Just Pole Dance
4/16/2009 | Laura M. Dziamba |
It has been four days since my class at Gypsy Rose, and it still hurts to sit up. I have a line of bruises up my right leg from swinging around a pole, and my shoulders are screaming. As someone who hits the gym at least three times a week, this is slightly embarrassing, but I cannot wait to sign up for my next class.
When I arrived at Gypsy Rose Exotic Dance Studio on Saturday morning, I had no idea what to expect. I knew it had just won the Phoenix Best of Boston Alternative Workouts, and I had read various reviews praising owner Wendy 's open environment. Wendy greeted me, and as I was the first to arrive we chatted about her performance last night in Providence. She asked what I brought to dance in so I wiped out my boots I refer to as "the hooker boots." Wendy said they were cute, but was already retreating into the costume room. She came back with a pair of boots that made my hooker boots tremble with fear. It was at this moment I became very excited.
Because I am almost 6 feet, walking around in these new improved hooker boots was quite a new experience. (I think they were about 3 inches, making me an amazon.) When Theresa arrived I found her some pleather pants, or "ninja pants" if you will, and a halter-top. We strutted around in our boots and new costumes until the rest of the class arrived, 3 other women. We giggled with excitement and anticipation as Wendy turned on the stereo.
Wendy gave us a brief introduction of how Gypsy Rose came to be. She is a fellow Emerson alum, and worked in LA at Hannah-Barbara until she was laid off. She then became a bikini dancer at a local bar to make ends meet. She left after three months at the bar, but returned a few months later. When she moved to Europe to peruse a Masters in Medieval history, in particular papal deaths, she joined The Rainbow . It was here Wendy said she learned her best moves. After publishing a book on Papal Deaths (available at Amazon.com) Wendy returned to the States. She began teaching dancing at Boston Adult Education, and when each semester was full with a waiting list, decided to open her own studio. So there we were.
Wendy herself gave us a wonderful demonstration of erotic dance, and I did not feel guilty for having no dollars, as she ground her butt into my face within the first two minutes. Everyone was laughing and clapping by the end, and Wendy taught us our first lesson: erotic dance is not about sex, it's about a state of mind. With this advice under our belts, we learned to strut, then a basic floor routine.
Next, we were airborne on the poles. We learned three basic moves on the pole, and were informed if we took the intermediate class we could learn how to go upside down on it. Getting the momentum to swing is not as easy as it looks, and I still bear several injuries from trying, but the pictures were so worth it. Wendy told us that now we could go airborne, we were no longer allowed to dance "sluttily" with other girl friends by a pole on amateur night or at a bar. We now knew things, and therefore we could no longer "dance for free."
The last was a chair dance, which I'm pretty sure is the sole reason for my abs being so sore. However, this is also the easiest to practice at home (unless you have a pole.) At the very end we all got to pick up a dollar, with our butts. Wendy demonstrated, then folded the dollar the other way "thus making it sterile."
For a fun Saturday afternoon with your girlfriends, or for a source of exercise, the Gypsy Rose is definitely worth a look. A very open, supportive and fun atmosphere, where I learned the pole is my friend. For more information check out ,http://www.gypsyrosedancing.com.
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