If you are a regular reader of this blog or my column in the
Saturday Star you will know that I recently took up pole dancing so I was
extremely privileged to be invited to judge the recent pole dance competition
held at Sexpo.
The organizer of the event was Juanita Fouche from Basic Instincts Studio and I know I am going to sound a bit like a sycophant but here
goes!
There was R20k prize money in it for the winner and winner takes
all! I have judged a couple of Pole competitions in the past so it was not new
to me but what I was impressed with was the efficiency and professionalism of
the judging process.
Every competition seems to accuse the poor judges of being
biased, the right person never wins and the complaints go on! Personally I am
offended if someone thinks that I would not apply my best effort and would be
shallow enough to let bias affect my judgment. (Just so you know when I judged
in the past if anyone I knew participated I excused myself from that round so I
could not be accused!)
This time however none of the judges except the organizer Juanita
knew who the contestants were or which studios they came from. I do however
know both dancers of the couple event and placed my knowledge on record.
If you'd like to learn how to pole dance, join a studio near you and if you can't then get Juanita's DVDs for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Dancers
Judging was done online and submitted immediately so we
could not talk to fellow judges or compare notes. The scores were then compiled
by another party and calculated. Each contestant got our judging sheets emailed
to them immediately after the scores were complied.
We had to look at 10 elements of the performance and had to
score them out of 10. The top two scorers of each evening went through to the
finals and the process was repeated.
I felt a huge responsibility, there was R20k at stake after
all! I think we did a good job.
So here is how it went – The judges were:
- Juanita Fouche – owner of Basic Instincts Studio and organizer.
- Ian Thomas Pursey – Designer and entertainer
- Qaanita Brown-de Bruyn – Model, dancer and media specialist - see her guest contribution below.
- Sharon Gordon – Me! Owner of Lola Montez!
The four Finalists were:
- Riette Dunn
- Nikita Smit
- Kessuree Srisroy
- Neroesjke Theunissen
And the winner
Kessuree Srisroy! Congratulation – you were fantastic!
A special mention to the couple who danced. It was special
and I don’t want to think about how difficult it is to do what they do together
on the pole! Rayne Pole Junkie and Elzani du Toit.
My Nights in the Hot Seatby Qaanita Brown-de Bruyn
Beautiful bodies, sun-kissed tans, high heels,
perfectly pointed toes, sparkly costumes, false eyelashes, carnival
music, feats of athleticism, pristine Hollywood waxes and pink poles...
This has been my life for the past three nights, as a judge on the panel of the
Basic Instincts pole dance competition, held at Gallagher Estate in
Midrand this weekend.
I was awed by the performers, who are able to command
their bodies to move, flex and contort at will, into the most
breathtaking manipulations.
As I watched them perform, I felt empowered in the
knowledge that these women were continuing to change the old stigma
of pole dance and taking it even further into the light, where it can be
seen for the magnificent form of dance that it is. A form of dance that, like
every sport, requires superior fitness, technique, flexibility,
core muscle strength and tremendous amounts of discipline, commitment
and passion.
I have been inspired by this experience and I dare
you to join me as I start pole dancing with Basic Instincts, where I hope
to rediscover my inner Goddess.
You can find me on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest
- @spicedbrown
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