Magnificent mascs: showcasing masc presenting and identifying students at Sky Sirens.

Words by Maya Hart | Images by Suzy Lafosse, Elixir Black and Katia Schwartz

The enticing world of aerials, pole, burlesque and erotic dance are traditionally perceived as very feminine in nature, but the delightful thing about dance, is that it is for everybody. We can take whatever combination of masculinity, femininity and androgyny we like and incorporate it into our rhythm and flow. I wanted to help break down misconceptions and stigma in the industry by shining a light on the masculine presenting and identifying students at Sky Sirens. I sat down with a handful of Sky Sirens’ magnificent mascs to hear their experiences at Sky Sirens.

Spanky is sitting in a lyra wearing a grey shirt that says “poundcake” and is cropped above the belly button. He is also wearing black tights with white upside down crosses

Introduce yourself.

My name is Spanky, and my pronouns are he/him/his. I’ve been at Sky Sirens for a few months. I am doing Lyra classes!

What attracted you to Lyra?

I’ve done pole for a few years, and it became really stale. I wasn’t getting anywhere, and I took a break to get top surgery. Top surgery scarring had made it difficult to move, and the teachers I trusted had moved on. But, a friend of mine came to Sky Sirens a while ago and has been flourishing here. I always thought that I couldn’t do Lyra, but I wanted to give it a go.

What is your experience as a masculine student at Sky Sirens?

Sky Sirens exceeded my expectations. I was nervous as it is a fairly feminine atmosphere. I am aware that as a trans man, I have more passing privilege than I am comfortable with - so I am always a bit uncomfortable in places like this because I don’t want to be an intruder.

But everyone has been very welcoming, and very chill. Everyone is universally welcoming in a way that I hadn’t seen in other studios. Nobody cares. Previously, I was always aware that I was an outsider.

Sky Sirens is one of those things you’re looking for, but don’t know that it is what you’re looking for until you find it. Inclusion is a core value here, and it is one of the most appealing parts of it.

Spanky is posing in front of a Lyra shirtless. He has top surgery scars on his chest and a big beard.

Spanky is posing in a mermaid position in the lyra wearing black leggings with white crosses.

Alex is posing upside down in a lyra wearing a mesh crop top and harness

Introduce yourself.

My name is Alex, and my pronouns are he/him. I work as an art director in marketing. I was originally from London and moved to Australia five years ago. I’ve been doing Lyra at Sky Sirens since July last year. I am currently doing Sapphires Lyra!

What attracted you to Pole and Lyra?

I’ve been doing pole for eight years. I had so much fun in my first class! I didn’t start out physically fit – in fact, the most amount of sport I enjoyed was wii tennis – so I found it invigorating to find something physically good for you and fun at the same time.

I tried a handful of Lyra classes and something attracted me to it – the way it forces you to move your body differently.

I also loved that it gives you instagrammable content from your first class!

What is your experience as a masculine person at Sky Sirens?

Everyone has been so welcoming and accommodating. It’s been great! It wasn’t a surprise to me; it was made quite clear when I arrived at Sky Sirens that everyone from all walks of life are welcome here - and I really appreciated that. I’ve made friends out of my time here.

The perception of men doing this has changed a lot over time.

In the UK, I was the only guy in my pole class. I would call up studios to see if they allowed men into their classes.

Over the past decade, perceptions of Pole have changed massively as it has been brought into the mainstream.

The stigma will always be there to a certain extent, but we can help alleviate that by being more visible in these spaces.

Alex is posing in a star position on a white lyra wearing a black mesh crop top and black yoga pants.

The stigma will always be there to a certain extent, but we can help alleviate that by being more visible in these spaces.

Introduce yourself.

My name is G, and I am comfortable with all pronouns as long as they are respectful, but when it doubt use they/them. In German language, there is no gender-neutral pronoun, and everything is gendered – so in Germany, I ask for he/him and she/her pronouns. I am non-binary, and sometimes it can feel like I am wearing drag when I play with my gender expression.

This is my third term at Sky Sirens, but I started learning pole four years ago. At Sky Sirens, I am doing a wide range of classes like, pole, lyra, burlesque, vixens…

What attracted you to these classes?

My first apparatus was pole.

I think what initially drew me to it was seeing how wide the range of expression it allows: Femme and masc. Slow and fast. Wearing heels and dancing seductively, or keeping on my sneakers or wearing socks and expressing myself through lyrical dance.

Tell me about your experience as a masculine person at Sky Sirens.

Being a masc student at Sky Sirens feels like a non-event in the best way. I can just be. I don’t need to explain myself. I can present myself as masc as I want to be on a certain day. I can, week in and week out, be flamboyant but if I suddenly decide to masc it up – no one bats an eye. How I look has zero impact on how people treat me.

