Netflix Doc Strip Down, Rise Up Looks at How 'Raw Beauty' of Pole Dancing Can Help Women

Alexia Fernández
·2 min read

Netflix's upcoming documentary, Strip Down, Rise Up, is introducing audiences to a new, unexpected way of healing.

In a PEOPLE exclusive look at the trailer for the film, directed by Michèle Ohayon, a group of women come together to overcome past traumas and fears by learning how to pole dance.

"I made Strip Down, Rise Up to celebrate women who transform from victim to victors through the beautiful, sensual art of pole dancing and movement," Ohayon tells PEOPLE ahead of the film's release on Netflix on Feb. 5.

"I wanted to show through my lens, that sensual dance is for every body type, shape and ethnic background," she says. "My film gives a voice to a diverse group of women, their power, their pain, their reclamation, their raw beauty, and offers a much-needed positive message of women stripping down shame and taking ownership of their sensual, feminine being in order to rise. I truly hope it will inspire others to move into movement."

RELATED: Jennifer Lopez Shows Off Her Pole Dancing Physique in a New Clip of Hustlers

The film reveals how women struggling from loss, trauma and shame restore their self-acceptance.

"It's not about feeling pretty, it's about feeling powerful," one of the film's subjects says in the trailer. "I want some of that."

Another woman featured in the doc, says, "I'm 50 years old, and I'm a widow. My goal is to climb the pole."

In an emotional clip, a third woman reveals, "When I was younger I was sexually abused. I don't know who I am," while a fourth says, "I believe that I danced my way through cancer."

Shot by an all-female crew, Strip Down, Rise Up also features several pole dancing instructors who encourage their students to pursue the artistry of pole dancing.

Strip Down, Rise Up is available to stream on Netflix on Feb. 5.

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