A great night.

It is now 3.15am and I have just returned from performing at Club Vanilla. My Husband and I left at 8.20pm expecting to arrive at the venue at about 10pm but thanks to Google maps we took several wrong turns, this was not helped by severe fog and rain! At 10.50pm we arrived at Club Vanilla and I was pleasantly surprised at the surroundings, I was warmly greeted by Jenny the organiser and shown to my changing room, within a few minutes I had done my first 8 minute set, I danced to Kelis -'Good Stuff' and Kylie - 'red blooded woman' mainly because they were on the first CD I picked out of my bag and they were next to each other on the CD. The spectators fell silent before erupting into applause when I finished my first set.

Jenny explained that they were expecting a podium dancer who could do a few bits on the pole but none of them had ever seen 21st Century fitness pole dancing. I just love taking pole dancing to a new audience. Jenny and I chatted abut the stigmas that pole dancing can have and she commented on the stigma of running a swingers club, apparently the local press have given her a very hard time and local parishioners have apparently been praying to cleanse her of her sins.

Anyway, back to the pole, it was a 50mm stainless steel pole - my favourite, I was a bit limited by the height, only 8 foot, but managed to use the t-bar structure at the top to do some interesting variations such as a chin up then drop the the Bat. In total I did 7 sets with 4 costume changes. What made things really tough was the heat, I sweated buckets and did an unintentional shoulder mount death drop - not one to try at home.

If you are going to try a swinging club then this is the place to go, Sid and I didn't partake in any of the sexual experimentation going on in the private rooms but did enjoy the friendly relaxed atmosphere and great DJ. The club also boasts two fantastic Jacuzzis one of which is right next to the pole. It is unusual to be dancing whilst a half naked person bathes beside you. I have been booked for the next party and am looking forward to my return. It was so nice to have the opportunity to perform without the usual pressures and to see what moves I could manage in the extreme heat.

A great night was had by all and I managed to pull two Panthera spin and snaps out of the bag. The only downside, apart from the travelling, was the nasty nylon carpet around the base of the pole, I have severe carpet burns and my right toe is still bleeding. I would like to thank my husband for accompanying me tonight despite the fact that he was feeling a little under the weather. I think that both Sid & I will sleep extremely well tonight.

Stay Healthy,

Sam x