Tinora Kawakubo, 27, practices pole dancing at a dance studio in Shanghai, China, May 9, 2023. Popularised in 1990 by a hit Madonna song and the documentary, ‘Paris is Burning’, the trend has drawn adherents in China too, with Shanghai’s first such event organised five years ago. “The reason many people come here is not just to have fun,” said Tinora. “They might say they are escaping an environment that doesnot allow them to express themselves.” REUTERS/Aly Song