Local night spot Prime transformed into the Amazon jungle on Thursday night as the women of Grahamstown readied themselves for a performance by Pulse dance crew.
Local night spot Prime transformed into the Amazon jungle on Thursday night as the women of Grahamstown readied themselves for a performance by Pulse dance crew.
Those on the prowl wore leopard-print garments. Others took the peacock approach and opted for flashier colours. There were even a few cougars on the loose. Dresses of all types flitted past the glittering stage as heels clipped against the polished tiles. The women were getting fidgety.
Eli Haimov, founder and owner of the Pulse dance group and MC for the evening, climbed on stage and didn’t waste any time stomping all over the ice with a few naughty jokes to relax the crowd. All modesty left the room when selected audience members competed in a couple of games. Charl van Helsdingen and Reyneke Ludick, two of the Pulse dancers, were called to the stage – topless.
Four women from the crowd were asked to join them for a game involving two balls. Before the women knew it they were racing each other in teams to thread a small bouncy ball up the inside of each dancer’s pants. The ball had to cross their crotch and be led down the other leg. Winners were rewarded with satisfaction – of victory – and sponsored gifts from local businesses.
The night continued with police officers, batons in hand, patrolling the stage. These off-duty officers treated their audience to a strip search as they whipped off their belts and unbuttoned their shirts. Sailors in navy whites and aviators marched on stage next.
In perfect formation, the men saluted their audience with chiselled chests and a quick glimpse at a bare cheek. The fireman, Jean Roux, set the stage alight in more ways than one. He treated our photographer, Liza Smith, to a fiery lap dance as he poured flammable liquid in an arc on stage and put a lighter to it.
If the audience were feeling the winter chill before the show, Roux’s flames definitely brought the heat. Haimov put on a heated performance as he spun two blazing chains through the air. Wearing nothing but a pair of black jocks with the word “Pulse” sewn on the back, he flexed his pecs as the flames flew through the air.
The audience spent the evening in fits of screams as they begged for the dancers to show more skin. Some audience members were stripped of all words and described the show simply as “awesome”. Others said the dancers were a little too young for them, but that didn’t stop them from taking a peek at the dancers’ rock-hard chests.
Neville Engelbrecht said of the show, “Fabulous, with a lot catering for gay people.” There’s no doubt that the Pulse dancers got everyone’s hearts racing. The event was organised in 10 days by Bianca de Beer, who had been concerned that ticket sales were too slow – but a packed Prime demonstrated local interest in strip shows.
Both dance floors of the club were filled to capacity and some had to settle for a seat on the steps.
GETTING UNDER THEIR SKIN: PULSE DANCERS BARE ALL BEHIND THE SCENES
Once the screaming audience was satisfied, the flames burnt out and the sweat mopped off their chiselled chests, the Pulse dancers went backstage to reveal a little more about themselves – fully dressed this time.
The group was started four years ago when founder Eli Haimov was approached by a Sexpo organiser who needed dancers. Haimov says he’s never looked back. Preparation for a show varies, with every minute of choreography taking between an hour to an hour and a half to rehearse.
Once they have the moves memorised, the guys rehearse weekly to make sure their dirty dance routines are pleasing to perfection. Throughout each performance, outfits go flying. Some of the pants even come with Velcro seams to make tearing them off easier. But these aren’t exactly your average trouser pants, so where do the guys get their outfits? Haimov looked a little sheepish and said he did most of the sewing. “But I’ve recently started showing Rey how to do stuff,” he said.
The guys obviously don’t look the way they do without some careful consideration put into their appearances. “The majority of our effort goes into dieting,” says Haimov. Reyneke Ludick says a gymnastics background helps and Jean Roux finds a lot of his methods come from the work he does as a personal trainer.
While on some nights they bare just about everything on stage, they also have day jobs of the fully-clothed variety. Haimov is an electrical engineer, Van Helsdingen works in public relations, Ludick has his own promotional company and dances professionally, and Roux is a personal trainer. It’s clear the guys have settled into a packed professional life – but a personal life must be difficult to maintain.
Roux said he’s dating a dancer who understands the business and what he does as a Pulse dancer. Charl van Helsdingen says he gets a lot of support from his partner, while Haimov says his significant other is his Blackberry.
Ludick, on the other hand, says jealousy plays a major role in relationships. When the guys were asked what their craziest audience moment was, they all packed out laughing and for the first time looked embarrassed.
Ludick described how, during one of the pre-show games, three women got up on stage and gave him a lap dance. He got a little more than he bargained for when one of the women showed her breasts and Haimov recalled one incident when a woman got a little too involved in the show. He invited her on stage for a lap dance. “I turned around and she bit me on the ass, but so frigging hard that there was blood!”
Haimov said he had bite marks on one cheek for a week. When selecting women to join them on stage, the guys reveal that they are cautious when it comes to women wearing dresses… apparently, some choose to go commando for the night. They also admit that some of the most shocking experiences have been at the bar after the show, where women have propositioned the dancers for an after-show experience.
Enjoying what you do and staying committed are important to being a Pulse dancer, says Van Helsdingen. The guys say that it’s not about the stripping, but about getting on stage and performing. According to Ludick, “It’s about having a passion for dance.”
