Holistic Wisdom Corporation

No Pole Dancing For Santa's Helpers

The downtown lingerie and adult-products store Camouflage in South Carolina still plans to stage erotic dancers wearing Santa Claus-themed outfits, but you won’t be able to see them through the front window, as originally advertised.

Store owner Joan Levine changed her plans after being leaned on by city officials and hearing complaints from the public. "It’s really the same thing people spend $75 to take their kids to see at Cirque de Soleil," said Levine, who rates the show something of the PG-13 nature. "It’s very wholesome. The dancing is very graceful. It’s something they can see on any basic cable channel."

"We thought it would be neat for it to come to life. We naturally thought of using a pole because that’s what we do. But when you put a pole in the picture, it raises eyebrows and brings out the puritanical in people." Levine and the dancers say the controversy was overblown. Pole dancing has caught on as a popular exercise class at many gyms, they said. "Women want to learn it," Levine said. Inside the store window, along with a red lace bra and panties, a red velvet robe and a black corset, is a sign that reads "Our purpose is to help make peace in the war between the sexes ... We believe that love, romance and fun are good for everybody."