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Gypsy Rose in the NewsWendy and Gypsy Rose Dancing have been featured:
Dirty Dancing Girls just want to have some hip-undulating, booty spankin',
bump-and-grinding pole-riding fun! “If it feels good, just go ahead and spank yourself,” purrs instructor Toni Dee, in a tight leopard-print halter top, incredibly form-fitting black pants and 6-inch black patent-leather platform heels, as she playfully gives her right butt cheek a firm smack. And so about half of Dee’s Strip Teeze Workout class spanks their cheeks as they let out a pouty-lipped orgasmic grunt. Sure the women are working their abs, pecs and hamstrings, but they’re also strutting, sliding, thrusting, bumping and grinding — and, many say, gaining a whole new appreciation of their bodies, a sense of confidence and reconnecting with their innate sexuality. As one 50-something student of Dee’s asks, “What woman hasn’t secretly wanted to learn how to move this way?” Apparently many do, as striptease, pole-dancing, belly-dancing, lap-dancing and burlesque classes have been popping up all over the country — even internationally — in recent years, attracting giggly high school girls, soccer moms, and hip grandmothers who are tapping into their naughty sides and throwing out notions of how proper women behave and what their bodies are “supposed” to look like. “Women have always expressed an interest in exploring their sexual side, but it’s been a big taboo. It’s gotten to be a fad,” says Dee, a former stripper and professional body builder who’s been teaching typically packed striptease classes at two San Francisco Bay Area gyms since last September. “A lot of women enjoy being able to let their bodies move freely and not be held back by being a sexual creature.” Many erotic dance instructors, who’ve often taught their moves privately, credit actress Sheila Kelley’s S Factor, the cardio workouts inspired by striptease and pole-dancing, for bringing the naughty moves out in the open, attracting celebrities such as Desperate Housewives’ Teri Hatcher. Crunch, a fitness chain with 21 gyms in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco that offers innovative classes such as Kardio Kombat, Hip-Hop Cowgirl and Whipped — featuring a patent-leather-wearing, thigh-high boot-strutting, whip-carrying instructor — started offering a Cardio Striptease class in L.A. four years ago when an instructor got inspired by a member who would show up for step classes in fishnet stockings and 4-inch heels. Now it’s offered in all the gyms and, according to Kendell Hogan, a group fitness director for Crunch, it’s “been the only ‘specialty class’ that has stayed on the schedule longer than three to six months because of the high demand.” When Latin diva Shakira used some belly dancing moves in a music video a few years back, young women began flocking to classes to learn that ancient, and sensual, Middle Eastern dance form. “For many women, they really want to experience themselves as a sexual, feminine woman. There are a lot of professional women who are just dying to be sexy,” says Catherine Rose, 40, a longtime stripper who teaches pole- and lap-dancing classes in the San Francisco Bay Area. After her classes, “people say to me, ‘I feel so much sexier with my partner. I feel I’m more in my body.’” Says Wendy Reardon, one of the few people teaching pole-dancing in New England, the classes offer women a chance to do something just for themselves. “It’s daring, it’s kind of spicy and exciting but safe,” says Reardon of Quincy, Mass., who put herself through graduate school by working as a stripper. Dancing in strip clubs taught her as much as her grad classes. “It really gives you self-esteem up there. I never had the best body, but guys, from L.A. to London, like all shapes and sizes. As long as you have confidence, no matter what you look like, you can do it.” That’s ultimately the message Reardon and other exotic dance teachers hope to pass on to their students. For many who take the sensuality-fueled classes, that’s exactly what they get out of it, along with some unexpected benefits as well. “It’s kind of a gal’s night out,” says Jennifer Solow, 41, a San Francisco Bay Area author and the former editor of Core, The Dirty Magazine for Smart People, who’s taken many erotic dance and pole dance classes. “It’s a place to root for each other. … You go to a pole dancing class and it’s an intimate exchange with another person. It goes beyond just an exercise class. You become vulnerable to other people. At the end of the class, you feel you’ve made a great connection with another human