Sapphic Erotica in Pole Dance

Manipulating the Phallus

Abstract

From the perspective of a lesbian creator and performer, who has worked professionally in pole dance for ten years, I reflect on my acclaimed solo show, Barely Visible (2021), to highlight how my process of metamorphosising the symbolic and metaphorical phallus has allowed me to stand firm in my lesbian sexuality on stage. The text emphasises the empowering and erotic potential of a woman in charge and how expression of sexuality emerged, not because of stylised feminine aesthetic, but by the creative actions I took as a gay woman.