5th Annual Pole Expo

Timber Brown

Just a few days ago, I returned from my epic adventures at the 5th Annual Pole Expo.  I have attended four out of five years.  2013 was pretty epic as I was in my walking boot post foot surgery.  And 2014 ended up being epic thanks to me flipping out of the fly gym, smashing my face on the ground and injuring my foot and spine.

In 2016, I successfully attended Expo without injury.  I did not arrive with any injuries and I did not leave with any.  I am not counting the fact that I hurt my back dragging my 50 pound suitcase around BART on my way home -- I made it out of Vegas injury free!!

This trip was a whirlwind.  I flew in last Thursday and essentially went straight to my room to get ready for the Pole Classic competition and showcase.  The Mighty Grip team kindly invited Robert, Janette and me up to their VIP suite.  I have to say this was one of their best shows. 

Underwater with Brett Stanley

Friday began with a floor workshop with Rafaela Montanaro.  I am not super flexible and the room was packed way too tightly, so I feel like I didn't get to perform well.  I also feel like it is difficult to learn a routine in an hour.  I did, however, video it and want to work on it further at the studio.  I then had an underwater photoshoot with Brett Stanley.  It was an interesting experience.  I bought the nose plugs (literally could not have done the shoot without them).  However, in my first pass underwater, I took some water in and came up coughing.  So, I got nervous that it was a sign of things to come and had to calm myself down.  Brett was great, though!  He is very calming and he would give me advice on posing each time I went under.  I certainly didn't do any epic pole moves (which I was hoping for since I was weightless in the water), but I am happy with many of the shots and am excited to see the official proofs.  (The one I attached here is just an unedited phone shot of his iPad.) 

Pepper - Yesod, Bret, Kaleo

Friday evening was pretty awesome.  After I booked Pole Expo, I found out that my favorite band in the wholewideworld, Pepper, would not only be in Vegas on the one night I didn't have plans -- but would be performing in my hotel.  That was a no brainer.  I picked up tickets immediately.  They did a meet and greet at the tattoo shop beforehand, so I got to meet them again.  My yoga instructor, Theresa, trained with the lead guitar player's wife, so we also talked about yoga for a bit.  The concert was at the stage by the pool.  It was hot so my night ended with me in my bra and underwear in the pool.  I guess next time, I'll just plan accordingly and just bring a bathing suit.  You're welcome to the guy who kept losing his shit and thinking I was giving him his own personal strip show.  The show was off the hook and I had a great time!  Thank you to Angela and Justin for coming to the show with me!

Saturday started out a little more quiet.  I sat by the pool.  I had a flexibility workshop with David C. Owen in the afternoon (yeah, I suck at it).  Then, while most Pole Expo'ers went to Pole Show LA Vegas, Robert, Janette and I went for my very first strip club experience.  We had received a tip that locals liked the Palomino.  It was about a 15 minute Uber ride away, but it was worth it.  I think I expected to go in there and see abused women who were being forced into slavery, but I really didn't get that vibe.  I met a couple of really cool girls.  We sat along the stage and threw extra dollars for the girls who could actually do pole tricks.  I loved it!

Sunday I woke up early to have my make-up done so I could do a photoshoot with Somer.  I think most people showed up wearing pole outfits and I busted out my pirate skirt and corset.  The shoot went really quickly and her direction was easy to follow.  I am also excited to see these proofs.  Sunday's workshop was Stripcraft with Lux ATL.  I love Lux's passion as she talks about accepting yourself.  I'm not even into chicks but her eye fucking alone during a lap dance is pretty fucking hot.  I also got to meet Eda from Eda Marbury's Climb To The Top.  We are besties now as we lapped dance each other in class.  Sunday night, Robert, Janette and I essentially ended our trip the best way we could -- front row for Thunder From Down Under.  It was a super fun show, but it was almost more entertaining to watch these ladies lose their shit for a little man meat.  I think I liked it because they didn't get down to banana hammocks during every performance.  I like to leave a little to the imagination. 

I flew home Monday to the post-Expo blues.  I'm still recovering from that.  There are so many people I didn't get to see (what, Nadia, how did that happen?!).  But I am looking forward to next year already!  Thank you to everyone I did see -- you helped contribute to a really fun trip!

