Thread: The London Paper: Anti-LBF up-rising...

London News: 'Pole dancing Olympics' and burlesque show plan at King's Cross Scala nightclub sparks row | london life | thelondonpaper

I just received a phonecall about this article:

A ROW has erupted over plans to hold a the "pole dancing Olympics" and an international burlesque show at a King's Cross nightclub.

Residents have reacted furiously to the news that Miss Pole Dance UK will be held at the Scala nightclub on Pentonville Road later this year.

Meanwhile the club will also host the London Burlesque Festival next month.

Organisers describe the event as an opportunity for "Londoners as well as burlesque connoisseurs" to enjoy "more than 100 of the world's best burlesque, striptease and variety acts, ranging from the nostalgic traditional style of burlesque's early years to 50s bump and grind as well as modern avant-garde interpretations."

But critics say that the adults-only events will bring sleaze back to an area which they have worked hard to reinvent.

A lengthy police operation plus the ongoing regeneration of the area have succeeded in cleaning up a district once synonymous with prostitution, drugs and sex shops.

Resident and campaigner Harvey Bass said: "I am shocked by this. We worked very hard for a long time to clean up the area and this goes against everything we have been working for. The Scala was given money from the King's Cross Partnership many years ago to improve the area. It was supposed to be an arts centre.

"This is not going to improve the image of the area. It is a great, great shame this is happening."

However, Ryan Bissett, director of the Scala, defended both events.

"Miss Pole Dance UK is hosted in very similar fashion to the widely known Miss World Event; the performers from around the world exhibit their athletic dance techniques with the aid of a pole and are interviewed on stage by a host as part of a competition," he said.

"Last year’s event was attended by an 80 per cent female audience. The Burlesque Festival is a themed event that gives our customers and performers the opportunity to dress up in vintage costumes. No nudity or sex acts will be displayed or performed at both events which are fully licensed and have their own creative and artistic merits to be enjoyed."

He added: "Scala brings a diverse and vibrant programme of clubbing and live music events to the local area and has done for almost 10 years, breathing life, not sleaze into the expanding night time economy of Kings Cross."

Thank God Ryan Bissett gave such an adequate, intelligent and accurate comment on the matter.

I really hope the residents who have concluded that burlesque is "sleazy" have done so on an informed basis. I don't mind people seeing a show and drawing that subjective conclusion, but I hate it when people jump to that perspective: sideboob + striptease = SEX AND SLEAZE

WARNING

Warning: This is an Old Thread This discussion is older than 60 days. information contained in it may no longer be current

Hmmmm spot the Daily Mail readers! Sad as it is I think that the attitude of the local campaigners is quite prevalent in the UK (where the attitude to anything remotely flashing flesh seems to be equal parts Victorian prudery and guilty voyeurism) and I'm not sure if it will ever change

I find it pretty interesting that prostitution and drugs are lumped into the same category as, perfectly legal, sex shops.

Quite simply, if you have no interest in the event, don't buy tickets.

xx CL

Originally Posted by Cherry Loco

I find it pretty interesting that prostitution and drugs are lumped into the same category as, perfectly legal, sex shops.

That's a very shrewd observation. I hadn't even thought of that. But I know exactly what you're saying... there really isn't anything wrong with a licensed sex shop, selling legal goods, made in healthy, harm-free ways... x

Well I can certainly understand the residents point. It's not easy living in an area that has the sort of reputation that Kings Cross had. You are not just living with prostitution but all the problems associated with it; drugs, violence, kerb crawling and so on. To label these people Daily Mail readers, as a euphemism for all things prudish, is unhelpful. They need reassurance, and a two way dialogue to realise that this is not a porn related industry. It might be useful for instance, showing them the success of The Bethnal Green Working Men's Club. Where once the working people of Bethnal Green were facing closure of their club with a forty thousand pound deficit, they now, not only endorse the art of burlesque, they benefit from it in a very practical way. The media do, I agree, enjoy stirring things up, and whenever you see any sort of televised striptease performance, when do you not see a salacious close up of an ample cleavage? So these people, whose only contact with our performing art is through the media, are almost certainly going to draw the conclusions that they do. I'm a firm believer in dialogue, and I also endorse listening to the objections of others. It's why we have two ears but only one mouth. we should listen twice as much as we talk.

It's a shame that the Harvey Bass fella feels that way - and yes, it seems like it's unhelpfully salacious representations of burlesque and pole dancing that's led to him thinking that.

Let's hope he'll listen to the Scala chap and realise that watching burlesque really isn't the same as curb-crawling!

It might not be helpful to suggest he take up burlesque himself, even though Harvey Bass is a great name. He should do something Victorian involving a waxed moustache, I feel.

Oh Broomy... your wiseness puts me to shame. I wish my fuse were a little longer

x

Heya,

there are some of us who would really appreciate the support of others over this. Perhaps you wouldn't mind writing something to the London Paper? All the points are varied and valued and need to be shared.

This is the link to send stuff to advertising.thelondonpaper.com/contact.html

If we show that there are many points of view over this the media will have to cover it and the pole and burlesque community will both benefit greatly. Poor old Harvey Bass is just totally miss-informed. That being so, he should have bothered to research before storming off to the papers with negative comments that could seriously affect someone's business.

Thank you

Tarin

Hi Tarin,

I submitted a comment on the website which, I think, is put in the "letters to the editor" bag... I don't think anything came of it, though.

xox