What a great suggestion Peachpop! Well I cant remember what first intrigued me about pole-dancing and stripping, but all through my teens I found it kind of fascinating, and certain things would reinforce my interest in it, such as Natalie Portmans character in Closer, etc. (Pink-bob wig??? - oh so sexy). In my mind I just saw strippers as very independent and ellusive and kind of ethereal. I felt like they were the queens and all the blokes pawning at their feet were their underlings haha :P I liked how they were icons or elements of this other-world, only found at night, inside clubs, kind of like rare and unique fairies or something.... From 18yrs on I loved going to strip clubs and I was always the chick dragging her friends to Kings Cross after drinks at the local pub. I particularly appreciated the art of pole-dance - the skillful tricks and the aesthetic dance quality. And also I loved certain dancer's attitudes... it was prob just the lights and smoke and dimness that made them seem so surreal, but certain dancers just had this mesmerising self-composure and seductiveness.... It was probably just self-confidence now that I think of it :P I would imagine what it must be like to be one of those beautiful creatures.... I loved the idea of being the center of attention and being wanted but unattainable. (Hmm maybe I should see a shrink :P haha) Anyway....
I wasnt completely naive about the stripping industry; my cousin became a stripper for a year (the year before I did), and she conveyed all the dirty details.... its not a glamourous job, and you aren't always shown appreciation or basic respect... Its exhausting and monotonous and frustrating, but it can also be fun and adrenalin-fueled and ego-boosting.
Anyway, when I was 18 I think, my aunt held her birthday party at Bobbi's pole Studio in Sydney, we all got dressed up and payed on the poles... Trying to do spins and the feeling of flying and being out of control was just so exhilirating! (I've always loved roller-coaster rides, the scarier the better, so I guess im a bit of an adrenalin junkie).
From this experience I decided I just HAD to get lessons and train in pole-dancing, mainly because it was so much fun, but I suppose I had ambition to become quite good at it too. It took me ages to get around to enrolling, because I kept waiting for when my friends could do it with me (Gosh I was such a little scaredy cat). Anyway, all my friends who started out with me didnt last past a few semesters, I guess they just didnt get the bug or the expenses outweighed the fun for them, but Im still obsessed and in love with it!
Because of my proficiency and confidence with pole-dancing, and because my cousin had kind of broken down the barriers and given me access into that world, I started stripping at the beginning of 2010 and semi-retired at the end of 2010. I was mainly doing it for the experience (as I've explained it has been an almost life-long curiosity of mine), but I also enjoyed the instant and large amount of cash at my disposal, even if it was so unpredicatble and obtained from alot of sweat, bruises and bullshitting (flirting/hustling). I decided to stop when I started becoming bitter towards the male gender, they were no longer cute and endearing and flattering to my ego, they were irritating and ridiculous and represented 'The Man'... I dunno, It just got too hard to make myself go to work anymore... the fascination had been supersceded by disillusionment I guess. Now that I've stopped I think I could go into a Strip Club and enjoy it once more, although I'm definitely a little jaded... I know what the girls on stage are thinking and how they are feeling, there is no 'ecapism' element or surreal/other-worldliness to it for me now.... Yes you feel thrillingly isolated from the rest of the world, but you know the undercurrent... its not magical or ethereal anymore, its money money money, egos and sex. But its still a great place to party and I made some lovely friends along the way....
Anyway, I feel like I've been waiting to be a pole-dancer my entire life. It just fits. I sometimes try to expain the fascination I have for it by comparing it to surfing. My brother is a surfer, and anyone who knows surfers understand that they are addicted, totally at the mercy of the ocean. They will get up at 5am, trek through rain, hail or shine and plunge themselves in freezing water to catch that perfect wave, or just bob on the ocean, communing with mother nature. I wanted to be a surfer and tried it for years, but I never caught that 'bug'. It just wasn't me... As soon as I took that first swing at Bobbi's year's ago I was hooked. I think I may even have been hooked for years before that... I was always drawn to it. I've thought about the future and whether Ill be able to keep up my committment to it once I have kids, lose my abs and go through whatever else life throws at me.... The thought of not pole-dancing makes me feel so empty inside and... well.. ordinary. Mundane. I love that its still a very new sport, it can still shock people and open their eyes,..... I guess I like to be a bit of a rebel - I definitely enjoy the feeling of being progressive and liberated. But mostly I love the art itself... the smoothness of one's transtitions, the fluidity and individuality of dance, the expressive and evocative quality of the music, the fitness and skill required to exectute those intricate, "WOW" moves..... I lust love it. I know I will always follow it and appreciate it no matter what.
Okay sorry about the novel!!! haha I got a little carried away.... I guess thats what happens when u get me started on one of my passions! :) You can imagine how I must drive my family and friends crazy with all this pole-talk!! hehe Thank goodness you guys can reciprocate the fascination though!! Im not alone! Hooray!!! :P xox