Our Press

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StripXpertease was featured on My Two Cents on BETJ in an episode entitled Heathy Sex: the G-Spot. 04/21/07

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StripXpertease's Stripper Strength Class, our Texas instructor Saralynn, and our home studio in Austin,Free Spirit, were featured on KVUE's morning news segment. 04/18/08

http://www.kvue.com/video/index.html?nvid=237107&shu=1

 

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 http://www.yelp.com/biz/empire-dance-new-york#hrid:XFwzJ-Ktrzewh8WgNA-5VQ

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NEWYORKMOTHER.COM

Check out this great video. It is an interview with Kimberly and a demonstration of a few moves at the end!

http://www.newyorkmother.com/index3.html

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http://www.brideboard.com/vendors-view.php?id=631

 

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SPREE NEW YORK: June 28th 2007 Email Newsletter

We were recently featured in the Spree weekly email!: 2 Hour Striptease Workshop...Bring sexy back the old fashioned way. Bring a friend and take the beginner moves workshop. Classes are small and for women only... and the instructors won't let you leave without making sure you can look yourself in the mirror and know how hot you are. A self-esteem boost, skipping the gym and new moves in the bedroom is a bargain at $45, or $80 for you and a friend. Class times and locations: StripXpertease.com Contact: Info@StripXpertease.com or (212) 677-1831

Or check it out here on the Spree website: http://www.spreeny.com/spree/content/view/186/?ads=false

http://www.spreeny.com/

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THE HIGH HEELS SHOW

We were featured on the NY access show this spring. www.highheelsshow.com/stripweb.wmv

Check out their website http://www.highheelsshow.com and their myspace page http://www.myspace.com/highheelsshow

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CLICKFORLESSONS.COM: Sexy 101: Lessons from Exotic Dance Instructors

April 24th by Jesse Rutherford

****Corrections: our class are located in Austin, not Houston (although we can travel there).

Private exotic dance lessons are a rising trend among college-aged women, according to ClickForLessons.com, an online service that matches private teachers of all fields with students. In 2006, there were over 7,000 requests for exotic dance and pole dancing, which represented a 56% increase from the prior year, according to Steven Cox, CEO of the San Diego company. Exotic dance instructors registered with Click for Lessons across the country say they’re teaching more than the physical dance moves—they’re teaching women how to tap into their sexuality while getting a workout that’s much more fun than plodding along a treadmill.

Instructors agree that the first step in releasing sexuality is to love yourself, and it’s part of what they encourage in the classes. “You have to own everything you love and don’t love about yourself,” says Tara Moore, owner and principal instructor of Simply Seductress in Los Angeles, who is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and ex-stripper. “You have to embrace all of your attributes and when you’re okay with who you are, people can see that.”

Kimberly Smith, another ex-professional dancer and owner of StripXpertease, with classes in New York City and Houston, adds that in strip clubs “you end up leaving and feeling bad about your body,” but, she says, exotic dancing in private can improve a woman’s self-confidence and concept of her body. Students do get a good workout, but Smith has observed that her students tend to be more interested in raising their pulses through the sensuality of dance rather than from cardiovascular exercise.

Across the country, instructors listed with Click for Lessons have seen their class sizes grow over the last year; all those contacted share philosophies of positive reinforcement, openness to all body types, and policies against teaching stripping to enter the sex industry. “You’re in a safe place,” says Kristin Hubbard of Tease Workout in Naperville, Illinois, near Chicago, whose student roster jumped from eighteen to seventy in just six months. “I have quite a few younger students who come first to build their confidence and second for the workout. It’s an awesome way to get in shape . . . It’s ninety minutes and it just flies by—it’s more like playing.” Angela Reininga, owner of Pole Velocity, also in the Chicago area, attests to the fitness aspect of the classes: “Pole dancing was great for me because I was always sort of weak,” she confides with a laugh, “but this has really improved my upper body strength!”

Women and their men can heighten their appreciation of exotic movement through skills learned in class, and, instructors say, though you’ll get in shape, you will still be yourself . . . that’s the beauty of learning to appreciate yourself and your sexuality. Sexy is not a particular dance move or technique. “Just be who you are and be comfortable in your own skin—that’s what turns a man on. The other stuff is just eye candy,” Moore says.

