So on Valentine's Day, the Twirly Girls were part of the Sarah and Vinnie live Secret Show at the Supper Club in San Francisco (Alice @ 97.3 FM on the radio in San Francisco or www.radioalice.com). What an EPIC day to add to the list for the Year of the Viking!
When I first saw Uzette talk about pole dancing on Facebook a couple of months ago, I had NO idea this was going to be the ultimate outcome. Initially, she went to some classes at Poletential in Redwood City. When she mentioned that she was going to do a performance for an event, I invited her to come to Twirly Girls for some one-on-one lessons to prepare her. I still had NO idea how awesome the event was going to be.
Uzette only came to Twirly Girls twice for private lessons with Bel and me. I know a lot of people think that pole dancing is easy but learning all the right moves in a safe way really can't happen in two classes. Plus, she was nervous about performing and learning a routine. We decided to go the silly route. It gave her lots of room to just dance around, and then she only had to spend about a minute on the pole. Bel entered the picture as Uze's pimp just to make sure there were no issues with crowd control. Uzette has an amazing body and legs and she ROCKED her dance!!!! I give her HUGE props for getting up at a public event in booty shorts and stilettos! I thought she did a great job and the response to her performance seemed to be pretty positive.
Last week, they started talking about an additional performance: Icky stripping. Icky's performance was ... almost indescribable. I know he was super nervous but he looked SO handsome in his dress-up clothes, and has an amazing body, so he looked GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT with his clothes off too! Former intern, Bryn, was also off the hook...showing off his awesome body and some pretty advanced Chinese acrobatic moves.
Shelly did her first performance next and, as always, she is so impressive to watch. Diana is so freakin' adorable and I love that her performances are more dance-inspired (she had no reason to be nervous!!). It reminds me that I need to get in and take a class with her soon. Shelly finished up with a slow Metallica song...I love Metallica.
I really want to thank EVERYONE for yesterday's event. The entire Sarah and Vinnie Morning Show and Alice Radio for including Twirly Girls and for all of the mentions on the air. Uzette for coming all the way to Pleasanton so we could teach her (and to Johnny V for driving -- Bel does expect you to come back for a Twirly Tuff workout someday, JV!). Icky for being so brave and HOT! Bel for allowing me to pimp out her studio without even asking. Shelly for busting her ass to bring that heavy stage pole and perform twice. Diana for performing when I know she was SO nervous. Grace for giving us a mini warm-up performance before the show started. Andrew and Rita -- my TEAM HONEY BADGER. All of the Twirly Girls and honorable TGs who were able to come to the city on a week day to support us. And Supper Club SF for offering up a pretty cool venue.
I know that my usual purpose in life is to promote the positive image behind pole dancing, although I recognize the stripper roots, which has a negative connotation for some. I always go back and forth on the subject. Sure, what I do is different from stripping. I don't get naked and I don't get tips for what I do. But is there anything wrong with the people who DO strip for a living? I don't think so. I hate bringing up Claire's quote so often, but it is my favorite: "If for some reason, the idea of your dancing being connected to the strip club scene is upsetting to you, if you desperately need to distance what you do from what those 'other girls' do, if you truly believe that you are doing this because it’s just a really good workout, then I strongly suggest you spend some time thinking about why you chose pole dancing. Because there are a million ways to get fit without putting on six inch stilettos, a bikini and swinging sensually around a pole." Quote from The Pole Story.
Yes, I get that many are trying to insert a fitness-only aspect. Circus and contortion. Aerial acrobatics. Chinese Pole. All non-stripper aspects. And that's okay too. But the history is still there. I accept the whole history. Anyway, stepping off my soap box... I had a great time. I really love my pole sisters (and brothers) and I am looking forward to our next adventure.
Oh yeah! Andrew of Liquidpulp was with us to take photos and Rita ran our video cameras. Rita's husband, Dave, even got in on the action when the owner of the club asked him to run the spotlight. I ran around with the tools to change the pole from static to spinning and made sure the pole was wiped down between performances. I was a sweaty mess (as usual) by the end, so I felt like I didn't even get to see the show as it happened. I'm looking forward to the videos and photos.
I will be linking podcasts, videos and photos below as they become available. Were you at the show? Tell me what you thought!
The podcast of the live Secret Show (from Tuesday, February 14): http://radioalice.radio.com/2012/02/15/podcast-valentines-day-live-secret-show/
The podcast of the aftermath (the "Lost 30" from Wednesday, February 15): http://radioalice.radio.com/2012/02/15/podcast-aftermath-from-yesterdays-live-show-on-the-lost-30-2-15-12/
Video of Shelly (1): COMING SOON!
Video of Shelly (2): COMING SOON!
Diana: COMING SOON!
Link to Andrew's photos: COMING SOON!
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