can sensual dancing be forced?

namarre started this discussion · 8/19/2010

Hey ladies, After seeing the different approaches taken by different studios, I'm just curious to get some other opinions on this. Can you learn to dance sensually/naturally through various exercises, or does it come from being comfortable enough with your moves to play with them? Is the slow, sensual dance the ultimate goal for pole dancing, or is a playful approach okay, too? What would you rather see in a studio - a slow approach that lets you develop fluidity at your own pace, or one that emphasizes the sensual fluidity in every class? What do you do if you love the learning the moves and the class, but are feeling forced to be sensual on cue?

12 replies

Danielle Tillie · 8/19/2010
In my studio, we would practice the moves at our own pace, and at the end of every class we'd put on little 2 minute performances for each other. We could pick the song individually, so there were plenty of dance styles. I enjoyed that, because it allowed me to dance how I wanted to music that I enjoyed.
MilienElayne · 8/19/2010
I like it. If I weren't forced, I wouldn't progress... at all. I need it. Nothing came natural to me except pointing my toes when I started. I still have so far to go in the dance area though. Practice makes perfect 🙂
nymphdancer · 8/19/2010
I don't know that forced is the word I would use. Taught isn't really right either. I do think that as you are exposed to the more sensual side of dance and you get more comfortable in your own skin a lot of people find sensual dance to become increasingly easier to have just "happen". Some ladies however don't ever get there, they just don't care for the more sensual side and are more tricksters. There are also ladies who do what should be a sensual move but if you watch them it is the same practiced precise move everytime which in a way is sort of forced. and yes I think dances can be more playful then sensual and still be very fun dances to watch.
amy · 8/19/2010
i think that to dance naturally, you need to learn a lot of transitions in and out of every movement so that you never look like you are trying to think of what to do next. you need to practice flow and fluidity every time you pole. it took me 3 years to develop this (but i had no other "dance" training or movement instruction of any kind so it probably took me longer than most!), and it came from an emphasis on slow and controlled movement and linking tricks together with fluid transitions. it means not just working on pole tricks, but dancing through everything all the time and really finishing all your movements. i think that to dance sensually means to come to peace with your own sensuality, sexuality, and become comfortable with it and letting it show in your movement. i think that in the beginning, if you aren't in that emotional place already, this can feel forced and fake. probably some people are not comfortable with it, or just don't desire to continue developing this kind of movement, and find a style that suits them better. i think also, if you are forced to explore this kind of movement, it can lead to something akin to dance therapy-- honestly, my experience at sfactor led me to realize that a lot of women find sensual movemetn to be therapeutic, and that it unlocks and helps them release a lot of hurt and pain that they had experienced in their lives and reclaim their sexuality. but sfactor doesn't teach "pole" per se... it's more a movement and dance class. personally i believe that the goal in pole dancing is to find the innate movement that is in your body, and allow it to come out. i think that everyone has their own style, they just need to develop and find it. i hope that didn't come out to be too much of an ad for Sfactor. i was a student there for a long time and found it to be immensely helpful in figuring out my own movement and preferred style of pole, although i am no longer a regular studnet there and teach elsewhere. for some people it's completely the wrong place to be, and whatever their business practices may be, i think that their philosophy on teaching is really interesting.
angel6101 · 8/19/2010
Well the easy answer for me would be no! Trying to "force" someone to move a certain way doesn't work because it ultimately is trying to make someone "feel" the movements the way you do and each woman/man has a different approach to sexy/sensual movement. I've seen dancer that are way more sexy if they work with their natural athleticism and move faster and some are better if they dance slower. Also, the most importent element in how we move is feel and music. For me, I usually find I feel more sensual dancing to music thats not necessarily "happy" sexy but kinda a more sad song and immediately my movements become slower and slinkier. You can teach someone transitions and floor work and sexier movements but you can't force the way they interpret them. It's actually a pet peeve of mine when I see instructors try to teach students to be sexy/sensual in only one kind of way because what is sexy/sensual is in the eye of the beholder and the performer. I believe it's important to encourage sensual dancing but with the explanation that the moves are yours to interpret and mold into your own. For me seeing a class of people learn all the same moves and then run with them and turn them into something completely their own and be all kinds of different sexy is a beautiful thing! That's what makes pole so great, we can each do the exact same movements and yet the way we interpret them can be completely different and individual 😀
MilienElayne · 8/20/2010
Sensuality is very individual and I still find it hard to connect sometimes. To freestyle and to choregraph routines I have taught myself to move to music and to do what my body seems to want to do for transitions and dance steps (this has taken me 2 years and I'm still not there yet)... but when learning I need a strict breakdown of simple sensual moves every one else can seem to do without thought. It annoys me when for the sake of individuality and dance freedom no-one has mentioned that I've been doing something 'wrong' for weeks when I could have been doing it a lot better for me. For example, booty popping... I never knew physically how to until I watched Veena's lessons. I'm by no means good at it and my booty doesn't pop much... but before I was air humping! That needs to be mentioned!!!
Mary Ellyn · 8/21/2010
