CHILDREN as young as seven are pole dancing in a trend that has sparked outrage among family groups.

Pole fitness classes held in Sydney use poles to perform strengthening and flexibility exercises for teens and pre-teens.

But critics have condemned them as "sexualising young children" and risking exploitation by paedophiles.

Pole dancing has spread from strip clubs to Hollywood and beyond, popularised by Tinseltown celebrities such as Kate Hudson, Teri Hatcher and most recently Britney Spears in her latest video clip.

Eleven-year-old Angela, who does up to three classes a week to gain strength after an illness, said she was much fitter.

"It's really fun and you get to learn a lot of different moves. People think it's pole dancing but it's not. It's great exercise," she said.

Mother Julie yesterday defended allowing Angela to take the classes, insisting it had increased her fitness and confidence after she was diagnosed with coeliac disease earlier this year. She added she stays and watches her daughter each class.

"It's not slutty or anything. I've seen pole dancing on TV and they don't do anything like that here," the 42-year-old said. "It's building up her strength after she got ill and it doesn't put too much pressure on her muscles. She's much stronger, healthier and more confident."

The Australian Family Association said the classes were inappropriate. "There are plenty of exercise tools out there. Why choose a pole, the classic phallic symbol of the pornographic world?" spokeswoman Angela Conway said.

"By putting children in a pole dancing exercise class you're teaching children a sexual body language that they don't know the meaning of but adults do," she said.

Canterbury's Pole Fitness Studios owner Angela Perry said the classes did not teach children to pole dance but used the pole as a fitness tool.

Ms Perry said PFS did not teach dance routines and instead moves derived from martial arts, gymnastics and the circus.

Participants dress in casual shorts and tops and go barefoot during the classes.

"It's a shame people do not realise they are separate because it's depriving a lot of people from having fun with their fitness," she said.

Australian Federation of Parents and Citizens' Association head Sharryn Brownlee said: "Normally the P&C supports any sort of fitness regimen to help kids get healthy but with the reputation of this industry, parents need to be very careful."

News Limited

And now a group of dancing Poles....