My Erotic Body

Surprising and beautiful film about women who are reconnecting to their sensuality through pole dancing. They wear all the conventional trappings of strippers--from skimpy clothes to stilettoes--but instead of peeling off their clothes to be sexy in others' eyes, they're exploring the sinuous movement of their physical bodies and finding pleasure in connecting with themselves as beings who are erotic in and of themselves. The women mainly dance on their own; they are in a group but enter into a kind of meditative trance state as they wrap themselves around the pole and do their moves. At times, they do perform for each other--the lap dance scenes are really playful and great. Also, I loved seeing the director doing her own version of the pole-dance, bringing her performance-art and butoh background into it - it was really haunting. The lighting and cinematography create such an intimate, seductive atmosphere; you feel like you've entered into an interior space. On a personal note, I'm 53, so it was great to see all sorts of women taking part, including older women, and yes, I am definitely going to take a class!

Michele Beck is an honest, curious, probing and dryly humorous guide into a corner of the city where women, including herself, express themselves through the art of pole dancing. My Erotic Body examines how a group of women have reclaimed the raw female sexuality and eroticism found in a medium usually regarded as one for the pleasure of men. Beck herself is skeptical at first to sign up for class and begin her journey, but she soon understands that it is a safe environment where women of all types can experiment with what they find exciting to their own bodies as they dance (including the seediest of costumes). This documentary is a look into why and how these women come together to share their sensual nature with each other. Michele Beck and the women she dances with generously allow us a glimpse into their time in the darkened studio. My Erotic Body sees pole dancing out of its strip club context, leaving it to become a very powerful and vulnerable means of expression.

With a focus on intimate interviews and dimly lit classes of diverse women and music, Michele Beck's film is an enlightening look at pole dancing as a path to female agency. Drawn to the class and then to the safety of the space, Beck discovers her own erotic self, filming it all with a clarity that keeps sentimentalism and voyeurism at bay. It's a beautiful, dead-on look at female sensuality and discovery, at once both serious and buoyantly liberating.

The narrator takes us along her journey as she explores her identity as an artist, her relationship to her body, and her experiences with dance, as she learns about pole dancing. My Erotic Body is feminist at its core; that is incredibly satisfying. The nurturing focus of the studio and the instructors lets each participant unfold from an average person on the street to a sensual and evolved being on the dance floor. I knew nothing contemporary about pole dancing before I saw this documentary.The women in the film have found a second home, a place where they are liberated, celebrated, safe, and alive. It was an exhilarating ride.

My Erotic Body is a fascinating study in what happens when a group of strangers, all women, come together to explore and experience what it means to discover their "inner goddess"--all through the art of pole dancing--and come out as close friends. Part how-to, part hero's journey, part erotica, filmmaker (and somewhat reluctant participant) Michele Beck takes the viewer inside the minds and motives of each dancer, with behind-the-curtain glimpses into what is involved in creating their erotic art. While at times titillating, this is not a lascivious peep-show, it is a heartfelt, and emotionally gripping tale of ordinary women, from all walks of life, taking control of their innate sexuality through movement, music, and friendship. At times wryly funny, at others inexplicably moving, My Erotic Journey is a celebration of personal growth, mutual trust, and female sensuality.