Conqueror of the Pole redorbit.com Take a look at an interesting article we found.
It's Sport, not Sex say Europe Champion Pole Dancers reuters.com Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Instruction in Pole Dancing Tests the First Amendment The New York Times Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Psychologist Stanley Milgram demonstrated our willingness to obey authority figures, and we've been struggling with the conclusions ever since.
 by Jennifer |
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 by Photo Contest |
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 by Photo Contest |
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October 08, 2008
Well you have to love Amsterdam all over again. A few months ago, despite banning cigarettes, they provided an ingenious loophole to keep marijuana in coffee houses.
And just last month they gave the green light to the first European pole dancing championships, where women, from Albania to Spain, flew in to compete for the top prize.
You’re probably wondering, among other things, about the costumes.
They wear them.
The judging was based on performing gravity-defying dance routines that centered around two 6-meter poles —one rotating, one fixed.
Galina Troschenko, a 36-year-old representing Spain, won the event judged by a panel of five, with a virtuoso performance full of acrobatic feats.
"I've only been doing this for three years, but I suppose I have a background as a dancer," she said.
"Everything we do requires so much strength. You train your legs and your muscles. It has nothing to do with eroticism...I think one day it should be an Olympic sport," said Jeannine Wikering, the 26-year-old competitor for Germany who came in third.
Lest you not take this seriously, it has been officially sanctioned as a potential Olympic sport.
An organization called the World Pole Dancing Federation has managed to achieve international recognition. Which prompted one wise guy to say, "I didn't know there were so many Olympic caliber athletes in Vegas."
Taking pole dancing out of the sex clubs originated in Canada. In a sign of the movement's popularity, the University of British Columbia has been offering a course called "Cardio Pole-Dancing" since 2005.
Who said Canada was a cultural wasteland?
Pole dancing history can be traced to ancient Sumerian Times, with the myth of the Goddess Innana, who descended into Hades to find her lover Damouz. It is thought that the chaste Victorians rebranded Maypole dancing as fun when someone found out it was a 12th century pagan fertility dance.
A recent survey showed the reason men that watch female athletes has more to do with their looks than their play (I’m only the messenger here) so it won’t get any argument as an Olympic sport in certain quarters.
Moral Crusaders say even the modern version is degrading and oppressive to women. Yet there is a whole new generation of post-feminist women that find pole dancing liberating and empowering.
But changing minds still has a long way to go. The New York Times reported that The American Civil liberties Union of Pennsylvania filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a pole dancing instructor to open her studio. Ms. Babine's storefront was denied an occupancy permit, even though she was planning to operate it solely as a means of, "making people feel better about themselves, lose inches off their waist, and start fitting into skinny jeans."
Maybe the official world Pole Dancing championship, coming up March 15, 2009 in the famous Dutch Sport Center, Sporthallen Zuid, will help take pole dancing into the main stream.
There’s no end of hot topics I bring you at the Eye.
Share the Eye:
Finally! Now I can get a little respect for all my hard work...
Vindication is sweet.
I have three words for you:
Patent Leather Boots
( for superior cling)
What can i say, Amsterdam is an enlightened place.
Better late than never. I got tired of looking at that gray picture. Yes, Patent Leather boots is a must. Othan than that, Track and Field pretty much nailed the second skin outfit.
Did my eyes deceive me or did this come on? Well, it appears to be worth waiting for. Anything in spandex and sequins gets my vote.
I really don't have an opinion about Pole Dancing except to say that it doesn't do anything for me . . .
You're hitting your stride, Peterman. Once day we're chewing on the darkest regions of the human soul, and the next, I'm settling comfortably in my seat at the bar and letting my eyes mist over with a view of vertiginous athleticism of a decidedly winsome sort. Nicely done.
Hmmm! This is certainly a break from the usual PE topics! I have never attempted such a feat but it's not to say that I wouldn't (in one of my temporarily insane moments or when I have partaken in too many cosmos). However, with all due respect for my husband and the entire male species I will keep it to myself if I do ever attempt to pole dance. It could get pretty ugly! I will say this much...I have actually witnessed a former gymnast turned stripper perform the pole dance and it doesn't seem easy to me. She actually made it look "almost acceptable". It wasn't as trashy as I thought it would be. But, I think I will stick to other extreme sports like French bodyboarding or rock climbing.
