The Big Felix interview by Tiny from Candy Chrome
For those of you who don’t know who Felix is, here’s a little bit of history about this AMAZING woman, taken from her website.
Titles Felix has won:
1. Miss Pole Dance World 2009
2. Best Female Stripper 2008 – Australian Adult Industry Awards
3. Miss Pole Dance Australia 2008
4. Miss Nude Australia National Final 2008 – Pole Dance Champion
5. Miss Nude Australia WA Final 2008 – Entertainer of the Year & Hottest Body
6. STAR Awards – Best Female Performer 2007
7. Miss Hustler Centrefold Oceania 2007 – 1st Place
8. Miss Pole Dance Australia 2006
Felix’s Biography
Before discovering her passion for pole dancing, Felix was schooled extensively as a dancer firstly in Perth, from the age of 11 until the age of 15, when she moved to London where she continued to study many forms of dance, but predominantly contemporary and classical. Felix has experience performing with professional contemporary and classical dance companies, working in many different venues including theatres in and around London. Whilst in London she also worked in television and film.
In January 2006, Felix started pole dancing lessons in Perth, WA. In September of that year she won the WA heat of Miss Pole Dance Australia 2006, later that year, she then went on to compete in the National Championships competition in Sydney. After pole dancing for only 8 months, Felix Cane won the title of Miss Pole Dance Australia 2006. The rules of Miss Pole Dance Australia state that the winner of the competition cannot enter the following year, so in 2007 Felix was selected as one of the judges to adjudicate the Miss Pole Dance Australia 2007 competition. During that time, she trained very hard in preparation for the 2008 competition when she would again be allowed to compete. All her training, blood, sweat and tears paid off as Felix again claimed the title of Miss Pole Dance Australia 2008.
Earlier this year (2009), Felix went on to win the EPIC title of Miss Pole Dance World, which was held in Jamaica. Her competitors Jenyne Butterfly of USA was awarded second place, and Britain’s Alesia Vazmitzel claimed third place.
Felix is currently residing in Las Vegas where she performs with the world famous Cirque Du Soleil’s Zumanity show, as well as working exclusively for the performance agency Perth Stripper in Australia. Recently, Felix has toured the UK, offering pole dance Master Classes to a very lucky select few, and would you know it – Candy & Chrome are among these privilaged few! Felix very kindly took some time out to allow me (Tiny) to ask her some questions about herself, pole, and those IMPOSSIBLE moves she does!
Candy & Chrome’s Interview:
Tiny: Hi Felix, as you know I love your dancing and you’re a big influence on all of my students and so we have put together some questions that we would like to ask you, most of which are pretty straight forward but we would like to ask one naughty question first. It’s rude to ask, but we are dying to know……..How old is Felix?
Felix: Felix is 24 (the girls shreik with disbelief). People think I’m younger though, some guess my age at even 17 or something!
Tiny: Great! I feel like such a hag! Oh well, at least that’s the naughty question done with! So, we read on your website that you have done some work in the media and we wanted to know what T.V and Film work have your done?
Felix: Oh it’s very boring stuff from a very long time ago, I’m mostly in the background – I don’t think you ever see my face, I’m just doing backing dancing or something so nothing very exciting at all. (Deb chips in and says that we wanted her to say she’s been in Neighbour’s or something!)
Tiny: So what made you want to learn pole dance and how did you start out?
Felix: Well I have been dancing since I was 4 and always loved dance, but I stopped all that when I was about 18 as I really didn’t enjoy working as a dancer. So I got a bit lost and went to Uni and was all ‘what am I doing with my life?’ So then in 2001 my Mum came to visit me in Australia and SHE tried a pole dancing class with my sister, and they came back raving about how much fun it was and how I would love it!
I thought – Ohmygod, I can’t believe my Mum is officially upstaging me! So I literally tried it to compete with my Mum because she just cannot be COOLER than me! Or more open minded. I just fell in love with it after that, I went on just a beginner’s course and I wanted to be there all of the time, I started at Bobbi’s Pole Studio too and I just fell in love with the whole thing!
Tiny:Wow, ok and then after that you won your first title after only such a short time from when you first started to learn poel dance. How often were you training on the pole before the 2006 competition?
Felix: Well, after I went on that beginner’s class I then went to every single class that I could, like 5 times a week so at the beginning with practises too – maybe 6 or 7 times a week, then before the competition I trained about an hour a day just on my routine, but then I was teaching for 2 hours after that too.
Tiny: So you were teaching classes at that point?
Felix: Yes, I started teaching classes 2 months after I had started to learn (girls gasp and go ‘meeeep’), Yeah, but I was pretty good!
Tiny: And so what was your training regime like for the 2008 competition?
Felix: Same sort of thing again really, an hour a day training for myself, then 2 hours teaching so it was a lot, I trained very hard leading up to the competition BUT then 3 weeks before the competition it would slowly taper down, then 3 days before the competition I trained very lightly, the day before the comp I won’t touch the pole because if you train for at least 2 months before a competition your boday and your brain will know what to do when you’re on there, but if you tire it out, it won’t work out so well.
Tiny:Cool, that’s really handy to know! So studying dance and perfoming arts, what would you say makes a winning performance?
Felix: I think preparation, creativity, athletisism, good execution of moves and a performance that’s enjoyable to watch – you gotta see someone really enjoying themselves and performing from the heart.
