- 3 months ago
- #poledance
- #aerialarts
What is life really like for someone who makes a living as a pole and aerial arts dancer? Performer Candace Cane @sweetmscandace gives us a glimpse into her life as a teacher, performer, and pole competition winner. Candace started taking pole classes as a hobby and over the last decade, turned this passion into a thriving career. From exotic dance to burlesque to fitness and more, Candace has a lot to share about this industry and the challenges she’s faced within it.
#poledance #aerialarts
CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Candace Cane
2:00 Teaching a Pole Class
3:56 Touring the Costume Closet
5:54 Preparing for Performance
7:43 Physical Pain as a Dancer
9:07 Showtime
11:23 Candace's Performance
14:03 Why She Loves Pole Dancing
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#poledance #aerialarts
CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Candace Cane
2:00 Teaching a Pole Class
3:56 Touring the Costume Closet
5:54 Preparing for Performance
7:43 Physical Pain as a Dancer
9:07 Showtime
11:23 Candace's Performance
14:03 Why She Loves Pole Dancing
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
How Jamaican Dancehall Queens Twerk For A Living https://youtu.be/lhNtELN4xw0
I Am Melissa McCarthy's Stunt Double For A Living https://youtu.be/Zuvfyix0FBM
I Am A Fairy Tale Princess For A Living https://youtu.be/4aco80OebuE
SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29
Follow Candace Cane on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetmscandace
Follow Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/
Follow Somos on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29somos/
Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
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LifestyleTranscript
00:05Every now and again, someone will try to criticize my work as a pole dancer and say,
00:11you're just selling your body. And my response to them is, so are you if you're clocking in
00:16to someone else every day. What I do is not for the faint of heart. It is very hard.
00:22I wouldn't trade it for the world.
00:27My name is Candace Kane, and I am a professional pole dancer.
00:32All right, let's start with some head tilts from side to side.
00:36My origin is in pole classes.
00:39And then bring your chin to chest, and then look back at the sky.
00:43Started training two, three times a week, two hours a day, and I was addicted.
00:49Roll those shoulders backwards.
00:51I had been performing as a dancer for many, many moons.
00:55So once I became a pole dancer, it was only natural for me to want to perform that skill as
00:59well.
01:00Once I was seen in the clubs doing the pole dancing, a lot of people reached out for private events
01:06and birthday parties.
01:07And, hey, I'm shooting a music video. Would love to have you in there, you know, feature you dancing.
01:12I have a variety of talents that is not limited to pole dancing.
01:16I do handstands, burlesque, lira and lollipop, hanging trapeze.
01:23I do acroyoga.
01:25I can do pretty much anything is with my body.
01:29If you can tell me what to do with it, I'll try to do it.
01:32Being a freelance performer is sometimes a little bit difficult when it comes to balancing all the skills that I
01:39have.
01:40Sometimes I'm rushing off from one gig right into another.
01:44And then eventually there's someone else who reaches out, say,
01:47Hey, Candace, I need a lesson. Are you available right now?
01:49And then eventually I may get home to go to sleep.
01:52I'm tired and I just hit the bed and I'm just out.
01:55All right, we're done stretching, so now it's time to get to the poles.
01:59Yeah!
02:00One, two, three, lean out.
02:03So today I'll be teaching a semi-private with two of my prior students.
02:08And I'll be showing them some spins, a climbing pose, and a pose sitting on the pole.
02:13My students are different levels, so I'm going to be showing them the same trick, but different difficulty level.
02:20The beginner level of this, you're going to turn your foot out, whichever one you prefer,
02:23and place it against the base of the pole.
02:25Knee goes up, head goes down. Boom!
02:29Teaching is something I do take very seriously because people are essentially giving up their whole bodies
02:35and their safety to you.
02:37So it is very important for you to know exactly what you're doing
02:41and how to fix a scenario that can go awfully awry.
02:45And drop your headspace.
02:47Drop, drop, drop, drop, drop.
02:48Good, good, good.
02:49I've been taking classes with Candace.
02:51This would be my second class, so about a month.
02:54What I like about Candace's teaching style is she makes you feel very comfortable stepping up
03:00and possibly getting to her level at one day.
03:02Like, out. Yes.
03:04Woo! Slippery, but we got it.
03:05My beard is slippery.
03:06That's good.
03:07So when it comes to pole lancing, we have grip aids.
03:11If you ever feel like you're getting sweaty, you can always clean off your pole with rubbing alcohol
03:15and a paper towel.
03:17And then you have grips.
03:18There's, like, chalk that you can use.
03:21There's liquid tack.
