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When a pole performance goes badly…
I had my competition last weekend and I had a super great time with my pole family, there is no love like pole love and I wish I could spend every weekend like that! The talent was off the chain and I think the Midwest competition could have rivaled anything on the coasts, I was actually blown away by the skill that was displayed in this competition.
I had a new experience that I never even thought would be possible/happen to me…I knew my routine like the back of my hand but when I took the stage and went into my first compulsory spin I slid right down and couldn't grip the pole at all. I was having major issues with one of the poles and I couldn't recover my routine so I had to freestyle some of it on stage which I NEVER do. My routine went so badly that I didn't even bow at the end because I was too embarassed. I didn't put on the show I wanted to put on and I walked off stage feeling awful. My coach came to me immediately and told me it wasn't as bad as I thought but I was super super upset. I could some girls in the other divisions having the same problems that I did and I spoke to a few afterwards, one of them was even a well known pro, she had grip issues and didn't place either. It's a tough pill for me to swallow because I practiced my ass off for this and it sucks knowing I couldn't control the pole, but now that I've had time to think about it there was some stuff I could have done differently going into it which makes me feel better and worse depending on the day. I overtrained myself the week before, so by the time the morning of rolled around, I was completely exhausted and felt really crappy the entire day on Friday with a migraine and all I could think about was sleeping. Looking back I didn't set myself up to succeed as well as I could have, but this was a very good learning experience for me. I spoke with Karol for a long time afterward because she has seen me perform many times and she said it happens to everyone and happened to her at USPDF last year. I wasn't going to compete next year because my wedding will be coming up in October and it will be crazy but I am going to have to so I can redeem myself! I feel so bad about what happened 🙁 But after writing this last post about it I have to learn from it, accept it, and move on.
I got my scores back and I wasn't going to look at them but I was pleasantly surprised to find out I placed 5th out of 11, and that's with my routine going totally wrong. It is a good feeling to know I was still at the top half even with it going so badly!!! So I think my hard work did pay off because I was able to nail a few parts. 3 out of 6 judges wrote they could see me slipping and one even still scored me high on the compulsory spin I missed which was so nice of her.
Has this happened to anyone else?! I can't be the only out there with this problem! Overall though I am glad it happened this early on in my competing career so I can learn from it and take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. I had a great weekend though and met a lot of veeners and I can't wait until next year!
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21 Replies
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I am brand new to Pole but I do other Competitive Dance and YES it does happen. Your strength can change, you can forget the routine that you knew so very well, you can slip and or fall. You keep moving and smiling…Sounds like you thought on your feet ( or Pole ) and improvised which is great…..I had a competition this weekend in Nashville. Not my first, knew my routine, felt confident and then blew it : (. It happens but hard to let go of when it happens. Our Dance Team placed high but frankly I am dreading seeing that Video. Did someone Video you?
One really great sentence inyour post is " I can't wait until next year". So it was not a bad enough experience to not try it again. Writing and sharing about it helps.
5th place is AWESOME. I hope to come watch you next year.
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Seeing this, I am wondering why the poles are not checked more often. I would be pissed if the pole was the issue why I did not do well. That is not really my problem. Someone was supposed to clean the poles properly. Obviously, that was not done.https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif You are not the only one that has stated having this issue. Alcohol should have been used from top to bottom with a new paper towel each time. When I performed only once, I cleaned the pole myself eventhough it had been cleaned. I did not like how they did it. LOL!!!!!!https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif
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Sounds like you are being really hard on yourself. Sometimes we have really off days and it sucks when that off day is performance time. We can have physical limitations, fatigue, forget our moves, equipment can malfunction, shoes can break… or we can just trip and fall over our own two feet. There is so much unexpected that can happen.
In any case "the show must go on" is the best approach and that is exactly what you did.
I have had things come up during performances, some have been entirely due to me and others have been things I can't control. I am at a point now where I do not take anything for granted when I step out on a stage and I am prepared to get it together and back in my zone as quickly as possible.
Performances are more difficult because you are scored and things that come up can keep you from placing. But… just knowing you qualified and got there is important. It is really hard to not be really upset when we don't do our best in performance. I've been there. Many of us have. Just recover and get ready for the next time and be proud of all you have accomplished.
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oops… meant to say Comps are more difficult due to scoring. I'm sure you know what I meant. 🙂
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"Someone was supposed to clean the poles properly. Obviously, that was not done"
I don't agree with this statement. I was there and poles were cleaned very well and all of us as polers know how heat/cold of pole or sweaty vs dry skin can effect the poles as well and that has nothing to do with the cleaning of the poles. The room was cold. with my uber dry skin I would never have been able to get a grip on the poles. They were keeping the room as cold as they could so the performers wouldn't get sweaty hands but that is a nerves thing too.
