This blog post is so long overdue. I've been meaning to write it for two months now, but life just kept happening and blogging kept getting pushed further and further down the to-do list. There have been movies to watch, shows to perform, tests to study for, projects to do, people to love, friends to meet, rehearsals to watch, and jellybeans to eat!
But here it is guys. I'm finally about to tell you about the time I took a pole dancing class.
Yes. You read that correct. I, shy, quiet, modest Emily, took a pole dancing class.
And I had so much fun!
As you know, I recently closed A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Baton Rouge Little Theater. I played Tintinabula, one of the courtesans. Courtesans are Grecian..well....how can I put this?.... Well... they're Grecian prostitutes. They are sexy, confident, alluring women for sale. And our dances reflected that. But the thing is, we didn't all feel sexy, confident, or alluring at the beginning of rehearsals. We were stressing about how revealing our costumes would be. We were worried we would mess up or choreography. We were worried that in our attempts to be sexy, we would just look silly (even though I know our choreographer would never let us look stupid or silly. We were in good hands.) Towards the end of our first courtesan dance rehearsal, someone casually mentioned that taking something like a pole-dancing or belly dancing class might be a fun way to bond and find our confidence. We all agreed that was a good idea, but to be honest, I didn't think it would actually happen. Save for one girl, none of us had ever taken a class like that, and it would probably be hard to find a time, date, and place that worked for everyone.
We obviously had nothing to worry about with our costumes. I mean, do we look awesome or what.
Call it fate, call it destiny, call it kismet, call just a simple coincidence. But the next day, our choreographer e-mailed me the link to that day's Groupon....for Pole Dancing Classes. I immediately e-mailed the rest of the girls and we all bought a Groupon. We had no excuses not to do it.
We decided to go on a Friday afternoon/evening that we had off from rehearsal. We went to The Perfect Poleforma in Baton Rouge. Individual classes are normally $25, but with the Groupon, we were able to get them for $12. The classes are super small and, most importantly, no boys allowed! Our group of 6 was the entire class.
We had such a blast! Our instructor was fantastic. But you know what surprised us? Pole dancing is HARD! I know, that sounds so arrogant. But good pole dancers it look so much easier than it is. We we're kind of expecting to just go in, jump on a pole, and swing around like superstars. That definitely did not happen. I looked goofy and ridiculous and I could not stop laughing! I used muscles that I didn't know I could use. Pole dancing requires so much upper body strength. I know, that seems so obvious. The next day, I was sore in places that I didn't know could be sore. My armpits were sore!
I can't speak for the other girls, but I know that at our next dance rehearsal, I felt so much more confident and...dare I say it...sexy! I can't really explain it. I just felt so sure of my self and my character. Groupon, or no Groupon, it doesn't matter. That feeling is priceless.
