Burning Man: The Awakening
November 29th, 2006(not safe for work version)
It’s been 3 months since I returned from Burning Man, and many of you have been asking me the same thing: Where are the stories? I’ll admit, most of the delay has been due to lack of time. Life has been hectic since I’ve been back, and I just haven’t had the energy to devote to my writing. Another factor in the delay was that I’ve had a hard time organizing my thoughts about the experience. Any of you who have been to Burning Man can probably sympathize. Sure, you can describe individual adventures from the event, but the whole experience is much greater than the sum of its parts. Each person experiences it in a different way, and every participant returns home with a unique perspective. If I were to try to explain to you what Burning Man is, or tell you about all of the amazing people, places, and things I encountered, this would turn into a ten part series and at the end I still wouldn’t have done it justice. Instead, I’ll tell you about the one thing that made the most impact on me, the experience that inspired a sense of confidence and sexuality in me that I didn’t even realize was there. I’m going to tell you about my time on the pole.
My transformation began the very first night. After a grueling day in the hot sun building our camp, my campmates and I needed to relax. We joined our neighbors at their camp for a celebration with mojitos and nachos. The entertainment, provided by our friendly neighbors, was an outdoor stripper pole, set on a stage and surrounded by couches covered in red velvet. Sultry songs floated out of a stereo system as camp members and visitors took turns on the pole. After several mojitos – and a lot of coaxing – my friends finally convinced me to take a turn on stage. A curvy vixen with short black hair led me onstage for my lesson as my song selection – Christina Aguilera’s Dirrty – began to play. My instructor guided me through several sexy moves and a flirty spin. I found myself forgetting about being nervous, and I was truly having a great time. When the song was over, the crowd cheered wildly, and I was urged to do another song all by myself. My nervousness returned, but I agreed to dance again, and the handsome DJ chose another provocative Christina song, Get Mine Get Yours, for my solo performance. As I danced, I found that my nervousness once again subsided, and in its place was a sense of power and sexuality like I’d never felt before. I ran my hands along my body and gyrated against the pole. As passersby gathered in the street, I slid my hand up my thigh and gave my ass a flirty spank. Spotting a glow stick lying on the stage, I snatched it up and slid it into my bra, between my cleavage. I exposed my breasts teasingly and slid my hand down to my panties provocatively.
When my song was over, the crowd cheered. I was both exhausted and exhilarated. I felt as if a piece of me had broken free in those 4 minutes as I’d danced. It was a piece that I hadn’t known was there, and yet it was an escape I’d been waiting for my whole adult life. I felt sexy, I felt fearless, and I felt empowered.
The next night, I hit the stage again. Dressed in gold knee-high boots, a red mini skirt, and a blue Superman tank top, I earned my Playa Name. “Next on the stage we have…Supergirl!” I danced several times that week, and each time was just as exhilarating as the first. Even Lucky learned a few moves and blew me away with a raw, sexy performance that I never would have expected from my sweet and silly lover. My new friends and neighbors watched my progress enthusiastically. They filled my head with compliments such as “you’re a natural” and “the crowd really loves you.”
I returned from Burning Man with a new-found respect for art, an appreciation of community, and a wealth of new friendships, one of which has turned into a passionate affair (you’ll read more about that soon). I also returned with a new attitude, a self-confidence that has produced a visible change in me. As of this writing, I am taking a pole dancing class and I never miss a chance to practice my new skills. Will this lead to a new career for Miss Knees? Doubtful. For now, I’m just happy showing off to all my friends at parties and doing photo shoots on my very own stripper pole at home for all of you.
Filed under: Experiences | Tagged: burning man, pole dancing