Remember, they are all working their way through college.
I actually wish I had the guts & the coordination (mostly the coordination) to take a Pole Dancing Class. I've been told that it actually is a very good workout for muscles that don't normally get worked out on treadmills, bikes, or even in using weights. Think about it just maybe sometimes exercise can be just fun?!
I actually feel it takes a lot of guts & skill to do this & if Amsterdam wants to hold championships for it, God Love'em for giving these girls career goals.
I wonder that if I sent this link onto a friend who works for the Y maybe they would start a class?.....
I knew my rope climbing skills might come in handy one day.
It actually is a good workout, especially for the legs. And yes, rope climbing skills help. So do other Oriental proficiencies, such as snake charming...
Rings you should take a bellydance class...a marginally better chance of not injuring yourself, while still working muscles you didn't know you had. I've never had an opportunity to try pole dancing but I can almost gaurantee if I did there would be a neckbrace and a paramedics gurney waiting for me at the end of class.
My toes tend to cramp up whenever I pole dance
How do you get the right amount of slide, without losing your grip altogether and sliding off the pole?
Is there such a thing as pole burn? Like rug burn?
PeterLake,
Funny you should mention that: My toes tend to cramp whenever you pole dance as well.
Just your toes cramp up?
Most of my favorite dancers are Russian, not Polish.
Didn't Brooke Hogan (Hulk's amazon daughter) just place a pole in her living room? She is an authority (HmmHmm) on exercise and she says it does work muscles that don't usually get worked out by traditional core and kenetic exercising. PeterLake there is a remedy for those toe cramps; Toebercise!!! There seems to be a "cize" for everthing else within the plethora of infomercials.
What does the infamous Missive have to say on the subject? I bet you can add some qualatative information.
Women's bodies as temples, and some idiot or radical feminists telling us what to do with them. The violating of First Amendment rights to boot, so to speak...could be an interesting area. Not that I'm advocating a serious discussion, mind you.
DPR
I will report only that I'm laughing- not how many seconds it took to get it.
nachista, are you asking me or Stoney about the toe cramps?
Actually, I just wanted to be a fireman. When I was just a little guy I used to go to the fire station a few blocks away and they would let me take an occasional trip down the pole (don't tell anyone 'cos they could get in big trouble now . .well,.. . never mind, they must all be in their 80s by now) with a catcher at the bottom.
If this should become an Olympic event, I have this mental image of the judges.
They would all have hairy knuckles, be wearing sunglasses and designer athletic wear while smoking cigars. They would also be active members of the witness protection program and be identified solely by their colorful nicknames.
This means, of course, that they will have significantly surpassed the moral and ethical standards of most of the other Olympic judges.
ooops, just noticed . . . . I've gotta go shave my knuckles.....
Peter Lake Try these - http://www.yogapro.com/ts/toestretcher.html for your toe cramps
Peterlake you just reminded me of an interview with Charlie sheen's ex-wife Denise Richards, when they were still married. She was on a talk show and she started telling the host how much Charlie admired firemen and that he even had a firepole installed in his bedroom. Uh, suuuuuuuuure that's a firepole.
Hey Peter I think you are going to have to shave a lot more than your knuckles if you want any tips.
rings90,
Thanks, I may have to try them. Glad to see you made it back without visiting the Edmund Fitgerald. Hope you had good weather and a great time.
As a guy of 'some years' my pole dancing days are behind me. I'm not sure I should take it up, if hanging upside down, just held by my scissors-grip is smart. What if I fall on my head?
As for how the ladies feel about pole dancing, well, I'll leave that up to them. (Maybe pole dancing could be brought into the workplace? it could be introduced to bored receptionists as a way of maintaining their fitness and keeping visitors entertained as they wait to meet the purchasing manager.... or even made a part of 'doctor's office waits'... Hmmmm).
Peter, you'd probably not need to shave your knuckles if you emulate most of the guys I've seen watching pole dancing. Their form of metacarpophalangeal locomotion keeps the hair worn away, mostly.
