Nina Alexandridou isn’t afraid of taking big swings in life.
And as a disabled pole dancer, the millennial often takes those swings around the pole with the support of her wheelchair.
“When I do pole dancing, I feel beautiful,” Alexandridou, 28, a PhD candidate from Athens, Greece, exclusively tells The Post.
Nina Alexandridou has routinely pole danced in and out of her wheelchair for the past 10 months. TikTok/@_ninancia
“I feel free to make mistakes and challenge my body with extreme movements and poses.”
Viral visuals of her seated and assisted swirls around the shiny stick have scored upwards of 8.3 million TikTok clicks.
“I believe that this dance connects you with your body completely,” she said, “and constantly challenges you to surpass your personal limits.”
Alexandridou chose not to disclose the nature of her impairment to The Post, but says “I have been disabled for as long as I can remember.”
She’s in the number of athletes quashing ableist prejudices worldwide.
As an mobility-impaired athlete, Alexandridou trains in pole dancing and CrossFit on a near-daily basis. Instagram/@ninancia_
Much like the jocks of the 2024 Paralympics, such as paralyzed Canadian hokey player-turned-rower, Jacob Wassermann, 24, Alexandridou uses her talents as both a pole dancer and CrossFitter to break down barriers of exclusion in the world of sports.
Twelve-time world pole arts champion Greta Pontarelli, a 70-something from southern California, previously told The Post that their preferred pastime is rooted in inclusion.
“Pole dancing has something for everybody,” said the age- and gravity-defying grandmother. “It’s a sport that takes so much flexibility and strength.”
Through the help of her teachers and classmates, Alexandridou’s pole dancing skills have improved since the dawn of the year, Instagram/@houseofpole.jc
Alexandridou initially gave the pole a swing about 10 months ago.
“At first, it was quite difficult and I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it,” she admitted. “But I was determined.”
Under the tutelage of instructors Dikaia and Christina Papadimitriou at House of Pole, Alexandridou — alongside her fellow able-bodied and disabled classmates — is treated as an equal, rather than a handicapped outlier.
“I had quite a few limitations in the exercises because many of them require functional use of the legs,” said Alexandridou. “But my teachers constantly looked for modifications or different poses for me to succeed.”
“I kept improving each time.”
“At first, it was quite difficult and I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it, but I was determined,” says Alexandridou. Instagram/@houseofpole.jc
And it doesn’t hurt that she’s trained as an adaptive CrossFit jock for the past eight years.
“CrossFit is the reason I wake up in the morning,” Alexandridou gushed. “I managed to become the first disabled CrossFitter from Greece to compete in a European CrossFit competition.”
The pink-haired powerhouse is currently prepping to contend in the 2024 Wodeclona games — billed as the most inclusive international CrossFit competition in Europe.
But her trailblazing feats aren’t always appreciated.
“The most common negative comment I receive is that I’m pretending to be disabled or that my impairment isn’t that significant,” admitted Alexandridou, who can stand and walks with a cane.
Alexandridou credits CorssFit with changing her life. Instagram/@ninancia_
Alexandridou tells The Post that folks often misjudge her ability to walk. Instagram/@ninancia_
The athlete hopes to break down barriers in society by promoting education and inclusivity. Instagram/@ninancia_
“I don’t blame them for thinking this way because they don’t understand what disability is,” she said. “What happens to my body is my impairment, and it’s not something alien that needs to be explained— it’s part of human diversity.”
“The fact that I can walk doesn’t mean I can’t use a wheelchair,” added the inclusivity educator. “The wheelchair doesn’t confine me. It’s a tool of dignity. It’s my emancipation.”
It’s also not what makes Alexandridou an inspirational icon.
“I don’t want to inspire others just because I’m disabled,” she insisted. “I hate inspiration porn — the objectification of disabled bodies to inspire non-disabled people.”
“If I can inspire you in any way, I want to inspire you to help reduce [ableist] barriers,” added Alexandridou.
“Let’s create a society that doesn’t exclude anyone based on how they look, think or behave.”