Having make-up done for the underwater shoot

My Artista Activewear outfit for the underwater shoot

 

Dinner with my partners in crime and my polly pocket!

Steve Gale at the Pole Classic

My pirate outfit for the photoshoot with Somer

Pole Expo 2014 from the perspective of a plus-sized pole dancer

There are a lot of bloggers in the pole world now (although shockingly few came to Pole Expo).  Anyone could tell you about everything that was going on at Pole Expo.  I'm sure every pole dancer's feed was filled to the brim with Pole Expo/Las Vegas shenanigans last weekend.  So rather than *just* talk about my weekend, I wanted to talk about attending Pole Expo as a plus-sized pole dancer.

First off, this year I was really excited (and strangely, somewhat surprised) at the body diversity at Pole Expo.  I don't want to say there were a lot of "big girls" (sorry, Roz, I just can't stop myself from using that phrase) at Expo, but there were definitely a lot more than the oft-seen tiny pole dancers.  There were also a lot of tall girls.  It was really cool.

That being said, of all the vendors at the event, I found ONE that carried up to a 2X.  I would like to give a shout-out to Artista Active Wear for thinking about us (they were practically sold out of plus sizes the first day, if that tells you anything).  Wink would take measurements for a custom costume, but there's something about impulse buys and walking out of the vendor hall with your purchase in hand.  Bad Kitty does carry up to XL on their website but only brought up to size medium for most styles to the event.  I know there were a few other places that carry up to XL but I still want to point out that Artista is acknowledging that life doesn't end at extra large.  There are pole dancers beyond that size and it can be difficult to find good 2X pole shorts.

I generally stick to floor workshops at events like this.  I know I am not advanced enough for pole workshops, and feel like I would be uncomfortable and lost on a stage pole with one to two other people in a huge room full of stage poles with one pole star trying to instruct us all.  Last year, I signed up for a beginner workshop and the first move they did was an inversion.  "Lucky" for me, I was in a boot post-surgery, so I had transferred my workshop to Robert.  If I *had* shown up, I would have been very disappointed.  This year I took Cleo the Hurricane's floorplay workshop and Michelle Shimmy's booty workshop.  Both had simple routines that were mostly done on the floor.  While both required more flexibility than I really have, I felt like they were simple enough for me to at least follow.  I may not have looked sexy doing either routine but I really enjoyed them both. 

In the free Expo room, Nia Burks gave a talk on the challenges of pole.  I believe she was discussing body diversity and acceptance.  I was in a yoga class, and was extremely upset I missed her.  I hope I can get into contact with her and am hoping someone videoed her piece.  I was very happy that I got to see Roz give her speech about affinity groups in pole dance.  She used black girls and plus sized polers as examples in her world, but she really touched upon why it *is* okay to have these affinity groups in the world.  [Watch that speech HERE.]

I was very happy to see Mone't from Sacramento participating in the burlesque showcase and the go-go contest.  She is a plus sized dancer who always impresses me with her moves.  [Watch her Star Wars performance HERE.]

I was also excited to meet Emma Haslam O'Toole from Britain's Got Talent.  I really admire her pole dancing and can only hope to be as strong and flexible as she is one day!  I'm really bummed I didn't get a photo with Roz and Emma.  I call us the trinity of plus sized polers.  I just want to pretend I am more epic than I am. 

So, now that I've given you my plus size highlights, I want to just tell you about how the weekend went in general.  First off, our very own Patrick from Twirly Girls Pole Fitness competed in the Pole Classic.  He did so well!  I was really proud of him!  [Watch his video HERE.]  The competition and showcase was on Thursday night this year inside the Pearl theater, which is so much bigger than Rain Nightclub.

On Friday, a few of us walked part of the strip to see the sights.  I'll include some photos below.  I also had my Cleo workshop.  [Watch hot video of our dance HERE.]

Saturday was all kinds of awesome [read sarcasm].  I felt like I was running around a little too much.  As soon as I got into the pool, it was time to go to a meet-up at the Adult Playground.  I went upstairs and immediately jumped on to a Fly Gym, which I have been on a bunch of times.  I flipped upside down once and realized it was too close to the ground, so I jumped out and made it higher.  I then leaned back again, didn't open my legs wide enough and immediately flipped out of the thing.  On the way down, I hit four of my toes on the wall behind me and smashed my face on the floor (giving me carpet burn on my face, bruising my cheekbone and cracking my neck pretty hard).  It knocked me silly but I jumped up and said I was okay.  Definitely as the day progressed, I realized one of those toes was pretty badly injured.  The bruise is fantastic.  I actually had an x-ray this week to find out if it is broken.  Mostly, I was just embarrassed that I pulled such a rookie move in front of everyone. 

