How welcoming has Alberta’s metal community been to your act?

So far the reactions have been great. I’ve been performing for just over a year now, and the bands have been very supportive and stoked to have me involved. I’m really looking forward to my next shows coming up in the summer months. I’m sure there are a few negative reactions to my “heavy metal pole dancing,” just as there are in general to the sport of pole dancing. It does have its association with strip clubs (and rightfully so sometimes) but the way I’ve chosen to practice and perform this style of dance is completely different. My performance style is more akin to what you would see in the circus, with a bit of sensuality put into the dance. It is aerial acrobatics, and many of the moves and tricks take a great deal of strength and control.

How did you end up incorporating metal into your act?

The dance studio that I practice at, PoleJunkies, requires that students start choreographing their own routines after they reach a certain level and do a performance to show what they have learned. The students are allowed to choose their own music and so the obvious choice for me, as a metal fan, was to find a metal tune that I could actually dance to. The biggest challenge with choosing metal songs is finding ones with a time signature and speed that allow you to do the moves and still be able to show the flow and control in the transitions. Sometimes a routine will require a fair bit of planning because the time changes in a song make it difficult to freestyle. Another major challenge is finding venues that have the ceiling height and stage room to accommodate my equipment. There aren’t very many venues that cater to metal shows, so I don’t have many options to begin with.

Variety acts performing at gigs is becoming more and more frequent in Alberta. How important do you think these acts are to the future of the local hard rock and metal scene?

I think if the performers can fit in with the style/theme of the show, they can enhance the whole experience and add some variety to the event. Whether its pole dancing, burlesque, comedians or even something like the Human Guinea Pig, it is new talent for music fans to explore and enjoy, and it might even increase the number of attendees to a show. It would be great to continue to have these non-musical acts interspersed throughout the metal and hard rock shows that happen in Alberta.