Flying pole artist Vladyslav Tszarov may be the most perfect specimen of a human I’ve ever seen. His strength, grace, and skill have made him a celebrated performer in the European circus and entertainment industries. Although I have witnessed some true feats of pole-related strength by young men busking their little hearts out on the NYC subway, I confess I never really thought of pole dancing as a particularly athletic activity, but apparently it’s both a sport and an art form. Who knew?

I always thought pole dancing was something that had to happen inside on a stage, but at times, Tszarov brings it to the great outdoors, hanging the pole by chain from trees, bridges, or whatever is handy. The pole is then loose on the bottom end, which seems to enable him to do some pretty wild things on it.

You can follow Vladyslav Tsarov on YouTube and Instagram.