Sunday was a little more relaxed.  I had my Shimmy workshop (which was pretty difficult with my injured toe).  [Watch video of the routine HERE.]  It is also the day I went home.  I had a 5:45 PM flight (delayed due to weather, once again), so I got to relax around the hotel most of the day.

I feel like I should have done way more than I did.  More workshops.  More free seminars.  More pool time.  More going out.  I need more hours in the day to do *all* the stuff!!  But I also need my 8 hours of sleep and time to recover from the workshops.  There has to be some balance.

In the end, I did have a great time.  I got to see old friends and make new ones.  We have outgrown The Palms.  Pole Expo next year will be at Hard Rock, which is closer to the airport and will be able to hold all of us a little better.  I believe Pole Expo had between 1,200 and 1,400 attendees this year.  In its third year, it has certainly grown into one of the largest pole events in the world.  I am happy I have been able to attend all three years to watch it grow and flourish.  Successful events like these help breed more success in the industry in general.

Did you go to Pole Expo?  Which vendors did you love?  Which workshops were your favorite?  I want to hear about your experiences below!  

Emma Haslam from Britain's Got Talent

Steven Retchless from America's Got Talent

You can't take us anywhere

Had to jump back on the horse immediately

Cleo the Hurricane

Shimmy workshop - photo by Nina Reed Photography

sad toe

 

Cowboy Wild and me at Caesar's #splitsontree

ahhhhhhhhhhh the sugar factory!!!!

Minions!

I wanted to post about Minions earlier this week but I just have a lot going on.  Stuff I have talked about in the past.  Stuff I can't talk about publicly.  I really do need a clone of myself, though.  

Anyway, I'm still feeling kinda blah but I thought a Minion post might help cheer me up.  

First off, I am somewhat quietly obsessed with Minions.  You know Minions, they are the cute little worker bees from Despicable Me.  I adore them.  I want to have them.  So, for my birthday, my friend Yolanda made me Minion cupcakes.  I believe there were a dozen or so, and our group had dessert at the restaurant, so I was sent home with a box full of Minion cupcakes.  I have no business eating a dozen Minion cupcakes.  So my Minions went on adventures!

I have been keeping a photo album of Minions on Facebook.  Since not everyone is my Facebook friend, I wanted to share some of the funnier photos here.  

Bert at the pool with me on my actual birthday

Creeper Dwayne at my birthday dinner (on my actual birthday)

Dan ate Stuart at the dinner a couple of nights before my birthday

Dave was birthday dinner dessert

Dean at Happy Hour

Dean at Twirly Girls

Dwayne at birthday night dinner with me

Jose/Josefiend at the drag show

Jose watching porn with Robert at the drag show

MINIONS!

Sam is in the front.  Bill is behind him.  Ted is facing backwards.  He's always in trouble.

Simon is in the freezer. 

Steve got ate by me

Todd at Pole Expo in Vegas

Todd at the Bad Kitty booth

Todd getting a spray tan (shellac) before Vegas

Todd at the Rhinestones and RazorBlades booth...they made him a necklace!!!

Todd loves dirty girls!

Todd on the stove

Todd the pool shark

Todd loves to watch

Todd got a new home in Vegas

Where the eff is Todd?!

Whoops.  Sorry, Bert.

Whooops.  Sorry, Dean.

Zeus begs to eat Sam

Zeus wants toe at Dave too

Years ago, I started taking photos of an awesomely creepy tree in Clayton and made a Facebook fan page.  Claycord.com ran my story and I was attacked by a few people for having too much time on my hands.  Ironic that by bothering to read the story and respond, they also must have too much time on their hands.  Anyway, I am learning that sometimes you need to be able to smile at silly things.  I'm sure Yolanda had no idea that making me these cupcakes would still be bringing me so much joy a month after my birthday (Sam, Bill, Ted and Simon are still in my house and ready for photos).  So, thank you to Yolanda for making me these Minions and I hope everyone enjoyed their adventures as much as I did!

