Does this sound right to you?

Anonny · 2011-07-11T08:02:24+00:00

Hi all, QUESTION: I have been poling for about 5 months and taken around 8 lessons with a studio with 2 different teachers.. The first teacher taught things very slowly and it was rather frustrating as I was finding it boring and a bit of a waste of money really as I picked it up very easily but was forced to continue learning to walk around the pole and do basic spins for majority of these lessons. I was happy when we had a new teacher who was faster paced but I found she spent more time showing off her own skills rather than teaching us! Frustrating once again as I'm paying a fortune for these proper lessons!! I have a pole at home so was able to practice at home and master the basic and most intermediate spins with no problems at all. I begged the teacher to teach me to invert safely so I could do it at home without hurting myself....she taught me the inverted crucifix which I got first shot. I was very happy. I gave up on this studio as I didn't feel I was learning enough, and I went ahead and bought Veenas lessons - best thing ever!! - so all this time I have taught myself a whole heap of tricks at home. Ok getting to the point, I went back for one more lesson at the studio and the faster paced teacher was adamant we learn how to do an inverted V but keep our legs straight the whole time, and the other thing we were taught was an invert whilst up the pole. That's all fine but the whole class was at my level or lower and nobody could do it. One of the students said to her "we have only just learned to invert and the other teacher makes sure we tuck our legs first" she replied with "well that's the basic way, Im showing you advanced". We all struggled terribly and then she proceeded to teach us a crazy advanced inverted trick! And again none of us were strong enough for it yet. My wrist is killing me from just attempting it :( So the question is, are we ready to learn these moves or is she jumping ahead of what we should be learning? The other question is, one…

