BIO
ABOUT
BIO
ABOUT
Donna Carnow (she/her) - is a Brooklyn-based pole dancer, aerial pole artist, national pole champion, and human pretzel-tornado.
Donna is the 2022 US National Pole Art Champion where “she POLE the show” (New York Post). Her performative abilities have been described as the “production’s true showstopper” (New York Times) and celebrated in Variety, The New Yorker, The New York Post, Theatermania, and more. Recently in world-renown Circus Flic Flac Duisburg she “performs aerial contortions that look completely unreal - all with perfect ease” on aerial pole. Other notable performance credits include Company XIV, Virgin Voyages, EUPHORIA at The Hard Rock Casino Atlantic City, and her Drama Desk award winning performance “LUST” in Seven Deadly Sins NYC (Off-Broadway) voiced by Cynthia Nixon. Donna is a resident performance artist at internationally renowned venues like The Box, The Slipper Room, House of Yes, and a regular performer in variety + circus productions worldwide.
Donna teaches pole at the infamous Body & Pole in NYC and around the world via workshops and teaching residencies. Her technique-focused classes are creatively activated by her fiery energy, anatomical knowledge, passion for her students’ growth, and her belief in the magic of movement. Originally from Chicago, Donna hails from an experimental modern dance background and holds a B.F.A in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There she discovered pole dancing 11+ years ago and fostered her love for experimentation. She shares her passion for teaching as a Master Trainer with ElevatED Pole + Flexibility Training programs and power vinyasa yoga teacher trainings (E-RYT 200).
Additional Performance credits:
Viktor & Rolf (L’Oreal), The Box, Reinard International FZE, The McKittrick Hotel, Kaleidoscope Entertainment, Reykjavik Fringe Festival, Schtick a Pole In It, Rochester Fringe Festival - Cirque du Fringe, Hupstate Circus Festival, Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady, Alternative Assembly Reykjavik, House of Yes, The Box Soho, The Stranger, Hard Rock Casino Las Vegas, Cirque Central, ELAN Artists, International Pole Convention, DROM, The Wondershow, AERA, Stage Time NYC, PoleSpeak, Pole Theatre USA, Let Them Eat Cake, Caché Life, Parlor Particular, and more.
Additional competitive titles:
PSO 2021 Northeast Pole Art Champion (Boston)
PSO 2019 Central Pole Champion (Chicago)
Showstopper
“Carnow’s dancing, however, is the production’s true showstopper. She does splits and body rolls, windmills herself around the pole and performs aerial contortions that look utterly unreal — all with perfect nonchalance.”
-The New York Times
Showstopper
“Carnow’s dancing, however, is the production’s true showstopper. She does splits and body rolls, windmills herself around the pole and performs aerial contortions that look utterly unreal — all with perfect nonchalance.”
-The New York Times
Artist Statement
Artist Statement
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a high octane pole dance and aerial pole artist that believes in the magic of movement and in the people who conjure it. My work is a vehicle for all to witness the embodiment of both strength and vulnerability; athlete and artist.
I chase the sensations of flight, swelling momentum, spiral, torque, and centrifugal force both inside my body and around a metal apparatus. Through contorted concoctions, dynamic physicality, and steely grace I pursue pathways that allow me to swim through the sky and dance in the air.