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Local woman's company delivers pole dancing parties for bachelorette parties, wedding showers or just a night of fun. Date published: 1/8/2006
It's tough not to be shocked by the sight of a gleaming, 8-foot metal pole in the middle of someone's living room.
In North Stafford recently, the pole looked especially out of place in a formal living room with white couches, a marbled fireplace, and framed wedding portraits. "Did you see that pole?" one guest asks. "It's gettin' crazy in here!" But the arrival of the pole was just the beginning. The group of women, invited by hostess Sonja Aiken, was going to spend the next two hours learning to pole dance. Not pole dance as in Maypole. Pole dance as in strippers. Becoming an entrepreneurJenny Becker enters a house with a large pink suitcase and a pink and gray duffel bag, both on wheels. She also carries a black plastic case labeled "Lil Mynx." It opens to reveal egg-crate foam, and a highly polished, stainless steel pole. Setup for a pole dancing party is complex. First Becker climbs a stepladder to put a stud finder against the ceiling. If the pole isn't installed against a stud, it could punch a hole through the ceiling. With the stud marked with a foil star, Becker measures from floor to ceiling, twists the pole to the right length, and squeezes it into place. A level clipped to the pole ensures that it's plumb, and it's ready to go. The suitcases contain a stereo, feather boas, business cards, pens and clipboards with releases. The releases ensure that everyone participating knows they'll be doing a physical activity and there are some risks associated. Pole dancing is growing in popularity. It's been featured on the "Oprah" show with Sheila Kelley's "The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman." Kelley even convinced Barbara Walters to pole dance on an episode of "The View." Becker, 29, of Stafford, found her company, A Pole Lot of Fun, on the Internet. "I was looking for classes," she says. "I saw this situation where I could get in and learn, but also have my own business and be an entrepreneur. "I love teaching other women. It helps them feel good about themselves and their bodies." The Vancouver, Canada-based A Pole Lot of Fun has 130 franchises worldwide, Becker says. She's owned her franchise since May, and also works as a government contractor at the Marine Corps base in Quantico.
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