being.” “They all bond,” says Reardon. “They all look at each other and they’re proud of each other.” For Alena Taylor, 24, a Boston receptionist who says she’s wrestled with body and self-esteem issues, learning how to move her body like a stripper has been a “mini-dream fulfilled.” “The other people in my life noticed very quickly that I had more confidence in everything that I did. I practiced the ‘walk’ when walking down the street, and treated myself as I should — a beautiful woman. The most important thing I learned was to love myself, and they’ll love me too. Most guys don’t care if you have a couple extra bulges. It means you’re healthy, you’re real and you don’t starve yourself,” Taylor says. Janine Anderson, a 35-year-old mother of two and administrative assistant from Hanson, Mass., was in therapy struggling with weight issues and a low sex drive when she reluctantly signed up for Reardon’s class. She says the classes helped her learn to let go more than therapy did. “When I became a mom, I lost a huge part of myself,” Anderson says. “I found that part of me again when it was just me alone and not someone’s daughter-sister-wife-employee-mother. And she is beautiful, and damn if she doesn’t walk with a little strut now.” Letting go of fear, judgment and misconceptions are the biggest hurdles for many women, even for something like belly dancing. “People worry that they’ll have to show their belly, or that you have to already be coordinated or that it’s just a dance of seduction,” says Aruna, a former personal trainer and author who worked, as Karen Andes, with Cher to create the “Body Confidence” DVD. Now she co-owns a belly dance studio in Northern California. “It can be, but it doesn’t have to be.” Because most erotic classes are held in dance studios, gyms and health clubs where the emphasis is on movement, the “strip” part of the striptease classes is, well, a tease. There’s no nudity at all, and often barely a revealed thong. But for Diane Greenberg, a former stripper who has been leading “The Sacred Art of the Striptease” classes throughout California for 10 years, going all the way is an integral part of stripping, and therefore an option she wants women to explore — if they want. “Why (go bare)? I would say, why not? Someone may want to know, how do I take my panties off? It’s a full class, it’s not just a woo-woo-woo class,” says Greenberg, who is one of a few, if not the only one, in Northern California who offers the totally bare option. “When I open my legs, I am offering my own sacred center. It’s to change the culture and the context of what might have been considered taboo and nasty … to choice.” Sacred or not, not all think striptease, pole-dancing and other erotic classes are the best way for women to feel good about themselves. Says Janet Lever, a professor of sociology at Cal State University in Los Angeles, author and former Glamour sex columnist, women who take erotic classes to boost their confidence “are just kidding themselves. It’s still about pleasing their man. Let him strip and dance, and they can run track for exercise and feeling good about their bodies!” Author Pepper Schwartz, who co-wrote the Glamour sex column with Lever and is a professor of sociology at the University of Washington in Seattle, disagrees. “Most of us are really alienated from our bodies, and from feeling sexual in our bodies,” she says. “Women are so stressed about body issues. Anything that’s playful and that helps them use their bodies really is for the good. There’s a reason strippers use those movements. They’re sexy.” And natural enough that even a feminist can embrace them. ”I came from a feminist, anti-porno, anti-objectification background,” says Rose. “Stepping into a powerful sexual archetype connects us to this vibrant essential part of life called sexuality. It is both infectious and inspiring.” You can be a feminist and still strip, Rose says, because “exotic dancing, on our own terms, in a respectful environment, is empowering when we do it for ourselves.” But that doesn’t mean the benefits end with just the women. Lonnie Green, an intimacy counselor in Northern California who has often hired Greenberg to work one-on-one with clients, says striptease classes give women permission to let go. A woman who’s in touch with the pleasure of her own body can bring that energy into her intimate relationships and revitalize them, Green says. “We have had phone calls from husbands saying that this is the best thing that has ever happened to their marriage — not because of their sex life, but because their wives are happier and taking more control of their