So in case you missed it, the Coronavirus has fucked us all over. From self-employed performers to small businesses like pole dance studios, to sex workers, the hospitality industry, and, frankly, everyone’s mental health, the virus is affecting everyone and it has shown us just how fragile our lives can be. It’s a time when we’re all struggling: we’re all anxious, sad and we’re all losing money, with some of us wondering how they’ll survive. Which is why I’d like to use this post to share what people from the pole dance, performing and sex work communities are doing to still work during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Disclaimer
This is by no means a comprehensive list: it includes people who have answered my call-outs and things I’ve seen in my network. I am happy to update it when I have time.
I would also like to add that for small and medium businesses in particular, this is a really shit time. The UK Government guidelines on Coronavirus this week mean that businesses are not forced to close, and it is therefore likely they won’t be able to claim insurance. But by saying people should avoid any non-essential travel and social contact, and should not go to places like pubs, restaurants, or gyms, the Government is essentially saying: stay open, pay your staff and your expenses, don’t earn any money, we can’t help you. Some businesses are closing already out of safety, while others are forced to stay open. This is a real tragedy.
As an Italian abroad, the Coronavirus looked real for me long before this week’s measures to contain it in the UK. The Italian response, which was looked at with concern by many at first, is actually making a lot of Italians feel safer. Here, we feel alone, confused and like the Government isn’t looking after us.
So here’s how you can support your favourite dancers, performers and sex workers and stay sane during this Coronavirus madness – with an eye on my local London neighbourhood, too.
Coronavirus Update (20/03/2020)
As of 5 PM on 20 March 2020, the Government has said gyms will have to close to prevent the Coronavirus from spreading. This means pole studios will have to close too, which gives us a more clear cut answer. The Government has also said they will have small businesses grants and help for the self-employed, which hopefully will be around for our industry too.
What Pole Dancers Are Doing To Still Teach and Dance During The Coronavirus Outbreak
Pole dance studios are small businesses that people have built with love and hard work, and that only in the past few years were starting to boom. In London so far, the studios I know – including the one I work in – have not closed but have published Coronavirus guidelines for their students.
Most teachers are self-employed which means that they can choose not to go to work, at the cost choosing between their health or ruining a relationship with their home studio while losing money. It’s a terrible situation.
For now, I am still teaching, making that the only time I leave the house. However, many pole dance instructors are beginning to offer either free online tutorials or Skype 1-1s. I’ve decided to offer those too – I’d been asked to do it even before the Coronavirus, and now seems like the right time to start doing it from my home pole room. I’m going to offer lap dance, twerk, floorwork, conditioning and pole 1-1 classes, with the latter obviously only available to people with a house pole (more info on how to set one up here). I will also be making free tutorials for people to keep their strength during this time.
And I’m not the only one. This is your time to learn from your favourite pole dancers from all over the world. In LA, iconic pole studio Sadie’s is setting up an online course for everyone who wishes to join.
Suwasit will be teaching free classes via Facebook and Instagram live.
The lovely Kitty Velour, who has sadly had to cancel her sold-out cabaret show, will be sharing her sexy wisdom through her Patreon classes.
Indi Polewear are offering a variety of free resources to stay sane during the Coronavirus outbreak. One of them is their first ever Online Pole, Movement & Self-care Retreat, a week-long program featuring amazing instructors delivering on and off the pole workshops that you can join from your home. Register your interest here and read their free flexibility guide for pole here.
The amazing Jazzy K will also be filming pole tutorials from Switzerland that you’ll be able to follow from home.
My mentor Chanelle from Twerkology Nation will also be offering online twerk classes. Make sure you give her page a follow so that you can join and find out more.
Italian pole studios were the first to shut, even before the government ordered the Coronavirus lockdown. Polers in my home country have had to get very creative, and I must say they made it. My favourite initiative so far has been the series of absolutely bonkers, random and yet fantastic videos by The Bubble Buttz, aka Laetitia Saquella and Andy Candy, who made self-isolation glam, camp, 80s and trendy. Through Facebook and Instagram lives, they taught legs and butt strengthening tutorials wearing leotards, and threw a dance party last Saturday at 11 PM honouring none other than the Pussycat Dolls.
Quarantine has never been so sexy. Polers in Italy started training at home a lot more, something I am starting to do even more than usual. Here are some of my favourite pictures and videos out there.
Luckily humour can save us…
This video went viral. And rightly so!
What Performers Are Doing During The Coronavirus Outbreak
A lot of shows have obviously been cancelled, leaving performers out of pocket and creating a lot of uncertainty for the arts industry. During this time, please keep an eye on your favourite venues’ and performers’ profile, to make sure you can follow if and whether you can support them in any other way.
