HERE’S a wheel-y sexy way to get about — a rickshaw with its own built-in POLE DANCER.

New Yorkers have been stunned to see the contraption being ridden around the streets of Manhattan at night.

The tantalising method of transport features an on-board stereo system and flashing lights, as well as an 8ft tall pole.

And as Andrew Katzander, the brains behind the operation pedals, a sexy dancer shimmies up and down, on top of her neon-blue “stage”.

The 45-year-old said: “We’re taking pole dancing to the streets.”

Well we shaw think it’s an idea with legs.

Source:The Sun

POLE dancing - where scantily clad women writhe around a pole on stage - is making an appearance at the National Day Parade (NDP) this evening, but opinions are polarised over whether it is suitable family fare.

Online forums have been running hot with posters either for or against the performance at a formal occasion celebrating the nation’s birthday, with families in the audience.

After all, the dance originated in strip clubs and only recently became a mainstream interest taken up by women as a fun fitness activity.

Some were worried that the performance by 10 members from Acropolates, which describes itself as a pole ‘fitness’ studio, sends the wrong message to youths.

They include Mr Cheah Khuan Yew who wrote in to The Straits Times online forum expressing concern about ‘the portrayal of women in skimpy outfits and sensual dancing at the NDP’ since ‘pole dancing has its origins in strip clubs, however toned down the sensuality is now’.

Human resource executive Gregory Ho, 25, who saw the pole-dancing act at an NDP preview, told LifeStyle: ‘I can’t see what pole dancing has to do with Singapore. The performance was a bit raunchy and it shouldn’t be the way, especially when there were so many kids around.’

However, not everyone sees the inclusion of pole dancing as risque business.

Ms Poh Sze Phing, a 24-year-old life sciences graduate from the National University of Singapore who also saw the act at a preview, said: ‘I didn’t expect to see pole dancing. The performance was very interesting and not sleazy at all.’

Indeed, the dancers themselves are wondering what the fuss is about.

Source:Straits Times

Teen idol Miley Cyrus performed her song ‘Party in the USA’ at Sunday night’s Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles, which was broadcast Monday night on Fox.

During the performance the 16-year-old singer does a pole dance atop a ice cream cart. She is dressed in micro-short shorts, black boots and her bra showing ( see a photo .)

The move has some people wondering whether she is going the Britney Spears career route and trying to grow up too fast ( Cyrus presented her “hero,” Britney Spears, with the a lifetime award at the show). Some are also concerned with the message she may be sending to her young fans.

“She already has this risque image, so it really wasn’t much of a stretch,” says Us magazine senior editor Ian Drew to Newsday . “That’s how Britney took off. She was the good girl gone bad, and it looks to be working for Miley as well.”

But Disney, which makes the hugely popular “Hannah Montana” brand said to Newsday , “Disney Channel won’t be commenting on that performance, although parents can rest assured that all content presented on the Disney Channel is age-appropriate for our audience - kids 6-14 - and consistent with what our brand values are.”

Entertainment Weekly wrote of the performance that it “came off completely inappropriate and ill-advised.”

Cyrus made headlines after a she posed semi-topless for the June 2008 Vanity Fare issue. She later said in a statement that   she was “so embarrassed. I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.”

But Cyrus’ young fans are behind her as the teen queen took away six surfboard-shaped trophies at the ceremony.

Source: My fox nepa

Event to Showcase Modern Pole Dancing

Charlottesville, Virginia—August 6, 2009— The U.S. Pole Dance Federation (USPDF) and Shergold Studio’s Exotic Fitness (E-Fit) Dance program are pleased to announce the first-ever East Coast Pole Dance Regional Competition event, which will be held on Sunday, October 4, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre on the Charlottesville downtown mall. During the event, 12 women will compete in modern pole dancing – a sensual athletic dance form that demands coordination, flexibility and physical strength. The participants will vie for a spot in the annual national championship to be held Spring 2010.

“We are delighted to be a partner with USPDF to provide a platform for this unique – and sometimes misunderstood — art form to the local area,” said Erica Shergold, co-owner and E-Fit Dance program director at Shergold Studio. “Hundreds of everyday women have taken pole and exotic dance lessons with us and other studios across the country, gaining confidence, increasing their fitness and having fun. At this event, the public will get a glimpse of the beauty of modern pole dancing as some of the nation’s best dancers compete in this unique event.”

The USPDF was founded in 2008 as the interest of pole dancing grew significantly in the U.S. The Shergold Studio, which launched in 1999, began offering pole dance lessons to everyday women as a unique fitness and dance offering in 2004.

