Pole Move: The Kennedy

You know one of my favorite pole dancers of all time is Pantera.  She is a good friend of Bel and Twirly Girls and she's always very patient with me when I'm begging for her to answer my questions or give me an interview. 

One of Pantera's signature moves is walking on the ceiling, which is generally preceded by the "Death Lay."  That is, she gets on the freaking ceiling and just lays on it like she was born to be there.  The DEATH LAY.  I never had a name for it until Amber Kittle (California Pole Dance Champion for 2009) mentioned it.  She is also known for this super dangerous but amazing move.  Check out Amber starting her Pole Show LA 2012 routine in a death lay:



Anyway, I've been harassing Pantera about various topics and I bring up this move.  She says, "oh, I call that move, 'The Kennedy!'"  So then I want to know all about The Kennedy and why she calls it that.  She says, "because I knew a stripper in San Diego who did that move."  It's that simple.  What a move.  Watch this video.  You'll see Pantera pulling off The Kennedy around 5:48, then stick around to watch her walk on the ceiling:



So, I just want to give a shout out to Pantera for keeping it real and to Kennedy for being an original bad ass!!  How many people do you think can actually pull off this move??

PoleCon 2012

If you love pole dance/pole fitness, then you at least considered attending Pole Convention 2012.  In it's third year, PoleCon has grown from 500 attendees in DC in 2010 to 800 attendees in Miami in 2011 to over 1,000 attendees in Los Angeles in 2012.  The pole community is growing so quickly.

Rita and I arrived on Thursday, June 21, 2012 in time to attend the Pole Masters Cup.  Bel had arrived the day before as she was participating in X-Pert certification.  We had many Twirly Girls in the house: Yolanda, Diana, Kim, Grace, Shelly, among others.

Friday morning was quiet so we sat by the pool and hung out.  I had every intention of trying to get into Felix Cane's free workshop that afternoon but got distracted and didn't get in line in time.  That evening, we went to Polesque and AERA.  Unfortunately, I missed the cocktail party that welcomed everyone to the convention.

I did get to meet a lot of really awesome Facebook pole celebrities.  Jennifer from PoleSkivvies.  Lulu from America's Got Talent.  Roz The Diva.  John Janda and Stephanie Skyy.  Annette Artman.  Sam Green, pole photographer.  Leen Isabel!  The list goes on...  I mean, I got to drive STEVEN RETCHLESS in my truck.  We ate French fries together!  I got to meet my pole sister from Australia, Kym (who is on an adventure around the world practically)! 

I very excitedly found my published articles in both Issue 5 of Vertical Art and Fitness Magazine (the black cover with Steven Retchless) and Pole Dance International Magazine (blogs with photos coming up soon).  

I had many intentions for the weekend.  I wanted to attend seminars and workshops.  I wanted to shop the vendors and meet people.  But what I ended up doing instead was watching.  I watched every single performance over the weekend.  Including the non-PoleCon shows, I videoed about 100 performances.  Part of me wishes I would have walked around more and experienced the convention.  But a bigger part of me is happy I have been able to provide videos for those who couldn't attend. 

My true goal for the weekend was to have something epic happen.  When Nadia Shariff ran up to me and said, "Hey, I recognize those boobs," I felt like my weekend was complete.  

I was really excited to be interviewed by Suzy Q for her documentary, Pole Life, and by Pole World News.  

Below is a playlist for the Saturday morning solo performances, which included my new friends, Lulu and Roz.  Don't miss Clementine, the granny pole dancer:



Below is a playlist for the Saturday afternoon solo performances, which included our very own Shelly Lamb and good friends of Twirly Girls, Pantera and Natasha Wang:



Saturday night was the big Bad Kitty Fashion Show and Showcase of the Stars.  Not to be missed:  My new friend, Annemarie Davies as Napoleon Dynamite. 



I was sad that Felix Cane didn't perform, but figured that maybe she was under contract with cirque du soleil.  She appears in the Michael Jackson Immortal Tour.  I stopped into the after-party, but was tired and ended up sitting in the hot tub and going to bed instead.  

