My first pole lesson was spins. To be fair my instructor had been teaching for 6 months and gave me loads of wrong information (inverted thigh hold was "butterfly hold" and side pole hold was "teddy" *roll eyes*) but she was 100% safe in teaching. The studio she worked for was the worst part, though. The owner had a real passion for pole, but didn't really want to invest in it for others. Like, the studio didn't have crash mats. For anything. And they had aerial rigs!
I learned CAR only after learning CKR which was like, my second visit. But you were spotted the whole way and they reminded you not to do it by yourself for a while, or only do the hold but not the whole layback, if that makes sense.
|: I am also annoyed by "kickers". Except for I get to watch kickers all day long. New girls, fresh pups in the world of exotic dance, watch me or another advanced dancer do a move and think that they can do it. My work dances are very different from my home dances. I'm told by co-workers that I do a "pouty, bitchy dance" but in the most positive way they can put it. In short, one new girl didn't understand that concept of "stage presense" and assumed I was trying to be "better than her" (*sigh* THESE NEW GIRLS, so ignorant) and tried to pop out a shoulder mount. Needless to say, she didn't and actually ended up just falling on her back and having the wind knocked out of her.
Pole IS too hard for some people. Especially when they think that they can dive right into it because someone else makes it look easy. Yesterday I had a private with my instructor and she told me some of the moves that she couldn't do or was still afraid to do after pole dancing for 10+ years. I'm more comforted by progress when I can actually see it, and am reminded people are still human.