Or read the story on CLICK FOR LESSONS' website:

http://www.clickforlessons.com/Exotic-Dance/ArticleView.aspx?ArticleID=4481892d34487d4f600ee30b003ec825

or here

http://www.slaveofsensation.net/content/view/55/39/

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TRAVELISTIC.COM: THE MAP: Shop and Strip Tour (video)

April 20th 2007 by Liza De Guia.

Or see it on their website:

http://www.travelistic.com/

http://www.travelistic.com/video/show/3231/Shop-and-Strip-Tour

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URBANPRESTIGE.COM: ASK DR. TARA'S Blog: Strippin’s Hard Work Y’All!

March 26th, 2007 by Dr. Tara J. Palmatier

A few weeks ago, I received an invitation from an UP member to attend a workshop. I asked the UP office boy, “What kind of workshop?”

“A class that teaches women how to strip.”

Not sure I’d heard him correctly the first time, I asked, “I’ve been invited to what?” I heard him right. “Well, maybe…what would they want me to do?” Office boy gave me the member’s contact information. I immediately went to the website www.StripXpertease.com. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued (well, part curiosity and part “oh my god, what am I getting myself into?“)

My anxiety lessened once I visited the website. Owner and former exotic dancer, Kimberly Smith, began StripXpertease to teach women the art and thrill of the strip tease whilst empowering and instilling confidence in themselves and their bodies. As Kimberly so aptly stated in class, “all women have body issues.” If you can learn to project confidence, you will begin to feel confident.

Typically, I feel pretty empowered and confident on any given day. I view myself as incredibly bright, capable and attractive. Nevertheless, I like the idea of what Kimberly tries to impart to women through her class, so I agreed to go. Although, I must admit, I blushed and giggled a bit at the thought of attending; giggles of naughty mischief rather than embarrassment, that is.

Kimberly sent directions on what to bring to Basic Moves class: Comfortable clothes, your sexiest pair of high heels and a bra to wear outside of your clothes. No problem.

When class began, Kimberly jumped right in by teaching two “basic” moves: the “Robert” and the “Lotion.” I quickly became aware of some hard facts:

1) The kid from Little Miss Sunshine has better “moves” than me. Sad, but true.

2) That damned personal trainer was right about flexibility and stretching exercises being just as important as cardio, endurance and strength even though they don’t burn as many calories (damn him).

3) And, in the words of Kimberly, “Strippin’s hard work y’all!”

The class was 2.5 hours long. It progressed from basic moves to the “predator look,” how to walk (no small feat in 4-inch heels), body posture, a “dirty” lapdance (good visualizations skills required to perform for an empty folding chair- I’ll never tell who I imagined sitting in my empty chair!) and how to remove your clothes from top to bottom and then top to bottom again.

Kimberly is a fantastic instructor. The subject matter of the class could easily make even the most brazen of women a little uneasy; not so with Kimberly at the helm. She combines knowledge, experience and humor in a matter of fact presentation that turns potentially blush-inducing material into “funny because it’s true” material.

The women in class included suburban housewives, samba students, a woman celebrating her 40th birthday (the class was a gift from her friend also in attendance), a documentary maker, me and two other women who arrived extremely late (major pet peeve of mine) so I didn’t hear their story.

Did I feel more empowered? Yes and no.The class was difficult for me, but not in the way you’d expect (and certainly not because of Kimberly- she’s great). I spent many years in graduate school. In grad school, you learn how to be good at being “right,” to be the “expert” and how to quickly hide your missteps.

I prefer solitary exercises like hiking, walking, climbing and cardio equipment. I usually don’t take group classes because I’m either a few steps ahead or behind and, despite having a doctorate, sometimes don’t know my left from right (I have other talents). I’m the person in aerobics class who goes in the opposite direction. When I’m not good at something, I avoid it especially if it’s not an intellectual exercise.

I felt intimidated at first. Not because of poor body image or sexual inhibition, but because I was out of my natural element and I wasn’t picking it up as fast as some of the other women. Not to mention, I’m 5'9. Put me in 4-inch heels and my center of gravity is far off the ground. I felt wobbly; physically and psychologically.

Half-way through the class, it occurred to me, this is crazy. Who cares if I’m screwing up? This is a brand new experience. For me, the empowerment came from realizing I didn’t have to get it “right.” The point was to relax and have fun with it and I did.

