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Probiotics by Day, Pole Art Gold by Night: The Valencia Engineer Spinning Tales of Home
In the morning, she puts on a white lab coat and develops probiotics; in the evening, she trains on the pole. Belarusian Alla Punko, who lives in Valencia, won the international Pole Spain World Art Championship in the Professional 40+ category in the Spanish city of Jaén.
She performed to a song in the Belarusian language, and her entire routine was dedicated to the complex topic of emigration.
La Cotorra spoke with Alla about how working as an engineer blends with pole dancing and how a personal story about Belarus unexpectedly brought victory on the international stage.
Alla found out about her victory on her way home: without waiting for the results to be announced, she left Jaén for Valencia right after her performance—ahead lay a five-hour drive and a working Monday.
"We watched the award ceremony live on stream. It was funny to see my trophy being placed on an empty podium right where I was supposed to be standing," Alla says.
The idea for the routine came after a trip to Belarus, which unexpectedly turned out to be emotionally much harder for Alla than she had anticipated. Due to closed borders, the journey home took almost two days one way. During this time, the familiar feeling of "I'm just going to visit my parents" was gradually replaced by a sharp realization of how strong the connection to home remains, even after many years of living abroad. Meeting her parents and loved ones, the familiar streets of Minsk, hearing the Belarusian language all around—all these emotional experiences formed the foundation of her future performance.
Later, she accidentally heard a song by Belarusian singer Palina, who also lives abroad, and instantly knew she wanted to dance to this composition.
"I was deeply touched by this song because it captured exactly the feeling I hadn't been able to put into words for a long time. You live a fully settled life in another country, but at the same time, you are constantly thinking about home. It’s such a subtle and painful feeling when your heart lives in two places at once," Alla says.
In the storyline, the routine's protagonist seems to return home—into a space of memories, language, and familiar sensations—and then wakes up, realising it was all just a dream.
A vital part of the routine was the video projection accompanying the performance. According to Alla, the idea came from a video editor friend—the return home was depicted as the flight of a swallow from the song. In the finale, the protagonist wakes up, and a bird flies into the open window—a symbol of the connection to the homeland that never fades, even from afar.
The International Pole Spain World Art Championship is considered one of the most prominent international competitions in pole sports. It attracts athletes of all ages and skill levels: professionals, amateurs, teens, master-level athletes, and even children.
According to Alla, modern pole dance combines elements of acrobatics and dance aesthetics, and more and more people are starting to see the complexity, diversity, and beauty of this sport. However, there are still those who perceive the pole purely in a sexualized context.
Pole sports entered Alla's life at the age of 35, when she already had a career as a process engineer and emigration behind her.
«I got into this sport by accident—I went to a trial class with a friend who later quit training, but on the contrary, I fell in love with the dance. I always found it boring to just go to the gym and pump iron. Here, there's a story and a meaning», — Alla shares.
At the same time, she continues to work full-time as a biotechnological engineer and says she never wanted to pit her industrial job against dancing. One complements the other: her engineering background brings the ability to methodically work on a single element for months, while pole dancing adds creativity and an imaginative approach to her laboratory work, often helping her find out-of-the-box solutions.
In reality, engineering and pole sports have much more in common than it seems. In both fields, everything relies on a systematic approach. You can be as inspired as you want, but you won't pull off a complex element in a single day. You have to constantly repeat, analyze, and understand how the body works.
Alla
Her colleagues at work know what Alla does after her main shifts: they follow her Instagram, keep up with her performances, and watch her new videos.
"Everyone reacts very warmly; there are no side glances or inappropriate jokes. People are mostly surprised by how physically demanding this sport actually is," Alla says.
The history of pole dancing is much richer than commonly thought. Its origins trace back to Chinese circus acts and Indian acrobatics, where elements of pole work were used centuries ago. Later, the pole became part of the show culture in the US, and by the 2000s, it began transforming into an independent sport with international federations, judging systems, and major championships. Today, it is a distinct discipline with various styles: sport, art, and exotic (dancing in heels).
According to Alla, attitudes toward pole dancing are gradually shifting—it is gaining popularity and has long moved far beyond club culture. When Alla moved to Valencia four years ago, there were only a few pole sports schools in the city, but now there are around ten.
"I want to emphasise the synergy between dance and sport: working with aesthetics, musicality, and feelings that find expression in movement," — Alla says.
This is the exact approach to pole dancing she plans to promote in her own pole sports school, which will soon open in Valencia.
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