lives,” says Anita Ammon, who has been offering erotic dance workouts since January at Xpose Fitness in Baltimore, Md. “When a woman is happy, all things are possible. There is more interest in pleasing others when they are pleased. Sexuality is not just kept to the bedroom — it permeates all aspects of a woman’s life.” And, of course, in the bedroom, too. “When you feel sexy, desirable and in control,” says Ammon, “don’t you want to have sex?” Joyce Pires For Living Well Taking it off has taken on new meaning. During a Cardio Striptease class, women shed their clothes while shedding pounds. But don't worry – even in those classes with pole dancing, the strippers hardly bare G-strings and pasties. Cardio Striptease creator Jeff Costa, a Dartmouth native and Boston University graduate, got the idea for the new fitness trend after many years of teaching exercise and his experience as a stripper. Afterall, stripping isn't something for the faint of fitness. So Costa, who teaches in California, decided to create a group exercise class that combines aerobics and dance routines. "People are shocked at how much they work out in this class, it's a great workout. You can burn 400 to 500 calories an hour," Costa said. Besides a good cardiovascular workout, "strippers" also work their abs, buttocks and legs – most women's problem areas. Local exercise instructor Wendy Reardon has her own class version of Cardio Striptease, "Gypsy Rose Exotic and Pole Dancing" at Open Doors Studio in Braintree. Reardon encourages the mental benefits of striptease by teaching women to love their bodies. The biggest thing she tries to teach is attitude. "If you feel sexy, others will believe you. I want students to feel themselves as sexy," she said. Women can wear anything to the class but she discourages sweats. Who feels sexy in sweats? Many students wear an sports bra and spandex shorts. Like Costa's classes, there is no nudity in Reardon's classes. Her classes are also more tailored toward the individual with just three students in each class. She teaches the basics and then students make up their own moves. She also encourages women to come to class in full makeup, done up hair and heels to feel sexier. Reardon says women of all ages take her class but the average age is mid-to-late-20s. Women in her classes are also at all different levels of fitness. Costa's classes are geared toward women in their mid-40s, married with children who want to lose weight, and improve their marriages and love lives. Reardon said women leave her class feeling sexier than ever. "No matter what you look like, you can feel sexy," she said. Costa believes there are mental, as well as physical, benefits to his class, such as an increase in self-confidence. EXPERIENCED MOVER: Former Exotic Dancer Teaching a Seductive Striptease in Hingham By VALERIE A. RUSSO For The Patriot Ledger Reardon promises to teach the finer points of a seductive striptease, providing tips on makeup, costumes, music and body positions. During her first class at Pia's on July 7, Reardon demonstrated a basic move for exotic dancers: rotating the hips while keeping the knees slightly bent and moving the hands suggestively over the body. "I can't concentrate on moving my arms and my hips at the same time," said Lucy, a 42-year-old sales manager from Pembroke. "I'm going to feel it tomorrow," said Lolita, a 35-year-old travel agent from Hanover, massaging her aching thighs. Reardon gave the students a homework assignment: work on their hip rotation to get the movement more fluid. "I'll try it out on my boyfriend," said Lolita. "And when the course is over, maybe I'll go down to the Foxy Lady for amateur night." Copyright 2003 The Patriot Ledger Transmitted Tuesday, July 15, 2003 Boston Globe June 29, 2003 COURSE STRIPS AWAY NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE Author(s): Jenn Abelson, and Meredith Goldstein, Globe Staff Date: June 29, 2003 Page: 4 Section: Globe South As part of an all-hours quest for self-improvement, Reardon's "The Art of Exotic Dancing" fills a certain niche at the Boston Center for Adult Education. And with the success of her Boston classes, Reardon is expanding to the South Shore. Last week, she's launching a two-week crash course in exotic dancing at Pia's Positive Vibrations in Hingham. Reardon, a 32-year-old Emerson College graduate, turned to stripping when she was laid off from her job as a television cartoon writer. Now, she's sharing her knowledge of exotic dancing. "I'm proud of it," said Reardon, who lives in Hanover with her parents. "I used my body when I didn't have anything else to use." Unlike