Sheila Kelly
I received the S Factor DVD yesterday via priority mail, just 1 week after ordering online.
It is very well chaptered and starts with a little introduction on Sheila Kelly's interest and stripper training which she did for the role she played in the recent indie film "Dancing at the Blue Iguana".
Entire routine was around 50-55 minutes.
Chapters:
1. The S Factor Foundation and Warm-up
2. Stripper Moves
3. The cat crawl
4. S Factor walk
5. Wall work
6. Stripping techniques
7. Meditation
8. Routine
The music is new agey, very low volume, and Sheila's voice is soothing, and she is not chatty, she gives you just enough instruction, especially when you are doing a move and not looking at the screen.
The scene is in a regular looking living room, with big windows and a fireplace, lots of space, wooden floors.
Lesson 1 begins with you lying on your yoga mat, Sheila is instructing and has 2 other ladies (regular bodies) in the back and they show modifications for beginners/less flexible people. It is very yoga based and relaxing, it was a great stretch and warmup using hip circles, chest circles, cat/cow pose, and really stretching out the hip flexors. There is constant movement and I felt warmed up, so I don't think you would need a separate warmup, unless you're super stiff.
lesson 2, Stripper moves are your common stripper moves, all are very sensual and my body felt good stretching and moving in all directions. I could not believe how tough it is to keep your abs tight for most of these moves, I had to take a few short breaks when we were on our back, with legs up feet pointed, while keeping your torso arched and supported by my elbows. There was also a bicycle crunch-like move which I felt in my abs for a while. Almost all of the moves required core strength and very slow movements. Hip circles, leg teasers called "flirt", peek-a-boo legs, and on your hands/knees butt/hip circles.
Lesson 3, she showed us 2 different types of cat crawls (cat crawl and lion). We crawled very sensually and slowly, very catlike and feminine on the floor. This was a short section.
Sheila is the only one in this scene.
Lesson 4, S Factor walk. You learn how to slowly walk with your feet crossing in front of the other one. I like this walk, very sexy.
Lesson 5, is Wall Work. The moves were done against a wall or the edge of a doorway or a pole if you have one. Short section.
Lesson 6 are stripping techniques. Sheila is the only one in this scene. She wears a button down shirt over a workout bra and she shows you how to seductively remove your shirt. Then she shows you the G string toss (she wore a g string w/ side ties, and slowly undid the ties and pull the g string out of her pants, like magic), the trick with this is she had on a regular thong under her pants (which she kept on). She then shows you how to remove a shirt over your head and how to remove your pants without falling.
Lesson 7 is Meditation. Here you lay on your back, like in yoga and you slowly tense and relax each muscle and become comfortable with your body with your hands.
Lesson 8 is the Routine. In 8a, She first teaches it slowly and in 8b, you do the routine without instruction to music.
After Lesson 8, the workout is over but Sheila ends it with a short routine on the pole which she is just performing, not teaching. I like this because it seems like a little something extra that you can try with your wall or pole.
Overall, it is fun, authentic, sensual, feminine, empowering and it feels very natural to do the moves. It also seemed a little spirtual, nothing to turn anyone off, unless you don't like to relax and meditate a bit. Nothing awkward, freaky, overtly sexy or tacky. The routine is NOT a workout, but it does give you the extra benefits of core strength, constant movement and flexibility. I can see myself doing more pilates to get used to pointing my toes and developing stronger abs and back. We relied heavily on our abs! After the workout, I felt like I was on a high, I felt really good and stretched out.
I don't think it stands comparison to the Jeff Costa's cardio striptease nor Carmen Electra's aerobic striptease - S Factor did not seem mainstream nor phoney. S factor had authentic sensual strip moves while the others were more like sexy choreography. If I had to choose a routine to do for my boyfriend, I would do the S factor routine..it seems more natural, and not as obvious and choreographed like the other workouts.
Instructor comments:
Sheila Kelly is an actress and dancer who now devotes herself to teaching strip moves/pole dancing for feminine awareness,confidence and sensuality. Sheila looks very comfortable with herself and her confidence shows, she also taught the moves very well. I like her.
Chulisima
12/17/03