03:23So depending on your body chemistry, you can find what type of grip aid works for you.
03:27Uh-huh.
03:28Wee!
03:29There is absolutely a big pole community, especially in Los Angeles.
03:34And what I like, at least about the one I found, is anybody and everybody, gender, race, body,
03:42whatever is welcome to just come try and have fun.
03:54How's that look?
03:57When I perform, I very much enjoy playing dress up.
04:02Okay, so this is my she shed.
04:04This is where most of my costumes are stored.
04:06I have all my props in here and everything that I need for any performance or the beat pole, burlesque,
04:10all that jazz.
04:11I'm so proud of it because it took a while for it to get to where it's at.
04:15Here are some of my awards that I've won from the competitions I've competed in.
04:21These ones are actually all from Pole Sport Organization.
04:24And then this lovely crown here.
04:26This is from the Pole Olympics.
04:29These here are some of my pasties, some of which I've made myself, like these ones.
04:34And these are some of my most expensive babies, my prize possessions.
04:40Check this out.
04:42This is a showgirl costume.
04:43As you can see, there's so many different cutouts and the different types of jewels that are used.
04:49And so now I'm going to show you my most expensive costume.
04:54So this, this is a Catherine Delish robe.
04:57You have this War Off Sea Crystals faux vegan silk.
05:01I have everything kind of tied up.
05:02That way I don't lose pieces because these, as you can see, are really expensive and I would cry to
05:08ever lose a piece.
05:09So total, we're looking at over $1,000 for just this costume alone.
05:14These are some of my pole heels.
05:16These ones up here are custom.
05:18So these are going to run about $125 to $150.
05:21Fun fact, I've actually worn these while I was performing with Snoop Dogg.
05:25Makes sense, right?
05:26I do have some more expensive pole heels.
05:29These ones were probably, I want to say, like $160 or so.
05:33So most of the heels that I've been showing you are like 7, 8 inches.
05:37I even have some 6s in here.
05:38But these ones are the heavy-duty ones because these are 10 inches.
05:43They actually come with a warning label not to dance in them.
05:46But I break the rules and I dance in them any time I get the chance to.
05:51It's as big as my head.
05:55It takes a lot of focus and dedication.
05:58You have to not quit.
06:00Like, you really got to go for it and give it your all.
06:03Otherwise, why even do it?
06:05So, when I start, I'll start on stage.
06:09And then the music will start.
06:15So, when I get here, I'll run a tech rehearsal, normally not in costume, just so I can preserve the
06:22costume.
06:23Tonight's performance is a combination.
06:26It's pole-esque.
06:27I'm doing burlesque because I am stripping my costume away as if I was a burlesque performer.
06:33However, I am also performing pole tricks.
06:36So, that would qualify it as a pole performance.
06:39The thing is, with these shows, most of the time, they don't provide a makeup artist.
06:46And as an individual performer, it is very beneficial to understand your own face and how to do it.
06:52I'm excited to try this.
06:54A little nervous, as high pigments usually can get a little messy.
06:58So, wish me luck, guys.
07:00We'll see how this goes.
07:02Although I am stripping because I'm doing a burlesque performance and I am taking away items of clothing,
07:08ironically enough, it's not a strip performance because I'm not getting naked.
07:13I am going down, possibly, to Pacey's.
07:16We'll see how I feel.
07:16I have Pacey's on underneath, just in case.
07:20Oh, yeah.
07:21I've had a stint in the strip club.
07:23I definitely did.
07:24It was a good time, you know.
07:26Lots of craziness.
07:27But a lot of good times.
07:28It's not as negative as folks would lead it on to be.
07:31I stopped working in the strip clubs because I was getting paid to keep my clothes on.
07:35And I realized, well, if I have the opportunity to make more money and I don't have to get naked
07:41in front of people, I'd rather just do that.
07:46Some of the physical challenges that come with pole dancing is injury and being overworked.
07:54And unfortunately, I've had a few injuries with pole dancing that I still deal with to this day.
08:00When I was working as an exotic dancer, there was a night that there was so much money on stage.
08:06When I went to go step to spin around the pole, my foot slipped one way, my knee went the
08:11other, and I tore my meniscus.
08:13And I was out of work for quite some time.
08:16I use cannabis to manage my pain.
08:21Now, this is how I like to spend my pregame for my performance.
08:27It's like meditation.
08:31I also have a medical condition, endometriosis, which I use the marijuana to manage my pain because I have flare
08:39-ups.
08:39And my flare-ups include me having spouts of dizziness, nausea.
08:45I will have extreme pain in my abdomen.
08:48I either smoke it or I ingest it through edibles.
