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Testimonials

Hi Catherine & Sara,
Just wanted to drop you a note. All your wonderful instruction has paid off. I auditioned for the Condor about a two months ago and have been working there ever since. I love it, love it love it. I wanted to thank both of you for giving me the skills needed to do something I had always dreamed about doing Just for info. I give out your web site all the time to women who want to do learn this great gift. See you soon.

- Theresa C.

If you have ever wanted to experience or learn more about exotic dance- don't look any further! Stop here. I drove 3 hours and would do it again. I loved Catherine's energy and the creation of a dance floor routine...It was more than I expected. Time flew by!

- Shaunna Floyd

Catherine brings the most amazing sense of connection, respect and playfulness to her work, whether one-on-one or in a class setting. She makes it easy, comfortable and transformational to learn her techniques. Your inner (and outer!) goddess will be happy to connect with Catherine Rose. As an innovator in her field, I highly recommend the offerings that Catherine provides through her company Slinky Productions. January 28, 2009

- Deborah Mistry

Catherine is a fun and creative dance professional with years of study in her craft. I especially enjoyed her hosting a bachelorette party I hosted back in February 2008 which al the girls enjoyed. I will definitely use her services again in the near future. January 15, 2009

- Shellie Gordon

I can tell that Catherine really loves what she does and that passion comes out when she is working with her dance students. For me, her classes are much more than learning how to dance a certain way, it's deep work about reassessing how I perceive myself. This translates into all areas of my life and has been incredibly helpful. The other thing that Iove about Catherine's workshops is that they are just really fun. What better way to do transformational work than to laugh, play and feel good. I highly recommend Catherine's workshops. December 3, 2008

- Laura Cooksey

Catherine's classes and longer workshops are carefully crafted. Her instruction is patient and complete. She opens up women and invites them to enjoy themselves in incredibly exciting ways. November 26, 2008

- Miel Steele

Catherine makes you feel comfortable and confident. She's an enjoyable instructor, creates a fun environment and has lots of techniques to share. My girlfriends all enjoyed the courses- we had a great time with Catherine and each other. If you're looking for a way to bond with your girlfriends (or for a bachelorette party) look no further- Catherine's got what you're looking for!

- Heather S.

I want to say how much I enjoyed the lapdancing class. It was a treat to learn from a teacher who knows her material so well, and was able to make us all feel safe and at ease in this edgy frontier. You make a great contribution to the world by helping women explore, discover, and claim their feminine, sensual side. Thank you so much,

- J.S.

That was truly an incredible lapdance class! I was so surprised at how much natural ability I already have and by how much was possible that I didn't even know! I gained a whole new way to connect, to flow, to move ... I feel elated!

Here is a true story for you. Lately my partner and I have been having challenges in our relationship and so of course that shows up in our sex life. Well, after the lapdance class I asked if I could give him a lap dance, for my own practice. Not realizing it, but 'doing it for me' took all the pressure off of him. Well, I did my dance and we had the best sex we have had in months! I seduced the unseducable man. It was amazing, feeling him enjoy me, there was a physical language we were speaking to each other, it was so beautiful! Thank you!

~*A*

Catherine does a masterful job of managing the energy in the room, and creating a safe, non-competitive and joyful space for every woman to get (re)acquainted with her juiciness. It is a joyful and beautiful experience which I highly recommend to any woman of any age, shape, size or sexual orientation.

- Claudia Six, PhD
Clinical Sexologist
www.sixonsex.com

Catherine creates an environment of safety, fun and eroticism that invites embracing sexuality and playfulness. She gently encourages stepping through one's inhibitions and breaking free to the succulent woman inside.

- Deborah

Catherine's class is wonderful. She made sure that all of us felt comfortable. It was liberating, sexy and fun! I am planning to take it again soon.

- Monica

How many of us live in our heads and forget about being in our bodies? For me, Erotic Dancing has been a journey towards improving my level of consciousness and awareness of my body as an incredible communication instrument, and a way for me to be conscious with every fiber of my being -- rather than just with my brain.

The classes I have attended with Catherine have been tremendously enjoyable: challenging, revealing, and relaxing. In the first lesson it was all I could do to relearn how to walk! The lessons learned in Erotic Dancing are transferable into everyday life: As a result of attending I feel more at ease with my self - I'm more confident moving, walking, dancing, being...and relish any opportunity to get up and dance - by myself, with others, for others. In her classes, Catherine explores how to express grace, sensuality and humor. I would recommend her class to anyone who wants to get more in touch with their physical and sexual self

- anonymous participant & private student

Whether single or in partnership with someone, with pleasure I encourage women to take Erotic Dance classes from Catherine. Her ability to make everyone in the class feel safe to explore their fullest potential is with and in the spirit of grace and honor. She has an uncanny intrinsic gift of humor which brings fun, laughter, excitement and ease to her classes, embraced by her respect for boundaries in and for each student. Most importantly, having taken classes from other people, Catherine is highly trained and experienced as an instructor in preparing a class structure so your time investment is not wasted.

I have walked away with more than just very clear and concise lessons to practice at home, at my age of 46, I have unlocked aspects of myself otherwise untapped by conventional dance and thought. Returning for more training from Catherine in this delightful, powerful and sensual art of dance made my second lesson even more fulfilling. As a woman, finding this special place in my spirit has enhanced parts of my feminine wile like nothing ever learned or experienced before. Don't hesitate to say "yes" to attend any class Catherine Rose has to offer. Words can not described the worth Catherine's classes have given to awaken my personal power, joy and sensuality.

