The Collective |

PHASES was born over dinner and drinks with friend and co-creator, Laurel Carroll. We shared the desire to build a wider appreciation for pole dance, and to satisfy our own craving for pole performance opportunities. What began as the notion to produce a single show developed into the creation of a Pole Art Collective.

We are Polers, Humans, Artists, baring our Souls through physical Expression in the polerSphere. 

Identity |

It was vital to create a clear brand identity that would communicate who we are.

The PHASES acronym summarizes the core tenets of our vision for a dance community and platform for artistic expression.

The Manifesto |

We wrote a manifesto to serve as a North Star in communications and decision making. Being a collective meant carefully cultivating an inclusive and supportive atmosphere, advocating for our performers, and encouraging feedback on all fronts of our efforts.

A is for Art |

Creating a strong hero image to launch our collective was a priority. Our “A-shot” stemmed from a preference to shift away from typical pole dance and exotic entertainment branding. We chose an abstract approach that highlighted our equality as partners. The shot shows us supported by the pole and each other, creating a shape that reflects the “A” in our logo and acronym, putting Art front and center.

The Logo |

A circle was a central theme for PHASES.

The foundation of pole movement is based in circular physics. 

“Sphere” closed our acronym, PHASES, which by definition is: a section of society or an aspect of life distinguished and unified by a particular characteristic. The idea of a sphere embodied the essence of our collective, which is open to any humans who are pole artists. 

Additionally, we were inspired by cycles and the various ways cycles, circles, and spheres show up in nature. This guided not only our logo, but also motivated our show themes. 

For the logo’s initial design, Laurel and Alison patiently allowed me to doodle on napkins as we discussed these points and the desire for a logo that could play differently in various spaces. I wanted something that could adapt to take on any situation, theme, reason, or season.

Alison referenced 17th century celestial maps and astronomy, leading to discussions of orbits and rotations and how they could apply to a logo and represent PHASES in an esoteric way.

Executive Producer: Laurel Carroll

Graphic Design: Alison Pond

Photography: Ty Boespflug and Gus McTigue