You put these girls up, you give them criteria, and you see who’s the best.” “The truth is, it is extremely athletic,” Leigh Ann says.
And although quite a bit of bare skin is needed to grip the pole and perform more advanced moves, Leigh Ann says nudity is strictly prohibited. Like in figure skating, there is a compulsory round in which competitors must perform certain tricks, and an optional round in which they are encouraged to break new ground. Pole dancers are scored on their transitions, technique, execution, originality, flexibility and original style. Today, the sport has made the transition from strip club to performance venue and this winter the International Pole Dance Fitness Association began circulating a petition to get competitive pole dancing recognized as an Olympic sport. The pole dance work-out craze began a few years back with everyone from "Desperate Housewives" to Martha Stewart taking a spin. This is a performance art that just happens to use a vertical pole.”
“Guys go to strip clubs for what they go to strip clubs for. “These are all women that participate in the sport,” Leigh Ann says.
This is a performance art that just happens to use a vertical pole." Leigh Ann Riley, one of 12 finalists and the owner of BeSpun in Hollywood, says she’s not surprised to see the 700-seat theater filled with women like Jeremee. “I lost 24 percent of my body fat in the first year.” “When I started pole dancing I was actually about 47 percent body fat, 265-270 on a good day, if I had a little cheese,” Jeremee admits. Jeremee is the stereotypical pole dance success story. “It’s confidence that they do have sometimes in those clubs but it’s so much more. “I say all the time it’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on,” she laughs. Jeremee says she’s a lover of all things pole dance. Inside, women like Jeremee and her friends from PoleLaTeaz in Atlanta are excited about this night's competition. National Pole Dancing Championship is being staged in the bright performance hall at Symphony Space, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. There was certainly a time when pole dancing was limited to dark, smoke-filled bars and performed for men whose eyes had glazed over from too many over-priced drinks. Future pediatric nurse Gabrielle Valliere hopes to make her students, colleagues and family proud with her performance at the U.S. Twitter facebook Email This article is more than 11 years old.