In sparkly platform heels, Benham Cobb ’26 and Alex Riggs ’26 showed off their pole dancing skills, performing fluid acrobatics as electronic music thumped through Perry Goat Room. At an event hosted by the Williams Electronic Music Society (WEMS) on Jan. 21, pole dancing found an audience at the College.
Cobb and Riggs performed for approximately two hours, switching off every few songs before concluding with a duo act. Their moves were entirely improvised, building off the crowd’s energy.
The dancers performed to a DJ set by Sebastian Quadrini’s ’28. WEMS intended to have the pole dancing act as an ambient performance alongside the set, and they encouraged attendees to watch casually while still dancing and interacting with the music, according to Riggs.
For WEMS Co-Founder Lola Weber ’26, bringing the pole dancers to the event felt like “an organic combination.”
“I think [pole dancing and DJing] are to some extent misunderstood in different ways and also really rely on improvisation and working with the crowd,” she said.
Cobb and Riggs practice pole dancing in Upper Goodrich Hall twice a week, where they also occasionally host classes on Sundays. Although they are currently operating as a subsection of the yoga club, the pair is planning to register as an official Registered Student Organization (RSO).
For both Cobb and Riggs, pole dancing is fairly new.
Cobb grew up swimming and had no dance experience before coming to the College and taking ballet during his first two years. While studying at the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford during his junior year, he attended a “Full Sports Taster” event which introduced him to the art of pole dancing.
“The movement combines a lot of different aspects I really enjoy,” Cobb said. “It kind of has the meditative, cathartic quality that yoga has … but it also has a competitive element where you can get really into calisthenics, acrobatics, and contortion.”
The University of Oxford recognizes pole dancing — officially titled “Pole Sports” — as a sport like swimming or basketball. While in England, Cobb auditioned to compete at pole dancing competition Southwest Pole Varsity 2025, landing a spot on the Oxford University Pole Sports competition team. At that competition, he won first place in the beginner catetgory. He went on to compete at pole dancing competition Oxbridge Varsity 2025, placing second place as an advanced dancer.
Riggs, who has been a silk aerialist for 10 years, had always wanted to try pole dancing.
“One of the things that I love about both silks and pole is the creativity,” Riggs said. “What I love about pole and aerials in general is that two people can do the same shape or the same sequence, and it can look totally different on them, depending on your body type, your proportions, and your flexibility, and I think that that’s really cool. Everyone can put their own unique spin on things.”
In their practice of pole dancing, both Cobb and Riggs pay homage to the community that began the art form.
“Modern pole dance originated with sex workers performing their art in clubs, bars, and pubs,” Cobb said. “It’s a privilege to practice pole safely here at [the College] without the precarity and fear of prosecution or assault that sex workers have to endure to this day.”
Late Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Gregory Mitchell was key in helping Cobb and Riggs get funding to acquire the pole in Goodrich Hall. For Riggs, having a pole on campus has made it easier for her to delve into her new practice. For Cobb, performing at the WEMS event felt like he was honoring Mitchell’s advocacy and work.
Much of Mitchell’s scholarship focused on human rights and sex work, and Cobb hopes that a future pole dancing RSO will operate in solidarity with sex workers.
Co-Founder of WEMS Silas Fleissig ’26 said the group is looking forward to doing more collaborative events bringing new experiences to the College. Next on their agenda: an “ambient sound bath,” in which attendees lay on the floor, listening to music in an atmosphere of colorful lighting.
