There is a moment every pole dancer knows. The music starts, the lights shift, and something that felt like training becomes something else entirely. Not everyone gets there - and most people don't know why.
Sophia von Rosen does. I first came across her work through the pole community and when I reached out, she said yes immediately. Sophia is a performer, studio founder, and the creator of Pvssy Carousel - Germany's most talked-about travelling pole dance show. We sat down for a conversation about presence, performance, and the things most coaches don't say out loud.
I learned a lot. Here is what stayed with me.
What is Pussy Carousel - and why it is not a competition
Sophia founded Pvssy Carousel after a simple realisation: the pole dance world had competitions, studio showcases, and very little in between. She wanted a professional stage for performers at every level - without fees, without a jury, and without the pressure of being scored.
Inspired by London's legendary The Pxssy Parlour Cabaret run by Kitty Velour, Sophia brought the format to Germany. The first show sold out. So did the second, and the third. Pvssy Carousel now travels across Germany with a full 2026 calendar already locked in.
"I believe artists shouldn't have to pay to be seen," she told me. "Especially newcomers - they often don't have the resources, but they have so much to say."
The result is a show built on expression, not comparison. Performers range from first-time stage dancers to seasoned teachers and competition winners. The only thing they share is what Sophia calls the pvssy energy - the desire to be seen, to connect, to own the moment.
I know that feeling. Last year, Sway turned ten. We organised our own show to celebrate - our first - and watching people in the audience who had never seen a pole performance before, a couple who had driven from another city just because the poster caught their eye, I understood exactly what Sophia was building. That spark when a room full of people realise they are watching something they have never seen before. It is hard to manufacture. Sophia has figured out how to do it, every time.
Stripper style vs old school pole dance - what is the difference?
If you have been in the pole community for any length of time, you know the tension. Stripper style - heels, floor work, sensuality, musicality - is where pole dance came from. It is not a sub-genre or a trend. It is the origin.
Sophia is direct about this. "The old school stripper style is the origin of pole dance. It's not just a trend - it's where it all started. For me, it's about the energy, the heels, the musicality. Teasing the audience. Being super hot and really owning the space."
She also taught me something practical. In marketing and on social media, she prefers the term old school pole dance rather than stripper style - not to erase the roots, but to protect the space from Instagram censorship and attract the right audience to the posters. We had a good laugh about this. Those of us who know, know. The rest will find out when they arrive.
The philosophy underneath both terms is the same: ownership. You decide how you show up. You decide how hot you want to be. The stage belongs to you.
How to get stage presence as a pole dancer - Sophia's 3-point framework
I asked Sophia the question every emerging performer carries: what is actually holding people back? She gave me three clear answers.
1. You do not have to do it alone
"Get a teacher who can help you make it easier. It's still your performance, your choreo - but you have someone who can give you the right direction." Sophia said something the pole community rarely says openly: having a choreographer, a coach, or a director is not cheating. Dancers in every other discipline work with collaborators. There is no prize for doing everything yourself.
2. Self-doubt is lying to you
"The question 'am I good enough to be on stage' - the answer is yes, right now." You do not need a Bird of Paradise or a Russian Split to perform. You need something to say and the willingness to say it. "Don't wait too long. Just do it" - not as a motivational poster line, but as practical advice from someone who has watched hundreds of performers hold themselves back by waiting until they are ready.
3. Level down your tricks - and connect
This is the one most people need to hear. "Performing is not dancing your choreo. It's giving the audience a feeling." When a performer is thinking about what comes next, the audience feels the disconnect. The fix is counterintuitive: do fewer tricks. Make them cleaner. Use the space between movements to actually look at the people watching you.
"If you have to think about your choreo while performing, level down your tricks. Connect with the audience. Give them your energy, feel their energy back. That is a performance artist."
The feeling over the trick
Pvssy is a feeling. The phrase appears on Sophia's shirt and on every piece of Pvssy Carousel branding - and it is a genuine artistic philosophy, not a tagline.
The idea is this: the confidence, sensuality and self-possession you feel while pole dancing does not have to stay in the studio. It belongs in your ordinary day. The show exists to give that feeling to an audience, many of whom leave wanting to start pole dance themselves.
I recognise it from my own early performances - the blackout on stage, the choreo disappearing, the strange experience of coming down from a show I barely remember. "You still have to perform," Sophia said. "You cannot have a weird face and be like, I don't know what I'm doing. You should look like you know exactly what you're doing." That level of stage fluency only comes with time and repetition. But knowing it is a process - a long one, a hard one - makes it easier to start. No one arrives at it on the first night. Not even the people who make it look effortless.
Stage ready - what to wear when the music drops
Sway is a proud sponsor of Pvssy Carousel, and when Sophia and her guest star Sedusa Swan chose their looks.
Sophia chose in the Temptress Strappy Top V2 in Champagne Gold paired with the Giselle High Waist Shorts in Champagne Gold - the full Lustre set, woven lurex catching every stage light. Sedusa Swan chose the darkness in the Arlene Multi-Way Bikini in Starry Night, a transformer piece with multiple strap configurations that lets you rebuild the look for every performance.
Both pieces are made from ECONYL® regenerated nylon - constructed to hold through inverts, floorwork and full stage movement without losing shape or shimmer. That is not a coincidence. I design for exactly these moments.
Stage Ready - Shop the look:
Temptress Strappy Pole Dance Top - Champagne Gold - Triangle design, soft cup, woven lurex, double-layered. The Sway signature top since 2015, now refined.
Giselle High Waist Shorts - Champagne Gold - High waist, thong back, woven lurex that holds its shimmer through hundreds of washes. Machine washable.
Sedusa Swan's look:
Arlene Multi-Way Pole Dance Bikini - Starry Night - Inspired by pole legend Arlene Caffrey. Triangle cups, multiple hoops, extra-long straps. Wear it four ways.
More stage-ready pieces from Sway:
Naomi Bodysuit - Women - The decade-long Sway classic. High-cut leg for grip, double-layered, adjustable straps. Available in multiple colourways.
Naomi Bodysuit - Men - The Naomi architecture redrawn from the ground up for male proportions. Not scaled - redesigned. ECONYL® and bamboo viscose.
Temptress G-String Thong - Men & Women - Diamond front, twin hip straps, woven lurex. The full set for the stage.
Unisex Amber 4-in-1 Convertible Harness - Full body harness, strappy crop, bralette, or layer over any bodysuit. Unisex. ECONYL® with nickel-free hardware made in Poland.
All pieces handmade in Gdańsk from ECONYL® regenerated nylon. Ships worldwide.
Where to see Pussy Carousel
Pvssy Carousel performs across Germany throughout 2025 and 2026. Upcoming shows include the Underground edition in Stuttgart - think techno clubs, dark themes, bass you can feel in your chest - with the full 2026 calendar already in place.
Follow Sophia for show dates and casting calls: Instagram: @sophia.von.rosen Website: sophiavonrosen.de
The stage belongs to anyone willing to show up. That is the real lesson from Pvssy Carousel - not a formula for stage presence, not a trick count, not a costume checklist. Just the decision to be seen, fully, on your own terms.
Sway was made for that moment. The one before the music drops.
- Agata
