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6 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Monday, March 29, 2004 ■ ■" ■ « ""m IW~ U “I have known many who . ' m /I I / ould not when they would, for M ■ ■ J I m / I I V they had not done it when they Questions? Comments? ' _[j_ J_J j T' ■ l 7\ Sc“»“B“S E-mail us at gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu ®-®-*—^ Exotic workouts help people strip pounds, feel more confident BY KATE SANTICH KltT CAMPUS A young woman en route to ex ercise class fairly bounds across the parking lot, hollering to her Mends. “Oh, my God!” she squeals. “You guys—tonight we have chairs!” Indeed, inside the Salsa Heat Studio in Orlando, Fla., there is a row of classroom-style, molded plastic chairs—a sign, 24-year-old Kaysie Markwardt assumes, that this evening’s lesson will focus on lap dancing. But once the group clusters in side, it becomes clear the chairs are merely for, well, sitting. Not to worry, the teacher says, next week they’ll tackle lap dancing, and meanwhile there will be body rolls, chest thrusts and a sultry, cat-on-the-prowl strut. This is Stripping Slim Fitness, where feather boas and “floor flM ing” have replaced leg warmers and doggy kicks. And if you think it’s the only edgy exercise routine ' on the training circuit these days, you obviously haven’t heard of Whipped, Cycle Karaoke or Ruff Yoga. vjreiung pnysicai, u seems, nas taken a whole new twist since Olivia Newton-John first appeared in spandex. For some gyms, it’s merely a marketing strategy to get people in the door. But for Stripping Slim instructor Heather Chaney, it’s more than that. “What we’re working on is get ting women to feel more comfort able about their bodies,” says Chaney, 27, an Orlando dancer and choreographer. “I want them to learn that it’s OK to be a beauti ful, strong, sexual woman. And if it happens that they shed some pounds in the process, hey, more power to ’em.” Chaney — who said she has never actually been a stripper — started her class in late February ..—.•.r. and modeled it after the trade marked Cardio Striptease, launched in Los Angeles by fitness guru Jeff Costa. Purportedly, the concept has been the biggest thing to hit the gym since kickboxing. Admittedly, the striptease workout has been slower to catch on in the Midwest and Bible Belt than elsewhere, but there’s no ac tual nudity involved — just a lot of more-or-less-clothed bumping, grinding, slinking and swirling. “OK, this is our sweet walk,” says Chaney, demonstrating be fore her class of eight, all women. “Imagine you’re a schoolgirl with a little skirt and a ponytail. Stick your finger in your mouth. Oh, I’m so cute, I’m so cute, I’m so cute." There’s also the sultry walk, the saucy walk and various gyrations. Participants must be 18 or over, and spectators are not allowed — al though midway through class three young skateboarders park them selves outside the window and ogle. The concept may not play in Peoria, but that’s one thing about the latest melange of fitness rou tines — there’s something out there for everybody. whipped, taugnt in s>outn Florida, features a leather-clad dominatrix complete with thigh high boots, riding crop and “a healthy dose of S&M.” Ads promise: “Nothing will get you working harder.” The class was created by Crunch Fitness, a national chain of gyms targeting the young, ur ban, hip professional. Crunch was also the first gym to offer Cardio Striptease, and it continues to shake up the workout world by coming out with such innovations as Cycle Karaoke (singing while you spin), Navy Seal Boot Camp, hip-hop-inspired Grooveology and Ruff Yoga, which is, as the name hints, yoga with your dog. The lat ♦ EXOTIC FITNESS, SEE PAGE 7 PHOTO COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Some fitness classes combine strip tease and exotic dance. ‘O.C.’ creator overcomes lst-season writer’s block BY DANIEL FIENBERG KRT CAMPUS At FOX’s January Press Tour party, Josh Schwartz, the 27-year old creator of “The O.C.,” made an embarrassing confession. It’s not as embarrassing as Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) admitting his fail ure as a first-time lover to his Chino-raised friend Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie), but a sub ject of chagrin nonetheless. Schwartz, network television’s youngest show runner, was suf fering his first bout of writer’s block. Nearly two months later, Schwartz can joke about that mo ment of near-insecurity. “I got over it,” he says simply. “I went to Vegas. I just got out of town.” Auer inai lnieneciuai ury spell and a temporary narrative hiccup involving a borderline psychotic named Oliver Trask, “The O.C.,” like its youthful cre ator, has experienced a creative second wind in the later stages of its extra-long 27-episode first season. Learning the job on the run, Schwartz and his staff of writers (“Everything goes through my computer at some point,” he says of the collaborative process) have had to make major character ad justments as the season pro gresued. Viewers who haven’t visited Schwartz’s semi-fictionalized Newport Beach universe since the show’s August premiere would have some difficulties recognizing the young characters (except for the fact that the actors who play them have seen their faces plas tered on magazine covers, bill boards and Web sites). Summer (Rachel Bilson) has de veloped from a sarcastic ice queen into a sympathetic romantic lead and the show’s second most reli able source of one-liners. Luke (Chris Carmack) has gone from stereotypical, short-tem pered jock to surprisingly en dearing and bumbling doofus (some of the transitions haven’t been quite so organic). And Ryan has gone from mum bling, monosyllabic, brawl-start ing bad boy to, well, mumbling, monosyllabic, brawl-starting bad boy, but at least he sometimes makes jokes about his limita tions. We always knew we wanted to — especially with Luke and Summer — really dimensional ize those characters,” Schwartz says. “We always wanted to im mediately go and