even plastic chairs with different body weights in mind.

“This initiative demonstrates our commitment to creating a safe space for all,” says Isabelle Lê, studio manager at Milan. “Our teacher, Annie [Roy], is among the few plus-size pole teachers in the pole community. We trained her in-house and ensured that our entire staff is equipped to support students of all sizes.”

The concept came from Catherine Beauchemin, a teacher at Milan, who noticed that in her first few classes, students expressed frustration about how their size prevented them from completing certain moves in the way the studio traditionally taught. 

After a long conversation with photographer Julie Artacho, an activist who centres their work around deconstructing fatphobic-centred biases, Beauchemin proposed creating a class specifically designed for plus-size students.

“I started teaching because I wanted to share with as many people as possible all the great things pole brought into my life,” Beauchemin says. “It didn’t make sense to me that this experience would only be available to a certain body type.”

Research shows that pole dancing can promote body confidence, but that more competitive contexts can often promote rigid body expectations and fail to foster a safe and inclusive space for dancers. 

“Just by being there and attending higher-level classes, I help in deconstructing biases, stereotypes or misconceptions about people who live in bigger bodies,” Pronovost says. “We are strong, we are flexible, we are disciplined, we just take a different route to get to that point that someone in a regular body will reach.”

Audrey Incendiaire, a student at Milan, once quit pole dancing because she didn’t think her body fit the sport.

“When I started, I felt inadequate in my body, and then when I restarted years ago, it was the
same time that they started doing the plus-size pole classes at Milan, and it felt nice, it felt like we started a community,” Incendiaire says.

This community includes Sarah Pronovost, another student of the plus-size classes at Milan.

Pronovost also acknowledges the difficulty in taking that first step and trying something new, like pole dancing as a plus-size person. She says that despite the inclusive and welcoming environment, it can be hard to shake years of stereotypes and preconceived notions that society has placed upon plus-size people.

“It’s hard and it’s going to take time, but everybody can do it,” Pronovost says. 

Pronovost, who has a very athletic background, has advanced to the higher-level classes through her continued dedication, but still notices that people often seem surprised by what she can accomplish just because she is in a bigger body.

“Just by being there and attending higher-level classes, I help in deconstructing biases,
stereotypes or misconceptions about people who live in bigger bodies,” Pronovost says. “We are strong, we are flexible, we are disciplined, we just take a different route to get to that point that someone in a regular body will reach.”

 Roy aims to keep alternative paths and adaptive techniques in mind for all of her classes. She began as a student in Milan’s plus-size pole dancing classes, but her passion and skill quickly stood out. Within a year, the studio manager and original teacher of the plus-size classes asked her to train as an instructor, and she has led the class ever since. 

“The goal was to make the plus-size pole gym class even more accessible by having a plus-size
teacher,” Roy says.

However, many studios in the city don’t put in the same work as Milan to guarantee accessibility. 

Incendiaire says she feels like the pole dancing community needs to have more plus-size teachers because representation matters. At first the plus size classes were taught by a thin teacher but then when a plus size teacher took over “ it felt even more like a safe space,” says Incendiaire. 

For her, seeing plus-size teachers having success in this sport allows plus-size students to feel more comfortable walking in the door and trying something new. The increased comfortability allows students to grow in ways that they may not have thought was initially possible.

“When I do pole dancing, I love that I’m doing something with my body, I’m proud of myself,”
Incendiaire says.

This feeling of accomplishment is reaffirmed by both Beauchemin, who first started teaching the
plus-size classes, and Roy, the current teacher. Through their adaptive teaching methods, their students are able to feel motivated.

“If we want to switch things up, the change needs to happen on a deeper level,” Beauchemin says. “I personally needed to question my view of bigger bodies in general, and then bring that deconstruction into my pole teaching practice.”

Roy also emphasizes the language she uses in class. 

“I talk about bodies or body parts in a very neutral way and focus on what it is supposed to do or
feel and not what it looks like,” Roy says.

Roy teaches her students to build their movements from the basics, encouraging them to progress at their own pace.

Milan, and their teachers, are the reason why students like Pronovost and Incendiaire can have a safe space to feel comfortable exploring their strength, beauty and athleticism, regardless of their body.

“Their bodies do not define their worth,” Roy says. “Their bodies are capable of incredible things. Being different is a strength, not a weakness.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 46, Issue 4, published October 21, 2025.