Tiny: As soon as you are on the pole, you are instantly recognisable, this is unique to you but do you have any tips you can share with us to help us improve the quality of our pole work overall?
Felix: I would say always train with a mirror, video record yourself – that’s probably the best way to understand how your body works and how it looks.
Tiny: So who is YOUR pole inspiration?
Felix: I like watching a lot of power moves that people do like Pantera does, coz I don’t really do that stuff, I’m more about flexibility and fluidity that’s more me, so to see people do things that I can’t do or don’t do – that’s what I like to watch. But also everyone I meet inspires me, like a beginner could walk into class and do just a little thing with their head that inspires me, it’s not one particular person it’s everybody.
Tiny: So let’s talk about your moves, there’s one that you do called the Stag I think (that’s what we call it)…
Felix: Ah I call it the Eagle coz it’s kinda like I’m flying!
Tiny: That one! well I just wondered, are you the first person to perform that move on the pole? I have seen it in ice skating and such but I can’t remember anyone doing it on the pole before you that I’ve seen.
Felix: I’ve learnt it as the fish hook, but you didn’t catch the back leg and take it above your head, I kind of push it to the extremes of flexibility, so I think it has been done but I have just jacked my leg up even higher. (Debs says ‘I’ve seen it on the pole, but it’s not the same as how you do it’).
Tiny:So what about the Spatchcock (see picture below) – it THAT yours? Did you invent that one would you say?
Felix: I’ve never seen anybody do it before, I don’t KNOW if I’m the first person to do it, but I’ve not seen anyone do it before.
Tiny: I think probably not! I’d love to see both of those today before I go, this is what I’m dying to see in the flesh!
Felix:I can’t do the Spatchcock today coz I’ve injured my back a bit but I can definitely do the Stag for you.
Tiny:YAY! Ok, can you maybe also show us some leg stretching exercises for splits training today too because my hamstrings are really tight which limits my splits, but I’m too lazy to commit to internet stretches – if it comes from Felix’s gob I will follow it! That’s good enough for me!
Felix then proceeds to demonstrate some exercises for us to work on, please read the ‘Splits Training – Felix Style!’ article, found in the ‘Pole Bible’ section of the website.
Tiny: Are you now working on any new Felix only impossible moves?
Felix:YES! And it’s so frustrating! It’s funny when you are making up new stuff, the Spatchcock took me 3 years to get right! Getting a new move is so hard, you just grunt and cry, and have outbursts of ‘Shit, Fuck, shit shit fuck’! And you can quote me on that! See if you can get a double shit in there! (Just about EVERYONE giggles).
Tiny: Do you teach pole outside of these master classes? I mean, do you think you will have a school of your own one day?
Felix:Probably not in Las Vegas I think, I am enjoying what I’m doing right now but I won’t do it permenantly, but I do wanna start a school one day, but probably not in the next 5 years.
Tiny: Yeah – right now you’re running away with the circus?!
Felix: Right?! Did you see the video on the Tonight Show?
Tiny:YES! I was DEVVO’D when they took it off Youtube (because of the copywright)!!! Now…..what do you think the future holds for Felix?
Felix:Ooooohhh…..erm….Diamonds! Diamonds and a puppy! (Nudge to Chris!! wiiink…..nuuuudge).
Tiny: What dog do you want?
Felix: One of the Chinese bald ones! (giggles)
Deb: Oh Jamie from Defy Gravity, has those!
Tiny: Really? I always imagined her having big fluffy dogs!
Deb: Oh I have one of them! Dylan!
Tiny: (sniggers)
Felix: I dunno, probably I will be performing a lot over the next 5 or 6 years, then when my body falls apart a bit I’ll open my own studio then, hopefully something like this place (Iosis) it’s beautiful! Liverpool is great too, maybe Felix will move to Liverpool!
Tiny: What do you think will happen with pole dance in general in the future?
Felix: I hope that it will become more widely accepted, I don’t think pole dancing in all the gyms will benefit dancer’s like myself who do it at a professional level, so although I would like it to become more widely accepted, at the same time I hope it doesn’t water down the art.
I think it would be good though for people to start to recognise that there are different levels of pole dance, some consider it sport, some for fitness, some for professional level, pole has a really huge umbrella which covers so many different styles and interests so I hope people become more educated to that, but also THROUGH that I hope it doesn’t get too standardised and turn into something that I don’t like anymore.
Tiny: You’re not on your own there. Well, my last question is will there be a Felix DVD?
Felix: YES! It’s coming!
Tiny: When, how much is it? Where can I buy it? I must have it now!
Felix: I’ll let you all know, I promise, but it’s coming…
Tiny:That’ll do me!
Felix with Candy & Chrome girls; Zoe, Felix, Tiny & Fariba.
For more information about Felix, please visit her site and whilst you’re at it sign up to her regular updates!
Special thanks to Pole Passion for organising the Felix tour. For more information about Pole Passion’s ‘Miss Pole Dance’ competitions, please visit their website.
This article was written by Candy & Chrome for Candy & Chrome’s own use. Unless otherwise agreed, it is therefore NOT permitted for anyone to use this article, or material from this article to make a reproduction. Thanks to Tiny for allowing the pole dance community to share this article.
Thanks,
Tiny x