Dangerous Curves - West Coast Edition

Last year, I wrote about how Roz the Diva had created a competition for curvy pole dancers.  Dangerous Curves was held on August 25, 2012 at Sacred Studio in Brooklyn, New York.  It was hosted by the hilarious Luenell.  I have not had the pleasure of being able to watch any videos from the competition, but I understand it was an awesome, sell-out performance. 

I spoke on the phone with Roz while I was at Pole Expo in Vegas last September.  We chatted about creating the West Coast edition of the competition.  I don't think there is confirmation of a date or venue yet, but I am hoping that the second edition of this competition will be scheduled in connection with Roz's trip to Las Vegas for the second annual Pole Expo this September.  I am planning to attend that event, and am hoping to schedule some workshops in Northern California for Roz as well (if you are in Las Vegas or California, please let me know if you'd be interested in workshops and I will connect you with Roz). 

Here's the kicker...I may even throw my hat in the ring.  Sure, I have a loooong way to go before I am ready for a competition.  But I feel like, as an advocate for curvy pole dancers, I need to talk the talk AND walk the walk.  Hey, I can't guarantee I'll get in, but I do promise to submit a video for consideration. 

Roz really is one of the most dynamic performers I have ever seen before.  I hope to take a few of her tips to provide an entertaining performance, and I am hoping that having an end goal like this will also keep me on track at the gym.

Now I can start throwing up and sweating.  I don't know why I keep forcing myself to do things that terrify me.  I feel like this is similar to the roller coaster ride I took at Disneyland.  The first two made me almost pee my pants.  But the next four times, I was having a grand ol' time. 

Viva Las Vegas!!!!!!

So as many of you may already know, I went to Las Vegas last weekend for Pole Expo.  It may be easier to just say what happened in Vegas, stays in Vegas.  But I also know some of you may be dying to hear about my experience.  So here is a condensed version so you don't get bored out of your mind:

I flew in Tuesday night.  I had a meeting on Wednesday morning and wanted to be settled.  My flight was less than half full and we arrived early.  I got on a shuttle, then sat for an hour and 15 minutes while everyone but me was dropped off.  Note to self...take the cab next time.  When I got into the hotel, there was an issue with my card.  I only use a debit card and a check I had deposited hadn't been released yet.  And, upon check-in, The Palms charges you a bunch of fees.  $22 per day for a resort fee.  $100 per day deposit for incidentals (which you get back when you don't buy all of their overpriced stuff).  A bunch of crap fees.  Basically, on a $600 bill, they wanted to hold a $750+ deposit.  And my $1,300 check hadn't cleared, leaving me a little short.  :-/  It was almost 10 PM and I was exhausted and frustrated.  I explained that I had paid the first night already, so couldn't I just stay the one night I paid for and come downstairs the next morning to fix everything?  I know I probably sounded like an idiot loser, but I was not trying to screw anyone over.  Anyway, the girl at the front desk was really sweet.  It took probably half an hour to sort out for some reason, but she got my reservation split and I was finally able to get up to my room.

The room was just ok.  Instead of the Expo rate for a regular room, I got The Palms' 50% off rate from their website.  I was essentially paying the same price as the Expo rate but I got a nicer room (supposedly).  I guess the huge hallway (wasted space) was the upgrade.  The jet tub was nice, at least.  I definitely took advantage of that.  The room fridge was, of course, filled with all their crap that was on a scale so if you even picked it up to look at it, you were charged some astronomical price for it.  Frustrating.  I used the ice bucket to keep one bottle of water cold each day. 

My meeting ended up being moved to Wednesday night, and it left me with an entire day of almost nothing important to do!  So what did I do?  I went to a day spa (Touch of Las Vegas Day Spa) and got a massage and pedicure.  It was amazing.  I felt like I got way more bang for my buck (and no, I don't mean I got a happy ending) since it wasn't a spa in the hotel.  I think what bugged me most about The Palms' spa is that they added a $25 access fee just to walk through the doors and then required a 20% gratuity.  It ain't GRATUITY if it's required.  Just sayin'.  My experience with the cabbie who drove me there was odd.  When I told him where I was going, he responded with, F***, YOU SAID THAT TOO FAST.  When I repeated the address, he said he didn't know where it was.  I replied that it was less than a mile away, then I pulled it up on my GPS and gave him directions.  That kind of irritated me.  So, after my really relaxing pedicure and massage...I walked the mile back in the heat rather than deal with another cabbie. 

