Special Pole Workshops in Columbus

Infinity Dance and Wellness near Columbus, OH has a couple special Pole workshops coming up this month we thought you should know about. It's worth the 2 hour trip!

First, September 18th, all afternoon are mixed level training workshops with Denise Brown.

"My name is Denise Brown. I’m happily married & the proud mother of two beautiful daughters. I’m the owner & instructor of Vertical Expressions Pole Aerobic Dance & Aerial Arts Studio. I’ve expressed myself in various dance styles since a very young age. I have placed in many pole competitions & won several awards. I’m also an aerial arts & pole performer for various bands & clubs. Pole Dancing is my true passion & I’m extremely honored being able to share it with others."

Second, October 9 & 11, Infinity Dance will host a variety of workshops from David C. Owen. Very cool guy. He's got photos and vids http://www.facebook.com/Mindpool#!/Mindpool?v=info

Have fun and keep dancing!

Being a Sexy Woman: Tip #8

I've talked in the past about how we get in cycles of negative self-talk. You look in the mirror and immediately the voice in your head starts saying all that icky stuff. Or you want to do something in your life but that voice says "you can't do that you're too ______________." You can break that cycle by making a point to listen to yourself, stop that voice when it starts, and replace the negative with positive affirmations. I hope you've been working at that and telling yourself just how awesome you are!

We also touched on in the last article about how people who don't have anything nice to say about other people and regularly engage in harmful gossip are also people with huge self-esteem and confidence issues. They are trying to boost their self-esteem by bringing others down.

Let's combine those ideas into another way to help you work on your self-image and confidence, and exude positivity that will draw others to you. It's all one big cycle.

by DB photographs on Flickr

If you're negative about yourself, you will tend to be negative about others, which will push people away, which will result in you alienating yourself, which will make you feel bad, you'll be mean to others and push them away.. etc etc.

So we've got the positive internal self talk, expand that to finding the good in others and also TELLING THEM SO. You can compliment how their appearance, how you admire a skill they have, or a personal quality about them. Find something genuine. You'll feel good, they will feel good, and you are promoting positive thoughts both internally and externally. If you can't quite bring yourself to tell them, you can work up to that. Find the positive about people around you in your mind, the people in your daily life and even perfect strangers. People watch the world around you for and find the good. Eventually, you will be speaking up and spreading the love.

Bring out the best in yourself by bringing out the best in others.

Gravity Plays Favorites

The following video is a recent performance by Gravity Plays Favorites at the Midwest Pole Jam. We were sooooo lucky to have Gravity Plays Favorites traveling with the Show-Me Burlesque tour a couple weeks ago. Amazing to see in person, but if you missed the show in Cleveland check out the video to see what two ladies on a pole can do! Also, you should know our new all levels instructor is from St. Louis and was trained by Michelle Mynx of GPF. We are so thrilled to have the Cleveland/St. Louis connection!

Sex Toys

Click for the full size graphic.

from http://theirtoys.com

Being a Sexy Woman: Tip #7

I'm not sure where we were exactly. I'll have to go back and check out where we've left off but for now I'll just talk about confidence.

Confidence is the sexiest thing ever.

Someone could have an amazing appearance but if they are not confident in how they speak or carry themselves then no one will ever take notice. Likewise, someone with an average appearance (by majority standards) can be a super star if they are confident.

Confidence is tough. Even the most confident people have their doubts and insecurities. There's so much in life that can bring us down. Unsupportive or unloving family members in childhood can do lifelong damage because you got an early message that you weren't important enough. Other things in childhood like being bullied, or separation from parents, and abuse hurt your self esteem for a long long time. As an adult, any big change in life like divorce, career problems, turning a certain age, etc etc can zap your confidence. Some of these things are easily gotten over with a bit of internal work some things require help from a trusted friend or professional. But just to set you on the right path of putting these things in perspective, I want you to ask yourself what they all have in common.

They are largely things that happen TO you. They are not a reflection of YOU. You cannot control what other people do and what happens to you as a result. You can control how you respond and what you are going to do about it. Life will beat you down. People generally suck and bad things happen. You can let happen and just let the waves drown you, or you can swim and fight for shore. The more you fight back against life the more confident you will genuinely become. Then you become someone who makes things happen instead of letting them happen. Negativity loses and you, Miss Positive, will be happier and people will be attracted to you.

