Netflix released the trailer for the new documentary Strip Down, Rise Up from Academy Award–nominated director/producer Michèle Ohayon about women who come together to heal through sensual movement, specifically pole dance. The documentary featuring Sheila Kelley, Amy Bond, Jenyne Butterfly, Patricia Buck, and Evelyn Oshita, among others will debut on February 5, 2021.
The vérité-style film follows a diverse group of women of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and body types, who reclaim themselves through pole dance either as a sport, an art, or as a way of unlocking their body in order to heal from trauma, release shame and restore self acceptance.
Shot by an all-female crew with rare access, Strip Down, Rise Up offers an emotionally gratifying, visually astounding and unexpected look at the fascinating behind-the-scenes world of pole artistry and expression. Featuring songs by Coldplay and FKA twigs.
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I am so crazy excited and passionate about this film! I love how this preview captured the raw power of pole and women expressing their sensuality without shame. Our sensuality is ours alone, and it’s time to reclaim the art of pole for ourselves, and not for the edification of others.
As a former corporate attorney turned burlesque dancer, author, and Life Choreographer® it was pole dance that reconnected me to myself and started me on a journey back to myself.
Here is a quote from my book, FLAUNT! Drop Your Cover and Reveal Your Smart, Sexy, and Spiritual Self that I wanted to share in hopes that it touches another soul in the way it touched me.
“I am used to hearing about the things women don’t like about their bodies, things they want to change. It was completely different in pole class. The women there were wild, beautiful, and free in their dancing. They weren’t covering their flaws or waiting until they lost ten pounds before they wore what they wanted, and they were stunningly beautiful in their imperfection. I saw how my desire to be perfect had sometimes limited me, keeping me from the enjoyment and happiness I craved. I was ready to let that go and to join these women in the wild, beautiful, and free dance they were sharing. My tribe was here. They had been here all along. I was the one who had left them in my quest for the next best thing. I closed my eyes in gratitude and let my soul dance my body. This is how I found my fetish. I was finally home, and I was never going to leave again!”