Glitter did wonderfully though she smiled through the whole thing I was biting my nails because I had seen Video of her routine before the comp and knew it wasn't going the way she had planned. She improvised very well and never let it show that it wasn't what she had planned to do. For that alone she totally rocks!
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Thanks everybody! I am definitely being hard on myself but I feel very sad I didn't get to give the performance I wanted to give. If I wasn't at least a little disappointed in myself I wouldn't grow as a performer but I do feel way better knowing I still placed in the top half.
To be fair, people watching it live were saying similar things about the pole cleaners not doing a good job BUT I don't personally agree with that because my hands sweat really bad anyways and that was part of the issue, so like I said earlier, some stuff was under my control. Also the pole cleaners for my division were actually people I know and students of Michelle Mynx who coached me, I was actually surprised they were allowed to clean for me. So if anything they would have done an extra good job for me considering they knew me already. I am going to explore some options for dealing with my hands sweating so bad, it was hard to get through a routine with no tricks because usually those give me time to dry my hands off. I also never asked how they were being cleaned, what they were being cleaned with, or if I could give any specifications as to how I wanted it cleaned. if I would have known that info ahead of time I could have prepared, I also felt I was at a disadvantage because I had to go last. Girls who went 1, 2, 3rd said the poles were perfect. Someone told me they cleaned the pole and it didn't smell like it was being cleaned with alcohol which is what I am used to using. The stage had lights this year and I am not used to dancing on a stage like that but like I said, I learned a lot and now I can try to avoid this same problem in the future.
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I think sometimes people tend to blame pole cleaners, room temp, etc before they will admit they were having grip issues.
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Hugs**
You are taking a great approach. Learn and move on. You will come back and nail it, we all know some days things just don't go our way! I am so glad to hear you not blaming other people and that mays you head and shoulders above most. I am proud of you and am looking forward to hearing about you next preformance. =)
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Hi Glitterhips–
I just watched the video of your performance. I think anyone who knows anything about poles would know that the less-than-stellar spins at the beginning were not due to your lack of skill! The difference in how you looked from one pole to the other was huge. I think it's clear that you are pretty talented, and that the first pole just wasn't working out for you. Cuz you did great on the second pole. I imagine the judges saw the same thing and that's why you placed so well. 🙂
Try not to get too down on yourself! You were fucking cute as a bug and it was entertaining as hell, even if the tricks weren't everything you hoped for. Be proud! 😀
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I am glad that you were able to actually see comments and scores from the judges, because as much as you knew that your routine wasn't going as expected, you thrilled those if us watching you! I agree with Nymphdancer. Just your ability to improvise earns huge points. You kept that beautiful smile on your face the entire time. The moves that you were able to do were rock solid. I am honored to say that you were my first instructor, and I can't wait to see what the future brings!
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You mention another good point. The lights. The lights, perhaps louder music, distractions from noise in the crowd…..it can be quite different being on the competitive stage. It can be a very different experience. One you can come to love but still a different enviorment that you may be used to practicing in. I remember the music and lights blew my hair back the first time on stage…loud and bright !! Was not prepared for that. You will know more what to expect next time. You did beautiful !!!!
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its ok happened to me too…had nightmares for a while… but its normal it happen to all of us !!
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USPDF ECR 2010 – Worst performance experience of my life. I under estimated the ability to use a spin pole and when I got there they had super spinner (which you WANT in a comp) but I had only choreographed enough spin to "pass" and was still so terrified that an hour before the comp started I told them to change out the spinner to static – thus eliminating my enitre beginning. I SHOULD have prepared better but I didn't because I was inexperienced at doing professional performances much less competitions. I was so nervous the judges could read it in my body language. I rushed my compulsory round and ended early which we are not supposed to do or you can get docked. So between fresstyling the beginning, being nervous and translating to the crowd and preparing properly – I was in tears, ashamed and felt like a big joke to the USPDF and felt like I had let THEM down for ebing so awful since they were the creme de la creme of competitions – I felt like I had blown my chance to ever be selected for anything ever again because I choked so badly.
Last year at midwest I was a mess remembering how ill prepared I was in a competition and how bad the last experience had gone but through that I learned a lot and did much better.
This is the bad performance that stands out to me but I've MANY, MANY performances and 9 times out of 10 it's because I'm ill prepared.
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I don't compete. Never will. But my only live audience pole performance I haven't felt like it was crap was down in FL this year with a live band.
my first performance which was at one of Charley's shows and it totally sucked except one hat toss at the begining.
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ok I have to restate that. I won't say they were total crap. I just wasn't happy with the way they turned out.
