The art of pole dancing has started to command mainstream respect, at least from women looking for a sexy, total body workout. Franchise gyms are increasingly offering "vertical fitness" classes, and pole dancing studios have sprung up with more frequency than mixed martial arts gyms. At its best, pole dancing is gymnastics on a vertical pole, though more sensual than Olympic sports like ice skating or gymnastics. In fact, many women who compete in these performance sports as youths convert their advanced strength, flexibility and sense of choreography into real money on the stripper pole as adults.
While some pole dancing events try to veil the sport's roots in erotica, this weekend's 2011 Miss Pole Champ USA competition at the Pink Pony in Tampa flaunted the sport's inherent sexual energy. While none of the dancers motor-boated audience members or flipped off the stage into laps, all stripped down, though with their own unique twist. Gara from Milwaukee undressed while spiraling upside down and Worcester's Tara Dega held herself parallel to the bar for what seemed like a minute while her legs fluttered, shaking off her fairy tutu.
While the nudity added another dimension to the competition, it also made it difficult for many men to appreciate the athleticism of the routines. The guys in the audience didn't notice the back muscles of Cleveland's Vayda Kiss rippling while she held the splits in positions I never thought possible; they noticed that she was topless. They didn't recognize the skill and danger involved when San Francisco-based performer Penelope dropped face first from the top of a two-story pole and stopped herself a foot from the stage by clenching her thighs; they commented on how her public hair was shaved in the shape of a star. Instead of grunting or groaning, these women retained their smiles and sex appeal while gracefully transitioning between maneuvers that would give most men hernias. And they did all of this despite drunks like the jackass near me who kept throwing crumpled dollars at their heads while loudly criticizing their hair or tattoos.
Despite the raw sexual nature of the event, watching these performers compete at the Pink Pony as opposed to feeding a lopsided pair of breasts dollars at a seedy strip club was the difference between Playboy and Hustler. While many men will dismiss the craft of pole dancing, the sport has a growing base of female enthusiasts. The audience was packed with students from competing dance studios, and the night after reviewing the pictures of the competition, my wife signed up to take a pole dancing class.
For more revealing photos of Miss Pole Champ USA, see Shawn Alff's blog at cltampa.com/sexandlove.
This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2011.