Embrace the power of the peach. 🍑 May is officially Booty Month at CED! Join us for booty shaking, butt framing, glute fold holds, and shakes and shimmies is all classes. We’ve also got amazing guest instructor workshops and more adult sexual wellness coming your way. Get to jiggling and celebrate your most powerful ass-ets.
Regardless of what the weather is doing, welcome to spring at Cleveland Eclectic Dance! Since our April newsletter email had some delivery issues, we are combining everything you might have missed with all the debaucherous “Booty Month” plans for May.
This April, we focused on modifying shape. We explored how traditional poses and holds can transform into something new, creating more room for musicality and unique transitions.
As we move into May, we shift our focus to a shape we all love, as Tara would say: “Butts, Butts, Butts! Get ready for a month dedicated to all of your gorgeous ass shapes, twerking, and powerful lower-body movement.
In this edition:
- Summer Student Showcase: Performance Season is officially here.
- Supporting the Local Community: Shimmy Mob Hafla.
- Featured Classes: Another CED Family Party is coming up and multiple deep dives into the glorious butt. (Yes, I know exactly what I said there.)
- Guest Spotlights: We welcome back Professor X-tina this month, and new guest in June, Taylor Steen!
- Beyond the Movement: Sexual Wellness & Adult Education.
- More Specialty Classes & Series: starting in May thru mid June.
- Signal Cleveland: local news piece about CED!
Get Ready for the Showcase!
As we head into May, you’ll notice a lot of choreography series hitting the schedule. These are all gearing up for our Summer Student Showcase on Sunday, June 14th.
You can always take a choreography class just for the fun of it with no pressure to perform. However, if you want to share your art, now is the time! We accept all acts, not just those from the choreography classes. Start working on your number now and let us know if you need any help bringing your vision to life.
Facebook Event: View and Share the Event
Hafla Admission: $7 to $10
Performer Signups for the Hafla: Email Roxi@clevelandeclecticdance.com (Hafla only)
Donate via Venmo:
Important Note: When using Venmo, please include a note specifying if it is for Hafla Admission or a Separate Donation to CRCC.
Join us for the ShimmyMob Hafla.
Saturday, May 9th | Doors 6:30 PM, Show 7:00 PM
Each year on World Belly Dance Day, Shimmy Mob brings together Teams of dancers from cities all around the world performing the same choreography to raise funds for victims of abuse.
Aminah is leading our Cleveland team this year as they learn the choreography for a daytime performance somewhere around Northeast Ohio; we’ll share “where to find us” in the next newsletter.
That evening, we gather at the studio for a Hafla, a celebratory party for dancers and supporters alike. Even if you have never tried belly dance, you are welcome to come join the party, and you might even find yourself in a hip scarf by the end of the evening!
All proceeds the Cleveland Team is raising during ShimmyMob, which includes the Hafla, goes to the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.
Featured Classes for May
CED Family Party: Azz Everywhere
Saturday, May 2nd
1:30-3:30 In Studio Only
Hang out with your studio friends in a relaxed environment with a loose lesson plan. Think of CED Family Parties like an extremely casual sampler class meets open practice.
This CED Family Party we’ll be cranking the Big Freedia and getting an introduction to Atlanta Bounce as well as Dirty Delta style pole dancing. We will start with beginner, Midwest based booty moves, and will expand out from there.
Booty by Créé La Beauté
Tuesdays, May 5th-26th
6:45-7:45pm In Studio & NOW ONLINE TOO!
Get ready to bounce, shake, and build confidence in Booty by Créé La Beauté, a fun and empowering 4-week twerk series designed to help you connect with your body while learning the foundations of twerking.
Throughout the four weeks, you’ll break down essential twerk fundamentals, glute activation, hip mobility, and different bounce variations. Each class will gradually build on the previous week so you can improve your coordination, stamina, and control while learning how to move with the music.
Velvet Cake
Sunday, May 17th
1:15-2:45pm In Studio & NOW ONLINE TOO!
Come dive into the essence of your most powerful ass-et in this low flow/floorwork workshop. Get ready to tap into how you can use your cheeks to your benefit, both technically and aesthetically.
Get ready to draw from the power of the peach and have some serious fun in this all booty, all powerful workshop!
HIIT That A$$
Saturday, May 30th
12:15-12:55pm In Studio & Online
Get a great booty workout in while listening to Lisa make thinly veiled butt jokes! This class will teach you a circuit workout that will help your build that booty without throwing out your back.
May Guest Instructor Spotlight, Professor X-tina!
Christina Loper, aka Professor X-tina, is a dancer, instructor, and actor based in NYC with over 15 years of dance experience and 3.5 years of dedicated pole training. She specializes in Edgework Technique, Low Flow, and Freestyle movement. With a background in performance art, Christina blends technical precision with creativity, encouraging students to explore their own unique ways of moving. She focuses not just on the “how,” but on the “why” behind each movement, helping others connect deeply with their bodies and artistic expression.
We are so excited to have her join our Regional Guest Instructor rotation. We are welcoming her back in Cleveland this May with 2 amazing workshops about Heels and Ass, 2 of our favorite topics. (See Velvet Cake featured above for the Booty workshop.)
Are you a midnight ballerina or other adult professional?
Contact Roxi for a SWer discount on X-tina’s workshops before signing up!
Intro to Pole Heels
Sunday, May 3rd
1:15-2:45pm In Studio Only
Build stability and confidence in your heels. Whether you want to brush up on fundamentals or start fresh, this workshop provides the tools for a solid foundation. All levels are welcome!
June Guest Instructor Spotlight, Taylor Steen!
