Rose to the Occasion

It was not until the music had already begun that the unsuspecting onlooker would realize that they were about to experience a performance that simply had to be witnessed to encourage belief. Lola Flowers (they/them) graced the stage of The Pole Academy in Greenville, South Carolina for this spring’s Thee Bad Bish Takeover III Presents: Rock n’ Roses performance showcase.  The highly anticipated event was packed with experienced and talented, performing athletes ready to illustrate their creativity and prowess for this season’s rock/heavy metal theme. Lola Flowers, pole dancer and kink exhibitionist, once again set their own standard with a mysteriously alluring performance with an introduction that kept the crowd swooning with awe.

Like her namesake, blooming just enough to keep the audience salivating for more. They are a delight to witness, and this year is yet another visual aid of proof that they are what the art of pole dancing has always been.  Lola floats as a performer, using their vessel as a precious instrument. Yet beauty can exist in the most delicate of places. Life with an invisible disability like (POTS) Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome can be more than unbearable. A condition that causes the rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and lack of mobility, POTS is met with little to no representation or accessible open-source information. Which makes it difficult for Lola to function daily. “It is how I tell my story all while reclaiming my power.” Lola says regarding pole dancing and disability. I had the privilege to ask them a few questions about their savior-faire at the showcase.

Did you gain any new inspiration during/after the Unity show? If so, by what and whom? Baby, I want to pour some glitter on myself now. I don’t know when or where but it’s certainly going to happen. The way my heart skipped several beats watching @Duchessdiorr, she was inspiring!!

⁠What do you want the world to know about your experience as a black, non-binary, person with POTS? “I want the world to know that it is a frustrating and disheartening experience. Having to go to one doctor after another, educating them so they could even diagnose me because POTS sounds like a “fabricated” condition when it is quite common. I must relearn my passion so that I can perform without flaring up my symptoms. No matter what I do, I am going to have a flare up because dancing takes a lot out of me.”

As easy as I make it look, I fight every single day to have a good day.  I could go from feeling well to needing medical attention. But I say that to say, talk about your experiences. There are people who are looking for someone who looks like them, sounds like them, and experiencing the same things as them. I have been fighting for about 4 years now to even get diagnosed. I also was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and (EDS) Ehlers-Danlos syndrome as well.  You just never know how speaking your truth will encourage someone else to speak theirs.”

⁠Who is your dance inspiration as of late? “A lot of my inspiration and creativity comes from allowing my inner child and teen to let their imagination run wild. My intention is to show my authentic self and who I am in that moment no matter how that might look to others.”

In the age of information, it is almost unfathomable to understand the reality of those who are living with conditions that doctors are still trying to detect and accurately diagnose. Lola is not only standing for a community of individuals that illustrates sensuality, creativity, and taboo they are also a what living as a disabled person looks like. Lola is motivating and mesmerizing with creative boldness that simply cannot be matched. They are truly a spirit of resiliency and a pristine performer of their time. Presence. Unapologetic. Proof. Lola is a Black Renaissance [Woman] person.