DollHouse, dollhouse, doll house, the doll's house?

DollHouse, Dollhouse, doll house, the doll’s house...it seems like you can’t spit these days without hitting a pole studio with one of those names. How do I know this? Because I am co-owner of one and the spit is hitting the fan!

Ms M and I christened our studio, DollHouse Pole Studio, from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. We saw Nora, the heroine, not only as a frivolous self-centered woman who is second-class to her husband, Torvald. We recognized glimmers of her self-realization, which are the roots to empowerment, whether the form it manifests is socially acceptable or not. We wanted to champion her innate understanding of her sensual power over Torvald, rather than vilify it. Every woman’s journey to find her strength is unique and Ms M and I make no judgements on the different routes taken. The concept for DollHouse Pole Studio was never about ‘objectifying women’ but giving women a safe environment to explore those paths. Our dolls aren’t fragile or helpless or only to be viewed from behind a glass case. Our dolls are courageous, brilliant, able to laugh at themselves, and always ready to encourage one another. This is the DollHouse that we hoped to create.

Before opening our doors in March, Ms M and I did a quick internet search and discovered one studio with a similar name residing in a town several states over, as well as a burlesque troupe located in another coutry. Six months later, two more pole dance studios have cropped up in the US with names almost exactly the same as ours. Again, those other studios were nowhere nearby, but suddenly we were uneasy. Had we been unknowingly sucked into the collective consciousness of pole studio owners?! Here we’d been mistakenly believing that our identity was unique, only to find that we were as common as a Prius owner in Boulder.

We sat down and did a lot of soul searching. We didn’t want to be lumped in with the other dance studios, nor did we want to be necessarily associated with the zillions of xxx venues that use some form of ‘doll+house’. Our business plan changed, grew and expanded, and we clearly saw that we, as a studio, had to follow suit. As Summer drifts contentedly into Autumn, Ms M and I would like to invite you to embrace the transitions that fill the air. We recently put up 8 new stainless steel PoleDanzer poles; we are currently stocking our shelves with new apparel and new shoes; we’ve got new classes, new teachers, new apprentices; and soon we will be offering a brand new Teacher Training Program.

You see, we realised that we are unique, regardless of what our name might be. Our identity wasn’t tied in with words. We saw that the studio was no longer a tiny idea that we birthed earlier this year.  It had grown and matured before our very eyes, due to the love given to it by you, our clients. It is your commitment to yourselves and your support of us, that fuels the studio.

Without “you” there is no “us”.

Please help us celebrate our new name: Boulder Spirals!

A Darn Good Post from A (Male) Guest Bloggist

Why every woman should take pole fitness:

Ok, to start this off on the right foot; I’ll just get it out there that I’m a guy, and no guy has any business ever giving women advice or telling them what is right. Just the fact it comes from a guy means its bs and he’s obviously wrong. So stop reading now.

I said stop reading.

Ok, if you’re still here you don’t follow instructions very well. I am going to voice my opinion anyway and likely be damned for it. So read at your own risk.

I’m a guy who loves to study women. Yes, in every creepy weird way I love to try to figure out what makes them tick. I know there is no answer; I know any answer is subject to change at any moment but for some reason it is all fascinating to me . I love the 1001 ideas of “what a woman really is “ inside every woman’s brain, all at the same time and the huge gap between those ideas and the reality of what women actually do and actually are. Women have a self-image that is constantly shifting within American society and their own personal self-image that is sometimes in direct conflict with society’s view and somehow in the moment it’s still the right way to be.  Sound confusing. I’m guessing it is and I’m only peeking through one window, who knows what’s really going on? 

So I guess I had better get to the point. Every woman should take pole fitness. Why? Look most women in the United States are constantly bombarded with images of what “sexy is” and why they are not. You allways having some short coming being pointed out to you by some magazine or commercial. You have to have “X” to be more perfect. I’ll let you in on 3 secrets. First, every guy knows the sexiest thing is confidence.  It’s just that simple. When you are confident everyone wants to be around you. Second everyone can be confident. If your not born with it you can learn it. Get naked, look in the mirror and say, “This is what I have!” and be truly happy with what you have. It’s freaking special there is only one of you in the universe, and there will never be another. Which brings me to secret #3: someone out there thinks the worst part of your body is more than just awesome but likely has some fetish about it. 

Years ago all women thought huge asses were bad. Now thanks to J-Lo and Kim Kardashian, anyone with a huge ass now carries it with tremendous pride. And if you missed the memo, get out there and be proud of your huge ass, ‘cause most men love it. One personal example, my own wife is a 99.5 pound Asian (who have their own fan club following them) was living in South Beach. She loved the attention of being the "the token Asian girl" around all her gay friends, BUT; when she got pregnant (not a little preggers, I mean the two, maybe three chins and the funny waddle going on) the Latin guys went crazy. It was the first time she had guys whistling at her walking down the street. When she thought she was at her worst,  there were still guys more than willing to flirt and be, what I would call, our normal idiot selves. The reality is: for every body type there is some group of men who would put you on a pedestal. Did you know there is a fetish for almost every part of a woman, and usually it’s some part they try to hide? The muffin top is the Holy Grail to some men, the flabby part on the underside of your arms, drives some men nuts. Hey-- you with the crooked toes, there is a group of men dying to kiss and honor your feet. Really, all us guys are not that hard to find, you just have to learn to be confident with what you have and suddenly you will find hundreds of them. And like your friends say, don’t take the first guy who loves your creepy toes, there are others out there. (Trust me, really!)

Which brings me back to the point: you need somewhere to practice your confidence. There is no better community than a place where other women are just learning to move their bodies in that same way, too. Did your mom really teach you how to walk in heels? When did you ever practice being sexy? Where do you practice the wink and the partial lip bite (god that’s hot!). Where do you get to practice saying, “This is who I am and screw anyone who disagrees.”?  Pole studios are the only place I know of where women can learn and practice these things, plus get in shape, and make some great friends. A pole studio offers all this and more.

Look, as a guy I have a vested interest in seeing women be happy. The happier women are surprisingly the more things in the world are not my fault and I get to have more fun. So there is no reason for me to lie or make dumb suggestions.

I’ll be brutally honest. Your mom lied. Bad girls do have more fun.  Society lied--there are no barriers or lines in the sand. You can be a great mom, a dirty slut, and a successful businesswoman and not be a bitch. You can be a dom and a sub in any situation and change your mind at any time, and still be in total control. We think in black and white terms, yes and no answers. We all know reality isn’t that simple, and neither are people--especially women. We are moving towards a society where roles are not defined by genitals and where you put them, and it’s going to be as confusing as hell for a while. So put on some lipstick, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.

There are skills you know you don’t have. There is a level of confidence you wish you could attain. A pole studio is a fun safe place to practice, play, succeed and even sometimes fail. When you do occasionally fail you will have tons of support on how to get back up and try again.  Gyms and diets are about making a new you. Pole fitness is about finding the you that is already there and just helping you believe in her.

One class is all it takes; trust me you will get hooked.