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Natasha Wang on The View
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@ Poleprincess I agree with what you said and it being dance and not prostitution. I don't do all the @$$ shaking that most of the girls at my club do. I don't think that is classy at all. When I teach the class at work for the new girls I make it a point to tell them that they should only have maybe 30 seconds worth of booty shaking in their whole routine, which is 8 minutes long, and encourage them to try different things on the pole more.
I am not saying I do the pole tricks to make money, I am saying a lot of people come up and tip me because I do them, and tell me they are tipping me for my skills. I look at it as an art form, and a, very proud when someone comes up to me and compliments me on my skills. While, sure, there are trashy girls that I have worked with, I keep it real. I let men know that I am not going to act like anything other than myself if I sit with them. I am the fun girl with the funny personality that you can have a real conversation with. I am what you call an entertainer. A stripper take all of her clothes off, including her thongs. I do not.
I am in no way taking anything away from what people that do this for sport or fun. It has done amazing things for my body, as I am sure it has done for everyone who is on here. And I am not mad about people thinking my job is a crock. I just think that if people could see what we all do weather it be for sport or money making purposes they would understand that if done the right way it is beauty, grace, agility, and stamina not to mention training and pure muscle that makes all of us able to do the amazing things that we strive to perfect. and that in itself is beautiful!
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Natasha Wang's performance was spectacular (tho the cradle was plain foolish to teach!) and it showed the strength required to pole perfectly. My mum (who knows i pole dance for fitness and perform on occasion for charity nights and competitions and tries really hard not to disapprove) thought it was amazing due to the athletic and balletic technique. She's not a fan of some dancers who she feels 'oversexualise' their performance. But this is the point; there are different aspects to pole dance that some people like more than others, just like in other forms of dance, music and entertainment there are aspects that people like and dislike. I loved Natasha Wang's 2 minute routine, but I love Felix and Alethea and so many others for different reasons. I respect everyone and anyone who has the guts to perform, whatever and wherever their performances may be. Would i love to be strong and elegant??? hell yeah! Would I love to be strong and sexy? hell yeah! Would I love to have the confidence to bare my body in front of a room of strangers? hell yeah!
There are some in the pole community who would like to deny and cut links to stripping and exotic dance but they should be realistic. It's a history and a link that cannot and should not be erased just because it's seen as 'unsavoury.' Going forward, we perform in the style best suited to our tastes and personalities and we try to educate the world around us that pole dance is a legitimate form of dance and fitness, whoever the audience and whatever the outfit.
What annoys me most is this; people who complain about strippers, lap-dancers, exotic dancers rarely criticise the male consumers, without whom these styles would not be economically viable.
society still has such a long way to go in MANY ways.
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I agree with a few people on this forum. It's really a shame that, to get accepted to the general public, we are almost forced to disassociate stripping and pole dancing, almost shaming people who strip. I have a friend who strips, and I don't think there should be shame in it. Although, I've told my parents about pole dancing, and showed them a few things, and they are very supportive of it, but I feel I'm stepping on some odd territory if I were to put anything about poling on my facebook or telling my 2 grandmas (which has been proved difficult). It's a shame, because I am very proud of what I do with poling, and it's a big part of my life. I'm sure many of us polers feel the same way, and I hope after more of these great pole performers get coverage on tv, it will one day be much more accepted.
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I thought Natasha did an exquisite job representing the althetic grace of pole on National television and I'm very grateful she side-stepped the whole "stripper controversy" (which, btw, almost always gets brought up on tv and drives me insane because it sometimes takes over the entire show). She almost even corrected them by using the word "exotic dancer and, well, I just found Natasha's presence very professional and charming.
I was surprised at the cradle-spin lesson. That move took me almost six months just to be able to lift/tuck into properly without bruising my hipbone or looking like a dying sloth, haha! Then I remembered that some moves come more naturally to others. (for instance, my first real move was a very ungraceful CKR) Maybe the cradle spin was the first move Natasha learned, or maybe she was just trying to show how difficult pole really is, or…possibly…she felt the fireman spin has been tried-and-true on tv for so long that it was time for a new move to take the beginner spotlight. lol
I don't really know what to think of the whole publicity and "coming out of the closet about pole" thing. I have very mixed feelings about it because it seems like once you make it politically correct and it becomes big name business they take the heart and soul out of it. It becomes something other than the pole dancing I know and love because you have to cater to the masses and give the people what they want. I'll say right now that, when it comes to pole, I CAN NOT DO THAT because this is my shelter from the masses and that bs way of judging and thinking. So, it seems, there goes my dreams of ever being recognized by USPDF, you know? Possibly not an entirely bad thing but, still, it would've been nice to feel it was at least possible for me to get on that big ol' stage and give it my all.
Anyways, I may add to this topic later. I've had a lot of thoughts and feelings about this. Still, I would like to congratulate and thank Natasha for her beautiful performance on "The View". That had to be very nerve-wracking and she took to it with a very natural, professional attitude the entire time. 🙂
♥~*Serzi
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