“We realized the potential of pole dancing as an artistic sport. Therefore, setting standards in the industry is the foundation of making pole dancing grow as a sport,” said Anna Grundstrom, co-founder of USPDF. Grundstrom founded the organization with Wendy Traskos.

Tickets to the championship event, open to adults age 18 and older, can be purchased for $45 and $65

Amateur pole dancers may submit an application to compete in the Charlottesville event and learn more about the event and judging criteria. Winners of the regional competition will reserve a spot to compete in the USPDF National Championship 2010. First prize in the regional includes $500 cash award and airfare to the national championship. The USPDF also will be distributing up to five pro-status designations to dancers at the regional event.

The Shergold Studio E-Fit Dance program offers classes in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg in pole dancing, exotic dancing (striptease), burlesque, lap dancing and chair dancing for the everyday woman. The program’s philosophy centers on female fitness and empowerment for women of all ages and life stages. E-Fit programs are led by qualified, trained instructors who make student safety, privacy and comfort a priority.

Interested women can visit to learn more about the dance championship and E-Fit program, to view current choreography and dance moves, and to access a calendar for class schedules.

The USPDF provides a network for pole dancers and studio owners across the country, providing a structured standard in the industry and serving as a source to exchange ideas to help develop a safe and efficient environment for women to learn this dance form. The organization also hosts competitions along with workshops and panel discussions, including topics such as safety, teaching techniques, fitness and dance, and style.

About Shergold Studio
Shergold Studio, launched in 1999, offers dance instruction for the beginner to the advanced student. With 10 instructors, the studio’s emphasis and skill is on helping students develop real-world, applicable dance ability. Shergold Studio offers all the major social dances - from tango to foxtrot, from waltz to swing - and burlesque, exotic and pole dancing, belly dancing, hip-hop, and other specialty dances, such as the Virginia reel and the polka - in private lessons, regular classes, or special workshops. Shergold Studio is family-owned and has two locations, in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Bangalore: Wake up at 7am, get her two children ready for school, then prepare breakfast for her husband. This, in a nutshell, described 30-year-old Geetha’s* daily morning routine for the past eight years.

Being a homemaker, her days were relatively empty till the children — Aarti (6)* and Rahul (four and a half)* — returned from school in the evening. It had all started seeming like a colourless saga to her.

“The monotony of my life had started to scare me,” says Geetha, “and I knew I had to do something about it, soon. I became very low on confidence as I had also put on a few extra kilos.”

So, she began to look for ways to make herself feel good: “I thought of joining dance classes to have some fun and lose weight. While looking for options on the internet, I happened to come across a listing of ‘exotic’ dance classes — striptease, lap dance, pole dancing, etc — in the city.”

Without telling anyone, Geetha enrolled for striptease lessons. “I was curious and scared at the same time,” she says. “But, somehow, I knew this would bring the missing fun back into my life.”

After a month of striptease lessons, not only did Geetha start feeling good about her body, she also felt sexy. “One day when my husband came back from work, I thought I’d share my little secret with him. So, I got into a formal suit and played some sensual music to set the mood.”

Geetha’s husband didn’t understand at first what was going on. “The lights were dim, the music was good, and I was strangely very confident. I started my act. My nervousness vanished when I saw his mood shift from that of an anxious man to a pervert! He enjoyed it enormously.”

The next morning, over breakfast, Geetha told her husband about the dance lessons he had been paying for. “He just smiled and said, ‘You are the hottest girl I have ever seen’,” she says.

‘Exotic’ dances seem to have helped many such Geethas break the monotony of their married lives. Most husbands appreciate the effort made by their better halves to bring some excitement into their lives. Lourd Vijay, a promoter of Latin dance, culture, and music in Asia, says: “Exotic dances bring out the sexy side of a woman. They feel confident, sexy, and proud of their own bodies after a few lessons in striptease, lap dance, and pole dance.”

Lourd Vijay conducts these dance classes in several parts of the city. Most women who join his classes do it initially out of a sense of curiosity. After a few lessons, however, they learn more.

“At first, women who join are quite shy about moving in a certain way,” says Sneha Kapoor, instructor and principal dancer at Lourd Vijay’s dance studio. “They have too many inhibitions like I’m fat, I’m not looking good… It takes them less than a month to realise the difference in their body and confidence level.”

Kapoor has noticed many more changes in her students. “The way they walk, what they wear, the way they talk, everything changes for the better. Their confidence with respect to most things gets a solid boost.”

Though Lourd Vijay doesn’t teach the dances personally, he knows quite a few couples who have managed to save their marriage with these moves. He says: “Rahul* and Rakhi* were married for three years after which they were going through difficult times. Rakhi joined these exotic dance classes just to distract herself. She didn’t know it could do a little more than that for her.”