start to show these other sides of those two. Seth, as I got to see what Brody did really well, I wanted to start writing towards that and making the character a little bit more ex troverted” What goes AROUND comes AROUND $ PHOTO BY MEG MOORE/THE GAMECOCK Thrift store clothes, hand-me-downs and modernized look-alikes are growing more popular with today’s vintage trend. VINTAGE FASHION IS ALL THE RAGE, WHETHER IT’S THE GENUINE THING OR A MODERN-DAY REPRODUCTION BY BRITTANY BULLINGTON THEUAMECOCK Many of today’s fashions are nothing new. Stores such as American Eagle, Abercrombie and Hollister contain racks of older styles that are making a comeback. Referred to as retro or vintage-inspired clothing, such reworked apparel is attaining fad status for certain trends yet again, and every thing from minidresses to jelly shoes are hot once more. However, there is a difference between real vintage clothing and the new-vintage styles sold in chain stores. So which type of “vintage” clothing is more popular? Genuine vintage clothing can be diffi cult to track down, which deters many, such as second-year Spanish student Susan Strauss, from buying the real thing. She said she would wear real vintage clothing if “there was a store that had quality stuff.” However, those who truly crave vintage style will go anywhere to find it. According to second-year experimental psychology student Megan Albonetti, “You can usual ly find hot items from the thrift store. A lot of my friends shop at the thrift store for their causal clothes.” Modernized vintage clothing is popping up in many stores, which upsets many retro-dressers. First-year print journalism student Kalyn Palmer said people who wear this new vintage are “posers.” “I think it kind of defeats the purpose,” Palmer said. “They’re supposed to be unique-looking, but if everyone else can buy the same one, what’s the point?” According to “In a Timely Fashion Vintage Fashion Guild Launches,” an ar ticle about the popularity of real vintage clothing, “Vintage clothing is available to all of us and each outfit is unique so you can always dress as an individual. And if modern fashion doesn’t suit your body shape, then the joy of vintage is that there’ll be a decade to choose from that does, so you no longer have to be a slave to fashion and you can write your own statements.” If real vintage makes a person stand out, ♦ VINTAGE, SEE PAGE 7 Movie. Review ‘Girl from Paris’brings laughs, warmth “THE GIRL FROM PARIS" ★★★★★ out of BY MEG MOORE THE GAMECOCK The opening sequence sweeps viewers through a mountainous landscape, carpeted with fields and threaded with streams. Dizzyingly plunging into valleys and skimming peaks, the camera captures a seemingly limitless world, buoyed by a soundtrack of lush instrumentals. And then re ality sets in — the camera pulls back to reveal that the rural scene being explored is only a snapshot, featured in an adver tisement on the back of a bus. This juxtaposition of the natu ral and the modem, the old and the new, lies at the heart of “The Girl from Paris,” a French com edy showing at the Nickelodeon Thpatrp The film centers around Sandrine Dumez (played by Mathilde Siegner), a seemingly successful Parisian woman work ing in the computer industry, who decides to abandon city life and try her hand at farming — her mother, understandably, thinks the idea is ludicrous. Sandrine enrolls in agricul ture school, learning the tricks of the trade and proving to her in structor that she would make a capable farmer. Her instructor, however, is not her toughest crit ic. While Sandrine learns how to slaughter animals and work the fields, the audience is introduced to Adrian Rochas, an old dairy farmer who is ready to give up the trade. He discusses his inten tion of selling the farm with his closet friend — and comic relief — played by Jean-Paul Roussillon. Roussillon’s character recent ly sold his own farm, and with his earnings has bought a new, state of-the-art Volvo station wagon. He can’t “make heads or tails” of the car’s many gadgets — he spends 15 minutes fooling with the windshield wipers, finally de ciding to leave them on so that he’ll “be ready” in case it rains again. His dog is so enamored with the vehicle that it refuses to get out. The two storylines converge when Sandrine is brought in as a prospective buyer. Adrian reluc tantly agrees to sell the farm to the young upstart, but asserts that he will have to live there for the next 18 months until he can take over his family’s house in Grenoble. The film chronicles the char acters’ battles and resolutions concerning tradition and change, new knowledge and experience. Sandrine transforms the barn into a sort of resort/camp during the summer months, introducing visitors to the workings of the farm and receiving help with me nial tasks, such as picking rasp berries, in the process. Adrian im mediately decides she is “lazy,” prophesying that she won’t make it through the winter months. Once the cold does set in, Sandrine is indeed faced with the harsh conditions of rural life, cut off from civilization by snow drifts and blocked roads. A series of setbacks weakens her morale but also brings the two closer, friendship blossoming despite their differences in age and opin ion. “The Girl From Paris” is a fresh, uplifting comedy that amusingly explores the struggles of change, both in one’s way of life and one’s point of view. Viewers are allowed into the characters’ inner thoughts through their dreams and invit ed into their lives through the film’s warmth. Well-acted and smartly comic, the movie reaches out to the old and weathered, the young and naive, and to those feeling that need for space, stuck in between and still searching for contentment Comments on this story?E-mail gamecochfeatures@gwm.sc.edu ^-n-m PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK “Girl from Paris,” showing at the Nickelodeon Theatre, contrasts the modern with the natural while telling the story of a woman making the transition from city life to life ii>n the farm.