You have to have really strong legs for the more acrobatic moves, especially the inverted maneuvers. And stamina...
Hmmm. I guess it doesn't matter where you get your appetite, as long as you eat at home.
I volunteer to do scouting for the future U.S. Olympic Pole Dancing team. Tonight seems like as good a night as any. Any volunteers for joining me as regional scouts? I have the Southwest covered.
Quite a few years ago, in a fair sized city on the banks of the Missouri and well before the Canadians invented pole dancing in the 1980's, the natives imagined themselves partaking of a lively nightlife.
Forgive them. They didn't know any better. Having only recently rescinded blue laws, there wasn't a decent bar within a hundred miles. Worse, there wasn't an indecent one in the tri-state area.
Nobody, the barmen, the designers of the smarmy teal and aqua lounges or the customers had any experience- learners, all.
The parking lots all held ample evidence of the belief by locals that a proper nutritional foundation for a night out was tuna casserole... with peas.
One man, Leo, a non-native, had a fix on what that city needed and he went about providing it in an interesting way- backwards.
Usually, a restaurant will open, find that it has potential and then scramble for the liquor license.
Leo's Grill got the license and created, in an old light industrial setting the kind of place where you could relax and drink unburdened by cooking aromas, menus or pesky wait staff. There was no food... or grill, come to that.
It was both the start and finish of an event known as: "Leo's Walk." Which while it might conjure up an image of light exercise, was nothing of the sort. There was a bit of walking out one door and into another but at the end of the evening it was clear that a thrown hat would have covered the entire itinerary.
There was a stop at a French cafe in a similar setting, where each of the ten or twelve men was served a crock of very excellent onion soup, a baguette and a glass of red wine. Whether they liked it or not.
A couple of galleries were next: You know, the kind of track lit stark spaces with colorful fiber balls, slumping ceramics, a few paintings and leases evidently expressed in hours.
Then, a gift shop reeking of punk, potpourri and spice candles in an effort to disguise the aroma of pesticide into which all of its cheesy imported goods had been dunked.
The penultimate and second to best , event was the scalp, facial and shoulder massage joint where asian girls would silently give you the business for ten minutes or so and after which everyone had a languid, mussed and witless look.
Back to Leo's Grill where in subdued light pierced by a vertical spot, we were treated to the serpentine descent down an eighteen foot brass pole that looked as if the place might have been built around it, of a sinuous girl in her early twenties named Neeley. Or maybe Kneely. I wouldn't really care to guess.
Voluptuousness and pulchritude were not the terms that sprang immediately to mind. In fact, I recall being aware of her rib cage, each of its components having been more than usually visible.
Well, that and the two lovely ever-so-slightly tanned little dinner dinner rolls that comprised her hiney.
A business sized envelope would easily have held her outfit and extra postage would not have been called for.
Quiet, soft recorded jazz played as she performed all the way up and all the way back down that sparkling vertical______ Ah, fill it in yourselves.
It was about a fifteen minute deal punctuated only by the odd cough or cleared throat and during which I doubt she was the only one to have worked up a glistening sweat.
Afterwards, she stood near and chatted with Leo as he unabashedly cupped a Parker House in his left hand while making it clear that the one not currently in use was unavailable to the public.
This was Leo's. Leo's what? Was left to the imagination.
Doc,
I like the problematic potential of including pole dancing in doctor's office waits. A patient comes in just for a routine check-up, discovers pole dancing in the waiting room. By the time he gets seen, he's being treated for a heart attack!
nachista,
If you continue your research, you'll notice the fire pole comment is one of the MORE intelligent things Dinise Richards is reputed to have said.
Gia,
At the risk of degrading this frothy slice of Peterman Lite into a serious discussion, I must contribute the following: The idiot radical feminists telling women what to do with their bodies are not violating the First Amendment. That would only happen if they attempted to impose their demands by force.
George Orwell stated that freedom meant the freedom to say two plus two equals four. But he was wrong. Freedom means the freedom to say that two plus two equals five, or six, or any other cockeyed statement you wish to make. If the First Amendment protects those who insist pole dancing is empowering, then it also protects those who say it's degrading. Each is perfectly free to ignore the other.
