Paralyzed pole dancer to benefit from incredibly suggestive local fundraiser on Saturday

By Melanie Asmar Thu., Dec. 2 2010 at 12:17 PM

Categories: Dance, Events

Marguerite and a friend ... and a pole.

Marguerite Endsley wants to spread the word about something near and dear to her heart: pole dancing. And in the process, she wants to raise some money for a fellow pole dancer who recently suffered a horrific accident: 32-year-old Debbie Plowman, a mother of two from England who fell on her head while hanging upside down during a keep-fit pole-dancing session and was left paralyzed.

Kind? Yes. The best PR move? Maybe not.

But Endsley, who owns the Denver Dance studio, hopes that Saturday's event, called "An Evening of Pole Dancing," will show potential pole-acrobats that the dance form isn't dangerous if the proper precautions are taken.

"Are people going to be like, 'She got paralyzed and now you want us to come try it?'" says Endsley, who teaches hip-hop and tap classes in addition to pole dancing. Maybe, she contends. But, she adds, "there are a lot of moves you can do that aren't risky."

Marguerite doing "the Superman."

Endsley describes the type of pole dancing she does as athletic, with an emphasis on tricks. "Think Cirque du Soleil," she says. But she admits it has a certain stigma. "It's a pole," she says. "It'll always be associated with stripping" -- even if it means something different to her.

"An Evening of Pole Dancing" will be held at Blue Silo Studios, 4701 National Western Drive in Denver, on Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be a $10 donation requested at the door, and all proceeds will go to the Debbie Plowman Happy Faces Trust. The event is sponsored by Endsley and her friend and fellow pole dancer, Diane Whiddon.

For a taste of what to expect, here's a video of Marguerite doing her thaaaang: