Through pole dancing, Helen “Shimmey” Gratch ’19 has become her “most evolved self.”

By Jana F. Brown

In an August 2025 Instagram post, Helen Gratch ’19, better known as “Shimmey,” shared her latest performance reel. A classically trained dancer, she’s spent the last five years focusing her artistry and athleticism on a more specialized form of movement, pole dancing. 

“I’ve made a path for myself and others to follow that I am so proud of,” Shimmey wrote. “Pole quite literally changed the trajectory of my career. Get over the voices in your head and just go for it.” 

At times over the last half decade, Shimmey has found herself questioning whether she’s optimizing her years of dance training, but then she considers the progression of her work, and feels nothing but gratitude for the niche she’s carved out for herself — in a niche industry.

“When I realize what I’ve done with pole and why I’ve been successful, it’s because of all those years of dance training,” Shimmey explains, “Pole was actually the natural progression for me. I believe when you can zero in on one thing and commit to that, sometimes that’s where the real success is. It doesn’t mean I’m not a good modern dancer or a good hip-hop dancer; it means I’ve found the medium that best showcases my hybridity.”

Post high school, Shimmey planned to move to New York to become an apprentice with the Parsons Dance company, but an introduction to opportunities at USC Kaufman by Professor Seleemah E. Knight, who came to her high school in Chicago, ultimately made her change course. Months later, Shimmey became a pioneering member of the inaugural class at the dance school.

Shimmey’s rise in the entertainment industry has been unconventional. Rather than traditional auditions, her career has been built through social media discovery and direct bookings through her @shimmey.gratchet Instagram handle. 

“Instagram is this living, breathing résumé,” she explains. “Someone should be able to go to your page and know if you’re right for the job or not.”

Her Instagram presence has led Shimmey on a journey from the pole studio to the Super Bowl and around the globe. Grammy-winning singer Victoria Monét offered Shimmey her initial breakthrough gig, reaching out through Instagram to recruit her as a coach on pole technique for Monét’s “Smoke” music video. 

The team of another Grammy winner, R&B artist Usher, found Shimmey’s profile and invited her to perform in his Super Bowl LVIII halftime show. That job led directly to a spot on Usher’s European tour, where Shimmey showcased her pole talent in Paris, London, Berlin, and Amsterdam. She’s particularly proud of her efforts to highlight pole’s inherent artistry — and difficulty — on Usher’s tour, which celebrated Atlanta’s club culture of dance, pole, music, and skating. Through her high-profile performances, Shimmey has joined the movement of bringing pole dance to mainstream entertainment. 

Her path to a pole specialty was launched during her junior year at USC, when Shimmey started go-go dancing at clubs in West Hollywood. Leading up to that, Professor Moncell Durden had introduced Shimmey to the hip-hop freestyle world of Los Angeles, developing her skills outside the bounds of choreography. 

Shimmey’s love of performing in intimate spaces, combined with the joy of spontaneous movement, transitioned her from high-energy go-go dancing into the burlesque world, where she performed solo shows in self-bedazzled costumes. As the 2020 pandemic began to relent, Shimmey was taking heels classes in L.A. but felt she could push her body more. She’d always wanted to try an apparatus and soon discovered that her pointe training translated directly to dancing in high platform shoes; her ballet technique and transitions were important for flowing between pole moves and lines; the modern dance positions appeared in pole work, although under different names; and the musicality and freestyle training honed from hip-hop all worked together in harmony. 

Four months after starting pole classes, Shimmey landed her first professional opportunity. She brought her pseudonym, “Shimmey,” to the stage, carrying on a nickname given to her by Professor d. Sabela grimes, who along with Durden had introduced her to hip-hop at USC. While celebrating pole’s mainstream moment, Shimmey also emphasizes the importance of acknowledging its origins. 

“Pole is from the strip club,” she says. “I am a pole practitioner, both in the studio and in the club. One thing I learned while at Kaufman is that the best way to understand a movement is to go to the source and give credit where credit is due. I’m able to craft a career out of an art form that was founded by a marginalized and unfairly scrutinized community.” 

Rather than distancing herself from those roots, Shimmey believes in recognizing that the commitment required for pole is identical, whether someone learned it in a club or a studio.

“Pole is really hard,” she adds, “so I think it’s funny the hate it can get because I’m like, ‘You go try it.’ It takes the same dedication.”

Now teaching at an established pole studio and continuing to book television and film work, Shimmey has found her calling. She’s joined SAG-AFTRA due to extensive work on set, including an appearance on the HBO series “Hacks” as a featured pole dancer, and has additional projects in the pipeline. It’s all an indication that the entertainment industry’s need for pole dancers is growing. 

For the last year, Shimmey has been working for Boss Lady Entertainment, headed by Shante Broadus, wife of rapper Snoop Dogg. That collaboration includes regular performances at the newest DTLA venue, “The Players Club,” as well as a variety of promotional and entertainment events surrounding West Coast hip-hop music culture.

Instead of focusing on correcting misconceptions, Shimmey encourages respect for her art. She believes any remaining resistance comes from people’s internal conflicts about sexuality and femininity rather than actual misunderstandings about the art form of pole itself. For now, Shimmey appreciates the freedom and individuality pole offers. 

“I don’t wish I’d found pole earlier,” she says. “I found it at the right time, when I was ready to take that on and become my most evolved self.”