Question of the month: whose posing routine made the greatest impression on you?

Flex, August, 2004 by Vicki Baker

DARREM CHARLES

2004 FLORIDA XTREME PRO CHALLENGE WINNER

"I would say Shawn Ray's routine at the 1987 Nationals, when he won his pro card, made the greatest impression on me. It was choreographed to a slow song known by the lyric "You're Gonna Love Me" [actual title: "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"]. Jennifer Holliday sang it on Broadway in Dreamgirls. Shawn has always posed to slow songs. He also used it in a Mr. Olympia appearance. I was very impressed with that routine.

"I had always wanted to use it, and it was what I chose for this year's Night Of Champions. Of course, if someone has used the same music and has done such a remarkable job, you'd better come into it with the intention of doing it well. People have been used to seeing me doing up-tempo stuff. I certainly didn't want to disappoint the audience in terms of what they were looking forward to seeing. It took me a while before I finally decided I'm going to do it for me. I think that the first step in a good posing routine is feeling a connection with the music. The music tells the story and you follow along with it. It's not the music going one way and you going another--it's a partnership."

MELVIN ANTHONY

2004 NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS WINNER

"The routine that sticks out would be the one that Ken Jones did [a takeoff of Michael Jackson] at the 2004 Ironman. I won't ever do that--it was too much. If it had been a hint of Michael Jackson, then on to hitting some poses, it would have been fine. It was just too long. The audience got bored, and he wasn't doing a great job of being Michael. I think he should have done a little bit of it. The crowd would have said to themselves, Ah, we get it. But he kept going.

"One from the past that sticks out in my mind, and which was a more positive experience, was the routine John Brown was doing in 1991. He did a theatrical routine, with mask and all, but he got a standing ovation. It was long--seven minutes--but it was good. A posing routine doesn't have to be short to be good."

LISA AUKLAND

1999-2001 TEAM UNIVERSE OVERALL CHAMPION

"I would have to say that I'm impressed by any posing routine done by Darrem Charles. I could watch him all day long. He's phenomenal, not only in his muscle control but also in the way he moves to the music and in his flexibility. It's incredible.

"For myself, I prefer something more rhythmic, even hip-hop. I go for music that's fun and flirty and upbeat. But I could watch Darrem doing a slow routine anytime! His posing routine would be my first choice."

ART ATWOOD

2002 TORONTO PRO INTERNATIONAL WINNER

"Years ago, I saw a videotape of Berry DeMey's 1988 Mr. Olympia routine that made an impression on me. He did a very powerful, classic and artistic routine, all wrapped up in one. He was called the Flexing Dutchman, and I think I saw that tape in 1989 or 1990. I was getting ready to compete in my first teen show, and a friend showed it to me. It had everything--power balanced with artistry, and the music was well put together with the routine. That one stuck in my mind.

"I've also seen some good ones in person. I saw Russ Testo do a routine that was really entertaining. He's a streamlined bodybuilder. He doesn't compete on the pro level, but he does a very artistic energetic performance. I appreciate a routine that creates energy. I don't like to watch it if it makes the crowd fall asleep. If it's energetic and powerful at the same time and has a little artistry, that's what I enjoy watching."

HEATHER FOSTER

2002 NPC NATIONAL OVERALL CHAMPION

"As far as posing routines go, I like Lenda Murray, Melvin Anthony and Darrem Charles. I like the posing abilities of a lot of different people, but those three stand out.

"Lenda Murray does unique things with her posing. I try to model myself after her in that way--just trying to be different than most people. But even more so, I pattern myself after Melvin and Darrem for their hiphop style and poplocking moves [locking and unlocking one's joints abruptly and exaggeratedly]. Melvin is really a funny character and he tends to display that onstage, both in his transitions into mandatory poses and just to give his routine a higher entertainment value, which is what I seek to do. And Darrem's use of a slower song at the recent Night Of Champions was very powerful. Sometimes we forget that even with slower music, you can get an effect. A lot of people can't come across to the audience that way because they don't quite have that impact. But Darrem has a way of getting a lot from the crowd through his interpretation of the songs that he poses to."

INTERVIEWS BY VICKI BAKER, SENIOR COPY EDITOR