Pole Celebrity - That Pole Guy, Travis Scott
Okay, I've been staring at the screen for a while now wondering how do I describe my experience with That Pole Guy, aka Travis Scott.
It's so hard to put in to words because it's not so much an experience, Travis takes you on an adventure.
Travis is first and foremost a performer. From the moment I laid eyes on him at the studio he was performing. He was loud, funny, flirty, and had that sense of naughty about him. Everything was exaggerated: the moves, the quips, the laughs, and everything was fabulous. I have since determined that's The Pole Guy, he's just fabulous personified.
I thought the Death By Stiletto t-shirt was very apt!
The class I did with Travis was a Beginner Heels Workshop. If you don't know much of Travis's work he can do the most AMAZING eye boggling things on a pole and on the floor in 7 inch heels, be they thigh high black patent boots or strappies, he just makes you gasp. I did a lot of gasping. Oh, he's spectacular without the heels too, but this day, this workshop, was a heels day.
My 6 inch Pleasers
One of the first things I noticed about Travis's physicality is the man is just lean muscle. I don't think there is an ounce of excess fat anywhere on this man's body. It did cross my mind that I'd like to take him home for a huge pasta meal followed by cake but I think that was just the maternal instinct surfacing in that moment, or bitchy jealousy, I'm not 100% sure - could go either way.
Next was how Travis moves. You would have to be blind to not immediately see this man IS a dancer. He is graceful, he's elegant, he's smooth. Even when he's crashing about and stumbled it just looked like he was doing his own choreography.
So the class started with the obligatory warm up, Travis spoke briefly about himself and found out what level we were at and if anyone had taken one of his classes before, a few had. I was one of the few baby polers in the group. Yep, I am old and wizened, but a baby poler still. He took us through how to walk in heels, walking forwards, backwards, sideways, using our hips, counterbalancing, all the necessary elements. Then we went into a short choreographed dance sequence. This was where the skill of the dancer came well in to play. Travis could make up and retain choreography on the go. If it didn't work he just tweaked it a bit and ran us through it all again. I marvel at this ability, some days I amaze myself that I manage to get dressed completely before heading out the door. And lists, lists, I am the queen of lists - no list, no recall.
Throughout the 90 minute session Travis talked about his history, people in his life, and his future plans. It was nice to listen to someone so well known on the Australian pole circuit reveal a bit of themselves. It made him real and not just this amazing performer. I liked that.
First a hug
After the workshop was finished it was group photo time followed by individual pics too. Travis was so patient, holding people in different poses, trying to make each one unique and special. When it got to my turn I stood next to him and next thing he lifted me onto his hip. Such strength and such ease, yes I was impressed. I sat perched on his hip for quite a few minutes as one of my friends took pictures. My camera shit itself (I will write more about my love/hate relationship with my Samsung Galaxy S5) so she took a heap with hers while Travis and I chatted, no awkwardness at all, well not on my part, it seemed like this was a not too unfamiliar occurrence, sitting on some gentleman's hip talking about anything.
Having a chat
Our studio kindly handed out free posters and Travis hung around signing each and every one of them. I was the last to have mine signed. While we were sitting on the couch talking as he wrote, I asked him about injuries - having not long returned after a 6 month rehab I am kind of obsessing about injuries and how to avoid doing them. That's when Travis switched off the performer to briefly become this serious young man. He told me about his many broken bones and injuries, he moved his knee so I could hear the bone on bone crunching - the exact same sound my ex-ballerina daughters right knee now makes. And he gave me good advice.
In that brief glimpse of the performer being rested and the quiet, genuine, serious, young man appearing, that's the exact moment when I developed a respect for this young man beyond that of a talented performer, to that of a professional with genuine knowledge and wisdom. That was when I was impressed, truly impressed by Travis Scott. That's when I decided one day I would love to sit down and do a serious in depth interview to get to know the man behind the performer better, one leisurely day, somewhere, sometime.
So, if you ever have an opportunity to do any kind of class, workshop, private, anything by Travis Scott, I recommend you do. You will be entertained, educated, enlightened, and leave feeling very accomplished, that you've moved your body and then some, and trust me you'll be feeling pretty damned fabulous yourself.
Thank you Travis... xox
He poses so well, me - I think I'm channeling my dirty old woman
