thedrifter
10-27-07, 06:45 AM
Friday, October 26, 2007
Sexy salute
Pole dancing classes for military wives are instructor's way to support the troops.
BY COURTNEY PERKES
The Orange County Register
One young woman in a pink Marines sweat shirt slithers stomach-down across the hardwood floor and playfully tosses her hair. Another drapes a leg around a 14-foot pole as she spins, her husband's dog tags swaying around her neck.
Six military wives learned to shake their stuff on a recent Saturday afternoon at OC Pole Fitness in Aliso Viejo, giggling as they gyrated.
It was a special "booty camp" just for them.
Owner and instructor Collette Kakuk started offering free classes to the women of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar as a way to keep them feeling fit and sexy while their husbands are fighting in Iraq. While some of the moves are like strippers', Kakuk says, her routines are about confidence, not dollar bills and drunkenness.
"I think it's so empowering," says Ashley Tarnow, 23, whose husband leaves soon for another tour of duty. "It's a way to spice up your marriage."
After a warm-up on the floor, Kakuk straps on her 6-inch black heels. The stilettos aren't just for show.
"The shoes have an exercise benefit," Kakuk tells the class, "because my legs are in contraction."
Kakuk instructs the women on sliding their buns against the pole, adding a "naughty bounce" and slow, sensual slinking. The studio feels like a lounge, with flowing purple drapes, loud music, seductive portraits and candles.
"Stay in sensual character," Kakuk says amid laughter and an occasional ouch from the students.
Kakuk admits she went to strip clubs to get ideas but stresses that her program is about women losing their inhibitions in a safe, nonjudgmental setting. She says some of her middle-age clients report walking around the house naked for the first time in their lives. Others have brought their skills into the bedroom by purchasing a $450 portable pole that comes in a diamond-plated case that rolls right under the bed.
But in this introductory class, the military wives are more amused than passionate.
Camp Pendleton wife Teresa Piskator, 27, asks her friends, "Did you feel sexy or did you feel like an idiot?"
They break out in laughter.
"Or a sexy idiot?" Piskator continues.
All agree it's much harder than it looks, especially when Kakuk demonstrates some advanced moves, where she hangs upside down from the pole.
"I don't think I would show my husband," says Alexandra Young, 20. "He's one to laugh. It would probably be a confidence bust."
Still, she had fun.
"I laughed a lot at the fact that I couldn't do anything," Young says.
Kakuk started OC Pole Fitness last year after working as a traditional gym owner and personal trainer. She has always felt a special connection to the military. Born in Germany while her father served in the Army, she joined the Army National Guard to finance her education.
"I put myself through college by doing the military, not by pole dancing," Kakuk, 38, tells the women. "I thought this was something I could give. It's an outlet for you, and when your husband comes home, you'll have something to share."
Kakuk, who signs her e-mails Unapologetically Sexy, lives in San Clemente, where she often sees military families. When out shopping with her daughters, she always stops to say thank you. But she thought classes might be another way to show appreciation.
Rates range from $110 an hour for a private lesson to $190 a month for unlimited classes. A single class costs $40. Kakuk periodically offers free classes to the wives, who must show military ID.
Pam Thorpe's husband returned to Camp Pendleton from Iraq this month. While he was gone, she decided to surprise him by taking a class with Kakuk. She liked it so much she ordered a stainless steel pole.
"I can't wait to show him the few things that I learned," Thorpe says.
The 26-year-old mother of two said the class left her feeling sore as well as sensual.
"I wasn't sure how much fitness you could get out of dancing around a pole," Thorpe says. "On my way home, I was feeling it exactly where I need it, my stomach and my thighs."
Tarnow, whose 24-year-old husband has already been gone three times, said each return ushers in a honeymoon phase and a readjustment.
He'll be leaving next week. She hopes to keep up with the pole dancing while he's gone.
"We have to figure things out all over again," Tarnow says. "This is a way to make me feel better about myself."
