This was primarily the result of a New Year's resolution I made, not so much because I wanted to perform in a showcase, but because performing in a showcase simply seemed like the next logical step in my pole journey. It should be obvious by watching, however, that I had no idea how to put a routine together, and really no meaningful performance skills--I knew some tricks, and I knew how to make some shapes, and so I did.
In all fairness to myself, however, this showcase took place about a week after Hurricane Milton, and less than a month after Hurricane Helene, storms which pretty much skuttled much of my intended conditioning and practice sessions; what you see here is simply an invert, outside leghang, inside leghang, chopper, and a Marley (sort of). Then I take a break (literally) before climbing again into a figurehead and transitioning into a masthead. That’s it. This was simply me running through stuff I knew I could do, stuff I had been practicing for a while. Having lost so much prep time, I wound up simply used a song which had been edited down to about a minute-and-a-half, because I knew I could fill up a minute-and-a-half on the pole, provided I took a break at some point. Which is what I did.
While my performance is cringey, it took me nearly two-and-a-half years to be able to pole at this level. So its not nothing, especially for a fifty-six year-old. More importantly--once it was over, I immediately knew that I wanted to perform again, not out of some vague sense that it might be worthwhile, but because the moment I had just experienced was so incredibly intoxicating.
TRIVIA:
* That is Jessa Jaguar introducing me!
* Yes, that is Kathleen in the foreground!
* That little thing at the end where I put my finger on my tongue is a tribute to Dr. Maria K., who was unable to attend that night as her home had been severely damaged in the storms. As for why that specific gesture...all I can say is that for some reason, it makes Dr. K. laugh. Which is all the reason I need.
* Finally, this was filmed by Jojo, the woman responsible for both the “Yes! Monique!” soundbite, and for sculpting me into Monique the Muscle-Bound Freak.
Considering the fact that, as I write this, my second showcase performance was less than six months ago, I'm nonetheless kind of shocked to note how much stronger I am today than I was then. Frankly, this kind of makes me cringe--there is another video of me, informally running through a few of these shapes during a warm-up earlier that afternoon, where everything looks so much smoother--but in that moment, I felt only like the nervous wreck I was, focused on the show ahead.
Watching this video now, it bothers me that I really didn't climb all that high--because at the time, it never really occurred to me use the top part of the pole. And I kind of screwed up the second part of the showcase: The platforms I was wearing were brand-new, an emergency replacement pair that I had only worn a couple of times. During the aforementioned informal run-through, I tried taking them off, but they had a different type of buckle/strap than my previous pair, and it was a struggle to get them off. So I gave myself plenty of time to take them off in the actual show, and as you can see, they came off right away, leaving me with nothing left to do for the final thirty seconds or so.
And I love that Samantha Styx introduced me. After I was finished, she returned to the microphone and, referring to my audio clips, paid a wonderful tribute to Molly, who had moved out of Florida just a month earlier, and I'm sorry that part wasn't recorded. And I love Sam’s floofy dress.
But I (mostly) achieved my mission for this performance: I wanted to pay tribute to my pole models and to Impulse. After the performance, however, it dawned on me how many more of these little tributes I could have included (starting with Sam) and I knew my next showcase would make up for that.
FUN FACTS:
* My friend Lola Schmoozy, of the Cannonball Cabaret, came all the way out to Brandon to see me perform! That's her with the pink hair, taking photos!
* The opening windshield wipers (at the 1:21 mark) were my tribute to Ms. Anne.
* I had learned the hang-glider (at 2:01) from Jojo probably not even a couple of weeks prior to this show.
* At the 2:21 mark, as I make a star (a tribute to Ms. Jessica), you can also see Em Phoenix seated on the floor to the left, taking the photo which I would later post with my five-star Google review for Carmella, my aesthetician. Which is why I now refer to that shape as a "Google review"
* At the end, where it looks as though I was humping for floor, I was actually making backfarts, but people really couldn't hear them over the music. Live and learn.
* Finally, the song I used, "Sex World," performed by Toni McVey, was the theme song from the 1977 pornographic film of the same name.
My goal for this showcase was simple--to improve upon the July showcase by pushing my body, not just to do each trick on a list of pole tricks, but to do all of those tricks in a single, two-minute climb, mostly so I wouldn't have to worry about remembering any pesky floor transitions. And I accomplished this--this video proves that I was in the air for a full one minute and fifty seconds.
For my first two showcases, my nervous energy didn't go away after I performed, and I pretty much remained an emotional wreck until after I went home and finally went to bed. This was different. Once I finished, I was so exhausted, all I could do as to pick up my shoes, stumble backstage, lie down on the floor, and spend the next five full minutes catching my breath. Once I did, all the nervous energy was gone. Suddenly, I was relaxed and among friends, and that was pretty wonderful.
I'm still annoyed that I missed my first invert--it was literally the single moment for which I had rested, stretched, and mentally prepared all week. As it happened, I told myself that it only heightened the drama. But it really only makes me cringe.
Note my cellphone at the bse of the pole in front of me. This was the other major thing I wanted to do: to film my own performance as though I was in a class or open pole. It goes back to an Instagram post by Samantha Styx, who remarked that there existed hours of video of her crawling back to her phone to stop the video after recording whatever she was practicing. I loved that. So I started posting videos complete with my crawl footage and named the crawl after her. So at the end, you see me sliding to the floor the floor with just the right angle to transition into a Reverse Sam.
Someday, I'll have to try and see if I can replicate this performance. I do have more strength/stamina now than I did then.
Notes:
* Anne filmed this video. You need to freezeframe it, but I did manage to sneak in a double-bird at one point.
* Smacking myself on the butt with both hands was my tribute to Jessa Jaguar
* I love watching this video to watch Anya, who is sitting on the floor behind me, and the expressions on her face asa she looks up at me.
* Yes, the Sam Cam was recording me as well. Enjoy!
I really don't know what else to say about this, other than I did not plan for my top to come off halfway through my performance. During my first invert, the knot at the back of my neck came undone, and well, you'll see how I dealt with it. But it was such a rush when it happened--I think I was even laughing when I realized the situation I was in. While I considered the possibility of taking off my top AFTER taking off my shoes, it never occurred to me that the most Monique thing to do would be to take my top off first. So I love that it happened. In fact, I’m going to start pretending that this is what happened at the Astrodome during the “Hot Mess 2” finale.
But I'm also sorry that I watched this video. I really botched the first half of my routine, to the extent that I didn't get enough spin going before my first invert, and yet once I felt my top become loose, I completely forgot about this--it was only when I watched the video that I remembered that mistake. And I wish I could have held onto that original moment a bit longer.
I definitely want to revisit this idea. I don't like how I had to put a clunky edit into the song ("Shine A Light" by the Rolling Stones) to get it to fit the choreo I had prepared. As such, there's not much more I want to say about this performance other than...stay tuned.