VANCOUVER — After a one-year hiatus, the Virgin Festival returns to B.C. this month with a mixed line-up of talent including indie rock stars, hip hop icons and up-and-comers.

Oh, and lets not forget the pole dancing, fortune-telling, yoga, autograph and video gaming opportunities that make the two-day event into what organizers call a “festravaganza.”

It’s a formula so popular that the 14-year-old UK version, coined V-Fest, attracts about 175,000 people each year — tickets for the annual event sell out in about an hour.

But B.C. still has a way to go before we catch up to the British hype.

In spite of a successful 2007 kick-off — acts like The Killers, Hot Hot Heat and Billy Talent lured 25,000 fans to UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium for two rainy days in May — the event didn’t return last year.

And many wondered if it was a one-time deal.

“Last year the stars just didn’t align,” says director of Virgin Festival Canada Andrew Bridge.

“We had originally hoped to return to Vancouver in 2008 but didn’t feel that we could deliver a great line-up and experience comparable to 2007,” he says.

Putting on a major rock festival involves many different factors, he says.

“The main challenge of putting any major festival together is getting all of the pieces together to create a festival that delivers a full experience to the festival-goer — from the line-up right down to the venue and on-site experiences,” Bridge says.

“We’ve always said that we don’t want to go to a market just for the sake of it, but want to be sure that we bring the full Virgin Festival experience to that market.”

But even though it didn’t pan out last year, he says, organizers were optimistic about establishing the event in B.C.

“We always hoped to bring it back,” he says.

Besides that, the success of the first-ever Pemberton Music Festival last summer — it saw 40,000 people head to the mountains for four days and 120 acts, including Coldplay and Jay-Z — affirmed that there is a big market for outdoor festivals in B.C., he says.

He adds: “B.C. loves their music and there’s a great energy to this province.”

Things came together nicely this year too, he says.

After touring Deer Lake Park, Bridge says, he was impressed by the natural setting and thought it seemed like a fit for the family-oriented festival. (Kids under four years old are free.)

“They’ve done some great events there recently and it’s really come to the forefront as a large music venue,” he says, adding they’re expecting to fill it with about 20,000 festival-goers.

Organizers hope to make it a regular event, he says, adding they’re taking it one festival at a time. And he says, it would be great to find a location that allows for camping too.

“We’re looking forward to bringing the festival to life at Deer Lake Park this year and are focusing on making this year a success before we move on to planning the years to come.”

This year’s line-up includes a real mix of music. There are headliners like Ben Harper and The Roots as well as indie hitmakers like Metric and Broken Social Scene as well as lesser-knowns like Mute Math or Future of the Left.

“People come out for the talent,” Bridge says. “People want to go to a festival and learn about new music.” And they also come to hear bands they know andlove, he says.

This year’s party offers plenty of both.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain again.

Want to take a pole fitness class and don’t quite know what to look?  This article should help you get a spinning start!

First and foremost, make sure the instructors are all AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) certified. Secondly, seek a safe practice environment, with plenty of privacy. Also, make sure that poles are securely fastened to the ceiling and floor, without a lot of movement to them. Note, however, that the taller the poles are there will be some movement. As well, the beginner student should start on a static pole versus a spinning pole. Gripping a spinning pole while trying to do a pole spin or trick is more difficult and can cause injury if not done correctly. Also, learning on a static pole requires more effort, which is where the “exercise” part comes in and should be done first. Perfecting ones technique, balance, and strength is best done on a static pole before moving on to a spinning pole.
Classes should be broken up into several groups, starting from a basic class, for new students. Then advanced levels, where spins, pirouettes, and transitional dance moves are combined; to put together a routine. Intermediate level and beyond is for those who have built up the knowledge, practice and strength required to do more of the aerial tricks portion of the pole.

All classes should start with a minimum of a 5 to 10 minute warm up, which includes stretching, conditioning and a cool down portion at the end of class to bring the heart rate back down to normal.  A potential instructor should also explain what and what not to wear in a pole class. Shorts are the best way to go along with a comfortable gym top or light t-shirt. Pole dancing requires a lot of physicality, so wearing the type of clothing that allows the skin to breathe is important. As well, not wearing any lotion or oils on the body, especially the legs and arms is crucial. In order to do the spins and tricks safely on the pole the skin needs to make contact with the pole on various parts of the body. Lotion can cause you to lose your grip on the pole. Often times when you are a beginner the adrenaline and nervousness can cause your hands to sweat so the combination of lotion and sweat, can all lead to unnecessary slipping, tripping or even falling which can lead to injuries. Because there is a lot of gripping with the legs, the same rules apply.

Whether to wear the high heel platform shoes or not is also a constant debate among experts because of the potential injuries that can happen. Lots of women enjoy wearing the platform heels and shoes make it easier to perform a variety of moves. Not only that but they build calve muscles and make the legs look nice long and lean. Every type of dance and sport has certain shoes that are designed to enhance performance. If taught how to dance correctly in the shoes by the instructor, injuries can be cut down to a minimum. However, it should always be the student’s decision whether they want to wear the heels. All pole moves can be preformed in bare fee, mainly on the tip toes. All inversion moves should first be done in bare feet until the move is perfected because the shoes add extra weight to the body.

