I am a senior citizen pole dancer. I learned my first pole trick back in 1992. I was 32 and half years old and I am now 52 years old, and have never had any cosmetic surgery. I’m still doing quite well, thank you.
I was working in a go-go club in Sunnyvale, CA, called The Candid club (it’s still there, but has been renamed). When we received our new pole, most of us girls had no idea how to utilize it. There were no classes back then and no YouTube. We couldn’t just go online and watch someone dance and learn from that medium because it didn’t exist. I was always an athletic person and took to climbing straight away, but I wanted to learn how I could incorporate the pole into a dance.
This is what I did back then: I went to go-go and strip clubs all over San Francisco and Las Vegas. Whenever I would find a strong dancer who was creative, I would tip her very well to perform her trick or dance move over for me so I could learn from memory. I would practice at work while it was slow as there were no portable poles for the home back then either. This method worked well for me, as I was an actress with an incredible photographic memory for reading lines. Hence, I would use the same method to learn the art of the pole.
Soon, I was considered the best pole dancer on the circuit for a long time. Whenever I would go to work in a new club, there were never any dancers who were more advanced than myself. The funny thing was, I really didn’t know all that much for all those years – I wasn’t even inverting properly. (Actually, I was afraid to face the pole so I went up-side-down backwards). I knew a few cool spins and I could climb in different ways, but that was the extent of my pole prowess.
About four years ago, I noticed new dancers in my club, doing things I didn’t think were possible. Finally, two and half years ago, I enrolled in classes in Los Angeles. Wow! I had no idea what was happening in the world of the pole. I have continued to study and I’ve taken classes from some great competitors: Mina Mortazaie for one. I have learned so much and I’m still learning more. I’ve also been invited to be in a recital soon. My athletic background (snowboarding, over 30 years in a gym, running, dance classes, etc.) has helped me keep up my strength and good form. I am definitely the oldest performing pole dancer I know, who makes a living this way. I intend to keep it up until someone yells to pull the “grandmother” off the pole!
Article By Dorien Gee