- Denise Evangelista

Catherine creates a safe, wonderful space to discover the joy and ease of movement! I came away from this workshop realizing I DO know how to dance, from inside me. I gained a body sense of sensuality as natural, innate, and pleasurable. I feel inspired to play and express myself through movement!

- Linda

Catherine is the best teacher ever. I could not have come even this far without... I really mean that. I have never even been able to feel comfortable for even a second with any other kind of dance class. I do with her and with this style of dance.

- Dana F

Catherine set the stage by explaining some of the history of the area we toured, helping to introduce us to each club, and guided us to a place of comfort once inside, She graciously helped us (a lovely mix of ages, orientations, sizes, and backgrounds) to feel comfortable, safe and relaxed. And then to have planned a wonderful restaurant dinner at the conclusion of our tour, along with our special surprise--all added up to a fabulous evening of sensual, healthy, healing fun.

- T.W.

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The Curve Magazine January 2008
by Catherine Plato

I’ve always been a big fan of strip clubs; the combo of top-40 remixes, the ubiquitous scent of vanilla body spray and the small army of half-naked, long-legged stilettoed college girls brings me helplessly to my knees every time. But you know what I’ve always found really, really cool about blowing a week’s salary on impossibly hot women pretending to like me? Badass pole dancing. A perverse spin on the art of jungle gym gallivanting, good pole dancing is a sweet money-making mélange of grace and athleticism, coy innocence and brazen whorishness. It’s also the latest in trendy workouts, with classes popping up at Crunch Fitness and independent dance studios around the country. As a former modern dancer, a lifelong perv and a liberal arts major always in search of marketable skills, I just had to try.
A quick Google search led me to S Factor (sfactor.com), a chain of pole dancing studios founded by actress Sheila Kelley after playing a stripper in 2000’s Dancing at the Blue Iguana. Kelley was never a real live stripper herself, but her role in the film inspired her to teach erotic dance to other women. She has nine studios throughout the country, and all offer six levels of classes. I signed up for the introductory class: an hour and a half, $40 session.
The room was dark; there were two poles in the middle, soft, fuck-me R&B playing from a stereo, and about 10 gym-short-clad women in their 20s through 40s. The instructor, a shapely, outgoing woman named Tauren had everyone introduce themselves and say what drew them to the class. Half the students were there for a bachelorette party; other motives included toned abs and surprising their husbands with a sexy treat. In my nose ring and Sleater-Kinney tee, I felt conspicuously gay.
We spent the first third of the class doing a stripper floorwork-inspired warm-up: pelvic thrusts, torso rolls, some yoga-esque stretches and the occasional booty smack. The lights were low and there were no mirrors in the room because, as Tauren pointed out, if you feel sexy, you must look sexy too. Fair enough. After the warm-up we practiced walking around the room wagging our hips and feeling ourselves up, amidst constant reminders of our own unique and inherent sexiness. Being told how hot I am for a full hour is definitely cool, but I did find myself craving a little more hand-to-pole contact.
The pole trick finally came: a fairly simple move where you hook your ankles around the pole and spin to the bottom. After practicing a few times (with 10 students and only two poles in the class, we didn’t have time for much more), Tauren and another instructor sat us down for a demonstration: a five-minute improvised dirty dance combining floorwork, pole tricks and general ass-shaking. Breathtaking. The women were absolute virtuosos, like the Charlie Parkers of eroticism. Class ended to applause, giggling and an infomercial-esque plug for the longer series. I left, amused and inspired but only half-satisfied.
My search for satisfaction brought me to Catherine Rose, a retired, eight-year veteran stripper, a teacher since 2000 and the founder of erotic dance institution Slinky Productions. “I am one of the pioneers teaching this movement,” she told me proudly during a pre-class conversation. She told me that her class focused more on the technique of erotic dance. I was happy to expect more pole and less affirmation.
The Slinky Productions studio was smaller and a little more bare-bones than S Factor. It’s in San Francisco’s Center for Healing and Expression, and the poles are removable structures. We kept the lights on throughout class and had mirrors in the room—again, the focus was on actual skill and technique rather than sexy self-appreciation. My instructor, Sara North, was another retired erotic dancer herself, and a friendly, punky chick with multicolored hair and large tattoos. While S Factor students wore more typical workout attire, the Slinky students wore anything from biker shorts to leotards to sequined haltered tops. Admittedly, I felt much more at home and eventually even felt, sincerely, the love-thyself that had been slightly force-fed by S Factor. By the end of the first class, I had about three different pole spins mastered, and could even climb. I was psyched that so many of the moves were actually much easier than they looked.
While S Factor offers levels one through seven, each with its own panty (like belts earned in martial arts), Slinky Productions’ classes are organized by specific sexy skills: Lap dancing, pole dancing and floorshow classes are all popular offerings (slinkyproductions.com for rates). While pole dancing is a good abs, arms and shoulders exercise, lap dancing focuses more on the glutes and hamstrings. Though taking a 90-minute to three-hour class—the typical length at most studios—is super fun and sexy, it might not be enough to give you a good workout, especially since the student-to-pole ratio typically doesn’t allow for as much practice as you might like. The solution? Invest in your own removable pole, or do it like the strippers of yore and practice on your local stop sign. That’s what I did, and not only did my dancing improve, but my public practice sessions have earned me all sorts of colorful new pals.
So, if you really want to dance like a pro, skip Crunch Fitness and the larger studios, and go straight to a real live stripper (even a retired one) to show you how it’s done. However, if you’re perhaps a little older and certainly a bit less brazen, a studio like S Factor might be more your style. Either way, taking it to the pole is a decent means of exercise and a fabulous means of feeling like a badass.

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