To: citycouncil@ogdencity.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 11:15:40 AM
Subject: Ogden's 'Ban' on Aerial Pole Sports at Dew Tour...Thoughts, answers, proposals....
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"The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about." Wayne Dyer
A quote that is unfortunately, yet positively fitting the Ogden City Commissioners & their counterparts this weekend.
It is a very sad day when we have to discover that a city that has come so far, and offers so much in the world of fitness, sports & outdoor opportunities actually rejects one of the most evolving, beautiful, history-making sports of the decade. Salt Lake City has actually been recently named as the World Headquarters for Pole Sports & Fitness. Apparently, Ogden City remains under-educated on the importance of this title and its' meaning to the people of these communities.
Salt Lake City is now home base to the 3 most influential key players in taking Pole Sports to the World and Olympic Games in both 2016 & 2020. The President of the IPSF (International Pole Sports Federation), Co-Creator of the PFA (Pole Fitness Association) & CEO/Co-Creator's of Pole Dance International & Aerial Arts International Magazines have joined together their global governing agencies and media influence right here in Utah. Their goal is to educate people about the revolutionary sport of pole as they head for acceptance in the Olympic Arena in the next 5-8 years. Current Pole Sports have changed the stigmas of the past in every corner of the globe. Today's pole is associated with extreme strength, artistic beauty & fearless execution. Pole Performers are true professionals, and experts at what they do. They work hard & train daily, building confidence, core & upper body strength-unmatched by any other fitness regime out there. For exercise, the results are fascinatingly effective. From a performance & competitive standpoint-the results are undeniably athletic. So what is it about the sport that is making Ogden City Officials so uncomfortable?
During the weekend of Feb.11-13th, Ogden was blessed with the huge opportunity to have the Dew Tour return to their area for the 2nd time. Many key people will be now working hard to change this after the decision to threaten and harass business owners & professional athletes regarding the allowance of Aerial Pole Acrobatics as an important part of the weekend entertainment & events. The 'after-party' that was planned for athletes, artists & fans of the Dew Tour ended up being a complete failure due to this decision on Friday night. Organizer and well-known business contributor, Lynda Huddleton was told late in the game that the city would revoke her operating & liquor licenses for the weekend if she was to allow the formally invited Pole Performers to take the stage. However, they were given permission to allow the Aerial Silks and Lyra (Aerial Hoop) to remain, even though most of the performers of these apparatus's are also pole performers. The apparatus's are all cross-overs of each other and originate from the same source & background-being the Circus Arts of the early 1920's. Pole Professionals were around long before the idea of putting a pole in a Gentleman's Club was popularized in the 1980's. The training, the attire, the moves, holds & poses on the pole are exactly in sync with what you see on the silks & lyra. Nevertheless, Detective Connelly was sent to relay the forced decision of 'no pole'' from the County Commissioners to Lynda and her hard-working staff after months of planning. Professional Athletes & Instructors from Salt Lake's Studio Soiree were already en route to the event when they got the news that they would be 'banned" from putting up their aerial sports equipment in the venue. Performers included International Aerial Dance Artist Chastitie Lujan, and locally renowned athlete & star trainer-Lorinda Coombs; as well as Soiree's Owner & PFA Co-Creator, Lizz Schofield. Chastitie Lujan is also the N.American Regional VP for the IPSF, a PFA Ambassador(as is Lorinda) & CEO of the two fore-mentioned global publications. Part of Chastitie's mission associated with the Dew Tour in addition to performing, included several interviews with Professional Snowboarders on the Tour for a worldwide feature on Extreme Sports. Despite Tim Trautman's attempt to educate Detective Connelly on the sport of pole, the performance was thrown out. Tim is the President of the IPSF, and Co-Partner in the ownership of Studio Soiree. The disappointment of this decision is felt by many in the community and the industry of aerial arts. We are baffled by the reasoning behind it. One statement relayed by Detective Connelly was that 'this is a family event,' although the activities didn't begin until after the 10 pm curfew for minors, and the majority of the facility was dedicated to 21 and older patrons. He also stated that 'there is no way to prove the performers on the pole wouldn't dance like strippers.' Are you serious? This is NOT a strip club, and these are NOT strippers. The very idea that professional athletes and classically-trained dancers would actually get up on stage and do anything other than what they train to do is absolutely offensive & appalling. Truly, the county should be ashamed of their own thinking. Here are some comments from the social network regarding the decision:
"Apparently Ogden City is still in the stone ages and refuses to get their minds out of the GUTTER! It's sad when people choose to live in their own filthy thoughts of whatever they think a pole is used for...when the rest of the world has moved on to find a beautiful, empowering form of art & fitness that is totally unmatched in its benefits to those who participate in & love it....Way to go Ogden...Thumbs DOWN!!"
"Filthy & disgraceful"
"I can't believe the officials in Ogden are so uneducated on the art of pole. It is a real let-down when people have worked so hard to get rid of the stereotypes of the past-to then have some of our government influences choosing to hang onto it. It is shameful."
Followed by multiple 'dislikes' and support for the athletes, who are now suffering utter embarrassment, having been harassed, threatened & degraded publicly.
After having been treated with such disgrace, here is what we propose:
First, a public apology to the performers & organizers of the event for the accusations of their immorality & stature in the community.
Next, an opportunity to re-educate officials involved in making the decision. We would like to set up a meeting with you, where we will be offered a chance to discuss the nature of our sport, and our mission to share it with the mainstream masses. We would like this meeting to include an opportunity to perform for you. We invite you to come to Studio Soiree for a personal discussion & sample of our skills. We are happy to accommodate you by bringing our equipment to you if this is not agreeable.
Finally, we would like to be re-invited to one of Ogden's upcoming major events to perform & share the beauty & talent of what we do with the people of the community who were denied this chance as a result of your decision.
It is very unfortunate that these events had to take place, but we do believe that we can amend the negative outcomes by agreeing to the above. We sincerely hope to have a chance to share with you our passion about an art & sport that we cherish & love. We hope to be able to clear your minds of any negative thinking about the pole related to stigmas of the past-and move forward with a more clear & positive view. Education is key, and changing minds is a gift. If we can help you see the value in what we do, and help you think more positively about it, we will feel successful in our efforts. Our goal is to take the dark filth of the past, and turn it into something light, and worth rewarding, not hiding. Our children and communities will benefit from having something beautiful to appreciate for the future.
Please consider our thoughts, and our offer. We hope to hear from you very soon.
Sincerely,
Representatives of the IPSF, PFA, Pole Dance International Magazine & Studio Soiree,
and all our advocates & supporters.
Please contact: Chastitie Lujan via this email, or by phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx
Here are some sites for your viewing:
www.polesports.org
www.polefitnessassociation.com
www.poledanceintlmagazine.com
www.formatpixel.com/poledanceinternational
www.studiosoiree.com
www.goddessartsacademynw.com
www.facebook.com/aerialartsinternational
www.ipdfa.com
Video Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfkHR0Ne16c&oref=http://www.youtube.com/results%3Fsearch_query%3Dipdfa%2B2011%26aq%3Df&has_verified=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wt2D30jYYo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3Ki82pcR8k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iboln8CgsbE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e6XTGJUQu4&feature=related