Image by Son of Groucho on Flickr

There is a bit of a catch though. The more confidence you exude, the more people who are struggling with confidence and self-esteem issues might try to put you down. Not everyone is like this but there are plenty out there who are ready to throw a wrench in your life. When they put your down or try to do or say things behind your back they temporarily make themselves feel better. Of course we know it's a false sense of security, it won't last, and in the end they will probably feel worse about themselves. They do it anyway and other people can be influenced by the negative ninnies. Again, keep your head up, move forward as you were and eventually those people will be exposed for who they truly are. Don't get caught up in talking bad about them. At that point you become no better than they are. Stay true to who you are and don't back down from anyone or anything negative in life. You can overcome and each battle does really does make you stronger.

Now this is about general confidence and can help you in any area of your life. We will continue with more about confidence and then fine tune it to sexy womanly confidence. For now just think about what in life has contributed to low confidence and self-esteem. See how those are things that have happened TO you. Realize you have the power to choose how you act and you can move on and away from those negative people. Now is the time for YOU to happen to you.

Strippers VS Church

Let me fully explain my stance before anyone hates me for this. I have no problem with anyone's Deities. Worship whatever way you want to whatever God(s). I have a problem with religious, faiths, ways of life, etc that try to force their message on others. We are free in this country to do whatever we please in the limits of the law (which I don't always agree with, but you know). You do not get to tell me how to live and I won't tell you how to live. If you don't like what's on, turn it off or change the channel.... don't go near it. This church was built well after the established strip club had been there. Now the church is protesting the strip club being there? Good for the club and the dancers to give it right back to them. They shouldn't have built their church there in the first place if they were sooooo offended.

If they built there just to "fight the devil," then where the hell was the zoning on this one? That should be a bit red light.... church wants property next to strip club.... hmmmm maybe this won't be a problem. I wish it wasn't a problem. I think everything can co-exist. The reality is that the people who are all about proselytizing and ridding the earth of what they perceive as evil are going to go poking at things like strip clubs. It should have been in the zoning laws to not allow this to happen so everyone can co-exist in the same town. Just silly. Well, kudos to the club. I hope it works out for them and I hope the church can learn to love their neighbor and not judge.

Ok Seriously....back now

I try not to get to personal on this blog because eventually it will be written by many voices. The instructors will have blogging access and this blog is bigger than me. But sometimes it's necessary.

If moving the studio was the only thing I had to focus on this summer, keeping the classes running through the move and the blog and site updated would have been cake. I've had WAY more than that going on. It's a long long story, but if anyone is interested in hearing it I'm happy to share. It's all about trusting a family member and that trust being completely destroyed. My grandmother was a victim of financial elder abuse a few years ago. Her mental health was ailing and this person took advantage of that. 5 or so years later after long drawn out court battles, my family lost everything. We had a beautiful home in Bratenahl for over 100 years. My great great grandparents lived there and I was the last to grow up there. It's now gone. I spent the half of July, directly after the studio move, sorting through and boxing up 5 generations of belongings. It had to be done by August 1st or we would have lost those things too. I had help and support from wonderful friends, but it still took almost every waking moment, and was a huge emotional drain to say the least. This first week of August I have been scrambling to make up for all the lost time in the other areas of my life, particularly the studio. I'm sorry the schedule is a bit later than I first thought, but I didn't think I would have to clean out that house by August 1st.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your patience. It has been a rough year, but the studio is doing great, and I can only thank the students and my instructors for that.

With that being said, the FULL SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2010 is up. Yes that is right. I have scheduled every single class up into December. You can clear your schedule and plan for classes now! In December, I will post the Winter 2011 schedule and after that a Summer 2011 schedule. Hopefully, life will be easier for everyone with the new system. It works for colleges right?

www.ClevelandExoticDance.com to register for classes!

I still have a lot of work to do. Everything is boxed up, but now I have to sort through it again and decide what to sell, for how much, what to keep, etc etc. A huge yard sale is towards the end of August so I have a lot of work ahead of me, again in a very short amount of time. The blog will be returning to as normal as possible with multiple posts each week and our How to be a Sexy Woman series returning.

Thank you again.

Hoop Connection

We've got it!

Hoop Classes are back. I'm making sure everyone know because we did have a little problem with registration and our website. Everything works perfectly now.

Beginner hoop starts next Wednesday, Aug 4th at 6:15pm and runs for 6 weeks. Intermediate/Advanced did start yesterday at 7:15pm, but you can still sign up and start next week. Additionally, can still do the classes as drop-ins in case you can't make it every week. It's $15 for a single class, just let us know you're coming so we can make sure there's room for you.