London Cabaret The Bitten Peach have had to cancel their next show due to Coronavirus, but you can still support them through their Go Fund Me. More info in this post.
One of East London’s coolest venues, The Glory, has had to close too due to Coronavirus, but keep an eye on their social media for updates.
London drag queen Dolly Trolley will be offering Drag Areobics home classes.
The UK Dancers’ Network has shared some helpful guidance for dancers towards understanding how Coronavirus can affect them and what they can do about it. Follow their page for more info.
What Sex Workers Are Doing During The Coronavirus Outbreak
The sex work industry will be terribly hit by the pandemic. I have spoken to a few London-based sex workers who are facing an even higher uncertainty than most businesses.
Millie, from London, has started an OnlyFans account to try and cope with the loss in earnings due to the Coronavirus outbreak – although she says it’s hard to publicise it because of “shitty Insta policies” against sexy content. You can support her here. She says:
Coronavirus for me has meant a huge drop in the number of clients. As a dancer, I’ve had no bookings recently as I do a lot of private work like birthdays, stags etc. and strip clubs are also drying up of customers. Apparently Cheltenham races was much quieter than normal this year, which is normally a big earner for UK dancers.
I’ve heard from various friends that sex workers around the world are feeling a similar struggle due to travel restrictions, government advice on self isolating and banning large gatherings of people – for example, lots of tourism to New Zealand is from Asian countries, Miami’s Ultra music festival is cancelled, as well as the Geneva motor show, and Berlin clubs have been shut down now too.
She adds:
I’m a bit worried about online work becoming really saturated right now and it not being as profitable as it would normally be, as more girls have to work online, or people in other professions enter the online sex industry while they can’t do their normal jobs.
Luna, too, normally works as a stripper to support her studies but can’t work in clubs right now both because the scene is “totally dead” and because she has to isolate with immunocompromised relatives. She has recently started an OnlyFans where you can support her.
London’s powerhouse LGBT+ strip club Harpies has had to close, but they went out with a bang last week.
So give it a follow and support your favourite dancers from there – some of them, like award-winning performer Chyio Gomez, have an OnlyFans you can support them with.
A variety of London-based performers and organisations are also offering help about moving your work online during the Coronavirus self-isolation. Performer, activist and sex worker Victoria Rose will be offering support to help people make more money from webcamming, a guidance that she will offer for free to struggling sex workers.
SexQuisite events, too, will be offering mentoring sessions to move your work online during the Coronavirus outbreak.
If you are US-based, @Sxnoir will be creating a zine and a special podcast episode about the Coronavirus outbreak and its effect on sex workers. More info in this post.
What Hackney Businesses Are Doing
To conclude, I’m based in Hackney, which is an area full of independent cafés, restaurants and businesses. These places will be strongly hit by the economic impact of Coronavirus, and some of them have already moved to delivery-only offerings.
Others, like KUU London, will only be offering 1-1 treatments to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in crowded classes.
Others are still open, but with reduced hours and offering perks to their loyal customer base in the hope they’ll be able to collect it once the Coronavirus is contained.
What You Can Do To Help Small Businesses
This is an unprecedented situation. Nobody really knows how to deal with it, and small businesses will be really struggling. Here’s how you can help studios, teachers and performers.
- If you can, don’t ask for a refund. Most studios will be able to freeze your memberships, so hopefully that way when it all resumes, you can pick it back up. Most events will hopefully run after the Coronavirus outbreak, and allowing small businesses to keep your money might save them some hardship.
- If you can, pay your teachers for a private class of whatever you want to focus on that can be done from home. If not, there are small ways of donating – through Ko-Fi, PayPal and the like, that will be helpful, even a little bit, during this Coronavirus mess.
- Be kind. Nobody knows what’s happening. We don’t need angry tantrums because your £10 ticket to a club night isn’t being refunded in one day.
- Check in on your favorite performers, teachers, sex workers, friends. Even a social media DM can mean the world.
- Share any initiative individuals will be taking part in during the Coronavirus outbreak, especially if it helps them make money.
- Sign this petition to help all self-employed people working in our industries in the hope the government provides better support for us.
In short, Coronavirus has changed the way we live – and this is a horrible time for everyone. Because of the latest government guidelines with regards to travel during the Coronavirus pandemic, my partner and I are working from home in our respective cities which means I do not know when I will see him next. I am heartbroken, my anxiety that I had worked so hard to contain has been reignited by the situation. I feel lost and scared – a feeling that adds to the general economic uncertainty that many small businesses and self-employed people will be feeling during the pandemic.
I hope this post helps someone, and I’m incredibly grateful for all the outpouring of love and support I’ve received. Let’s make sure Coronavirus doesn’t kill that love, or creativity, or all the hard work performers, sex workers, pole dancers, studios and small businesses have put into themselves and their brand. Love to you all x
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