Men surrender to lure of the pole

[madinmaryland]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/26/AR2010042603094.html?hpid=dynamiclead

Once upon a time, when men went out for a night of pole dancing, it was their eyes that got a workout. But in the past few years for some, it's been their entire bodies. Like women, guys are discovering that pole dancing can be an athletic and artistic pursuit that feels more Cirque du Soleil than strip club.

Meet Tavon Hargett. The 28-year-old Washingtonian has developed a following on YouTube with his homemade pole dancing videos under the name "Jungle Cat." "Somebody said I looked like a cat jumping up on the pole, so that's my alter ego," he says after demonstrating some of his acrobatic spins, holds and inversions.

His hip-hop wardrobe -- think high-tops instead of high heels -- and preference for a gospel soundtrack are fairly unusual among pole dancers, but it's Hargett's gender that makes his skills so remarkable. He first experimented with a pole he ordered online. "I got into the athleticism and strength behind it," he says. When he looked for formal instruction, however, he was stuck. Most pole dance studios are for women only.

But then he met Jessalynn Medairy. Last fall, the 24-year-old launched her studio Pole Pressure (http://www.polepressure.com) inside Balance Gym. The downtown health club wanted unusual group fitness formats to lure in members, so Medairy was soon teaching Pole Level 1, 2 and 3 right next to cycling classes.

..snip

[MilesColtrane]

1. Maybe they were just frustrated in their quest to become firefighters?

[Bombero1956]

2. not the same kind of pole

ours is brass and highly polished. That cast iron thing will take your spin off.

[miscsoc]

3. nobody can resist those slavic jezebels

hope those men take precautions, a lot of them are against abortion on religious grounds

[rug]

4. I should have known better than to expect a Shackleton thread in the Lounge.

[Kali]

5. ...

:spray:

[Lilith Velkor]

6. Lure of the pole: not just for slash fangirls anymore. n/t