Even in her 50s, Sabine Christine is head over 8-inch heels in love with pole-dancing.
And despite being deemed “the worst slut on earth” by her north New Jersey neighbors for flipping, splitting and swinging around a sleek, stainless steel cylinder, the 55-year-old married mother of two has no plans to hang up her sky-high dancing shoes anytime soon.
“I can do everything in my heels. They’re like my second feet,” Christine, a German-born transplant living in Glen Ridge, NJ, told The Post of the exotic acrobatics she effortlessly executes on the pole.
The former writer, now a two-time world-champion pole performer, first swapped out her 9-to-5 duds for platform footwear and a skintight two-piece in 2010 at age 43. She had previously trained for years in classical ballet, but had to put that more conservative form of dance on pause after suffering a fracture in her foot.
“After my injury a friend of mine who’s an aerialist suggested I look into pole. And I really got hooked on it,” she explained, noting the sport’s physical and emotional benefits.
“It’s definitely changed the way I see myself and my body,” added Christine. “Learning all the special techniques and exotic moves makes me feel so strong and free.”
One of her favorite tricks is called the hands-free jade split, a maneuver in which she hangs upside down suspended in the air in a full split, using only her leg and core muscles to balance.
Nailing that move and others like it has earned Christine bragging rights as one of the few women over 50 in the US to win back-to-back gold medals in 2017 and 2018 in the Masters 50+ division of the Pole Sports & Arts World Federation championship, an annual tournament of pole athletes and artists. In 2019, her body-twirling talents also took home the silver trophy at the World Sports Games, which is an international matchup of athletes who compete in genres that aren’t recognized by the Olympics.
She considers her age to be her secret weapon on the pole.
“I never talk about my age, so people don’t even know how old I am,” laughed the cheeky contortionist, who trains at Foxy Fitness and Pole in Manhattan and works as a part-time pole instructor. “Most of the ladies I train with think I’m in my 30s. And a lot of the girls I teach are in their 20s.”
The two-time world champ is one of the many spry folks over 50 who are spinning circles around their younger counterparts.
Twelve-time world pole arts champion Greta Pontarelli is 71 years young and says that pole-dancing is a great hobby, no matter what decade you’re in.
“Pole-dancing has something for everybody, regardless of age,” said Pontarelli.
The limber grandmother from southern California scored her 12th gold medal at the Pole Art Italy World Championship in Asti this past Sunday.
“Pole-dancing is creative self-expression and it’s a sport that takes so much flexibility and strength,” she added, noting that the skill is currently being considered for inclusion in the Olympic games.
The married mother of one credits her gravity-defying athleticism with saving her from a debilitating handicap.
“Both of my sisters, who are younger, we’re diagnosed with osteopenia, which is the beginning stage of osteoporosis,” said Pontarelli of the genetic bone-weakening disorder. “That was in January 2009 when I was 59. And even though I was already active and in good shape at the time, I knew I wasn’t doing anything to load or strengthen my bones.”
But after combing the internet for bone-building exercises, she discovered what would be her solution.
“I wasn’t familiar with stripper poles or pole-dancing because I’ve never been to a strip club,” she chuckled. “But one day I saw some absolutely surreal videos on YouTube of artists doing what looks like Cirque du Soleil on the pole. It was artistic, it was acrobatic, it was passionate. And I thought, ‘This is what I want to do!’”
And mastering exotic feats like the pole deadlift, an act in which the artist lifts their body perpendicular to the pole, ending with the legs over the head, and the Russian split, a move that calls for the dancer to flip upside down, keeping one foot on the pole while the other is suspended the air, has helped Pontarelli to avoid an osteoporosis diagnosis.
However, she was still forced to undergo double hip replacement surgery in 2018 due to near-crippling damage caused from years of practicing gymnastics on cement floors in her youth.
But even after going under the knife, Pontarelli, who raced on NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior” in 2012 as one of the show’s oldest contestants, and gracefully showcased her pole prowess in the 2017 visuals for singer Miley Cyrus’ “Younger Now” hit, continues performing and competing while unabashedly wearing her senior citizen status as a badge of honor.
“Telling the world that I’m in my 70s gives other people hope that age does not limit us from chasing our dreams,” she boasted. “And if I’m blessed enough to pole-dance in my 80s, I’ll gladly share my age then, too.”
Onlookers have typically regarded Pontarelli as being cute, and not threatening or controversial. But Christine said she and her family have been castigated for her pole pursuits.
“When people in my town found out that I was pole-dancing they called me a porn star and a stripper or a slut,” said the mother, adding that kids often bullied her now 23-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son about her risqué recreation. The hazing got so bad that her son, who she chose not to name for privacy, was forced to switch high schools.
“The only resolution that I saw was to get really good at pole-dancing so that people would realize that this is a serious sport that I love,” she said. “I’m never going to stop just because some little bitches in my town are talking about me.”
