Nuns to Ride Stripper Poles in Madonna’s Upcoming ‘Rebel Heart’ Tour

Madonna’s “Rebel Heart” tour doesn’t kick off until September, but the singer gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at her rehearsals on Monday with a pair of videos posted online.

In the first video, set to the pop star’s new song “Devil Pray,” footage of Madonna practicing her dance moves is intercut with nuns riding on stripper poles, a flamenco band tuning up and shirtless men throwing white sheets in the air.

The second video reveals more of what looks to be an impressively complex stage setup, with dozens of prop-holding dancers perched atop an elaborate set to the tune of Rebel Heart’s “Iconic.”

Madonna’s international tour begins with a sold-out September 9 show at Montreal’s Bell Centre before winding its way through major North American cities. She’ll play the UK and Europe in November and December before embarking for Australia in February.

In other Madonna-related news, the singer recently defended Jay-Z’s fledgling music streaming service Tidal, of which she is a co-owner.

“It’s just the beginning, so we’re working out a lot of kinks and hopefully we’re going to build something unique and amazing that’s going to attract a lot of people,” she told the Associated Press in an interview.

The streaming service has been beset by problems since its celebrity-studded launch earlier this year, including the departure of two CEOs and a perception among the public that the company’s biggest celebrity stakeholders and proponents – Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Deadmau5, Usher, Jason Aldean – are doing little to help amateur artists.

“It’s important that people understand we didn’t create Tidal, we didn’t put this together, we didn’t all join forces because we’re broke and we want more money,” Madonna told the AP. “The idea is we want to support other artists and we want people to understand this is our heart, this is our work, and we want people to recognize that and we want other artists to have a chance.”