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We walked across the hall but before Anjannette went into the studio, she gave me another quick hug.
“I hope you take your own advice. You look absolutely beautiful and you’re going to be great out there.”
I stayed in the doorway as she walked into the studio to get the audience seated and make some opening remarks. People scrambled to their chairs and I looked around the room and spotted my parents first and saw Simon, Shannon, Andrew, Archer, and Leo sitting next to them. I returned Simon’s wave but my smile froze on my face when I noticed Zoe right behind him. She leaned forward and said something to him and he nodded.
Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath and fought to get into a dancing mindset. I’d just hung my robe up on the coat rack when I heard Anjannette’s voice, but didn’t pay close enough attention to understand her words. But I knew I was up when the first slow strains of “Criminal” by Fiona Apple echoed through the studio.
Thankfully, my dance doesn’t officially start until Fiona actually starts singing, so I had time to slowly walk to the pole. As I started to dance, everything else faded away and I just let my body move to the music.
Simon
This whole showhas been absolutely amazing. Obviously I came to see Keera, but each and every performance has blown my mind.
Next up is the intermediate group led by Keera and Anjannette. They’re dancing to “Circus” by Britney Spears and each have on a mask depicting an animal. Keera is a lion and looks sexy as hell in a tan outfit with her long brown hair curled and flowing around her shoulders.
There was a lot going on during the dance, but I kept my eyes firmly focused on Keera. I clapped along with the rest of the audience as I watched one incredible trick after another. Half the time I had no idea how the dancers stayed on the pole. And other times, I thought for sure they were going to crash to the ground, but thankfully that never happened.
I watched Keera climb to the top of the pole and settle into what she told me is called a pole sit. Phoebe did the same thing on the pole across from her and Anjannette stepped in between them and reached up, grabbing onto their outstretched hands. My jaw hit the floor when Anjannette flipped forward then backward before going forward again and landing in a split. I looked around and saw the other dancers were doing the same acrobatics.
Shannon bumped me with her shoulder.
“Are you watching this?” When I didn’t answer quickly enough, she punched me in the arm. “Seriously, are you seeing this?”
“Yes, I’m seeing it.” I rubbed my arm. “Stop hitting me.”
She laughed then let out a catcall and clapped harder.
As the song came to an end, the dancers moved through the poles, circling around each other. On the final note, they each grabbed onto the nearest pole, held on, and rotated down to the floor.
As the audience clapped, the dancers took a quick bow, then everyone but Anjannette left the floor. She’s doing the last dance of the night.
I watched her slower, more artistic routine, but I’ll be honest, in my mind, I mentally replayed Keera’s time on the floor. One thing I know for sure is that when I buy a house, I need to make sure there’s space for a pole.
The after partytook up the whole back half of Poor Richard’s Pub. We pushed a bunch of tables together and basically made the space our own. Keera sat on one side of me and Archer was on the other. He was leaning over me as he talked to her about the physics of pole dance.
“I have no idea how it works, I just know how to do it,” she said.
“Would you mind if Simon shares the video of your dance with me so I can upload it to my computer and break it down mechanically?”
Keera looked at me and I shrugged.
“Sure. You can do that,” she said. “Maybe you’ll be able to help me do a rainbow.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
She picked up her cell and Googled it then handed it to him. He watched it three times before handing her phone back to her.
“I have no idea if it will help you, but I can break down the physics.”
Anjannette and Leo were sitting across from us and they joined in the discussion. Archer was in his element, talking physics when Zoe and Sacha approached.
“Is anyone sitting here?” Sacha asked Anjannette.
“No. Have a seat.”
Sacha sat right across from Andrew and they each leaned forward, starting their own conversation leaving Zoe on her own.
“The show was incredible,” she said, directing the comment to both Anjannette and Keera. “I hope to keep taking classes after the beginner’s series is over.” Gesturing toward Sacha, she added, “I’m so glad she asked me to go along with her.”
