Pole pas de deux

Pole pas de deux

Thursday, March 21, 2013

No Offense Intended, I'm Going for Sexy/Artsy


I have to admit that the more time I spend in pole dance, the stronger I feel about the sexy side of pole. Less than a year ago I tended to have a stroke anytime someone said, "Bring back the sexy." I took it to mean, "Women Only." I no longer dance at the little studio that was more about the dance and less about the tricks and sexy. I've come to a fork in the road and I've decided to head on over to the sexy, artsy side of pole and never look back.

I maybe a guy, but I feel the need for emotion and expression. I feel art in movement. I'm getting away from over fifty years of, "Boys don't cry." Empowerment is becoming an overused buzzword in pole. But dancing expressively from deep inside is my revolt, and my rejection of the conventional male box where I used to live. If you would like to call that "empowerment" I'm ok with it. There is a power and sexy in artistic dance. 

This past January I took a  series of pole classes that were designed for men. It was called Acro Pole and most of the men in the class were married to women who also pole danced in the studio or knew female pole dancers from their involvement in parkour. We worked on pole tricks. The guys were great. The atmosphere was fun, and hilarious at times. Contrary to popular myths propagated by "Women Only" pole studio owners it didn't turn into a penis comparing contest. I enjoyed the class and really respect the courage of the studio owner.

However, something was missing and I felt it when I would finish a move. I've very conscious of lines and the way I connect the pole moves. The first time the entire class was working on basic inversions the guys were just lowering themselves down the pole into a handstand or rolling over on their shoulders. For me some things are just muscle memory now. Without thinking I inverted, hooked my outside leg, slid down a little, put my hand on the floor, tucked under my arm, and spiraled my body around the pole. Amber Richard taught me that dismount years ago. To my surprise a few of the guys noticed and complimented me.  Some of the guys were so strong that in the second class they were able to go straight into an Iron-X or reverse a shoulder mount. I have spent most of my time in pole with women and I was amazed at the way men could go from a fireman spin to reversing shoulder mounts in two weeks.

But I found myself wanting the studio to be dark so I could put on some really emotional music and dance. I wanted to feel. I felt like the kid stuck in school on a warm spring day. When do we get to freestyle teach? When I dance I never get feedback on the way I actually do a certain move. The feedback is always about musicality or the story I'm trying to tell. I look at pictures taken of me during performances and I find myself looking at them and thinking, "Is that really me?"

I've come to the conclusion that I really don't want to see how long I can hold a flagpole move or spend hours smashing my legs into the pole trying to figure out the brass monkey. I'm driven by the music. I like having women compliment me on my expressiveness and grace. I looked at the scoring system that has been proposed by the IPSF a few days ago. It was then that I knew that my pole style was much better suited for dancing with the lights down low and Scotch straight up. I know that I have more in commen with women who say things like,

Fuck yoga. I want to drink whiskey and dance to Alice in Chains. ~ Alethea Austin

I don't do tricks, I just do pretty stuff. So, deal with it. ~ Amber Richard

We need to address the issue of sensuality, the inherent value of the sexiness of the movement before we can defend it as nothing more than a form of fitness. ~ Claire Griffin Sterrett

9 comments:

  1. I LOVE this and agree on two major points: a) the word "empowerment" is totes overused in the pole community... and b) turning the lights down and letting the emotions flow through a dance is the best medicine (oh, almost forgot Scotch!) I've ever known. It heals my hurts and amplifies the joy in my heart. Who knew. Cheers to those of us who are obsessed with the sexy art of it! And God help us describe it... ;)

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  2. Well, pole dancing is just plain sexy/sensual, even when people choose to deny that. I really enjoy reading your blog and FB posts!! My blog seems distinctly out of place on your blog list, but I like the company I keep here!

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    1. Thanks Chuck. You have always been outside the stereotypical scientist box. You would be surprised to know that a lot of pole dancers are chemists, physicists, physicians, mathematicians etc. I'm glad I can share this journey with a friend who has been with me from the beginning of my career as a meteorologist.

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    2. I'm totally with you on embracing the sensuality of the art! But I do have to say that this woman likes a man who moves like a man. Personally, Steven Retchless does nothing for me. On the other hand, Evgeny Greshilov keeps his dancing very masculine, and I'm still moved when I watch him. I think there's a balance to be found. I find beauty when a male gymnast performs strength maneuvers on the rings or the pommel horse (or whatever else), connecting them smoothly without becoming feminine. Masculinity is damn sexy!

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    3. That's not really so surprising. The stereotypical scientist is not a very good match for the people I know. The good ones usually have a strong interest in something very artistic and creative. For me, it's visual arts. A lot of excellent science comes from very intuitive folks!

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  3. I was all about the tricks when I first started to pole dance and then drifted towards the sexy of it. I'm still very self conscious when I dance but then again I've never danced with a bottle of Jack. Maybe that's what I should do.
    Keep up the great posts, I'm loving them xoxo

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  4. Thank you! I really appreciate your comments. There are so many things about dance that are difficult for me to express in written word. Most of my life has been spent doing technical writing in scientific publications. Dance is very intuitive and right brained.

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  5. Hello Bob,

    Thanks for this post and for your dancing. I'm a 54 year old woman who just started pole dancing at Vertical Fusion up in Fort Collins. I saw you dance at the show on April 17 in Longmont and of all the performances, yours touched me the most. I'd been struggling with being the oldest person by decades in my classes, and how my body has changed as I age, and suddenly there you were and what you did was beautiful, and it carried a depth of life experience that I could relate to.

    Your dance invited me to accept myself just as I am, and to go ahead and enjoy my own version of the dance. So thanks. I really appreciate your courage and grace!

    Kathy

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    1. Thank you Kathy! I hope we get a chance to dance together in the next Showcase at the Dickens. Each dancer brings something special to all of us when they dance. I look forward to seeing you dance soon.

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