Watch Out Camelot...

I am currently moving into the stripper phase or in my case, the dancing-like-a-stripper phase as this week I found myself in a class entitled “Coyote Ugly” taught by the owner of Pole Pressure: Pole Dancing for Fitness. I am not sure what I expected walking in but I arrived right after a somewhat advanced pole dancing class, which was very intimidating, to a room full of stripper poles with the lights dim and the room’s windows covered by purple curtains.

Unlike “Cardio Striptease” in Chicago, this class had a little more sass to it and a little less core strengthening. The teacher of this class, the owner of the company, has an extensive pole dancing resume and from my understanding was even one of the Top 12 pole dancers in both 2009 and 2010. This was quite a change from the teachings of former Chicago Luvabulls that I have become accustomed to.

To better explain, the best moment of the class might have been when the music was turned off as it was time for a lesson. The very important, serious, non-music-playing lesson was how to properly flip your hair. Yes, there is a correct and proper way to flip your hair when dancing. There is a method for a flip to the right, flip to the left and my favorite, the straight up and down flip.  There is the proper way to operate and not get your hair caught in your lip gloss—her words, not mine. The objective is to hide behind your hair, with exact steps given on how to achieve this, and then reappear in a fast but seductive manner. She instructs that as you come out of the flip you are to keep your mouth partially open as if you are making an “ah” sound with just a little bit of teeth showing. “Feel free to vocalize the 'ah,'” she encouraged. Needless to say, I entered the class with straightened hair in a neat ponytail and walked out looking like I was on my way home from a 1980’s prom.

Speaking to the setup of the room, it was definitely not arranged for a dance/workout class. The poles which filled the room, as the majority of the classes taught in the room are pole dancing classes, created quite an interesting obstacle. As I am someone who still has to explain how she sprained her back while in a yoga class, I did not need to add a story about how my head injury was the result of doing a “proper” hair flip in to a stripper pole. Luckily, this was not in the cards for me that night.

So, bottom line, will I go back again? Definitely, yes. But next time I plan on attacking the Pole Level 1 class as I want to try becoming one with the poles, rather than having to spend the hour doing my best not to face-plant into one. Watch out Camelot* here I come…

*Camelot Show Bar – Home of Washington’s Most Beautiful Showgirls