Pole dancing is one of the most beautiful forms of dance. Who doesn’t want to watch all those beautiful female body parts undulating hypnotically?
Languid. Luxurious. Hypnotic. I LOVE watching pole dancing. A very skilled dancer can change the energy in the entire room. There is an electricity that starts to build when she moves. Even when men pole dance they are showing off their femininity – beautiful curves and long, sleek lines that can hypnotize.
What makes pole dancing feminine? For simplicity’s sake, let’s look at its standard dialogical partner: masculinity. Femininity is often described in duality to masculinity. In a basic sense, femininity is a circle where masculinity is a line. Feminine implies something that is soft instead of hard. In the biggest meaning of the words, feminine means life-giving while masculine is the harbinger of death.
We all know the female body typically has bigger breasts and wider hips than the male form – and these are symbols of woman’s life giving powers. As I am a woman and identify as such, I want you to know that I am built of small curves. Yet even for a tomboy-body like mine, I know that my subtle curves are what make me feminine. I cherish them. As women, our body shape indicates our ability to conceive, carry a child, and bring life into this world. The movement of our hips and spine reveals these feline characteristics in meaningful ways. The curve of our back, the kick of our hip, and the tilt of our head begin to create curves in a place where before there were none.
This newly-born curve adds a “quickening” to the moment, a building of excitement for both the dancer and her audience. The straight, 9-5 lines of the day are getting curvier as the pole dancer moves. The life potential is greater. As the dancer moves her hand on her body and allows her head, throat, neck, back, hips, arms and legs to undulate, dance, curve, arch, drop, caress and open – feminine movement is awakened.
I can’t speak to all of what it means when a man moves this way. I identify as a straight, white female, but as an observer I also see feminine movement in a man’s body when he pole dances. I see a similar quickening. To me, it is also feminine movement.
Man or woman, when a body yields to its curves there is a feminine energy that is brought forth. Slopes are created in world full of 90 degree angles.
Outside of the dance world, pole dance and feminine movement are typically frowned upon in Western society. Let’s just say it is not what one should bring to the grocery store. It is considered a movement for pole dancers on a stage, prostitutes, porn stars and women with loose morals. (There’s those villainous loose morals again! Always threatening to break down the hegemony! So pesky. So persistent. Tsk tsk tsk….)
One of the only acceptable variants I can think of is when a person throws their head back in laughter. Or maybe a little shrug of the shoulders with a smile. These are feminine, vulnerable moments that “we” deem acceptable in the light of day. Depending on who you talk to there is a line between these innocent gestures and the oh-so-dangerous feline movement of loose morals.
I contend that feminine movement is a form of feminism. By moving in this way, we are saying “hear this now – this is a different way to view the world.” It is a balancing voice to the modus operandi of “go go go” and consume, use, acquire, and earn. We are engaging in an act of rebellion when we move our curves. We demand the audience, loved one, or the world to yield to feminine energy – both ours and theirs.
Pole dancing – you should try it. Find out what it feels like to move like a cat. Learn how to be softer, take a new perspective, slow down, stop the linear, forward “progression” that is literally killing our feminine earth. Slow down and breathe. Your curves will be thanking you for honoring them.
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