Pole-Dance Princess

After taking my first pole-dance class in January, I thought it would be my last. Then I received a letter from Lori Huett, owner of TranZenDance Studio (70 Broadway, Suite 275). "Pole dancing," Huett stressed in her letter, "need not be provocative or explicit." I reminded myself that Huett is a classically trained dancer with a doctorate in clinical psychology — someone clearly capable of dissecting and stepping out of the prescribed idea of the pole.

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I decided to give it another try, and stopped in for a Level I Pole Dancing class (held on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). There were no mirrors, and the room felt like a yoga studio that happens to have poles — so far, so good.

We started with yoga, but after the first hour of poses mixed in with a few strip-stage moves, I was pushing my limits. When we moved into a Pilates shoulder-bridge pose, Huett suggested that we run our fingers through our hair and over our body. I declined; it was all I could do to keep my ass in the air as my legs filled up with fire.

When we were already half an hour over our time and I was crawling across the floor, bruising my knees, two of the other girls announced that they needed to leave, and I followed.

Although pole-dancing isn't really my thing — I prefer old-school burlesque — the explosion in popularity of such classes proves there's a high demand. TranZenDance blocks out three to five hours, Monday through Friday, for private classes — perfect for those who'd rather not participate in such sultry workouts as part of a large group. Today's private classes take place from noon to 4 p.m., followed by an Intro Pole class from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Find a complete schedule at www.tranzendancestudio.com or call 303-962-9515.
Fri., April 11, 2008