"Dog Days Are Over" Pole Dance by Jenyne Butterfly
Dancer and Choreographer: Jenyne Butterfly
Song: Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine
Jenyne Butterfly’s pole dance performance to Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” is arguably one of the most well known pole dance videos. It has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to start pole dancing. If it isn’t one of the reasons they started, it certainly has been shared with a family member/friend/loved one in order to “legitimize” and de-sexualize the art form. Jenyne was the first ever United States Pole Dance Federation Champion, has been on the Ellen Show, and was discovered by Cirque du Soleil through her YouTube videos, where she has been performing in the Michael Jackson ONE show for the last six years.
The playful nature of this performance is so captivating- the way she starts with hopscotch, jumping in puddles, twirling like a kid, and shyly kissing the pole before skipping away. I love how it draws you in, before completely blowing you away with some gravity defying tricks that display an incredible amount of strength and flexibility. This performance includes both her signature jade drop- where she is in a split at the top of the pole then releases and catches herself near the bottom- and her infamous iguana walk- where it looks like she is walking on the air!
In an interview, Jenyne mentioned that the “Dogs Days Are Over” was one of her most nerve-wracking performances because dancing for an audience of other pole dancers was a lot of pressure. She felt that the expectations were high and that “they’ll know when you make a mistake when maybe a general audience just appreciates anything like a split.” While attempting to choreograph her routine, the Florence and the Machine song came on during her warmup and she started dancing around. She thought “this is what pole dancing is. It’s fun. It’s like being a kid on a playground and just having fun. That’s what it should be. You shouldn’t feel pressure. I just wanted to emulate that.” She felt inspired to change her song and not choreograph anything, instead allowing herself to be free and improving the entire performance!
One of my favorite things about pole is the huge range of styles available- one day you can be slinking around the pole in heels, the next barefoot and contemporary. I think of the “Dog Days Are Over” performance as the gateway drug for pole dancers. It drew in audiences and dancers who might not feel comfortable watching or dancing in a sensual way by exposing them to pole through a contemporary style. As they get used to it, they allow themselves to explore, branching out into a variety of styles. They begin to see women as strong, sexy and free.
If you would like to learn more about Jenyne Butterfly, you can check out her YouTube channel here.