CARRIE ANN INABA: YES..she saw the
stripper and got the idea.
US ASIANS:
How many months did it take you to choreograph the "Pole Routine and what
did it involved (i.e. rehearsals, props, staging, lighting, attire, look,
etc.)?"
CARRIE ANN INABA: We rehearsed the
tour for 4 months and toured for 3 months. I loved the rehearsal process.
US ASIANS:
Since your dance studies were mostly with Alexandre Magno, did this help
you with obtaining dance work with Madonna and others?
CARRIE ANN INABA: Well, it's hard
to say because I helped Alex get most of the jobs that gave him any sort
of public notice. I asked Rosie to give him a shot for In Living Color
and fought for him there as well. That was one of my favorite performances
as well (when he choreographed for "In Living Color").
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|
Pole
Dance on "Girlie" Tour |
US ASIANS:
Were you initially comfortable with going topless during your "Pole Routine?"
If not, what factors/elements/situations allowed you to have the freedom
to go topless for the countless people that saw you in countless performances
(note: it is recognized that on Madonna's tours, the boundaries of what
is sexually acceptable is always severely challenged.
CARRIE ANN INABA: I was always fine
with going topless. At first I was supposed to wear pasties. But honestly,
I didn't like the pasties, they got in the way of my choreography - so
I suggested that I go topless. We all agreed it would be more organic
that way and it was the true vision so why not be true to the vision.
I had only asked that in countries where it may be offensive, I could
where a top. They agreed but when we got to Isreal, there was no top.
I remember being afraid, after all, I was a slow moving target.
US ASIANS:
What was your initial reaction to shaving your head for the entire tour
- in addition to going topless?
CARRIE ANN INABA: Well I had really
long hair at the time and Madonna loved to challenge me and play with
me because I guess I'm somewhat of a strong person. But she knew I was
working for her so whatever she wanted for the most part went. So, I had
about 5 really bad haircuts on the way to shaving it. She wanted to keep
me a bit different than everyone else so I had some really ugly hair days
and she loved putting it up in strange hairstyles for rehearsals. Then
she's say I had to wear my hair like that for the rest of the day.
US ASIANS:
Could you share the various stages from beginning to end of the development
of the different persona that was needed for the tour? How long did it
take for you to "decompress" after the tour?
CARRIE ANN INABA: Well touring is
difficult on relationships. My boyfriend, Jason Yribar (dancer/actor)
was on the road with Michael Jackson. (We were kind of the "cool couple"
of dance at the time)….so silly… Anyhow, since towards the end of the
tour I had taken steroids because I got sick, I had gained weight. Now,
a muscular, skin bald, dancer who was making out with Madonna on stage,
coming down a pole almost naked is not really what he had bargained for.
When I got back, he called me CARL. I hated it. He tried to make me feel
like I was still "pretty" in the normal sense of the word, but I didn't
feel pretty when I looked in his eyes. In fact, I felt ugly. When you
are on the road with Madonna and you have a shaved head and there are
8 of you traveling together its one thing. But when you are alone and
bald and going to the supermarket, people look at you like are either
ill or a rebel. It took a while to re-adjust
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