Accountant by Day, Pole Dancer by Night

You needed a password and invitation to get into this event at Brixton on Sunday night. After all, the 12 women performing at the Redondo club were not professionals. By day, they toil as veterinarians, homemakers, restaurant managers, mothers, engineers or accountants. On this night, however, they were pole dancers. 

Some of the women were performing in public for the first time--and doing it without much clothing!

"I wanted to express how it feels to go through heartache, let it go and come out strong on the other side," said "Stephanie," a solo performer in the Vixen Showcase. When asked how long she'd studied pole dancing, she replied, "6 weeks!"

"Kelly Electric," a local veterinarian, got hooked on pole dancing more than a year ago. As a competitive volleyball player, she was drawn to the combination of athleticism and artistry, but she had never performed publicly before Sunday's event. 

"I'm just so happy it's over," she said, glowing from the accomplishment.

In recent years, classes for pole dancing, burlesque and sensual dance have skyrocketed in popularity. Heart & Pole Dance and Fitness Studio, which sponsored the show, has been offering dance and burlesque classes since 2005. In February, founder and president Trina Lance opened a studio in Hermosa Beach.

Madeline Sinclaire, a burlesque artist who has been an instructor at Heart & Pole for more than a year, and Melissa Coindreau, a former principal dancer with the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet and senior studio instructor at Heart & Pole, helped put on the showcase. The instructors praised their students' bravery and determination.

 "They walk into my class shy and timid, and leave knowing they can do anything," Sinclaire said.

The audience of 200 loudly cheered the vixens in training.   

"I love it," said Erica Stambler, who was there to see two of her friends dance.

"My friend is performing," said Rafael Wafoes. "She put in a lot of work, and I'm so proud of her." 

Raylene Armour, who performed on the pole in a group number, last danced in public when she was a cheerleader in high school. She started pole dancing at age 36. "I thought, if I don't do it now, I never will," she said.

If pole or burlesque dancing sounds like something you'd like to try, these local studios offer classes:

• Heart & Pole Dance and Fitness in Hermosa Beach, www.heartandpole.com 310-937-7653
• The Soultree Center in Manhattan Beach, www.soultreecenter.com, 310-372-8733
• Siren Fitness in Redondo Beach, www.sirenfit.com , 310-792-1000