Anyway, enough serious stuff for now. Sorry I had to go there.
Olivia,
Those guys don't have to shave their knuckles ‘cos when they walk and swing their arms, they drag their knuckles.
Metacarpophalangeal! Someone is getting paid by the letter.
Way to call me out MackDaddy!
I am sick today. Chills, achy, fever. I hate it. Have dragged my computer to my bed in hopes that PE would cheer me and it has. Was giggling about PeterLake and Stoney's crampy toes. BTW, boys, more bananas in your diet will help that. And I mean that in a very literal sense.
Was going to sign off and save my dirty stories for when I was less delirious, but thanks to MackDaddy, I've been challenged.
I have done it. But, considering I live in an enclave that's as rich with bored housewives as it is alternative exercise regimes, that's not very surprising, right? It's very 'hot' right now. Yoga's and Pilates have grown stale.
And can I just say, sparing you the graphic details, I couldn't move for a week after.
It inspired me to price the portable poles and check the quality of plaster on my ceiling.
As a runner, it's hard to build upper body strength. What can I say?
My husband went to a 'dance' club two months ago for his brother's bachelor party. After, he asked me this:
H: Is there anything you think you need to know?
Me: Nope
H: You sure?
Me: Yep
H: Last chance, then it's going in the vault.
Me: I'm fine. . . . . . Oh, wait.
H: I knew it.
Me: Was there a pole dancer?
H: (looking nervous) Yes
Me: Okay, try to remember how exactly they get from right-side-up to upside-down. Is it a leg or an arm move?
I never got an answer.
more on the honor rollOne of my husbands classmates is a Vegas Theme Dancer ~ She has pole skills (So I've been told) when she is town I do allow my Husband to see her. She is BEAUTIFUL & a very nice person, I trust her & her show really is about Acrobatics rather than raunchy.
I will admit I was addicted to the HBO series G-String Diva's af ew years back it was interesting to see how much skill it took for them to do thier routines with the pole. Such an interesting documentary about a business that maybe is the healthest workout ever.
Miss Ive, You & I have to be cut form part of the same cloth ~ I totally would be asking what color was the pole & did any of the girls have an interesting Tatoo over the "Real" Details.... It kind of reminds of the part in GWTW when the guys use Belle Watlings "establishment" as a hideout form the Yankees & the respected Doctors wife keeps bugg'n the Doctor to tell her what the inside of the place looks like.
Missive: Sorry to hear you are under the weather! However, I just knew you would be able to enlighten us all with vital information concerning this matter. You are as versatile as you are intelligent! How refreshing! Tonight when I go workout at the gym, I will be thinking of you on the pole. I am sure the trainer will ask why the giggly attitude? Him, also being a minister of sorts, I probably won't share the reason. I thought the backseat rumble was adventureous, but you make me pale in comparison...sounds like I need to step it up a few notches to keep up with you my dear.
Get better soon!
OK, MissIve, you asked.
Best tattoo oever, Tweety bird pushing a lawn mower right into a(n) hirsute area.
Ladies, it would appear none of you are familiar with the mythic #1 reason for the growth of hand hair... I HOPE it's mythic...
Willie Trask: Is it the mythical legend of werewolves/lycanthropy?
My gym offers Cardio Strip Tease classes. I've never had the nerve to try it, but I'm curious... Seems liberating.
JillyBean ~ If I lived near you I totally would go with you to that class. It sounds like fun & not like owrk at all. Although I think I would be WAY TOO Busy giggling at the whole idea to even be able to do the workout...
William, I grew up with three brothers, who made a point of trying to embarrass me with every sort of reference like that. So, you can't say NONE of us are unfamiliar. How is Five-Fingered Mary, by the way?
Can't resist the wordplay, though it's in marginal taste:
Name for Dutch establishment where dancing and doobies are both on offer; POLE POT's.
I hope Doc Nolan can back me up on this so that I need not explain further: compared with what goes on in the bars of PatPong in Bangkok, pole dancing is a Disney movie. Uhh.....Doc, YOU tell 'em....I am blushing.