City Pays Strip-Dance Studio Owner $20K
Owner Told That Pole Makes Business Adult-Oriented
POSTED: 5:23 pm CDT July 14,
2008
UPDATED: 6:54 pm CDT July 23,
2008
BARTLETT, Tenn. -- The zoning battle over a west Tennessee dance studio that offers pole dancing and a class called strip to fit is over.
Video: Stripper Poles Cause Town ControversyAldermen for the city of Bartlett voted Tuesday night to pay $20,000 to Eccentric Studios to head off a legal fight.Bartlett officials refused to let the studio open earlier this month because the owner had installed a stripper pole for instruction. The city argued that the studio was not located in the part of town zoned for adult-oriented businesses and that the pole made the business adult-oriented.Studio co-owner Rachel Vint argued the position by saying that the business shouldn't be classified as adult-oriented just because it offered classes that teach dance moves sometimes associated with strip clubs.The studio's owners had planned to offer a new strip-tease exercise program that's been gaining popularity all over the country.It's just a dance class, Vint said, but the city of Bartlett defined the trendy new form of exercise as adult entertainment.Almost every dance studio across America has a pole, of which most are horizontal, but the one in Bartlett is vertical."We don't sell toys, videos. We don't hold naked parties. There are no orgies going on here," said Vint.Vint said she didn't understand at the time why the city of Bartlett issued her a stop work order to prevent her from opening the studio."It's very frustrating. I have stood in this space over the last six weeks and seen my dream become a reality. And today, I'm in a nightmare," she said.YouTube.com features countless videos of stripper aerobics and examples of classes offered around the country. Vint planned to open her studio and offer the same thing."It's just simply women coming in getting a good time, getting a good workout, losing weight and feeling good about themselves," Vint said."It's something for the everyday woman. Everyone can do this. I've lost 40 pounds doing this. So I can say that it works. That was before the poles. That was just regular strip-to-fit dance class," said Kyra Bailey.Vint said she had consulted the mayor over the matter."When I spoke with him, he said if I had just had a dance studio, that would be one thing, but when I installed the poles, I became an adult-oriented business," Vint said.Vint said she just wanted Memphis residents to have the same exercise opportunities that others have."I think when it comes down to it, we live in the Bible belt," she said. "I'm not teaching strippers. I turn them away or try and talk them out of it. It's all about empowering women."Vint said she is trained in ballet and has never been a stripper or worked in the adult entertainment industry. She said she taught the strip-to-fit classes for three years in a neighboring city.
Video: Stripper Poles Cause Town ControversyAldermen for the city of Bartlett voted Tuesday night to pay $20,000 to Eccentric Studios to head off a legal fight.Bartlett officials refused to let the studio open earlier this month because the owner had installed a stripper pole for instruction. The city argued that the studio was not located in the part of town zoned for adult-oriented businesses and that the pole made the business adult-oriented.Studio co-owner Rachel Vint argued the position by saying that the business shouldn't be classified as adult-oriented just because it offered classes that teach dance moves sometimes associated with strip clubs.The studio's owners had planned to offer a new strip-tease exercise program that's been gaining popularity all over the country.It's just a dance class, Vint said, but the city of Bartlett defined the trendy new form of exercise as adult entertainment.Almost every dance studio across America has a pole, of which most are horizontal, but the one in Bartlett is vertical."We don't sell toys, videos. We don't hold naked parties. There are no orgies going on here," said Vint.Vint said she didn't understand at the time why the city of Bartlett issued her a stop work order to prevent her from opening the studio."It's very frustrating. I have stood in this space over the last six weeks and seen my dream become a reality. And today, I'm in a nightmare," she said.YouTube.com features countless videos of stripper aerobics and examples of classes offered around the country. Vint planned to open her studio and offer the same thing."It's just simply women coming in getting a good time, getting a good workout, losing weight and feeling good about themselves," Vint said."It's something for the everyday woman. Everyone can do this. I've lost 40 pounds doing this. So I can say that it works. That was before the poles. That was just regular strip-to-fit dance class," said Kyra Bailey.Vint said she had consulted the mayor over the matter."When I spoke with him, he said if I had just had a dance studio, that would be one thing, but when I installed the poles, I became an adult-oriented business," Vint said.Vint said she just wanted Memphis residents to have the same exercise opportunities that others have."I think when it comes down to it, we live in the Bible belt," she said. "I'm not teaching strippers. I turn them away or try and talk them out of it. It's all about empowering women."Vint said she is trained in ballet and has never been a stripper or worked in the adult entertainment industry. She said she taught the strip-to-fit classes for three years in a neighboring city.- Popular WSMV Slideshows
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