Heavy Metal Dancers

"Heavy Metal Dancers" is a documentary about five diverse people with the same hobby: pole sports. The athletes are Finnish, but their stories are universal. For them, it is not just a sport. It has helped them to accept their imperfections, to deal with difficult experiences, and to find their path.

Pole dancing is not an easy activity. It requires strength, bare skin, flexibility, and high tolerance to pain. The skin rubbing against the pole, adds more bodily imperfections and gives space to a new way of thinking about yourself, your body, and what matters to them.

The stories of the protagonists in our film vary from an insecure woman who slowly discovers her true calling and comes out of her shell to a man breaking all barriers and stereotypes. The training is hard and most of them do it out of excitement and passion but for others, it has become their true calling. For all of them, it has been something that has changed and shaped their lives, taking some of them from cramped living rooms to World Championships.

The ultimate purpose of the documentary is not only to shine a light on this aesthetic and high-risk sport but also to redefine the way the audience views their own body and the meaning their body has in their lives since usually, the biggest limitation to our goals lies not in our body but in our head.

Source: 55th Hof International Film Festival