I can just be. I don’t need to explain myself. I can present myself as masc as I want to be on a certain day.

I honestly like that Sky Sirens is not a traditionally masculine space. I rarely felt comfortable in “boy clubs”. I think the variety of expressions and dance styles at Sky Sirens is bigger than at other studios where I have learned pole, aerials and dance. And while I do love all sorts of expressions, sometimes I wish I could have access to classes or workshops to “masc it up” a notch

Kayson is posing next to a white lyra. They have facial hair, and a black shirt with a green monster on. They are smiling.

Introduce yourself.

My name is Kayson, and my pronouns are he/they. I do lyra, and I am currently in Emeralds. I was doing Pole, but my body wasn’t happy with it, so I have had to take a break.

I keep messing up my knees, so I am unable to do Sling anymore. I also do fans!

What attracted you to these classes?

I did dance growing up since I was eight, but at seventeen I injured my knee and stopped exercising. I had a friend who was already doing classes at Sky Sirens, and they asked me to come.

I wanted to get back into exercise and do something, and aerials seemed close to that. It was sporty without being super bloke-y.

What is your experience as a masculine person at Sky Sirens?

It’s definitely been interesting! It took a bit to get used to everything. It is also the most super overtly femme thing that I have done in a long time. It was a bit awkward, but everyone is here and it’s great.

It can be very sexy, which is still a bit out of my comfort zone, but everyone is super chill.

I don’t think I get any second thoughts for being masc here (except from other mascs being really excited to see another person like them!)

Kayson is posing in a white lyra doing a pushout. They are wearing a black shirt, black leggings and emerald green velvet boots. He has a small pony tail and facial hair.

Kayson is posing in front of a high-rigged lyra. They are wearing black leggings, shirt with a green monster on the front and emerald green boots. They are looking to the side.

I don’t think I get any second thoughts for being masc here (except from other mascs being really excited to see another person like them!)

Sam is posing in a black and purple shirt against a pink pillowed wall. He has his arms behind his back and he is smiling. He has short brown hair.

Introduce yourself.

Hi, my name is Sam and my pronouns are he/him. I’ve been a student at Sky Sirens for about two years. I started out in Babydoll Pole, but moved onto to Sling.

What attracted you to the apparatuses?

I first got interested in trying Pole out because my partner bought a pole for herself! I thought it looked fun and wanted to try it. I started taking classes, and then saw Sling – I really wanted to give it a go!

I ended up loving it, so I kept at it.

What is your experience as a masculine student at Sky Sirens?

It feels a bit like being invited on a girls night out! It is a feminine space, and I sometimes can feel like the odd one out. The nature of the industry is quite feminine, traditionally. It’s quite different to what I am used to!

I am a former MMA fighter. While MMA is working to be more inclusive of women, and Queer people, the field is still very male-dominated. It’s a very different atmosphere than Sky Sirens!

I didn’t come to Sky Sirens to bro down.

Being a masculine student at Sky Sirens feels a bit like being invited on a girls night out. It is a feminine space, and while I can sometimes feel like the odd one out, it’s still welcoming.

I want to acknowledge that when I come to Sky Sirens, I still have a position of privilege – I never have to think about my safety.

So feeling like the odd one out here, as a straight man, is very different to the experience that women and Queer people may have when entering MMA environments. I always feel welcomes and accepted into classes.

I love the aesthetic and atmosphere here, and I definitely don’t want it to change!

Sam is posing in a red sling, wearing black leggings and a purple shirt. He has short brown hair. The sunlight is catching his face.

Sam is posing in a red sling in a cradle position. He is wearing a black shirt with purple edging, and black yoga pants. He is smiling.

What We’ve learned: embracing the learning opportunity to improve inclusion at Sky Sirens

During these interviews, I asked each student to provide me with any feedback on how we can improve the inclusivity of masc presenting and identifying students at Sky Sirens. Here is what we learned.

Workshops and Classes

We learned that a lot of our students are interested in exploring their masculine expression and identity through classes and workshops provided by masc instructors - everything from masculine-style erotic dance to street style aerial classes. We’ve taken this feedback on board, and are looking into masc presenting instructors for workshops at Sky Sirens.

Retail

Our students informed us that they would love to see some more gender-neutral and masculine style clothing in the parlour. We have recently expanded our store, and ordered in some exciting gender-neutral styles and colours of activewear! We’ve also made an exciting purchase of more traditionally masculine accessories, like chest harnesses, to add to our store.

Visibility

Our masc students let us know that they didn’t see people like them on our social media. This was one of the reasons we wanted to do this blog – to get beautiful photos of masc-identifying students that we can share on our social media. But, we need to make sure our efforts don’t end here -so we are making a continuing, conscious effort to make sure that our masc students feel represented in our media.