Letting Go of Inhibitions: Sharing My Stripper Pole Dance Video
To some, it is just a stripper pole video; to others, it’s a language of emotions.
Uploading My Stripper Pole Dance Video
Adding Tags and hitting the “Post” button felt the usual — like sharing what I think, the chunks of my mind, with my followers; it was almost innocent, but even at 1:00 am, right before sharing it with the world, the video meant as much as a melted Twix bar would mean to a 4-year-old Kid!
There it was, on the internet, a video of me dancing for people to see. It was a body full of raw emotions, an escape from my mental cage, and a way of letting my body communicate what it was feeling.
I couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched the number of views on my video climb higher and higher. At first, I felt a rush of excitement and pride. But then, as the reality of what I had posted sank in, I felt a tinge of rawness. Oh sh*$! What had I done?
The video was just a clip of me dancing in my pajamas, moving around a stripper pole in my living room. It was a private moment that I had shared with the world, and now it seemed that the world was watching.
As the views hit 117k, I realized that I couldn’t turn back. The comments were flooding in, a mix of praise and criticism. But the ones that spoke about the freedom and liberation they saw in my dancing caught my attention.
The Bernadette on the Pole and Her Mind:
When I dance, I let my body take over, allowing my emotions to flow freely through my movements. The sadness, the joy, the anger, and the passion — all of it is channeled into my dance. It is as if I am speaking a language only my body understands.
Dancing has always been a way to escape from the world and let my true self shine through. And now, I want to share that connection with others.
Posting this video, I wanted to show people that dance is just a simple series of steps and movements and a powerful language that can move hearts and minds. I wanted to connect with others on a deeper level to help them understand the language of dance and the emotions it could convey.
When the music reached its climax in the video, I closed my eyes and let myself be carried away by the rhythm. I felt as though I was soaring, flying higher and higher until I reached a state of pure joy and ecstasy.
Our bodies are a living testament to our experiences, carrying the weight of every joyous, painful, and raw emotion we endure. When words fail us and our minds cannot make sense of it all, our bodies step in, becoming the vessels through which we can find solace, release, and self-discovery. For me, that vessel is dance.
No darling, I am not talking about the perfect moves on set timings — you don’t have to be a dancer or watch a YouTube video to hear the language of your body; you just need to find the rhythm inside — that muted voice that longs to be heard.
I am not a trained dancer, but that has never stopped me from moving my body authentically. When others witness me dance, they are often moved to share their admiration, wishing they, too, could move with such fluidity and grace. But for me, it’s not about external validation but how it makes me feel.
Does it get deeper? My connection with dancing and speaking the language of my emotions? Yes, it goes deeper than a viral video because it has helped me through many things.
Emotion in the Motion — How I broke-through Grief
I had always known that dance was a language, a way to express the deepest parts of our souls. I used it to move through some of the darkest moments in my life.
The phone call that shattered my world will forever remain etched in my memory.
I was driving through the busy streets of New York City when the familiar ringtone pierced through the cacophony of traffic. Little did I know that the voice on the other end of the line would change my life forever. A family member, still in a state of shock, delivered the news of my cousin Audrey’s murder. Bone-chilling words spilled out, engulfing me in disbelief and horror.
I felt myself become untethered as if my body and soul had become separate entities. The world around me seemed to fade away, leaving me alone in the darkness of my own grief. Too bewildered to cry, I got home and felt my body sway with pain around my stripper pole. At that moment, I knew that movement was the only way to release the torrent of emotions that threatened to engulf me.
I moved with abandon, my body a conduit for my sorrow, rage, and tears. I danced through the pain and anguish, letting the rhythm guide me through the storm. And in the movement, I found a glimmer of peace. The pole became a lifeline, grounding me in the present moment and allowing me to release the weight of my grief.
Dance became my solace, sanctuary, and way of processing the unimaginable. Through the movement, I could find a path forward, navigate the jagged edges of loss, and emerge on the other side, battered but resilient. I will forever be grateful for the power of dance, for its ability to heal the broken pieces of my heart and remind me of the strength within us all.
And now, here I am, sharing that same medicine with the world. It is scary and exhilarating all at once. But I won’t hold myself back because I have a message to share and a language to teach.
Unlocking Your Fluidity and Finding Your Flow:
Life is an ever-evolving tapestry of experiences, both light and heavy, that weaves a complex and intricate pattern within our very beings. We move through the world, navigating its twists and turns, but at times we can feel like robots — rigid and disconnected from the very essence of our being. We become like machines, moving mechanically through life, cut off from the flow of our existence.
Yet, we must remember that we are essentially liquid. We are water, and water must flow. In movement, we find the key to unlocking our stiffness and reconnecting us to our true selves. Dancing, in particular, is a balm for the soul. It is the medicine that allows our spirit to heal, to rediscover its fluidity, and to move freely once more.
In this flow state, we can think better, feel more connected, and navigate the world around us gracefully and effortlessly. If you look closer, close your eyes, and accept the movement in you, you will witness dance to dissolve your traumas, wash away your pain, and connect you to the very essence of who you are.
So let us embrace the beauty of movement, flow like water, and dance our way to a happier, more vibrant life. In the rhythm of our steps, we find the freedom to express ourselves fully and unapologetically. Here, on the dance floor, we shed our masks and become one with the beat. Let us allow ourselves to be moved by the music, swept up in the magic of the moment, and carried away by the healing power of dance.
Was the Viral Strip Pole Dance Worth It? — The Verdict:
As the views climbed higher and higher, I felt my heart racing with excitement and fear. What would people think? Would they understand the power of dance, the language it spoke?
But then, I saw the comments pouring in, filled with gratitude and appreciation. They spoke of the freedom they felt while watching me move, the liberation they experienced through my dance. And at that moment, I knew I had done something extraordinary. I had shared my soul with the world, and in doing so, I had helped others connect with theirs.
So trust me when I tell you that If you can blink, breathe, and wiggle your fingers and toes, you can dance. It’s a universal language that knows no boundaries and requires no words — it is a feeling, a source of freedom for all those trapped emotions and experiences we have carried inside us.
Go ahead, DANCE! In your kitchen’s faded refrigerator light, on the chair, with your dog, in your bed, on the beach, on your lover, in a park, on a stage — just dance and let it speak the language of all the hidden emotions and experiences your body has been holding onto.
As the African Proverb goes, “When we dance, we can speak the truth.”
Many people deserve to live their true selves, and if my video could spark that fire, I’d be standing tall for all the people screaming — WE DID IT!
Special thanks: Aundrea Veney for recording the video and Titilope Sonuga for her beautiful poem “Becoming.”
