Ciara the pole dancer

MANILA, Philippines - I must have been really out of touch as never before had I known that there is such a thing as pole dancing before Ciara Sotto led me to it. At the Pulitzer and Tony award-winning rock opera RENT the Musical (now showing at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati), I had a taste of Ciara in a skimpy attire dancing with a steel pole. Though men with ogling eyes would find it truly sensual, what occupied my thoughts during the whole experience was how excruciatingly difficult it must be to dance with a cold, stationary pole, and how sore my muscles would be, for several weeks!, after such a performance. (Aarrggh!)

But Ciara is one artist, who even at her very young age pushes her talents to the limits. Starring in her first rock musical Rent this month, she has evolved from a TV star, singer, movie star, a star in a local play Magsimula Ka to a mature performer in RENT.

While Magsimula Ka, a local production by Gines Tan and Nestor Torre, Magsimula Ka is a wholesome play where Ciara played a sweet and young Filipina student, RENT is a rock opera with an adult theme telling the tragic plight of poor artists living in New York, with Ciara portraying the role of Mimi, an S&M dancer and heroin junkie who gets afflicted with AIDs. Appearing in RENT is, for me, definitely a career move that will change Ciara’s image into a serious theater artist. For the first time, RENT, now on its third run, will showcase Ciara’s talent in pole dancing, not done before in any Rent production, whether locally or abroad.

I could not for the life of me fathom how Ciara, a once teeny-bopper performer, living a sheltered life, could be very much into pole dancing, which she is teaching at the Pasig Branch of the Lala Dinglasan school in Pasig, and getting to be a popular physical fitness form (especially among Filipino women) because of Ciara herself. Ciara explains, “I got challenged with pole dancing which requires enormous concentration, great effort and physical exertion, mind and body coordination. With pole dancing, the dancer can become very creative with her dance repertoire.”

Ciara is epitome of class and distinction.

It is this focus and concentration that drives Ciara in her pursuit of higher accomplishments even in her new-found love — the stage. In theater, a lot of focus is necessary to internalize the role because every performance counts. As Ciara elucidates, “On stage, there is no reshoot, unlike in TV and the movies. Theater requires a lot of mental preparation to achieve the focus. One has to shut out all distractions to be an excellent theater performer and pole dancer (especially if, like Ciara in Rent, pole dancing is combined with singing and acting).

I dare say that Ciara Sotto-Oconer is now on her own, charting a career path, making an imprint in RENT the Musical and even setting a craze with her pole dancing, not as the daughter of famous parents, but one who has created a niche of her own; a multi-talented artist and a very serious performer.

(RENT the Musical will be showing at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza, Makati. Playdates are Feb. 26 and 27, March 4, 5 and 6. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. with matinee shows on Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4:30 p.m. For details, call 9 Works Theatrical at 557-5860, 0917-5545560, or call Ticketworld at 891-9999, or log on to www.9works-theatrical.com).