That evening, after my meeting, I went to Fawnia's Pole Fitness Studio to take the Sacred Yoga Dance class with Jennifer.  It was kind of like a tribal belly dance.  I absolutely loved it.  It's like we were viking warrior goddesses dancing around a fire in the woods instead of being in a dimly lit pole studio.  I loved Jennifer and the other girls in class. 

I was really sore from walking after a massage and then dancing...so the trips to the gift shop for over-priced Aleve began...

Thursday was another easy day.  I got to sit by the pool and relax for a bit.  Sunblock was like $16 (and since I was trying to get my suitcase on as a carry-on to avoid a $25 checked-bag charge, I avoided any "liquids" that weren't absolutely necessary -- but don't get me ranting about the whole "CHARGE WHAT YOU'RE GONNA CHARGE INSTEAD OF GOUGING ME LATER" thing).  So I only made it about an hour before I had to go back inside.  The pool was nice, although I didn't get all of their rules.  I get why I can't bring a knife.  I can even get why you don't want me to bring my Vitamin Water.  But what I don't get is why I can't have my eye drops.  Rita arrived that afternoon.  She had another awesome crappy cabbie story.  She was charged $35 for the trip.  He took the long way (to compare, the trip back was under $20).  I really don't like LV cabbies.

Friday, the madness began.  I started the day off by taking the Fly Gym intro workshop.   I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!  Check out the link above...it was an amazing contraption.  My body was in so much pain walking into that workshop and I left with much relief.  I then walked Nadia Sharif over to the pole studio for her workshop and she kindly let me sit in to watch.  There were about 17 poles in that studio and every single one was taken.  I love watching Nadia work.  She's a great teacher and an amazing pole dancer.  I also videoed her twirls so I can learn them when I get home.  I went back to The Palms to check on Annemarie and the United Pole Artists booth, since that was a big reason I was in Vegas.  Next to her booth was Mechanics in Motion.  They use a theory similar to my favorite KEITH back home.  Since I did not have my Keith with me, I tried them out.  It is nothing like seeing a chiropractor.  The body manipulation is smooth and, although sometimes painful, very necessary.  I left with my hip feeling even better.

Then the evening came.  First off, I would like to say that I am not a nightclub girl.  I don't like wearing heels.  I don't drink much.  I don't like being up super late.  And I sure as hell do not like lines.  I shared a cab with Laura of Spinny T Bags and KT Coates over to The Bank Nightclub in The Bellagio for Pole-A-Palooza.  It was scheduled to begin at midnight, which already made me nervous since I knew Saturday was going to be a long day.  But alas, this is Vegas and you're never supposed to sleep.  I just wanted to video the performances.  Anyway, we arrive at the club around midnight.  We assume we were supposed to gain automatic entry via our Pole Expo bracelets.  By chance, we see someone at one of the multiple lines, who pulls us in to join their group (THANK YOU!).  They have some extra special pass that will get them in faster than the regular line.  However, heels are REQUIRED.  That cut a couple of people out of our group.  Then IDs were required and that sent Laura and KT back to the hotel.  Minutes later, after being given the up and down by a bouncer to approve my outfit, I was allowed in the club.  I felt wholly under-dressed in my Hawaiian dress.  One of the bouncers complimented my dress as I got to the top of the escalator.  Now I wonder if he was being nice or making fun of me.  Anyway, long story short, the club was packed and my feet hurt.  Pole-A-Palooza started fairly late and was half amateurs and half pole stars.  It didn't seem fair.  The prize was supposed to be $5,000 for first place.  They ultimately split it and Charlee Wagner took first and $3,500.  Alethea Austin took second and $1,500.  I should have videos up on YouTube later this week.  I got back to the hotel around 2:30 AM.  I fell asleep around 3:30.