On Sunday, there was the Bad Kitty Spins and Tricks battle:



Sunday afternoon, the group performances lasted about three hours.  It was a long show, but I saw so many great performances.  I have so many ideas for new moves I want to try and only wish I had created an index of cool moves as we went along so I don't have to watch ten hours of video to remind myself.  Don't miss our Twirly Girls, Shelly Lamb and Grace Garcia!  Our sister studio from Nor. Cal., Poletential, also performed.  Check out Golden Eye for some hot mamas!  After watching Kelly Maglia's Vertical Theater demo, I am definitely trying to figure out how to make a second trip to LA in October so I don't miss it. 



My only complaint has to do with the venue.  We were at the Marriott LAX.  They over-sold the hotel and didn't seem to care (there are so many horror stories to even list them all here).  Their internet was also terrible.  For a place that advertises itself as a convention center, you would think they would have a stronger signal for all of those vendors trying to run credit card sales off of their phones.  Even though it's not PoleCon's fault that the hotel was terrible, I guess I would hope that they wouldn't use them again as I watched the hotel be completely rude and unhelpful to their attendees (although for every employee that irritated me, there was one that was awesome.  I guess 50-50 isn't half bad.  No pun intended.)  ;-)  I imagine that next year's event will be in another part of the country, so the chances of returning to LA (or this venue) are slim to none.  Many of us have been debating where the next convention will be.  Although our crowd selfishly hopes it will be in San Francisco, I imagine it makes sense to move it to the middle of the country somewhere, although maybe not Chicago since the Midwest Pole Competition is in that area.  I'm sure they already know where it will be.  Jessalyn says that it takes 13 months to plan each convention.

So, while we are waiting to hear when and where PoleCon 2013 will take place, Bel has decided that I must do a Viking Warrior routine next year.  I am extremely nervous and need to start training a little harder to even pretend to be on par with the performers I saw last weekend.  But I also think it could be a lot of fun and I am game to try.  Maybe I should start trying to perform locally so I can lose that whole sweat-over-every-inch-of-my-body thing that happens now when I get nervous.  Doesn't really go well with pole dancing.

If you were at PoleCon, please tell me your high and low lights!  I'd love to hear about what you liked and what you'd change.

Pioneer of Pole: PANTERA!

Pantera is definitey a friend to Twirly Girls.  She was also one of my first pole interviews.  After she kindly answered all my questions, I had a few more.  I tried to break out of the mold a little and start tailoring questions more to the individual.  Also, many interviewees listed Pantera as an inspiration and pioneer of making pole dancing what it is today.  Pantera has indulged me in my second request for an interview and for that, I will be forever grateful.

Catch up on previous Pantera posts here:

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/08/panteras-visit-to-twirly-girls.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/09/pro-spotlight-on-pantera.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/11/pantera-blacksmithnude.html

Now, here is Pantera, Pioneer of Pole!

You are one of the pioneers of bringing pole dance/fitness to the mainstream. According to your bio, you started as an exotic dancer in 1999. What made you decide to leave the clubs and start your journey of becoming the World's Most Famous Pole Dancer?

Let me say I've never left the clubs.  I perform at events in strip bars all the time.  If there is one thing I am not is ashamed of my past and where it has brought me today.  I firmly believe that knocking the exotic foundations or the people that made this art form so popular is the most ridiculous thing as many respectable pioneers who were or still are strippers.  To quote Jesus, "Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

All that being said when I won the national title there was nothing left for me in that world.  I loved the performance and I wanted to do more of it.  I wouldn't have been able to do it without some of my dearest friends and long time business partners.  As always its the people behind the scenes, the trainers, teachers and family who deserve the credit. I am just the face.

Who are other pole pioneers that you admire?

I respect the other pioneers because of their success and contributions. I admire people for different reasons.

You have traveled the world, bringing the joy of pole dance to so many people.  Which country is your favorite and why?

