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Home My WebLink About2016 01-12 For pole dancers competing in Maplewood, it's all about friction PIONEER PRESS 1/13/2016 For pole dancers competing in Maplewood,it's all about friction-TwinCities.com For pole dancers competing in Maplewood, it's all about friction By Richard rchin@pioneerpress.com POSTED: 01/12/2016 02:19:49 PM CST UPDATED: ABOUT 18 HOURS AGO � t 1 III Cl ., d of"it. liig t.a.11lI ""I", lt.11I daC fly., i /,,11; c.,lIf Il° II r:I i y !a.;l r: l" tail"1 ``%;.,.f1Jl(J"',Y J .°I"I1J,.,.1 / ',20 il: r:;r:,1, 'ft:i / t 1� Here are a couple of things you needed to do to avoid a deduction in points if you were competing in the Minnesota Regional Pole Competitions on Saturday: Don't land on your head. And no nudity or costume malfunctions, please. In other words, this wasn't your grandmother's pole dancing experience. First of all, for the top participants, the competition was a intense gymnastic endeavor, in which r competitors frequently were dangling and spinning upside down while doing the splits, io feet above the 1/13/2016 For pole dancers competing in Maplewood,it's all about friction-TwinCities.com floor, holding onto a metal pole thanks mainly to skin friction and hours of core workouts (watch video ). And while there were some competitors who pushed the titillation boundary, performing in "classic" exotic dancer style with towering stiletto heels and pulsating music, there i ,i�'� were also plenty of stereotype-busting competitors like 1 ///�"� le dancers who used tongue-in-cheek costumes and props to i create a storyline in their performances. Or the participants who have day jobs as paralegals and pharmacists. Or the winner in the male category, who delivered an athletic yet dramatic routine accompanied by a languid version of George Gershwin's "Summertime"being played on a IMiille ID'Vouir coirrtnlpeLes during a polle dancing theremin. cornpefifiuo n aL be Maplewood Community Centeir on Saturday,January 9,2016.(IPio neeir Press:: IHol� lly And this marathon of pole dancing wasn't staged at a IPA Leirso n) "gentlemen's club." It was at a theater at the Maplewood Community Center, with discount spectator tickets for children. "It's a lot different than what happens in a strip club," said competition organizer Angie Lofquist. "We want to remove the negative stereotype that's connected to that background." In recent years, pole dancing has expanded beyond the strip club subculture to become performance art, a strength and flexibility workout regimen and a sport. Some pole dancers want to see it in the Olympics. Lofquist, 33, of St. Paul, is a former fitness instructor who took up pole dancing about six years ago. Like many converts, she was hooked by how strong and empowered she felt doing it. "Pole is the most effective way to reach women and have them find acceptance in themselves," she said. "This is so much more than just fitness. It's a community and a support system." And it's not just for women. Bloomington resident Matt Davis, 34, gave pole dancing a try about three years ago at one of the handful of studios that offers it in the Twin Cities. At the time, he was using Groupon to sample a lot of new sports like skydiving and scuba diving. He's a self-described IT nerd, although he wrestled in high school and was a skateboarder. But it was pole dancing that gave him a V-shaped torso, he said. "You're always lifting yourself," he said. "I've never had muscles that I have now." Plus, "I'm one of the few guys, and I'm surrounded by beautiful women. It's not hard to get motivated into going to the gym." Lofquist now teaches and performs pole dancing for a living. She said the competition she organized r Saturday was the first of its kind in the state. 1/13/2016 For pole dancers competing in Maplewood,it's all about friction-TwinCities.com At the Minnesota Pole Dancing Competitions in Maplewood from Richard Chin on Vimeo. "Making a competition event out if it helps legitimize it," she said. About 40 competitors from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and North Dakota performed before an audience of about loo. Competitors ranged from no-vice to "polefessionals." There were many body types among the participants, who ranged in age from 19 to mid-40s. "I don't look like someone you expect to be a pole dancer," said competitor Doreen Hartzell, a 40-year-old textile artist from Minneapolis. But she said, "It's the best workout I've had." Depending on the intention, the 2 1/2- to four-minute routines could be funny, sexy or dramatic. Many combined modern dance moves with pole dance tricks like the "brass monkey," the "Hercules," the "Superman," or the "Jade splits." The top-level performers could bend and twist like a human Gumby, or extend their bodies out at right angles from the pole, or make a controlled drop that would stop a few inches from the floor. Elijah Ebbenga, the winner of the men's competition, said he has a dance, gymnastics and martial arts background. The Minneapolis resident said he's drawn to pole dancing "because it's hard. It's really hard to do. it Some of the performances were dark and moody, like a routine set to the Johnny Cash cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt." On the other hand, there was a routine about a honey-obsessed bear from children's literature. "I wanted something unique, that stood out," said Jodie Uhlemeyer, 40, of St. Louis. "I've always liked Winnie the Pooh." 1/13/2016 For pole dancers competing in Maplewood,it's all about friction-TwinCities.com Davis, who placed second out of three men competing, performed a comic yet acrobatic routine to the song "Big in Japan." He started it dressed in a kimono, then a Godzilla outfit, then a Pikachu hat. � "If I can make people laugh -- and maybe ff think I'm going to die -- that's what I want to do," he said. "I'm looking for lines, gracefulness, how they flow from one movement into the next, how connected they are to the music," said competition judge Misty Loren, an IEiriirn Mes1kiillll coirrnlpeLes coirrnlpeLe in a Ipolle dancing cornpefifio n aL be instructor at Expertease Fitness in Maplewood Performing Arts CeMeir in be Maplewood Community CeirAeir o Saturday,January 9, 016.(IPiio neer(Press: IHolllly IPA Leirsoirn� Minneapolis. n Along with the competition, the event featured seminars and workshops conducted by"pole stars" on subjects like "Showgirl Tips for Pole Artists," "Aerial Handstands Intensive" and "Contortion Control." There were also vendors selling pole dancing essentials like grip aids. These are concoctions that are rubbed on the hands, legs and arms that help a pole dancer grip the pole by increasing the friction between metal and skin. That friction can be influenced by the temperature of the pole, the kind of metal in the pole and whether there's any residue on it. In between each competitor's routine on Saturday, a volunteer climbed each of the two poles on the stage to wipe them clean for the next performer. It's not uncommon to hear skin squeaking against metal in a pole performance. "Pole is really painful. It is really rough on your skin," according to Davis. "It's considered one of the more painful circus arts." There were also "booty shorts" on sale. Although "gluteal fold" was OK, the competition rules called for 4 to 6 inches of material on the backside of shorts. In other words, no thongs. Davis said it's not that pole dancers are all exhibitionists. But they do need to have bare limbs so that they use their skin in a variety of holds to grip the pole. Histories of pole dancing cite everything from 12th century Maypole dances to circus sideshows as early influences. But many fitness, sport and artistic pole dancers say they also need to give credit to pole dancing's legacy in strip clubs and exotic dancing. "It absolutely can be exotic or athletic, and it's all fun," said David C. Owen, a professional pole dancing instructor from Philadelphia who was teaching at the competition. He gave an exhibition performance that was a sort of homage to exotic dancers. According to Davis, "Pole owes a lot to its roots in stripping. They are people, they are our friends, they deserve respect, and they also happen to be amazing athletes." r