A pole dancer who went viral for performing at a senior center says her mom booked the gig for her

• Embla Bergli performed a pole dancing routine at a senior center in Oslo, Norway, in April.
• Bergli shared a TikTok video of her performance, and it went viral with over 20 million views.

Embla Bergli, 27, was working as a full-time software manager in Oslo, Norway, when she decided to start professionally training to become a pole dancer.

She told Insider that she was inspired during a trip to Greece, where she saw a woman climb up on a pole at a bar and do some "insane tricks."

"The whole bar turned to look at her, and it looked so fun, I got inspired and started training as soon as I got back home from the trip," she said.

After almost four years of training, Bergli decided to leave her corporate job and become a full-time pole dancer.

"I was starting to get bored of my 9 to 5 life, and pole dancing had become a great passion of mine," she said. "I want to follow my dream while I'm still young and go all in to see where it takes me."

Since she started pole dancing as a career, Bergli said she's performed at parties and events for a younger crowd. But in April, that all changed when her mom asked her to perform at a senior center called Majorstuen Seniorarena for some members of a mental-health organization that she helps run.

Bergli said her mom wanted the members to have a lot of fun at their spring party since the Christmas one was canceled due to COVID.

"My mom wanted some spectacular entertainment for the party, so she called me," Bergli said. "It was a very cool experience and different from other places I usually perform at."

On April 6, Bergli posted a TikTok video of her performance at the senior center, and it went viral. It had 20 million views at the time of writing.

Bergli told Insider that she stayed for about an hour after she did her routine, watching the senior citizens attempt to pole dance themselves and even signing autographs. The latter is not something she usually does, she said.

"The seniors absolutely loved it and were excited to try it for themselves after my show," she said. "They were more playful, grateful, eager than most crowds, and sober," she said, laughing. "Many of them asked if I can come back and teach them some moves."

Bergli said seeing her TikTok post go viral has been overwhelming, and she knows that some of the seniors in the video have loved their newfound fame.

"I'm a performer and like the attention, so absolutely keep 'em coming!" she said. "Most of the seniors don't use the internet, but I know that some of their family members have shown them the video and told them about it, and they think it's very cool and exciting."

Although she was planning on going to Ibiza to perform at several clubs (pole dancing isn't very common in Norway, she said), Bergli joked she's now thinking about a senior-center tour instead.

Representatives for Majorstuen Seniorarena did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.