Digital Dance Dome: Crypto Combat Meets the Pole

Joe Mahavuthivanij, the driving force behind “Twerk From Home” (TFH), is setting out to revolutionize exotic dancing, much like Dana White did for mixed martial arts. He envisions a future where twerking is recognized and respected as a legitimate athletic pursuit.

The competition is set to launch with a $10,000 prize awaiting the ultimate twerk champion. The TFH event brings together dancers worldwide, who will showcase their skills in online twerk-offs.

Viewers can actively participate by supporting their favorite dancers with virtual “gifts.” According to Mahavuthivanij, 100% of the proceeds from these gifts will go directly to the performers, and the dancer accumulating the most gifts will be declared the winner of each round.

For those looking to add some extra excitement, the sportsbook Bet105 offers betting opportunities on the competition’s outcome. Moreover, in response to banking restrictions often encountered by performers, TFH offers the option of receiving payments and purchasing gifts using cryptocurrency.

TFH will be hosting weekly live-streamed events in the run-up to the grand finale on October 4th.

Mahavuthivanij shared with Decrypt that his inspiration for TFH stemmed from encounters with exotic dancers in Las Vegas and a desire to address the challenges they face. His aim is to improve their “legitimacy and professionalism.”

Mahavuthivanij explained, “Seeing the UFC legitimize and professionalize combat sports made me think we could combine things and leverage their learnings. I threw all of these ideas into a blender and TFH emerged.”

The journey of mixed martial arts wasn’t always smooth, with the UFC now looking to host an event at the White House. MMA was once banned in 36 American states, with Senator John McCain famously branding it “human cockfighting.” It was only after the introduction of weight classes, the banning of dangerous techniques, the implementation of judges, and the creation of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts that the sport gained mainstream acceptance.

Unlike traditional competitions, TFH’s winners will be determined by the audience.

“We see how this can be viewed as a popularity contest, at least initially,” the founder conceded. “We aren’t pioneering this model. Shows like [‘American Idol‘] involve the audience choosing who advances. It’s an interactive experience.”

Numerous twerking and exotic dance contests already exist.

International Twerk Champions hosts a series of local events that feed into an international final. These competitions, categorized by style, are evaluated by professional twerking instructors. This ensures informed judgement, mirroring how the Olympics employs qualified judges for sports like rhythmic gymnastics.

Mahavuthivanij asserts that existing organizations like International Twerk Champions lack consistency, have smaller prize pools, and suffer from limited viewership. He aims to address this by hosting frequent TFH events.

While International Twerk Champions uses expert judges, Mahavuthivanij hopes to gradually incorporate expert commentary to help viewers understand what to look for, adding depth to the competition and preventing it from simply being a popularity contest.

Mahavuthivanij added, “Once people start to understand what they should be looking for, we can evolve to a level of objectivity.”

Recognizing the widespread stigma faced by exotic dancers, the CEO intends for TFH to expand beyond twerking into other niches after this initial tournament. He highlighted the alarming trend of dancers having their bank accounts closed, an issue that has affected the broader sex work industry. To combat this, TFH provides the option of cryptocurrency payment.

“If I’m honest, building this has exposed me to the same stigma they face daily,” Mahavuthivanij told Decrypt. “This has been here forever, and I think it is about time we provide legitimacy for it.”