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Let me let you in on a little secret. When I did AGT, I had mentally prepared that routine all day before I went on stage. I forgot about 90% of my choreographed routine when I walked out there! I remembered my key points but I freestyled the rest of it. Of all the years ive performed, ive been told if you forget a move, dont put the feeling on your face – just solider on! It happens to all of us!
Ive done the same competition 4 times to make it to the finals. Its hard to put blood, sweat, tears into something and watch it all crumble within 3min. IMO, I think theres a time period where you can be down on yourself but you gotta pick yourself back up and press on. I give myself no more than a day to have a pity party, I take a week off, do some reflections. Then get back up and start over.
Its normal to be hard on yourself – you are your own toughest critic! You just gotta know when to learn from it and use it for the next competition.
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I love this thread!
Yes, it happens when you don't want it too…that's performing for ya. That's pole for ya. I often feel jealous of my fellow burlesque performers, for when they do solos, they are truly solo. But me with the pole, I feel that I am up there with another performer – the pole – and she can have a mind of her own!
This summer was terrible for poling, with the heat and humidity. The absolute hardest was this May at the Show-Me Festival in St Louis. Ya see, I *needed* to be in this festival and am forever thrilled I was accepted. I performed in the late show, and when they say late, they mean late. In addition to the fact that St Louis is one hour behind East Coast, basically I made my super important-to-me performance at 2am EST!! Holy crap, my body had never-ever pole performed at that hour, and almost immediately into the routine, my muscles were pretty much shot. That combined with the humidity in the air, the pole was practically liquid, it was so slippery. EVERYTHING was a struggle, EVERYTHING was almost impossible! But I fought. my. ass. as hard as I could. I was convinced that I did a terrible job, but at least I was accepted for the festival, and at least I got through the routine with no quick on-the-spot changes.
A couple months later, I performed in Philly, same routine. Almost immediately into the routine, the pole became liquid, shockingly slippery. I was freaking out -on stage- with people looking at me, with people taking photos, with cameras taking video. I couldn't believe that it was happening again, "This is just like St Louis, crap, another terrible performance…noooo!" I got off the stage so dissapointed that I messed up again.
Then I got the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKercz61IQ8&
Seriously, you can not tell that I was freaking out during this, you can not tell I was sure I was going to fall off every other second, you can not tell that my mind is racing constantly thinking of on-the-spot adjustments I could do to make it through, but I kept the routine as is. Somehow I had trained myself to smile throughout all this mess going on in my head. I dont know how that happened.
Just saying that when you think its a HORRIBLE performance, when you think you did so bad you just want to hang up the heels and throw your pole away – it just might not look as bad as you think. 🙂
I don't perform in full on pole shows, often I am the only poler in a show. So its more difficult for me, temperatures in venue are not regulated for poling (often too hot, so I'm sweaty and the pole is slippery). I wipe my own pole down before I go on, since I dont trust non-polers to do a good job at that. I've also learned that I can be cold backstage, but I get out there with the bright lights up close to the stage and I turn into a sweaty mess. Also, small venues and me climbing the pole means I'm even hotter closer to the lights and heat up high.
Basically, the more you perform, the more situations arise that you have no control over. All I can do make sure I know my routine backwards and forwards, grip up, swear by my dry hands and alcohol spray, and pray to the pole goddesses.
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I can honestly say out of all the times that I have performed a pole routine..only ONE TIME did I actually execute it the way I choreographed it. There is almost always some kind of variable that effects my routines ie: slippery pole, too cold, too humid, etc. But as everyone says, the show must go on. I usually end up freestyling half of my routines. I'm used to it by now. But the trick is to not lead on that something is wrong. Keep performing, keep smiling and no one will know. 🙂 I'm sure you did amazing my dear! keeping pushing on!
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Glitter….did you see my facebook post in regards to my showcase performance? You were amazing…and you WILL get back up on that stage next year, and blow us all away!
We alllll love you! xoxo
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All you ladies who perform and/or compete are awesome!! Be proud of putting yourself out there becuase that’s the part most pple are horrified of. Natasha slipped and FELL off the pole on LIVE TV, ahhh! Happens to the best, literally.
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Thanks so much ladies!!!! You are all making me feel a lot better 😀 I will try to post my rehearsal video here, the live video is on don curry's youtube channel. On the plus side, I was photographed and videod by him for free and the newspaper photographer got some kickass shots of me also, that I can use for websites etc, so that was worth it by itself.
I forgot about Natasha's fall! Also I can't imagine how Jenyne felt after nailing her entire worlds routine until the very very end and she took that awful long fall…….I think she may have even beat Felix with that routine. I always felt really lucky I had never had any falls or major mishaps on stage so I think it was gonna happen eventually. Hopefully I got it overwith for a while!
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