Class descriptions, and all the details are on the website http://www.clevelandexoticdance.com/hoopclass.htm

Burlesque 101 & Intermediate/Advanced now with Danielle!

Holy Cow have I got some special classes for you!

Our regular burlesque classes are now with the fabulous Danielle. She is a burlesque dancer, actress, singer, belly dancer, instructor, has been in movies, commercials, traveled around, she's just awesome! Soon, we will do a teacher feature and tell you all about her. But for now, the classes.

Here's the detailed descriptions

Burlesque 101!!!!

Tuesdays 6:15pm

6 weeks is $70

Starts August 3rd

Click here to register

 Learn how to be a total glamour queen, how to walk and dance  in sky-high heels and how to exude confidence and sex appeal! And of course, you'll learn all the fundamentals of burlesque dance! You'll shimmy, shake, undulate, bump,grind, wiggle, jiggle, twirl and swirl your way through the classic burlesque moves and the use of the tools of tease, such as boas, canes, gloves and chairs. Music from the 30's to the early 60's,

 how to find your own style and character, picking music, and the all important facial expressions.

       Take it home or to the stage, whatever you do you will be hooked! All classes are for any woman 18 to 80 any shape! any size!

>Learn and rediscover your gorgeous sexy self and bring out that sex appeal that every woman owns! This class is for the unexperienced and  seasoned dancers. I frequently have taught all level courses in many fields of dance.

  

Your instructor: Danielle Maud'dib

 Intermediate and Advanced courses!!

Tuesdays 6:15pm

6 weeks is $70

Starts August 3rd 

Click here to register

( Beginners course required )

styles from Kitsch cabaret of European theatre  to the more modern and sexy moves of a burlesque pussy cat doll.

It's time for glitz, glamour and a lot of sequins! Showgirl dancing is the ultimate girly fantasy, with all the old-world glamour of the 1940s and 1950s! If you've ever wanted to be a Rockette, a Vegas showgirl or steal the spotlight on Broadway, then this is the course for you!  Every class includes stretching and strength exercises to work towards those showgirl high kicks and splits, plus you'll explore six different styles of showgirl dance - from Cabaret Broadway to Vintage Chorusline, Showgirl Chair Dance, Floorwork, Charleston, Salsa, Tap and Parisian Can Can! Over the six weeks the group will also learn a fun and glamorous showgirl routine

Also Available

PRIVATE and SEMI-PRIVATE LESSONS

CHOREOGRAPHY and STYLE COACHING

  Never any pressure to perform! No nudity required! Optional performances at the end of group sessions!

And We're Back!

Wow! What a crazy couple of weeks.
Moving the studio was way more involved than I thought it would be. But it's done and we're getting momentum to start classes back up.

This week we have a couple open houses. We have one today at lunch time from 11:30am-1:30pm, so if you work downtown stop on by. Also tomorrow from 5pm -7:30pm. The open houses are free and are a chance for returning and new students to see the new studio, meet teachers, watch and participate in class demos, and just chat! This is a perfect opportunity to test out a dance style you've been wanting to try.

Classes will resume next week with some drop-ins (schedule is still being finalized), then the first week of August our regular 6 week sessions will start up again (You can come to Saturday 11am drop-in pole this Saturday!). We will post here when everything is back on the website.

Also, clear your schedule this Friday from 6:15-8:15 for a 2 hour sampler workshop for $25. Intros to Belly dance, pole dance, burlesque, and hoop. We will have videos of other things we do as well.

Definitely clear your schedule for this weekend! Details in tomorrow's post, but briefly we have some amazing talent visiting Cleveland this weekend. Burlesque stars: Fever Blister from LA, Ms. Bea Haven and Cruel Valentine both from Chicago are here #1 performing at Touch Supper club this Saturday with some other great traveling and local performers (doors open at 7pm show at 8) #2 teaching at Cleveland Exotic Dance on Sunday. We have 3 special classes from these performers. This is a rare opportunity to take a class in Cleveland from these ladies. We'll have a Beginner workshop, Hip Hop for Burlesque, and Advanced Vixens (it is still an all levels class it just goes over more detailed techniques).

Check out the details and registration http://www.clevelandexoticdance.com/workshops.htm

Lastly, thank you SOOOOOOO much for your patience during the move!