This is just my own interpretation of the two words but I think "sexy" can be faked but "sensual" cannot be faked or forced. Amy has some wonderful insight into sensual movement and she should...she is one of the most sensual dancers I've ever seen. SFactor seems to get it right with a lot of women, though there are many places to learn who will help you connect with that sensuality. Despite our studio name, we don't really "push" a lot of sensuality as much as playfulness - if anything at all. But when we do work on sensuality, I encourage students to "pretend" or "act" as sensual as they can even if they don't feel it. They may feel silly or akward at first but the more they do it the more they become comfortable with moving that way...and being comfortable is the first step toward feeling it.
PowerTwirl · 8/22/2010
I think the pole world is becoming divided... the sensual dancers turn their noses at the trixters and the trixters turn theirs at the sensual dancers. It should not be this way. I don't think we should define what the term "pole dancing" should be. It should be whatever the INDIVIDUAL wants it to be. If I want to do trick after trick I should be allowed to do so without being criticized for "not dancing enough"... and vice versa. Honestly I think the tricks are just as much dance as the "dance" is... if you watch two different girls doing tricks, they will look comletely different even though its the same trick... everyones style is different and cannot be copied... at least not naturally. That's why I prefer programs in studios now that have a tricks type of class and a floor work class (or whatever variations) as separate entities. Then, if the girl chooses, she can mix these in her routines... or she can stick with just one. Some programs just have pole level 1-6 and you have to learn certain things... for example... I'm not really interested in the "humping the floor" move so I wasn't really excited when we had to do that in class. I felt that should have been something for a floor class, not a " general ed" type of thing. 😜
monica kay · 8/22/2010
for me, the shoes are the trigger. if i dont have 5 inch heels on, i'm not sexy nor sensual. I dont even feel sexy unless those heels are on. In the pole classes i've taken, we just wear socks and i feel like I'm just learning pieces of dances. Putting the pieces together and making my own dance (sensual or not) is up to me on my own time. Maybe it would be good to have a totally separate class that is called "sensual pole" or something like that. So that students that are not interested in floor humping, etc, can opt out of such things.
reenie aka Mysfit · 8/22/2010
You know.....I am finding this myself lately. I normally dance in bare feet but I have been playing around in dancing in my 4"shoes.....WOW....All of a sudden this attitude comes out of no where. Pretty freakin cool. I am still learning things about myself and evolving...... for me, the shoes are the trigger. if i dont have 5 inch heels on, i'm not sexy nor sensual. I dont even feel sexy unless those heels are on. In the pole classes i've taken, we just wear socks and i feel like I'm just learning pieces of dances. Putting the pieces together and making my own dance (sensual or not) is up to me on my own time. Maybe it would be good to have a totally separate class that is called "sensual pole" or something like that. So that students that are not interested in floor humping, etc, can opt out of such things.
hookedonpole · 8/23/2010
This is my experience; I am not natural with the sensual or even dance aspect of pole. I began at a studio that was not sensual focused, more on strength, learning spins, some tricks, etc. I liked that since I've been very active with aerobics, step aerobics, power flex weight classes at gyms. The studio closed down and I began to attend others in my area (2-3 hrs away, really) for one day classes/workshops. I attended one that was VERY sensual focused, even the warmup was all about it and I was very uncomfortable. The instructer even made it a point to verbally express how uncomfortable I was (I really didn't need that!) The cool down was a 10 minute time with lights down of personal sensual pole dance, again not for me. So I just don't go again. When I look into one day classes or worshops, I ask if it is sensual dance centered. I hope it's not rude, but I need to know before I spend the money and travel time as they are usually 2-3 hours away. Yes, I have played with it and accept it does not come naturally for me. I even told my husband I wish I could get it, but he reminded me that my goal is fitness, strength training and accomplishing what works for me, he is so supportive! I can't force the sensual part of it and admire those who are natural at it and/or include it in their pole journey. I'm also still at the point of struggling to get in and out of holds/tricks/spins, much less doing it sensually 🤔 So, I feel each person needs to decide what works for them, what the goal is, and find classes that meet that need. I won't force it cuz then I feel geeky and won't enjoy poling. I also agree about not belittling between the two styles. I overhead it mentioned at the sensual studio that someone's performance was not "pole dance" because all they did was tricks. I've seen many trick rountines that are very dancey and beautiful art. BTW, this sensual studio class I attended was a class on how to improve spins, momentum, etc. Therefore, I did not expect the warm up and cool down to include sensual moves. This is just my personal experience. Oh, and my husband also said that I am sexy where it counts 😳
amberpoledancer · 8/23/2010
Hi im a studio owner/teacher and i offer a choice. We do first hour of tricks, and last halfhour /20 mins of filler and flor work, linking in moves to create a routine. Everyone is different and not everone likesor is interested with the sensual side of it so they have the chioce to just carry on with their moves or they can join in on the filler work. I dont like to force girls into it or make them feel uncomfortable. There are other studios near by that make their students do the sensual sexy side of pole, weather they like it or not and there are other schools that dont believe in it at all and are purely trick based. I Like to think we offer a good mix of both 😀 but yeh i think if you feel you HAVE to do sexy dancing in your class it can look forced, and make you feel worse about doing it 🙁