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WHERE DID THE SEXY GO????
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Natasha Wang posted this article on her fb https://www.unitedpoleartists.com/news/2013/08/featured-blog-inspired-vs-discouraged/. It's a featured blog by Sparrowhawk Isis about how shes seeing pole morph into a competition of pole power moves and fonjis AKA a gymnastics showcase and less about dance and expression which is what she originally fell in love with.
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Oh wow. WOW. I also just watched Chrystal Belcher's performance at Chem's mention… I have to say, I think there are very many definitions and interpretations of the word sexy.
And that. was. sexy.
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Ok, ok, guys. Sorry to get everyone so riled up. Perhaps I was a little strong in my language about it. I want to be clear that I appreciate all types of pole dance from lyrical to strong to tricky to whatever! And I've done routines of different styles too! I do feel strongly that it shouldn't be an olympic sport but that wasn't my main point. I was simply concerned and questions because (bringing sexy back nonwithstanding) it seems like I see less and less of the sexy style and I don't want us to lose it!
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I think sometimes in a small community like ours, it can seem all of a sudden like everything is pushing one way, or everyone is doing one thing, all at once, and that can make people panic.
I remember feeling so left out and inadequate when it felt like EVERYONE was doing silks, or hooping, or lyra, or acroyoga, in addition to pole, and I felt like the last person left who was just a poledancer and nothing more. (Yes, I was jealous.) That feeling passed when those activities moved out of the collective spotlight.
And then see what happens when someone figures out a "new" trick. Just this year I've seen Butt Superman (or sidesaddle superman as I call it), Titanic, Icarus, Phoenix and Fonji become these really popular moves, and those are just the ones I know the name of off the top of my head. For a while it was Iron X. One person gets it right and a whole crowd will follow. And that's great! But it can also feel like OMG, Everyone's doing Titanic, should I be trying that too/I'm sad I can't do that yet/etc.
So right now pole sports are in the news and getting a lot of attention, and it feels like THAT is the direction the whole movement is going… but will we feel the same in a month? Two months? Probably not, the currents will change and we'll become distracted by some other new shiny thing. 🙂 (I say that endearingly and playfully, not mockingly.)
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BTW, Cara, there is a group on facebook called stripperstyle. It is full of videos and people who still keep the sexy.
Oh, also, I did cry at Crystal's performance. I cannot even express the emotions that piece brought out in me, and that was sitting in the comfort of my own home. I would have been a wreck if I saw that in person. A WRECK!
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This is why United Pole Artists created Bringing Sexy Back! A celebration of all thing sexy in the pole dance community/industry. We felt like this two years ago which is why we started the BSB event. Did you see the latest blog entry by Annemarie Davies? The link is here: http://unitedpoleartists.blogspot.com/2013/06/bringing-sexy-back-2013-what-does-it.html
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My pole baby competed as a Professional in this same competition in Las Vegas. I traveled 2000 miles with my boyfriend squealing with excitement because he was going to see his first pole competition. I wanted to share the thrill a pole competition brings with someone that I care about… ​ We watched the competitors and then witnessed Sergia & her clown routine. She was an awesome trickster and I was so impressed by her accuracy and strength. I looked at him and realized he wasn't even engaged in what was happening on stage, and then I realized that we were not watching what had gotten me hooked so many years ago, we were watching a clown doing gymnastics on a stick and dancing around in a 2 piece bathing suit. Contemporary competitive pole dance has completely lost it's edgyness. It's a shame both for the competitors and for the spectators… I walked out of the Tropicana and went to enjoy my favorite kind of pole dancing at the http://www.sapphirelasvegas.com/ & our visit to LV.
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Marion, that's very well said! We ended up at the Spearmint Rhino!
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I love the event that Charley puts on in Michigan every year. While this year it did have a competition attached to it, the main attraction is the showcase. There were 2 showcases this year because of the amount of people who signed up to perform. You had everything from people who had just started pole to those that have competed and are well known. They even had 2 vagina monster races that day. I think I cried and laughed and screamed my heart out during those performances. I am not a huge competition person. While I appreciate the hard work that all of the ladies put into their routines it is something entirely different to watch someone get up there and just ooze sexiness. One of my girls from Cleveland who does not do a lot of pole tricks got up there in a negligee and oozed and grinded and screamed sexy. I will never forget Layla's routine for as long as I live. And how can anyone forget the lap dance that Dayanara got! I hope that the event lives on for years to come as it is just SO MUCH FUN. This is the reason that I back showcases and I can tell you that at events like this there is a TON of sexy going on! The after parties are even more off the hook. Nothing like a bunch of people who do not understand what is and is not "appropriate social behavior" out in a bar doing body shots and hand stands and booty popping and dirty dancing….oh my.
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Every art form has variations. For example, there are many types if bellydance out there. Some will rise in popularity while the older styles are not as common, then you’ll see a rise in the old style, etc. pole is new and evolving. There is no 1 style. Unfortunately, here in the US, sexuality is frowned upon, unlike Europe, where nudity and sex are more prominent in society. Until we break that barrier, the sexy side of pole won’t be widely accepted as art. That is why the USPDF and PFA push so hard to separate it from pole. It won’t go away, but right now it’s being put on the down low in order to get our sport accepted in the mainstream. Overall, it would be great if we didn’t have to hide our pole side from society. I pine for the day where I don’t have to worry about photos of me being on the net, for fear of losing employment, etc.
Personally I love all aspects of pole. My intrigue was piqued based on both aspects! The sexy and strength both got me to try it.
Give it time. This will pass. Salsa used to be considered trashy and now look at it!
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It cracks me up that the same people who go to Zumba routinely will look down their noses at pole. Not all, but many.
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FYI! I have 3 kids and I can twerk my ass off!!!! Lol
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I agree that the sexy hasn't gone anywhere yet. Yet I see more and more competitions getting stricter about the kinds of outfits, clothing removals ( when learning how to peel off a tank top in CAR was the height of badassery at a certain level of my pole dance training!), and "sexually oriented dancing". So I'm either Queen of the Stripperfest or a "serious, legitimate" pole dancer? I don't think so. I don't think that I will accept that tricking and lyric emo dance needs to be the status quo if I want to be taken seriously as a competitive pole dancer. If people want to make vertical bar gymnastics a thing then rock on. There is no place for me in that realm. I'd love to see more US
competitions that encourage the kind of theatrics and sexiness that Miss Pole Dance Australia does.
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Sorry – this might not be so relavant, but Chem – can you link to crystal's perormance? I soo wanna see what you are talking about.
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This piece is amazing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZhCPKWD7FM but noone could call this piece sexy. It is a highly emotional piece that is sending a message, beautifully created and executed. Maybe we're not thinking of the same performance.
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