That is too hard to answer. The world is a place full of tradition, heritage, customs and attractions and I have been fortunate to witness and be apart of so much of it.

From Pantera's Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/PanterasPoleWorld

You have one DVD called Pole Tricks 101, but I heard that a second DVD was going to be released soon.  When will that DVD be released and what will it be called?

There will not be any additional DVDs. I am hoping to do an internet based library of moves, progressions and personal training. Although I love to travel I am getting older and I love being at home more and more. Living out of a suitcase is losing its luster.

Your tattoos are so amazing.  What is their meaning?

My tattoo's meaning is solely for myself. However, there is a note on my fan page with answers to many questions if you are curious.  [Note: see below for link and copy/paste from the fan page.]

Tell us one thing about you that people might be surprised to hear.

I'm amazingly prudish and shy. :) Not kidding

What does 2012 hold for you?

2012 hopefully holds the key to where I will put down some roots and a permanent pole.

Please visit Pantera's fan page on Facebook.  You can read her note about her tattoos here:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/pantera-blacksmith/full-body-tattooall-your-questions-answered/243618632327696

Full Body Tattoo...All Your Questions Answered

by Pantera Blacksmith on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 1:02pm 

Yes, they are REAL tattoos.

"My heaven's what did you do to your body?" is a question commonly asked by older ladies. I look down at myself and back at them and ask if this is a trick question.

100+ Hours. I decided that triple digits were impressive enough so I stopped keeping track.

I do not know how much it cost. I just pay the man and he makes me more beautiful.

There was no specific design or lay out. I go in, he draws something. I like it or I dont. He erases what I don't like and makes something else happen. Its tattooist designed, Pantera approved.

Tattoos are more painful in some spots than others. Yes, it hurt.

The artist is Jack Carter. He does not work in a shop so if you want him, you'll have to go through me. No retards please.

Jack is the only artist I've ever had. A bunch of my friends were getting work by him and I liked it. If it's not broke don't fix it. I guess you can say I got lucky.

The tattoo itself has meaning only to me. To you, its just a bunch of scribbley lines.

No I am not done.

Yes I am crazy.

No I do not plan to explain anything to the children I will not be having.

The only pattern I can wear without looking extremely busy is zebra.

On a daily basis people ask me all these questions at least once.

It was not done in one sitting.

The first piece was done around my left boobie over ten years ago.

The second piece around my right boobie.

My parents found out after I had already completed the front torso. My father now calls me the "Circus Lady."

I will be continuing to add onto this post as the tattoo continues to grow

If I happened to miss a question please feel free to ask :)

 
Thanks @Jack Cutter

Pioneer of Pole: StarrGrrrl!

Another awesome Shelly-referral is Aimee "StarrGrrrl" W.  She is a good friend of Pantera's and we love Pantera at Twirly Girls.  Any friend of Pantera's is a friend of ours!  Meet StarrGrrrl!

If my math is correct, you've been pole dancing since 1999.  That makes you a pioneer of pole dance!  I understand you worked as an exotic dancer in your early pole dancing years.  How do you feel that experience shaped you as an instructor later when you opened the Bombshell Ballroom?

I actually started dancing as an exotic dancer in Detroit in late 1998. I was fortunate to work with some amazingly beautiful, sensual dancers that treated their work as art even then, and I was so inspired by the atmosphere itself, and it really shaped my dance style. Transitioning from dancer to teacher was trickier. When I started teaching there wasn't this wealth of information and community that we are blessed to have now (Yay pole!!) so I only had what was in my personal little repertoire, and I had to teach myself to break down exactly what I was doing with my body in these movements, so I could convey that to my students. We have come so far, it's amazing. We have a great community, and we're always inspiring each other, brainstorming with each other, and teaching each other. The bar has been raised, and pole is taking off! We're really going to see this movement go in some amazing directions. (It has already!)

Who are other pole pioneers that you admire?

