2 Girls, 1 Pole

Posted by Jayvee at April 5th, 2009

2 Girls, 1 Pole originally appeared as a piece in UNO’s March 2009 issue by Ramon de Veyra. Though we’ve nothing to show for YouTube “reactions” to this article, we can assure that it’s safe for work to read. Photos by Miguel Nacianceno.

Pole dancing as a means of recreational exercise is not a new concept. It’s not such a big surprise these days to find a dancing pole installed in an exercise room of your friend’s house. Or your aunt, for that matter.

But acclaimed visual artist and production designer Christina Dy was getting bored. She had taken up pole dancing in the middle of 2007 as a way to stay fit and healthy—exercise without having to go to a gym, the prospect of which held no interest or excitement for her. A friend had recommended pole dancing, and so with an open mind, she tried it.

And loved it.

Loved it so much that she attended more and more classes, going to Movement dance studio maybe 4, 5 times a week. A favorite of the instructors, she was often featured by press pieces spotlighting Movement. She was now in the advanced class, and was even teaching beginners as well.

But again she was getting bored. And looking for the next challenge.

This is how Girl VS Girl was conceived.

The idea of Girl VS Girl is simple: 2 Girls, 1 Pole. They’re not the first to think of it, but it certainly isn’t common, especially locally. It was an obvious evolution, in hindsight. Her fellow pole-dancing fanatic, Mirell Macalinao, was the obvious choice for partner. They got along well; they were together often at Movement, attending all kinds of classes, even if only to make use of the studio. They would practice together even when there weren’t classes. They would attend the advanced class to find they were the only two students who showed up. Macalinao, like Dy, was at Movement most nights of the week, as much as her schedule as a graduate student would allow.

With two girls on the same pole movement is limited. You’re not as free to spin and rotate as you are when there’s no one else to be mindful of, when space isn’t at such a premium. This is part of the challenge. In the beginning, Dy and Macalinao focused on shapes. The kinds of forms they could make with two figures, two bodies on the pole as opposed to one. As such, early practice sessions found them making figures that favored symmetrical shapes. Then complementary ones. The elements of pole dancing were still there: the alchemy of discipline, balance, accuracy, strength and stamina. Grace, when you were good enough. Dy and Macalinao are better.

In the lowered lighting of the dance studio, Dy and Macalinao demonstrate their first figures for us. Their bodies would merge, the pole as axis of both symmetry and rotation. They would assume positions in steps: engaging the pole one at a time, then, on cue, unfold into the final figure, their bodies resembling a Rorschach inkblot, its meaning unfolding in the viewer’s imagination.

“Many of the positions we came up with while chatting online,” Dy would tell me later. “There’s an application that lets you doodle, so we would draw our ideas—‘How about this? Or this?’”

They debut some new figures for us, part of their new repertoire. “We’re working on more asymmetrical figures. Some are even abstract but still visually appealing.” This makes sense to me, remembering Dy’s background as a painter. Some of her most lauded works betray her preoccupation with forms, shapes, textures. One of the new positions is called Trapeze: one of the girls anchors herself to the pole with her thighs and hands, then the other hooks her legs inside the closed loop of the other’s stomach, and lets go of the pole. The one girl supporting the other’s weight. This draws an exclamation from the photographer: “Holy shit.”

After the session the girls are exhausted, but still brimming with enthusiasm. They excitedly tell us of their plans: they want to do a performance blindfolded. One behind a scrim so all the audience can see are silhouetted shapes. More figures where movement is involved, rotation or otherwise. Figures that will allow them to move to another figure without having to touch the floor again. Maybe the incorporation of balletic figures: arabesques, or derivations thereof. An already scheduled performance has them dancing to musical accompaniment: two cellos. Of course. This keeps them interested. This keeps them challenged.

Anything to keep from getting bored again.

To book Girl VS Girl, email christinady (at) gmail (dot) com. Movement Dance Studio is at 3/F Promenade Building, Wilson corner P. Guevarra Streets, Greenhills, San Juan (Tel. +632.721.7711)