the "Cardio Striptease" classes that are popping up at gyms across the country, Reardon's all-female class doesn't focus on the exercise value of stripping. That's just a perk. In "Exotic Dancing," it's all about taking off your clothes the right way before a crowd. "It was a little strange at first," said Jennifer Savoie, 23, of Medford, who said she signed up for the class to improve her self-image. She was also the only student, of about 20 invited to discuss the class, who would associate her name with it. She said Reardon may have a racy style, but the teacher is able to put her at ease. "I've never felt uncomfortable with it, her stripping for the class," Savoie said of Reardon. "She's a total trip. She's just really comfortable with who she is and puts it all out there. It's self-confidence. As she says, "We're the queens." In the first class last month, students mastered sultry looks and fondled their fat rolls, which Reardon says is key to making flaws sexy. Body image is one of the pillars of this six-week, $72 course. In one of her handouts, Reardon wrote in pink type, "You are not perfect! Be proud of it." Most women in the class said they have no plans to strip professionally, but Reardon still treats them as dancers in training. From the beginning, it was clear there was a diverse group of students with varied abilities and interests. A 30-year-old insurance agent was looking to relax. A 34-year-old massage therapist wanted to perform burlesque before she turns 40. There was even a 70-year-old woman who didn't return after the first class, possibly because she had trouble getting down on all fours. Reardon, who has never taught before, moved to Los Angeles after college and found some success writing cartoon scripts, with her credits including a "Transformers" episode. After being laid off by Hanna Barbara in 1995, she turned to stripping to pay her bills. The first job she landed was at Snooky's, a bikini bar in California. She then moved to England, supporting herself while earning a master's degree in medieval history at the University of Reading. Aside from cartoons and stripping, Reardon also harbors a penchant for death rituals. She is now awaiting the release next spring of her reference book, tentatively titled, "Death of the Popes: A Comprehensive Reference Including Funerals, Burial Places and Epitaphs.""I'm like a spider with, like, eight different legs - and fangs," Reardon said of her eclectic interests. Even though she no longer strips at clubs, Reardon wanted to keep up the dancing. She first pitched the stripping class to her alma mater, Emerson. The school never responded. The Boston Center for Adult Education, which features classes ranging from belly dancing to Indian cooking to investing in real estate, was her next stop. The center took her up on her offer. Although school officials had some concerns, spokeswoman Courtney Fratar said Reardon's proposal focused less on nudity and more on body image and confidence. She added that the class is also listed in the exercise and dance section and will be offered again in July. "It's kind of a racy thing to do, but it's really just a great way to do something fun, go out there, and get in tune with yourself," Fratar said. Like any teacher, Reardon offers relevant advice to her students. One lesson: White collar professionals are bad tippers. Another: Kick your stripping cash to the back of the stage so that customers don't steal dollar bills and "regift." A third: Wear both a thong and brief to prolong the dance. There are also what Reardon calls her three basic rules:
Like many courses, Reardon's involves some personal history. At her last stripping job at the Satin Doll in Providence, she recounted, a man told her about his secret: that he was wearing a red bra with matching panties. Reardon said she never gets embarrassed and reminds her students, "Don't forget. You are the queen. You have what they want and we know they're not going to get it." With each passing class, the students are more comfortable showing off new moves. Rena, the 200-plus-pound burlesque hopeful who has already picked out her stage name, "Lotta Figurea," showed up to the third class with a red ribbon, red thigh-high stockings, and a wicked routine. At the Boston Center, the group just had its last class, and Reardon is urging her students to try amateur night at Alex's, a club in Stoughton. A few seem interested. Others have requested an advanced stripping course first.
"I think they are getting that it's fun," Reardon said. "There's nothing to be ashamed of." |
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