Fawnia Mondey Gets in Pole Position

By Brjden Crewe

Pole dancing sure has come a long way.

Quick story time: The year is 1998. I’m a teenager growing up in Chicago, Illinois, and I’m visiting my aunt’s house. Along with raising two teenagers of her own, she had a 22-year-old college student — my older cousin — whom I’d come to visit one evening.

When I walked into their home, I heard my aunt and my cousin arguing passionately, throwing words and phrases around like “stripper pole” and “it’s just a class,” or at least that’s what my memory still holds. My cousin had been offered a free class for a new kind of workout where you could learn to striptease and dance on a pole, which apparently was great for your stomach, core muscles, legs and arms. From what my cousin had been told, it would be a great workout.

Did I mention that my aunt was a devout Christian? I digress. In short, my aunt would not let my cousin take the free class because of the stigma associated with pole dancing. That wasn’t a workout! This class was created to teach young women how to be strippers! My aunt’s words, not mine.

Fast-forward to 2026. On a late summer evening, a guest and I walk into Gipsy Las Vegas for Taste the Show, hosted by Fawnia Mondey — the world’s first pole dance instructor and founder of Pole Fitness Studio. On this night, we were invited to watch some of the most renowned pole fitness instructors on the planet dance (and spin on a pole) in front of a packed house filled with fans and pole fitness students alike. Many came loaded with dollar bills, ready to make it rain on each performer throughout the evening.

Taste the Show featured a dance pole set up in the middle of Gipsy Las Vegas, between a seated couch area, full bar and DJ booth with a stage. Each performer entered the show one at a time, dancing, flirting and teasing their way through the audience for cash tips and the crowd’s attention, which they received plenty of. With more than 10 performers, each curating their own dance set with music and lighting, Taste the Show offered a range of vibes for attendees to enjoy, from pole dances set to hard rock to slow, sensual R&B. Each set showed the power of pole dancing as a form of fitness and confidence, with every performer commanding the eyes and, in many cases, the loins of everyone in attendance.

The night wasn’t just about pole dancing. Taste the Show was also a charity event supporting The MELiSSA Foundation, with ticket sales and tips collected throughout the night donated to the foundation. The audience members were more than happy to contribute. The show was also dedicated to the memories of Christopher Omar and Jamilla Deville, both of whom were very close to Mondey and her Pole Fitness Studio family.

Mondey has created something great with Taste the Show. It’s about expression. Creativity. Freedom. And it was performed by some of the greatest athletes you’ll ever see express themselves, which is a testament to Mondey’s Pole Fitness Studio. It’s a great way to work out and find the “sexy” within you.

And to wrap up this story, remember the aunt I told you about earlier in this article? She took a pole dance class with her girlfriends last summer. You know, because she heard that it was a good workout and a great way to gain confidence in her body and sexuality. [Metaphorically inserting eye-rolling emoji here.]

Pole dancing sure has come a long way.