Saturday was a clusterf*** from the minute I woke up.  I didn't get up until around 10:00 AM and I woke in a panic when Annemarie called looking for her camera.  I felt bad because I was supposed to be helping Annemarie at her booth.  We were also trying to film some I Pole Because videos for The Pole Dancing Shop while we were there (but nailing people down and finding free time was really difficult).  I also had the great luck of scoring a free workshop with Veena around noon on Saturday (While at Fawnia's studio Wednesday night, I heard her say that a man had bought six workshops for his girlfriend and she didn't come to Vegas...I offered to buy Veena's if they had it and Fawnia said he was giving them away...he just wanted a thanks, SO THANK YOU TO IAN!!!).  I only found out at 10:30 PM the night before that I was supposed to start helping set up cameras for the live stream at noon but I was scheduled to take Veena's workshop at the same time.  :-/  I was trying to fit too much into the day.  I took a cab to Fawnia's (it's only about half a mile to walk but in the heat, and if you're running late, sometimes a cab is easier).  The cabbie totally screwed me out of a bunch of money.  The bill was $6.  I gave him a $20.  He handed me change and I gave him $2 for a tip.  Turns out, he only handed me like $8 back, so when I handed him $2, I essentially ended up paying $14 for a $6 cab ride.  Guy dicked me by handing me all one's.  I thought a $5 bill was in there.  Ugh.  Seriously, next time, I'll rent a car!  Anyway, the Veena workshop was a beginner/fundamentals workshop and I loved it.  It was simple and she broke things down really well.  We did a great warm-up and some strength training.  Then she taught us a short routine that is easy to remember.  Well, it would have been easy had Saturday night not fried my brain so much.  lol.

Anyway, I left that workshop, hurried back to the hotel to shower and jumped straight out of the frying pan and into the fire (thank you to Veena for the ride...I was going to walk to avoid another cab nightmare).  I got into the Rain Nightclub around 2:30 PM to help set up cameras for the live stream of the competition and showcase.  I helped lay wire (seemed like MILES of wire).  I sat around and tried to be helpful even though I didn't feel like I was doing much.  I picked up food so everyone could eat.  Around 5 or 5:30 PM, I was given the task of pulling everyone's music on to one thumb drive.  Sounds simple enough.  Imagine me with two laptops (one a Mac, which I had to ask Rita to help me with), pulling my hair out as I tried to pull together the songs for the competition starting in less than two hours.  Once I had everything off of Fawnia's and Annemarie's laptops, then the fun began.  Thumb drives, CDs, and pure panic as one file is corrupt and the performer didn't have a copy on her phone.  I ran up and down stairs 50 times trying to find some performers and their music.  I don't think I had the music finalized until well over an hour into the event.  So I missed the Pole Life Documentary (in which Rita and I had a part!!!!) and most of the girls competing (congrats to Poletential's Tiffany Rose for taking second place!).  The boys in the competition did such a great job, though!  Keep an eye on UPA's website for video! 

After the show, break down began.  Everyone who was there for the show was ushered out (so that they could get back in line to come in for the after-party).  We helped roll wires (again, not very well...sorry guys!).  What an amazing team between Annemarie's live stream team (Brandon, Sam, Shawn, Vinny of Mighty Grip), the club's DJ (Joe) and Fawnia's coordinator (Steph).  I met so many great people who made this whole thing happen.  I know I'm missing a lot of people and I am sorry for that (and if I messed up names)!!  We followed Annemarie up to the Barbie Suite to say hi to the Bad Kitty team, then we headed back to our room.  In order to save money, I stupidly scheduled myself back on the 7 AM flight on Sunday.  Rita and I got to bed around 12:30 AM and had to get up at 4:30 AM to go home.  It was funny to see how many  people were still up and partying.  It was pretty brutal and yesterday, I took a nap, then laid around the house still exhausted the rest of the day. 

I really want to thank Annemarie of United Pole Artists for having me out to help this weekend.  I also met so many new friends, fans of my blog, and other great people who made the weekend possible.  I hope to run into everyone again and hope we are all friends on Facebook.  I'm sorry for all of the people I know were there somewhere but never crossed paths with.  Next year, I learned a lesson.  Schedule the relaxing days off AFTER the Expo, not before (and sorry this still ended up being so long!).  ;-)  See you next year!

Fly Gym

On the big screen for the Pole Life documentary

Spinny T Bags herself!!

Veena!