Pole dancing is an art form

By COLIN M. STEWART

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Dads: It’s time to retire the old fear that one day your little girl could end up dancing around a shiny metal pole.

There is strong evidence to support the idea that the poles may have already won that battle.

From its humble beginnings in strip joints and gentlemen’s clubs, pole dancing has emerged in the last decade as a wildly popular fitness and dancing trend. Women around the world are flocking to the pole — not as a means of paying the rent or tuition, but rather as a fun and sexy form of entertainment and exercise.

In fact, there has been a lot of talk in the last few years about the possibility of making pole dancing an Olympic sport. World champions like Felix Cane and Jenyne Butterfly have helped to elevate the public perception of pole dancing, as well as emphasize the raw athleticism and fluid grace it takes to perform a solid routine.

Climbing, spinning and bending their bodies around and then away from the poles, the best dancers, or “polers” as they are known, can at times make the impossible seem possible, performing feats of strength, balance and flexibility that only world-class gymnasts might have a prayer of duplicating. Legs coil and corkscrew, arms hang tight and then flutter out in graceful, wide arcs, hips sway and roll — all in a carefully coordinated routine that chains one breathtaking movement into the next.

Trixie Lovett, a recent transplant to Hilo, knows all about the rise of pole dancing as a popular art form and recreation activity, because in many ways her own career has followed the same trajectory. A certified pole dance instructor, Lovett first began studying pole dance as a means of helping her stand out from the crowd as an exotic dancer in Las Vegas.

“I originally got into it for the money, pure and simple,” she said Thursday after leading a class at Warrior Won Yoga in Hilo. “I was one of the opening girls at Sapphire in Vegas, one of the largest clubs in the world. I was one of 400 girls working a single shift in a single night. And I asked myself, ‘What’s gonna set me apart?’ It was all about the ‘Wow’ factor.”

That initial interest in furthering her career blossomed into a passion for the dance moves, she said. She spent 13 years as a professional dancer, perfecting her technique and learning all she could about the burgeoning dance form. She now holds pole dance instructor certifications in the U.S. and Canada, is a certified personal trainer, and currently serves as the head judge for the Miss Pole Dance America competition circuit.

A mother of two grown children — Justin, 22, and Clarrissa, 19 — Lovett moved to Hilo in December when her husband took a job here as an electrical engineer. Ever since, she’s been working to expose the Big Island to pole dancing through classes she offers at Warrior Won Yoga. In many ways, she said, she feels like a true pioneer.

“There was basically nobody on the island offering this,” she said.

Bringing pole dance to Hawaii has been a unique experience fraught with some unusual challenges, she said.

“One of the big problems is the humidity here,” she said. “It makes you sweat, and sweat isn’t your friend on the pole. … You can slip. Lose your grip.”

She and her dancers must make use of liberally applied antiperspirants on their hands, and sometimes the insides of their elbows and knees, Lovett said, to ensure a solid hold as they perform their high-flying maneuvers.

On Thursday, she led a group of women of various ages and skill levels as they practiced the basic moves that form the foundation of pole dance. As they warmed up to a new move, Lovett would move on to another basic, and have her students pull them together into one fluid movement.

“Pole dancing is similar to playing pool,” she said as they hooked their legs around the poles and spun clockwise. “You have to make your shot, and then leave yourself open for something else.”

Alexa Krieger, 29, has been taking lessons with Lovett for the last year, and that experience showed as she threw in extra little flourishes as she made her way confidently around the pole.

“This has been really fun,” she said. “I came from a very conservative home. … But this allowed me to work on my walk — It says its OK for a female to express herself and her body in a way that feels good. There’s none of that ‘If you move your hips this way, then you’re asking for it.’”

A bartender, yoga teacher, and massage therapist, Krieger says taking the classes has been all about enjoying herself and learning a new skill.

“I do it for the fun of it,” she said.

Brittany Anderson, 30, spent 16 years dancing as a ballerina, and when the opportunity came up to learn pole dance, she saw it as an excellent way to get back into dancing.

“I really wanted to get my flexibility back,” she said. “It’s a lot of work. I had been doing cross fit, and I thought, ‘Hey, I’m in pretty great shape.’ But after a day of doing this, I was like ‘Wow. This is more of a workout than I thought.’ It works strange muscles.”

Pole dance as a fitness routine also appealed to 25-year-old Sierra Salazar. She’s been taking classes for some time now, and said she’s felt her skill level and her strength making great improvement. Additionally, she’s been able to continue her practice outside of the class.

“My roommate and I have a pole, so we can practice at home,” she said.

For Lovett, the classes are an exciting new chapter in her life, and spreading the gospel of pole dance will ensure that the artform will continue to prosper.

“I have a passion for teaching,” she said, “and my goal for every student, if they are willing, is for them to surpass me as a dancer. That would make me really happy.”

For more on Lovett and pole dancing, visit her website at www.just4trix.com, or call (702) 339-0330. You can also register for her classes at www.warriorwonyoga.com.

Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.