I woke the next day happy that I challenged myself and attended the class. It was a great experience. I also woke to aching heretofore unknown muscle groups. Kimberly is right, “Strippin’s hard work y’all!” And now…practice, practice, practice. (Thank goodness my new roommate travels a lot!)

or read the story on URBAN PRESTIGE'S website:

http://www.urbanprestige.com/listenup/index.php/2007/03/26/ask-dr-tara-strippins-hard-work-yall/

http://www.villagevoice.com/nycguide/ve4337,0.html

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Interview with Kimberly

by Allison Bourne-Vanneck. Produced by Lauren Weiner.

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NEW YORK POST: LAP-DANCE THERAPY

By Elizabeth Hayt, December 19, 2005

I kicked off the New York social season with a torrid sexual liaison. It ended in heartache - mine. Had I been born in a different time and place, I might have thrown myself off the White Cliffs of Dover. Instead, I got over the guy by learning to lap dance.
I met the man, a middle-aged divorce‚, at a book party. Sparks flew. Later, when he played Mozart for me on his piano, I was less impressed by his virtuosity than the broken wooden bench on which he sat. It was held together by duct tape - a poignant symbol of his inner sadness, I romanticized.
Our smoldering assignations lasted a mere three weeks before backfiring. Apparently, they were so hot, they made him realize how much of life he'd missed out on, igniting a new and sudden curiosity in him.
"I want to see who else is out there," he announced.
My self-esteem and sanity instantly went up in smoke. I spiraled into state of mad obsession, unable to get the man out of my head.
"HELP ME!" I begged a girlfriend over dinner at Lotus. Newly single after a divorce that should have left her limping, she had bounced back without losing a step.
"Take strip lessons," she advised.
Stripping seemed pretty sleazy to me, but desperate times call for daunting measures. My friend put me in touch with Kimberly Smith, 29, an ex-stripper from Austin, Texas, with a heart-shaped face and real breasts, who gives private lessons ($90 for 75 minutes, www.stripxpertise.com) at Empire Dance Studio on West 25th Street. Nudity is not required - exercise clothes, along with platform heels, are the preferred attire.
"Did you pick your music?" she asked. Earlier on the phone, she had explained that every stripper choreographs a routine to a song that says something about her. So I, of course, chose Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart."
Smith and I stood side-by-side, facing a mirrored wall where she had placed two chairs that I was supposed to imagine a pair of men sitting, the ones for whom we were pretending to dance. Beginning with "the basics," as she described them, Smith demonstrated how to walk into a room like Jessica Rabbit: one foot crossing in front of other, pelvis tipped forward, shoulders pressed back, head slightly dropped, hair over one eye, the other eyebrow raised cockily and mouth curled in a smirk.
Next, Smith taught me "The Robert," a move named after Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" video in which leggy models swiveled their hips to the beat. All the while, she instructed that I was to perform "The Lotion," running my hands over my torso as if spreading cream on my skin.
I felt awkward and embarrassed in front of Smith. Being sexy should come naturally, not require a performance, especially for someone I wasn't interested in enticing. But I envied her confidence, the way she slid her hands down the length of her legs, bending over and arching her back like a cat, not even bothering to check herself out in the mirror. She knew she looked good and was clearly accustomed to being admired.
"You want to make the guy squirm but remember the number-one rule," Smith lectured. "He's not allowed to touch you. You're the one who's always in control."
The more I watched her, the more I realized her dancing had less to do with seduction than with expressing her self-pride. That's when it clicked for me. I wasn't learning how to strip for a man. I was learning to strip a man out of my head. The goal was to banish from my brain anyone who dampened my own sense of desirability. My allure was mine, with or without male applause.
"You know you got it, if it makes you feel good," Joplin's voice rang out.
By the time I'd advanced to the lap dancing part of the class, I was warmed up and starting to perspire. For the finale, Smith taught me how to peel off my clothes with feline grace. Not only did I master the technique, I found myself proudly slinking stark naked in front of the mirror.
So he wanted to see who else was out there? There was no one better than the babe baring herself in that room.

Elizabeth Hayt is the author of "I'm No Saint: A Nasty Little Memoir of Love and Leaving."
She can be reached at elizabeth.hayt@nypost.com

Or read the story at the NEW YORK POST's website http://www.nypost.com/living/59096.htm

Or Elizabeth Hayt's website

http://www.elizabethhayt.com/LoveandHayt121905.php

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