“The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie.”

Source: Examiner

Yes, you read the headline correctly, Pole Fitness enthusiasts want Pole Fitness to be a contender in the Olympics. And by all indication, they will keep fighting until this eventually happens.

A worldwide online petition was started late in 2008,  to have Pole Fitness considered by the Olympic Organizing Committee as a contender for the 2010 Olympics. www.omninerd.com/articles/Pole_Dancing_An_Olympic_Sport

And why not when you consider that curling is an Olympic sport.

In recent years BMX racing and Snowboarding have been added and now there is talk about adding skateboarding and hopefully Pole Fitness.

There is no denying that Pole Fitness has gone mainstream. For those unaware, Pole Fitness has grown well beyond the $1million dollar stage and has expanded into an organized worldwide competition for prizes. “It really isn’t that different from a training perspective, it’s that this just happens to be vertical”.

People that have never been inside of a Pole Fitness studio don’t understand the parallels between gymnastics and pole tricks. If Pole Fitness were presented at the Olympics this would help break down those barriers (Not to mention boost ratings that have reportedly been declining in the past years), and prove what pole enthusiasts all over the world already know. Perfecting the pole is hard work that gives the participant tremendous confidence.

Pole work involves a lot of gymnastics and requires a gymnasts discipline because of the time it takes to acquire that type of agility and flexibility. Generally speaking most women get involved in PoleFitness because they are traditional gym goers or even gym junkies, who enjoy the fitness challenge of mastering pole spins and tricks. It is quite common to hear “Wow I didn’t realize pole dancing was this hard” from women taking there first pole class. Those that have the patience and passion to master the art of pole pleasantly surprise themselves (and others) with the pole tricks they have learned.

Pole enthusiasts liken themselves to skilled athletes, not much different than an ice skater, or gymnast that you see at the Olympics. It has been argued that if a pole athlete’s pure strength, flexibility and artistry was seen performing on a pole, during the Olympics, it would “officially” be recognized worldwide, as a serious sport.

With all the hard work, hours, dedication, application and passion women put into their pole workouts they naturally want to the art and mastery of their craft to be shown. What better place than the Olympics?

Perhaps Pole Fitness won’t make it to the 2010 Olympics but its contenders say they will keep on pushing for the year that it will be recognized by the Olympics as the true sport that it is.

If you attended the fundraising event, Artists in the Park, hoping to see the pole dancers announced in the June 10 Citizen, you were out of luck. So were the Spinning Angels who were planning to demonstrate their art for you. Their approval to appear was withdrawn when pressure was brought to bear on the event organizers. Because I recommended the Spinning Angels for the event, and because I believe this sort of censorship bullying strikes at the very heart of an open society, I feel compelled to comment on this development.
There is no point in being coy about why the Spinning Angels were excluded. In our culture, pole-dancing is associated with exotic dancing in bars, an activity some people find so inappropriate or provocative that they feel compelled to protect the rest of us from its influence.

(more…)

POLE-DANCING is casting off its sleazy sex-club image as more women than ever give it a whirl as a great way to keep fit.

The gymnastic workout involves a series of moves carried out to music which strengthens and tones most of the muscle groups.

Mum-of-three Tracey Huckfield, 29, has introduced around 200 women to the sport since starting her business Pagan’s Pole three years ago.

Tracey works from home in Valley, Anglesey, where a pole takes centre-stage in the living room and a full-sized mirror helps students to monitor their movements.

Tracey first took to the pole when she was studying for her psychology degree at Bangor University and liked it so much she decided to turn it into a career.

“I’ve got the perfect job really because I’m doing something I love and the vast majority of my clients have become friends,” said Tracey, who is also qualified to teach aerobics.

“The initial thing I do is teach a routine that allows a student to become familiar with the grips of the pole and builds confidence into their upper body strength.

“The girls bring a me a song of their choice and I choreograph a routine to that song.

“I’m more of a trickster than a dancer and will put up to ten tricks into a routine but that is pushing yourself to the limit and it’s more gymnastics and aerial skills.

“We’re trying to change the name to pole-fitness to try and get away from the stereotypical image of the sex industry and there’s a petition going round to try and get it into the 2012 olympics as a sport,” she said.

Nadine Challinor, 24, from Amlwch, started pole-dancing with Tracey four months ago and thinks it’s a lot more fun than going to a gym.

Naomi Harries, 31, is also from Valley and said she couldn’t believe how toned she felt after her first pole-dancing lesson.

“I’ve had three lessons now and I love it, it’s fantastic and a great way to keep fit and so much fun,” said Naomi.

“The work-out is unbelievable and I will get my own pole eventually
when I can afford it.

“I would encourage people to try it because it’s a great confidence booster and it’s a full-body work out,” she said.

Even multi billionaire Oprah Winfrey is getting into the pole aerobics frenzy. Audience members ask the “sexperts”: What everyday things can they do to feel sexy? And one viewer finds her sexpot on her first twirl on the pole!

Here is another Fitness video for the Intermediate Pole Dancer.

Check out this video to see the possibilities when pole dancing for aerobic exercise.