- - - Information Update - - -
All photos which have been credited in this article as "Python
University Productions" were courteously provided by Erebus Photo.
During the initial publication of the article ... Erebus Photo was
functioning under an "Exclusive Rights Agreement" with another
organization. So I was unable to properly credit the Photographer at
that point in time.
This young woman's name is Valerie Mae. Some of you might know her better by the Stage Persona of Mariah Pole.
If I asked you to describe the most important talent Valerie / Maria has ... What would you say to me?
* Her amazing sense of balance.
* The strength of her arms and legs.
* Her ability to spin herself at something close to Light Speed.
On any of those answers ... You'd be just a bit off the mark.
The young woman's most important talent is her ability to pay attention and comprehend.
This past March, Valerie competed in the Vertical Pole Showdown at On The Border. As talented as the young Woman is ... The unfortunate news that evening was that three other Girls were somewhat better. Mariah Pole missed the opportunity to compete in the finals by a single step on the ladder ... Finishing the Preliminary Round in Fourth Place instead of Third.
About a week after the event ... I asked Valerie if she would like for me to write her a “Personal Review”. Essentially take the time to set down the things I saw as her doing right and wrong. She eagerly said “YES”.
The entire review comprised two full pages and I'm not about to bore everyone by going through the damn thing line by line. So I'll make this reasonably short by simply highlighting the three main points that I touched on.
- A -
The Pole is often your Dance Partner. Don't make the mistake of letting it become the Crutch that you fear to let go of.
- B -
When a Stage has more than one Pole ... You need to switch locations about every 45 to 60 seconds. And as you are switching locations, it is occasionally a good idea to switch the style of the music.
- C -
Please remember that the best travel path, from one location to another, is usually not a straight line. Take a bit of time to meander ... Flirt with the audience ... Show that you can perform without having to have the Pole there as your Security Blanket.
A few days ago ... As I watched Valerie's performance in the Princess division of the Grand Prix of Exotic Dance ... It was obvious that she had paid close attention to my advice. And even more important than that ... The Girl had obviously sought out the advice of others and learned a great deal from them in a short amount of time.
The basic Pole Dancing Skills were still evident. But they were now the very strong framework for an incredibly well balanced routine. A Multi Layered Presentation which enabled a Pole Dancer to compete head to head against Women who had trained as Strippers and Burlesque Performers.
Of the Five Contestants in the Princess Division that weekend ... Mariah was the one who had strayed the farthest from her natural element. Yet she stepped up to the stage and took Third Place.
The Girl was able to do this because she took the time to listen and learn.
* She took my small pieces of advice
* She combined these ideas with the advice of other people who surround this industry
* She kept the basic framework of a Pole Performance
* She built a solid structure on top of it
And in the span of only three months, a well trained Pole Dancer grew into a highly competitive Stage Performer. Because she listened ... And she learned ... And she transformed her stage persona of Mariah into something much larger and more entertaining than what it had previously been.
Three Cheers To Valerie Mae !!!
Travis Clemmons
