Moncton pole dancer raises awareness for domestic violence on the national stage

WATCH ABOVE: A Moncton pole dancer is raising awareness for domestic violence on the national stage. Global’s Shelley Steeves reports.

MONCTON – A Moncton pole dancer is raising awareness for domestic violence on the national stage.

Twenty-three-year-old Justine Rickard has only been training as a competitive pole athlete for two and a half years. Last weekend she brought home a national title at the Canadian Pole Fitness Association in Ontario.

“A lot of stereotypes around pole dancers. I am okay with the term but I understand that a lot of imagines come to your mind when you think of pole dancers,” she said.

But Rickard breaks that stereotype with each breathtaking performance. With the artistry of a dancer and the strength of an athlete, she performs moves on the pole that seem to defy gravity.

Rickard’s coach Michelle Cirullo says what sets her apart from other pole athletes is her artistry. Born with a curvature in her spine, there are some moves that Rickard can’t physically perform.

But Cirullo says she makes up for that through her emotional performance.

“It is not enough to just look at the audience you need to connect, like suck them into your performance and she is really good at that,” she said.

That’s because Rickard likes to perform to songs that tell a story. At the nationals, she chose a song pertaining to domestic and intimate partner violence.

“I study psychology and I am a feminist and those issues are kind of really important to me,” she said.

Rickard says she finds strength through pole dancing, to fight for women’s rights and dispel all the misconceptions associated with her sport.

“A lot of like suggestive little eye winks or something like that and I just shoot them down.”