This Saturday afternoon, while you were tackling Everest-like loads of laundry, a group of women were perfecting their hip roll and learning how to crawl seductively across a room. In other words, while you were at home being June Cleaver, eight women were learning how to be Dita Von Teese in a decidedly un-sweaty gym studio perched above the quiet side of South Beach.
Instructor and Miami territory owner Renee O’Connor of The Art of Exotic Dancing for Everyday Women taught eight women of all shapes, sizes and walks of life how to ummm…let’s just say the class is built to bring out the temptress in everyone.
The purple feather boa swathed around the door handle is your first clue that this isn’t your modern ballet class (giggle giggle to the woman who really thought it was her modern ballet class). And maybe the drapery hiding the class from the oglers on the stationary bikes might have been the second tip-off. But once your instructor finishes her introductory - steamy, and clothed - dance and striptease, you know this isn’t your average cardio workout.
You’ll spend three hours moving your hips like a snake-charmer, shimmying down to the ground and discovering the sexy beast within, all while leering at yourself in the mirror. While your new moves may not get you on the dental plan at Tootsie’s, your newfound sex appeal just might change your life. After all, if three hours of staring into your own bedroom eyes doesn’t make you love yourself, you may need some glasses. And if you see a woman with an extra twist in her hips or a new, sexy glint in her eye, she just might have been one of the women who discovered the Art of Exotic Dancing this weekend. Just give her a wink and let her know: You know what she did last Saturday. --Raina McLeod
