|
Selena will change the image you might have of most dancers----for
the better. First off she can really dance. This alone would rank
her as a professional. Another thing........she is very organized and
punctual thus defying the image of the drug imbibing bimbo strutting
off to the stage to do lap dances on one man after the other. It is
however true that most dancers go for the kind of man who look like
they oozed out of a primordial swamp in a Transylvanian night mare
movie. Not Selena....who would never look twice at such men.
Right off Jack knew she had to be different. And it all started that
first night he went back to Visions. Had a few too many which is not
that unusual for Jack, then went home to find something like thirty
free passes to Visions in his pocket that had been signed....Selena.
Jack got this funny feeling real deep telling him--"she's out to
promote both herself and her club. Smart woman. Probably is well
respected by management. Have to keep a sharp look out for her."
Meanwhile he had been for the most part meeting a select group of
dancers at Visions. He met very few of the meddlesome ones
constantly badgering him for drinks that he had been meeting in other
clubs. But one night Selena suggested: "Let's have a drink together,
Jack." His reply........"I buy you one and you buy me one."
In a situation like this the dancer usually stalks off or comments that
she's not about to buy a man a drink. But this was Visions and
Visions was a very special kind of place. And Selena's one of these
independent women with a mind of her own. "No problem Jack.
What are you drinking?"
Then, one afternoon one of the girls brought in her art portfolio and
was showing it to Jack. And while doing it told him Selena was a
poet but kept her poetry to herself. The girl thought she was very
good and Jack wanted to find out more. But there were no poems
coming his way.
buy
Until after Selena quit dancing and got online. Out of the blue he got an email from her and after an exchange of a few emails she
sent him her first poems.
The idea then occurred to Jack to ask Selena to be the new woman of
the month. She agreed on the phone and the pair started to make
plans for a photo shoot. She had a 130 mile drive to do....one way.
But it was to be a very special weekend. Selena had big shoes to full
as the new woman of the month....replacing last months who was
none other than Lori, Jack's favorite bartender.
PlOne was visiting all the way from the San Francisco Bay area. The
two men decided to pull out all the stops. Jack ordered a new digital
camera, one with7 times the resolution of his Kodak and the duo
then decided to go out shopping for a cam corder. It was time, Jack
had decided, to break into video. He had his sidekick with him and
had determined nothing could stop them.
New software in boxes littered the apartment, not to mention all the
new hardware Jack had gotten. He didn't really know how to use any
of it. Still.....PlOne and Jack headed out in the Miata to hunt down
his favorite bartender Lori, as they started shooting their first video.
They found her and an ex Visions dancer, Sahara, who lived close
by. Then continued shooting the video. At six o'clock they were
meeting Selena and her husband for dinner.
There was software to be loaded onto Jack's computer and they
didn't get back from visiting Lori and Sahara until 5.30 PM. Loading
the software caused them to be several minutes late for dinner Selena
was there on time and already had a table lined up for the group.
Which is one of the points we are making here. She's as dependable
as a swiss watch and a leader.
The group headed back to the apartment after dinner. There Jack did
his second video--a forty five minute interview of Selena. That's
pretty long for an interview and why we have broken it up into
several segments. Everyone started to discuss where the photo shoot should be held. Selena was in favor of having it at Platinum
Club which is the first club she worked for. She was also good friends of the clubs General Manager, Frank Marsala and his wife
Sherry. Jack had been hoping to do it at C-Mowes but agreed with Selena that the Platinum Club would be a magnificent scene to
shoot pictures from.
Selena got busy on the phone. A call to Platinium established that it was very busy because of a feature entertainer performing there.
Frank couldn't come to the phone right away so Selena and Jack agreed that things were looking pretty bleak for a photo shoot at
Platinum. Now get this......in a situation like we have here your average woman (or male for that matter) would have handed the
phone to Jack expecting him to make additional phone calls. But this was Selena and she's not typical, not average, and certainly no
one's follower. "What's the phone number for C-Mowes?" she asks.
Suddenly she's talking to someone at the club. Jack calls out to her....."Be sure to ask for Willis" knowing that Willis is in charge if
Cindy, the club's owner, is not there. Then when Willis comes to the phone she starts making her sales pitch.
"Hey....Ya gotta love a woman like this." One who's intelligent, poised, and not afraid to act. Willis tells Selena that the group cannot
do a photo shoot until after 3 AM when the club closes the upstairs. That is the understanding Jack has with the club...to shoot
upstairs when customers are not around since too many men do not want to be found out by their wives or employers for hanging
around in topless-bottomless night clubs. Now 3 AM is on the late side...not the ideal time for an important photo shoot. Most
women would either refuse to do it or bitch all the way to the club and all the way home. But this wasn't an ordinary woman. This
was Selena and there were no complaints coming from her.
The group got to the club around 2:30, just in time for a drink or two before doing the pictures. Jack had his new Sony Camcorder
along, his Kodak DC-40 that had taken over 3500 pictures of dancers and the new high resolution Ricoh digital camera. At 3 AM the
club's DJ announced that all customers were to leave the
upstairs but the club's downstairs would continue to be open.
The small group headed upstairs where they were joined by
Rose, one of the C Mowes girls.
Jack started doing digital stills using both cameras. Then took
out the camcorder which he had very little experience using.
PlOne had already gotten the first footage of Jack shooting stills
of Selena up on the stage. The upstairs bartender had been a
great help showing Jack where the lights switches were and
cleaning up the mirrors behind the stage where the shoot was to
take place.
Selena seemed very nervous at different times and had probably
been on the edge when she forgot her outfits at Jack's
apartment. But Rose was there.....and to the rescue, taking
Selena to the dressing room where she let her put on one of her
outfits. In spite of this setback things went smoothly thanks to
Rose who can be seen in the picture below with Selena.
Jack had never shot video of a dancer on the stage before
although he had much experience shooting digital stills. The
new Sony was untested. Its microphone pickup was
undetermined. Selena had him shoot while one song played,
then she sat down at a little table to relax before resuming the
shoot. With the club about to close, she didn't care for the music
other girls below had selected for their stage performances.
This was to be expected from a professional. After all, she had
gone through a great deal of trouble for this shoot and wanted it
to turn out to be the best she was capable of.
For a fine dancer like Selena the feeling must have been like
that an athlete has before starting a race or a boxer before
entering the ring. Lesser women would have taken the matter
lightly. Some would have not even bothered to show up.
But the women who make it to the top in this profession such as those who become successful features are hard workers who take
their careers seriously. Like them, Selena is a cut above the rest of the pack. Just before the club closed she once more mounted the
stage and finished dancing to one more song.
The performance itself-----in the balance. Certainly neither Jack nor Selena knew how good the shoot had been. And it was the first
time a St Louis Metro East Club had ever staged and videoed a serious performance by a real entertainer, then put the whole thing on
a web site to be enjoyed across the globe.
Once again the Lost Angels team had pulled one over on much better financed operations. No club had ever done what had been
done here----thanks to a fine entertainer named Selena, a Washington Park Club called C Mowes, a dancer named Rose, Plone and
Jack. Publications in the area that would like to think they are the last word as a publishing medium will soon realize that they are
toast and are soon to be relegated to the dust bins of history for lack of imagination and style.
And as for Selena.........whether she chooses to come out of retirement to resume a dancing career or do something else with her
many talents, the photography she just starred in, her interview, her stirring video, and the poetry we are thirsting to get more of,
assure her to a certain hall of fame the most memorable dancers should have if such a thing is ever constructed and implemented.
|