The first person I ever met from our community of pole dancers and athletes was Pantera. I had just kinda found the little tiny pole dancing community then, and she just so happened to live in Seattle, so we met up. She introduced me to the spinny pole that day (I had always used static poles), and I got pretty green in the face playing on it. She made me tea! Sweet girl! Her strength and discipline is amazing, and if you have never seen her perform live you MUST. She is incredible, and she is an awesome person as well. She has certainly taken pole places, and been a kickass supportive friend, so of course, she's one of my favorite pole rockstars.

Another one of my favorite pioneers is Alena Downs. She started the Pole Junkies forum, which was one of the first of it's kind, and I loved playing there! She's fearless, and never been afraid to put herself out there. She has done amazing things in building up what Pole Junkies is today, and when she started the Pole Junkies Pole Camp, I think it was the first (or at least one of the first) kind of even that brought dancers from all over the place together for a weekend intensive of classes, and tons of other pole fun. Now she has several studio's in Canada! Go PJ's!

And of course, my favorite YouTube rockstar to go competitive, Karol Helms. She was one of the first girls I met on YouTube, and her musical tastes and mine were so similar, we were always commenting on each others videos. I love her style, she's so bendy, and graceful and damn STRONG!

All three of these women brought pole out of the club scene, and told the world... "Hey, this is ART. This is Strength, this is grace, and this is to be respected."

You now teach at the Brassy Butterfly in Portland, Oregon.  Is the pole dancing scene different on the West Coast than it was in Detroit?

Sadly, when the pole community started to develop in Detroit I was already gone. When I was in Michigan, the pole scene for me was the club scene itself. I have met and communicated with many of the Detroit girls though, and they are great girls, who do great things for the midwest scene. A couple of years ago we were lucky enough to get Detroit native Ozzypoles to transplant here in the Portland area, and she's starting to organize showcases in Portland (Queen's of the Pole: Rock the 90's was the first one). We've got studio's a plenty out here, and we have a large industry (club) scene as well so we have a lot of events going on. When Pantera was in Seattle she organized the first showcase events that I know of as well (Hysteria, and Delerium at Noc Noc) I performed in the first Queens of the Pole event, as well as one of the Hysteria events, and one of the Delerium events in Seattle where I did a pole set, and a short Lyra set. There are video's from all three events on my YouTube channel.

I know your son is only six and has probably grown up knowing that pole dancing is perfectly normal.  Have you had to deal with mothers of other children judging you for your career choice?  I have had some friends with children deal with judgmental people lately so I'm always looking for witty retorts.  :-)

Yes, my son views pole dancing as completely normal, and he plays on the pole in my living room more than I do. He's actually quite coordinated and strong. It's impressive. I haven't really had to deal too much with any judgmental mothers, or perhaps I just don't bother to notice the judgments. I don't do anything inappropriate in front of my child, and I don't consider my dance to be inappropriate either. My child will grow up with an open mind, or at least the option to have that open mindedness, that some other children may not have due to biases in their parents. I also hope that my lifestyle gives him a good sense of body confidence, and an interest in art, dance, music, and athletics. I'd rather teach my child to love art than to be hateful or judging in any form.

Tell us one thing about you that people might be surprised to hear.

I think I have said this before, but it's a big part of who I am... I LOVE motorcycles, and I LOVE quads. I'm a tomboy, and I like to play in the dirt and sand. I'm also big on video games. I have a Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, and two computers. Does that make me a nerd?

What does 2012 hold for you?

Hopefully with 2012 comes some big changes. I'm in college, I just finished my second year. I'm transitioning now out of my prerequisite classes, and getting ready to shift gears and get ready for the nursing program. This consumes a good majority of my time. However, I'm trying to keep myself in shape, still teaching pole classes, and performing in February in the next Queens of the Pole event, and I'd like to make it to the pole convention as well since it's on my side of the world this year!

******

If it means anything to you, Aimee, I LOVE NERDS!  Please catch up with StarrGrrrl on FACEBOOK or YOUTUBE.