Contact the writer: 714-796-3686 or cperkes@ocregister.com
Ellie
Sexy salute
Pole dancing classes for military wives are instructor's way to support the troops.
BY COURTNEY PERKES
The Orange County Register
One young woman in a pink Marines sweat shirt slithers stomach-down across the hardwood floor and playfully tosses her hair. Another drapes a leg around a 14-foot pole as she spins, her husband's dog tags swaying around her neck.
Six military wives learned to shake their stuff on a recent Saturday afternoon at OC Pole Fitness in Aliso Viejo, giggling as they gyrated.
It was a special "booty camp" just for them.
Owner and instructor Collette Kakuk started offering free classes to the women of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar as a way to keep them feeling fit and sexy while their husbands are fighting in Iraq. While some of the moves are like strippers', Kakuk says, her routines are about confidence, not dollar bills and drunkenness.
"I think it's so empowering," says Ashley Tarnow, 23, whose husband leaves soon for another tour of duty. "It's a way to spice up your marriage."
After a warm-up on the floor, Kakuk straps on her 6-inch black heels. The stilettos aren't just for show.
"The shoes have an exercise benefit," Kakuk tells the class, "because my legs are in contraction."
Kakuk instructs the women on sliding their buns against the pole, adding a "naughty bounce" and slow, sensual slinking. The studio feels like a lounge, with flowing purple drapes, loud music, seductive portraits and candles.
"Stay in sensual character," Kakuk says amid laughter and an occasional ouch from the students.
Kakuk admits she went to strip clubs to get ideas but stresses that her program is about women losing their inhibitions in a safe, nonjudgmental setting. She says some of her middle-age clients report walking around the house naked for the first time in their lives. Others have brought their skills into the bedroom by purchasing a $450 portable pole that comes in a diamond-plated case that rolls right under the bed.
But in this introductory class, the military wives are more amused than passionate.
Camp Pendleton wife Teresa Piskator, 27, asks her friends, "Did you feel sexy or did you feel like an idiot?"
They break out in laughter.
"Or a sexy idiot?" Piskator continues.
All agree it's much harder than it looks, especially when Kakuk demonstrates some advanced moves, where she hangs upside down from the pole.
"I don't think I would show my husband," says Alexandra Young, 20. "He's one to laugh. It would probably be a confidence bust."
Still, she had fun.
"I laughed a lot at the fact that I couldn't do anything," Young says.
Kakuk started OC Pole Fitness last year after working as a traditional gym owner and personal trainer. She has always felt a special connection to the military. Born in Germany while her father served in the Army, she joined the Army National Guard to finance her education.
"I put myself through college by doing the military, not by pole dancing," Kakuk, 38, tells the women. "I thought this was something I could give. It's an outlet for you, and when your husband comes home, you'll have something to share."
Kakuk, who signs her e-mails Unapologetically Sexy, lives in San Clemente, where she often sees military families. When out shopping with her daughters, she always stops to say thank you. But she thought classes might be another way to show appreciation.
Rates range from $110 an hour for a private lesson to $190 a month for unlimited classes. A single class costs $40. Kakuk periodically offers free classes to the wives, who must show military ID.
Pam Thorpe's husband returned to Camp Pendleton from Iraq this month. While he was gone, she decided to surprise him by taking a class with Kakuk. She liked it so much she ordered a stainless steel pole.
"I can't wait to show him the few things that I learned," Thorpe says.
The 26-year-old mother of two said the class left her feeling sore as well as sensual.
"I wasn't sure how much fitness you could get out of dancing around a pole," Thorpe says. "On my way home, I was feeling it exactly where I need it, my stomach and my thighs."
Tarnow, whose 24-year-old husband has already been gone three times, said each return ushers in a honeymoon phase and a readjustment.
He'll be leaving next week. She hopes to keep up with the pole dancing while he's gone.
"We have to figure things out all over again," Tarnow says. "This is a way to make me feel better about myself."
Contact the writer: 714-796-3686 or cperkes@ocregister.com
Ellie