... Continued ...

Stephen:		Are competitions a catty environment or did you find them to be, for the most part, fun?
Fawnia:		Contests for me were always enjoyable, though there were times when I could sense tension between the dancers. There were rumors that girls would stop the girls tape (back before CDs) while they were performing. I was fortunate to experience just a lack of competition. I am not saying that the acts I was up against were not good, but that many girls would opt to stay out from competing if they knew I would be in the same contest. I guess that was a compliment, but it really brought the variety down. Now that I am competing in figure (similar to fitness) I am finding all the athletes to be extremely supportive. This year (July 3rd) I will be at the Canadian Nationals going for my pro card.
Stephen:		Your stay in the "stripping" facet of the industry was relatively short (one year?). What prompted the change and how did you go so quickly from performer to instructor?
Fawnia:		I danced from Oct 94 - March 96, making my career about 1.5 years. It was not my choice directly to stop dancing; however it was my choice in the end, since it's only ourselves who make personal choices. I left the stage for my (then) boyfriend who was no longer comfortable with me dancing. Funny though since he and I met in a strip club, with him as the waiter. I was just 20 years old, and the thought of moving to Vancouver from Victoria to dance, while being newly single was very overwhelming and I left the stage and stayed with him. By Christmas Eve, we broke up. I have not returned since, and 8 years later I am enjoying my life as an exotic dance instructor, video producer, actress and figure athlete.
Stephen:		In regard to your instructional Exotic Dance DVDs, who do you think is your primary audience is: girlfriends and wives or aspiring dancers?
Fawnia:		I think girlfriends and wives come in 1st as costumers, then aspiring or working dancers, then men, who may buy for educational or entertainment purposes.
Stephen:		With appearances in magazines ranging from Jane to Flex to Playboy, what do you prefer, the fitness or "men's interest" modeling? And why?
Fawnia:		The challenge is in Fitness modeling. There are many stunning women in the industry but the ability to get work on a regular basis, and get paid is a real challenge. This drives me to keep training. I need to feel motivated, and what challenge is there in adult modeling? Some I guess, however when you mention Playboy, I am most definitely proud of being a Playboy model 5x including their 'Girls of Canada' 2004 calendar and that was a challenge. It was my 3rd attempt to get noticed over a 6 year span of submitting before getting them thumbs up. Could it have been that my look was still young when I was 21? Possibly, and I am proud of that. Next year I will be 30 and I feel that my appearance is bang on for what I do.

Fawnia: Exotic Dancer, Fitness Model, and More continued on page 3
Fawnia: Exotic Dancer, Fitness Model, and More continued from page 1