08:52Doing all that I do, it would be hard for someone to believe that I actually suffer from a chronic
08:58illness.
09:00I'm starting to get excited now.
09:02Now I feel like, okay, it's getting close to showtime.
09:09It's a fabulous time.
09:11I'm so happy you're all here.
09:15How are we feeling this evening?
09:20Oh my God, I can already tell you guys are going to be good.
09:23We know you have many options for your pride celebration, but we're so glad you chose to fly with us.
09:34Burlesque is originally created hundreds of years ago in America as a variety vaudeville show
09:42that showcased comedians, singers, musicians, dancers, the striptease artists.
09:48When people are part of Beauty and Burlesque, it's not just casting a dancer to do a dance in a
09:54show.
09:54It really is about us as a tribe.
09:58We really are a team that cheers each other on, lifts each other up, and tries to make each other
10:04better.
10:05I'm always ready to have fun.
10:06As soon as the lights go down and the music starts, I'm like, this is the time to just forget
10:12everything.
10:13Anything that I might be stressed about or in real life, you can just have eight minutes on stage
10:18where everything stops and you're just in your own movie.
10:22So me and Candice actually worked together at another club in Hollywood, and she's a burlesque performer there.
10:27I think what makes Candice stand out as a performer is definitely her athleticism.
10:33I mean, I don't know anyone else who could do an act in a handstand for most of the act,
10:37or just these crazy splits.
10:40She's incredibly gorgeous and super creative, too.
10:43I've been watching her acts for a few years now, and every time she adds a new element of surprise,
10:50whether it's sparklers or the poles hanging from the ceiling,
10:55she's already started at such a top-notch level, and how she's continued to level up is really cool.
11:01Yeah, there it goes.
11:03Tegu, buégo.
11:04Tegu, tegu.
11:08My nerves don't kick in for a performance until right before I go on stage.
11:15Merci, Miss Dina Spaniel!
11:20Thank you, Miss Dina Spaniel!
11:41The thing that keeps me coming back to performing and dancing is my love of the craft
11:46and how I'm able to push my body to limits that I didn't think I could before.
11:50It's one of those things where you see yourself achieve a goal, and then you want to achieve another goal.
11:59Pole dancing is hard.
12:02Whenever you see it performed on TV and shows, those people have put in plenty of hours to look the
12:10way they do,
12:11to make it look as graceful and as sensual and as erotic and exotic, whatever the style may be.
12:20I feel that people who look down on pole dancers and strippers and the connection of the two
12:26often actually have shame around sex in general.
12:30So they're going to try to put that on the next person and say,
12:34how dare you do something that I'm not comfortable doing?
12:37People who try to make you feel bad for something, it's because that they want to be able to have
12:42that sense of freedom.
12:43And because they're not, they're going to attempt to bring you down, because they can't get up to your level.
12:59Of course, everyone started going crazy when they saw the sparklers, and then I realized, I was like,
13:03wait, I'm facing the wrong way and I can't see their reaction.
13:06So I had to, in my headstand, turn around so I can show them, like, hey, one, I could do
13:12a head spin, kind of,
13:13and two, I wanted to see them cheering.
13:36I feel pretty good. I feel really good.
13:39I think that I got all the tricks that I wanted to get out, and then some, which was fun.
13:44I was like, oh, I have a little bit more time.
13:46I can milk this a little bit.
13:47All the costume pieces came off pretty easy.
13:50When it comes to performance, I never doubt my skills of being able to perform.
13:56I will never get on a stage and get choked up.
13:59I have too vast a vocabulary of knowledge for movement.
14:04I've been dancing for over 20 years.
14:07I've been doing pole for over 10, and I've been performing for over 15.
14:12What I enjoy most about expressing my sensual and sexy side through pole is the fact that I'm celebrating myself.
14:23It's a time for me to reclaim my own sexy and celebrate not only my body and its capability,
14:30but the mobility that it has.
14:33And I am sexy, and it's okay, not for anyone else, but for my own self.
14:38I love pole dancing.
14:41I love the community that I've been brought into because of pole dancing.
14:45I love the people that I've been able to affect with my pole dancing.
14:50Had you told me when I was 10, 11, 12, 13, even in college, that I'd be making my living
14:56as a pole dancer,
14:57I would have laughed so hard because I couldn't even see myself dancing on the pole for a living.
15:03Like, what?
15:04This right here, this is it.
15:06This is where I'm going to be until I'm 60, 70, 80 years old.
15:09For as long as my body is able and capable of doing it, you will see me swinging on some
15:14poles.
15:21For as long as my body is able to do it, you will see me swinging on some poles.
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