Rakhi demonstrated some of the moves she learnt to Rahul and, before she knew it, their marriage was back on track.

Physical intimacy and comfort are important factors in every relationship. “There are many who come to me complaining of a lack of excitement in their married lives,” says Dr Murali Raj, head of the department of psychiatry, Manipal Hospital. “I advise them to try out new things.”

Dr Raj agrees that ‘exotic’ dancing helps to bring back elements of love and passion in a marriage. “Sex is a very important aspect in a marriage,” he says. The problem creeps in when it becomes a routine. Striptease, pole dancing, etc, add something new to it and make it exciting for both partners.”

Men agree completely. DNA spoke to a few who believe that ‘exotic’ dancing has helped to enhance their relationships substantially. Ganesh*, 27, who has been married for two years, says: “When my wife did a striptease, I loved it. I appreciated her effort and also her love for me — it showed how passionate and comfortable she was with me.”

Dancing, for centuries, has been considered a courtship ritual, says Lourd Vijay. “In my opinion, any kind of dancing is the best form of self-expression. ‘Exotic’ dances help women to discover new sides to their personalities. I have students who openly talk about how their husbands and boyfriends love ‘exotic’ dancing. A few women also have poles installed in their houses!”

So, why wait to pep up your sex life? Learn to do a little bump and grind or a twist around the pole. This could be all you need for a great time in and out of bed.

Striptease
An erotic dance performance, striptease is the art of undressing gradually, either partly or fully. This routine is performed in a seductive, sexually suggestive manner. The teasing bit involves the slowness of undressing. The emphasis is on the act of undressing along with sensuous movements, rather than the state of being naked.

Pole dancing
This is a combination of dancing and gymnastics. It involves dancing sensually around a fixed vertical pole. Pole dance, today, is also recognised as a form of exercise and can be used as both an aerobic and anaerobic workout. A standard dance pole is a hollow steel or brass pole with a circular cross section, running from floor to ceiling. The diameter, 5cm (2 inches), allows it to be gripped easily with one hand.

Lap dancing
An erotic dance, generally coupled with striptease, lap dancing involves immediate contact or very close contact between the dancer and the watcher. In situations where the contact is only a very short distance — the focus is more on teasing the viewer. This dance is also known as couch dance.

* Names have been changed on request

Source: DNA Read the World

Her students, on a Saturday afternoon at Inferno in downtown Greensboro, break into applause.

The News & Record of Greensboro reported that the 26-year-old Craven is a pole dance instructor. She is not, however, a stripper. And though she has had some students who were exotic dancers, most are just women wanting to spice things up in their relationships or looking for a unique way to get into shape.

“Some people, when I tell them I teach pole dancing, they instantly shut down,” Craven said. “They hear the words ‘pole dancing’ and then they just associate it with something unseemly. But this is more about getting women to come out of their shells, to be confident in their bodies.”

The classes are part of a growing national trend that’s drawing a wide variety of people. Craven’s students range in age from 18 to early 50s and include college students, a pastor’s wife and even a former body builder, Jody Luman.

“I wish I had known about this, or lived close enough to someone who did this when I was competing in bodybuilding in 2005 and 2006,” Luman said. “It builds up your abs, your thighs, upper body strength. You build up a lot of tone and muscle doing this.”

“I’m probably the only person you know whose house has scuff marks on the ceiling,” Craven says. source

The episode will show Brooke getting quickly at ease with the pole, as she displayed some raunchy moves pretty fast. Brooke is the daughter of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. Her new album ‘The Redemption’ will be releasing next week.

According to British tabloid The Sun, her record has described it as a “pop wonderland with up-beat, sexy dance rhythms and hip-hop influences, all overlaid with Brooke’s signature voice.”

1. Make sure your friends are okay with attending a pole dance party. Some may feel uncomfortable performing in front of others or they just think the idea is downright crude
2. Indulge in a drink or two before the dancing begins. Your guests will be more fun and relaxed if they have a drink before the show begins.
3. Use your imagination when it comes to your snacks and drinks. Pick up some chocolate-dipped pretzels from a candy store for your “poles.” Make up a batch of your favorite frozen “polar” beverage.
4. Tell your guests to wear comfortable clothes such as yoga pants and t-shirts.
5. Send out cute party pole dancing invitations to your friends. Find some risque girls’ night out invitations on bachelorette websites. No decorations are necessary as the removable pole speaks for itself.

Hilton Hairess Paris hilton kicked off season two of Paris Hilton’s My New BFF! on MTV and this installment featured guest appearances by Kathy Griffin and Lil’ Kim as well as stripper pole challenges.