Taylor is a dynamic and passionate pole artist with 6+ years of experience and 3+ years of teaching. Known for her ability to embody any style she takes on, Taylor is particularly recognized for her high energy movement, musicality, and unmatched stage presence. Whether she is executing hard style, hip-hop inspired movement or flowing through smooth, sensual transitions, she seamlessly shifts between a menace and a muse, infusing each movement with emotion.
Taylor creates a space for dancers to explore the full range of their expression and embodiment, all while staying connected to the music and the moment. She is passionate about sharing her craft, with a strong focus on refining technique, developing skill, and empowering dancers to embrace their creativity.
Dark Hypno Flow
Saturday, June 6th
12:15-1:45pm In Studio Only
Dark Hypno Flow is a heels choreography workshop set to dark, bass-heavy music with hypnotic, ambient undertones. This class blends fluid transitions with grounded, dynamic accents, focusing on musicality, presence, and intention while embodying a darker, more hypnotic energy.
(Must have solid experience with Pirouettes, one handed spins, and Heels)
Intro to Hypnotic Drip
Saturday, June 6th
2:15-3:45pm In Studio Only
This class works through a variety of sequences, giving dancers a taste of hardstyle, flow, hip-hop, and dark hypno, while playing with different music styles and textures. Expect to move through both dynamic moments and smooth, fluid transitions—all with a focus on musicality, coordination, and technique.
(Beginners+ who are experienced with basic hand placements, pirouettes, and foundational pole movements, and some heels.)
Beyond the Movement
Our sensual, erotic, and sexual health directly impacts how we move in the world and how we take up space. These class offerings create a space to decenter the external gaze and the performative pressures that so often dictate how we show up. Additionally, we are creating a safe space for conversations about things we “aren’t supposed to” talk about. Sex Ed is severely lacking among all age groups. Pride & Pleasure is here to give you the resources you might be missing, the space to talk about it, and way to bring more joy and healing to your life.
Let’s Talk about Sex
Tuesdays, May 5th-26th
6:45-7:45pmpm In Studio & Online
This series is Sex Ed 101.
We go over things you may have missed in school but should know as a sexually active adult. From anatomy to STIs to communication, we cover all the bases on navigating sex as an adult.
Queer Sex Ed
Friday, June 5th
6:00-7:30pm In Studio Only
Whether you identify as a member of the alphabet mafia, or you are an ally looking to be a source of knowledge and comfort, together we will unpack the foundations of LGBTQ+ sex education basics.
You will learn about the similarities and differences of engaging with same-gender sex, as well as learn some tips and tricks to center pleasure in your sex life.
More Specialty Classes & Series
Floor Fuckers
Saturday, May 2nd
12:15-1:15pm In Studio & Online
In this one-hour class, you’ll explore grounded, raunchy movement that feels as powerful as it looks. The kind of ass up, face down, and all around rolling that leaves the room breathless and the floor lucky to be under you.
Expect unapologetic shapes put into hip driven motion, then all tied together by the end of class into a dirty love letter to yourself. Bring your body. Leave your shame.
The Art of Heels: Performance Series
Wednesdays, May 6th – June 10th
6:50-7:50pm In Studio Only
Dancers will learn and develop one full heels choreography, focusing on musicality, precision, fluid transitions, and confident stage presence. Each class will build on the last, allowing you to fully embody the movement while strengthening your balance, control, and performance quality in heels.
The goal is not only to learn choreography, but to explore the artistry, expression, and power that comes with dancing in heels.
Burlesque Choreography
Thursdays, May 7th – June 11th
5:30-6:30pm In Studio Only
You’ve got your bumps and grinds down. Your walk is on point. You’re evolving and improving in your burlesque persona. What’s next??
Take the burlesque basics to the next level! Throughout this 6 week course, you will learn choreography, explore musicality and emotion, and complete one entire routine from start to finish!
Intro to Pole
Saturday, May 30th
1:30-3:00pm In Studio Only
New to pole? Has it been a while and you’re looking for an opportunity to start again?
This 90 minute workshop will have you dancing by the end of it! The focus during class will be on holds, spins, and pivots. We will also explore what is needed for climbing and inverting, and will put everything together into a short routine at the end of class.
Art in Motion: Embracing the Physics of Pole
Mondays, June 1st – 22nd
7:00-8:00pm In Studio Only
Experience an inner transformation as you gain a deeper awareness of your body’s mechanics and its intricate relationship with the pole. Not only will you start nailing those tricks and combos by feeling more connected with the pole, but you’ll also feel more embodied and present in all your movements on and off the pole.
Whether you’re level 1 with a couple of classes under your belt, striving to master challenging tricks, or aiming to create smoother transitions at all levels.
CED in the News!
We are so proud to be featured in Signal Cleveland’s recent piece, “Explore how exotic dance can improve physical, mental health.” It is a wonderful look at how movement at CED helps us reclaim agency and build confidence.
The Evolution of a Name: Reading the article’s title provided a perfect “teachable moment.” For those newer to our community, we actually changed our name from Cleveland Exotic Dance to Cleveland Eclectic Dance a few years ago. While the article uses the term “Exotic Dance” throughout, that phrasing never actually came up during the interview. It was a choice made by the publication, likely as a convenient mainstream term to reach a wider audience.
The global pole community is currently in a deep conversation about phasing out that term due to its complicated history. Changing problematic language that often people do not realize is othering is a process; mistakes will be made, and we believe those should be handled with grace and an intentional response. We are still deeply grateful to Signal Cleveland for helping us share our mission with the rest of the city!