Luo Lan, 39, didn't quite fit into her science-loving family and bounced from job to job until she found her calling as an entrepreneur. During a trip to Paris, she was entranced by the beauty of pole dancing, and soon founded the Lolan Pole Dancing School in Beijing. But, wait! Because of the less-permissive sexual culture in China and a lack of cultural touchstones that identify this as lascivious behavior, Luo is marketing it as just dancing. And to be honest, without the nudity and sexual objectification, it can really look pretty amazing and athletic. In fact, if you do it 40 feet off the ground and utilize a rope and a French accent (and keep slightly more of your clothing on), many people call it Cirque du Soleil. [New York Times]