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Anonny · 7/16/2011
This is just my personal opinion but I really don't like the idea of having a beginner/intermediate teacher to teach me! Why should I pay someone who is at my level or lower to teach me? I want a teacher that has a wide range of skills, knowledge, safety precautions AND teaching experience. I dont care how good you are at "beginner level" i want a fully experienced teacher! I'd prefer to save money and teach myself than have the above. @glitterhips- no your not confused, this is all at the same studio. Constant conflicting teaching and unprofessional teachers! You would think that the studio owner would keep this all under control BUT the studio owner just happens to be the teacher that is only at a beginner/intermediate level. In my opinion, this is BAD. I can only guess that I'm not the only person that feels this way. When it's blatantly obvious what goes on there it's hard to imagine other students aren't feeling the same way as me. There isn't much of a choice with studios in my area, theirs is the only one. Which makes me feel it's more of a money making ploy rather than a legit buisness as there is no competition for them at all. If I ever happen to attend a new dance school, I will be asking MANY questions before I give them my hard earned money.
Dancing Paws · 7/16/2011
To me it is more a matter of: 1) does the teacher have proper qualifications (i.e. education, insurance, etc.), 2) do they know what they are teaching well? 3) are they continuing their dance/fintess education? My first teacher knew higher level moves, but refused to teach them. My second teacher didn't know as many difficult tricks, but what she did know, she knew very well and taught it very well. Both were continuing their pole education. Personally, I don't WANT to teach advanced pole because of liability issues. Most girls learning pole are not aspiring to be acrobats. I am gearing my classes towards those that want a fun and challenging workout, and maybe want that sensual factor. The goal of my classes is not to have girls start out aready at my level. I want total newbies (which is very likely here.) I think you are a special case where you already have a lot of experience and you just need to find a qualified person to help you advance further. You are a very rare breed. I taught bellydance for YEARS, and I never taught the dangerous moves such as deep backbends and turkish drops (a turkish drop is when you go into a back band, then drop flat to the floor so that your feet are straddling your butt.) It is a very dangerous move with a high liklihood of injury. I'm one person, and I don't want to risk getting sued. I started out teaching bellydance after about a year of dancing myself, and continued to go to workshops to further my bellydance knowledge (I even spent a week in Maui with 2 of the more popular dancers.) From there, I danced professionally for another 4 years. I think it is also fine to learn from someone who has been dancing their entire lives, so they know the fundamentals of safety and technique, but may not be pros at pole. From what I have seen, most girls who are poling aren't at the pro level, and may not want to be. It's sort of like having a tutor for school. If you are in calculus, and someone needs tutoring in pre-calc, you are totally qualified to tutor that individual, but f you have someone in an equal or higher class than you, then you cannot teach them what you don't know.
PolefitFanatic · 7/19/2011
One of the difficulties that many studios face, well at least those I know of, is finding instructors that are qualified/experienced enough to teach. They are, without exception, always passionate advocates of pole but as has been experienced above, thats not always enough. Thankfully with Instructor Certification becoming more prevalent and as consumers demand it I am sure things will change. The offshoot of this however is classes are likely to become more expensive as studios own costs go up. In the meantime, one thing I am doing is getting together often to practice with other girls at a similar level so we can help each other out. Ultimately it is you who are responsible for your progress or otherwise, not your instructor.
PolefitFanatic · 7/19/2011
One of the difficulties that many studios face, well at least those I know of, is finding instructors that are qualified/experienced enough to teach. They are, without exception, always passionate advocates of pole but as has been experienced above, thats not always enough. Thankfully with Instructor Certification becoming more prevalent and as consumers demand it I am sure things will change. The offshoot of this however is classes are likely to become more expensive as studios own costs go up. In the meantime, one thing I am doing is getting together often to practice with other girls at a similar level so we can help each other out. Ultimately it is you who are responsible for your progress or otherwise, not your instructor.
MariYabe · 8/5/2011
Find another studio who is caring and supportive. I'm not a certified teacher but I'm passionate about pole. I'm consumed with it day and night. When I teach, my goal is to empower women and boost their confidence. I'm not there to intimidate or assume I'm better than anyone else. We have 9 poles in the studio and inevitably you have people at all levels of fitness, strength and abilities when they enter as beginners and more so with the advance, the gaps can be huge. I stick with the basics and add on for those who are ready for the next challenge. If students asks me to "show off" I'll do it but only by request. Unfortunately, I've witnessed teachers who show off and they do it deliberately and I think it's a shame because it makes others feel inferior and less than. I've seen first time students stand there, mouth open with this look of defeat. Why do you want clients who pay good money to feel like dopes? I don't get it.
Caley · 8/5/2011
I agree with nymphdancer's comment: "I perfer multi level classes so the more advanced students are learning more advanced versions of the same move :)" I lucked out with my studio. I did level 1 with a group of friends, and only a few of us are actually planning to continue. Due to the location of the studio, it is easier for the others to go to the downtown studio for level 2 when it opens in another month. I however, plan to continue at the original studio as it is actually closer to my home. I completely lucked out with how flexible my teacher is - she allowed me to join a small level 3/4 class. Becuase it is smaller, she is able to give us personal attention, and teach me level 2 on my own. The nice thing too is that since I have already proven to be physically stronger than what she anticipated, she has challenged me to try one handed spins and felt comfortable starting me on level 2 early. Now that I have changed to this other class, it seems I will be able to progress at my own pace rather than that of the entire class. I also just ordered my own pole to practice on at home to help my progression along. I would say my teacher is more of a ham than a show-off :P She is very good about letting us see snippits of what's to come and I feel it keeps us motivated, but in no way does she ever use class time to steal the show, or use it as an opportunity for us to dote over her abilities - like MariYabe, it's gerally only by request. Perhaps you can see if there is a multi-level class option available to you? Maybe the slower paced teacher would be able to accomodate you in a higher level class, but still allow you to work at your own pace. Have you talked to her about it? Its possible she recognized your strength and that you are in need of more of a challenge, but feels held back herself becuase of the class' progression as a whole? Try talking to her and see what comes of it :D
RedVelvet · 8/5/2011
So glad that I got to read the posts! Does anyone have any suggestions for specific things to look for and ask for when seeking out a studio? Trying to narrow down a studio so I can continue to be motivated after being off the pole for a few months.
Charley · 8/7/2011
To the OP - the advanced instructor doesn't sound like she's much of an instructor at all and if I were you I would share my experiences with the owner. Consumer feedback is really important, other girls may be feeling the same way nad just too afraid to say something. Even if it's an anonymous email - you need to let the owner know what's going on. The slow teacher - I am kind of the slow teacher at our studio although I prode myself on finding variations for everyone in the room. I think that while I don't ecpext everyone to like what they are learning every class, let's face it, we all have moves we hate, whether we hate doing them or think they're ugly, I expect everyone to try. I don't expect everyone to be perfect and polished at everything but there are certain requirements that must be met by the student before they can move into more advanced moves. I tend to beleive that instructors should determine this on an individual basis rather than a class basis, HOWEVER, I certainly see the reasoning behind wanting the class a whole to be on the same level. Are there things you can polish up and perfect with the slow teacher? I would spend my time owning each and every move until they are flawless if I had a slower teacher. I would use it to my advantage. It's important when going to a studio to inquire about their program and views on pole dancing. For example my program is twice a week. I beleive and encourage students to come 2x's a week, 1 strictly dance class and 1 tricks class. It's hard to cover all of the bases in a singel class which is why I developed 45 min dance classes like my signature SexyFIT which focuses on transitions, floorwork, basic spins and putting those things together in a routine. I have senior students still in the basic classes because there are as manny variaitions on the basics as there are on tricks. Secondly, I think pole tricks need to be taught safely and TIME needs to be given to students in order to focus soley on the trick, the body mechanics and the technique...once a trick is perfected then it's time to learn how to include in the dance. 2 classes for 2 different things that both require time and practice. With that example I encourage students to ask studios about their philosophies, their program, what are you getting? Will you learn a routine? Are you able to advance in your time or are you required to move with the rest of the class? Are you going to learn to dance by yourself without an instructor calling moves out? Can they care for your needs at your level? Do they offer supplemental classes? How far into your journey can they take you?