Hey girls (:

headoverheels started this discussion · 7/9/2012

So I'll start off by introducing mysef,my names is McKayla I'm 19 years old and I live in Cincinnati Ohio with my wonderful boyfriend and 3 adorable kitties. I became interested in pole after working at Deja Vu for a short period of time and I fell in love with the art of it. The talent,strength and grace it takes to be able to pole is amazing and beautiful. I was hooked. A few months later I purchased a pole for our home,hoping to be able to teach myself. After only being able to climb and (barely) do a few spins I became discouraged and took it down. We put it back up last night and I'm really determined to stick to it. So I'd love some advice from all you wonderfl self taught polers on strength building,staying motivated even when you feel weak and that you're making no progress and just learning new things in general. Also some advice on why my spins barely make a full turn around the pole would be awesome too (: and new friends with the same fabulous interest of course! Xxoo

15 replies

Jessica Jasmine · 7/9/2012
Hey McKayla! I have lived in Cincinnati, OH for two years and there are 2 pole fitness studios that are wonderful for beginner, intermediate, and advanced pole dancers. Combining home poling with StudioVeena and what you learn at a studio is ideal :) I have been to both studios and in only 2 years have gone from never touching a pole to the advanced classes! I highly recommend going to a studio...especially when you are first learning because they really teach you the "technical" stuff that will help you progress very quickly...and there's such a great community you build with other dancers at a studio. The 2 pole studios are Pole Kittens (there are 2 locations for this studio...one in Newport, KY and one in Cincinnati off of Paddock) and Bella Forza Fitness in Oakley. They are 2 very different studios, but they are both great. I would suggest going to both to see where you feel the most comfortable. I will say that Bella Forza Fitness is more affordable. I hope that helps :)
sundcarrie · 7/9/2012
Hello I am not self taught either I would suggest starting at a studio if you can but if not sign up for the lessons here. It is not something that you can learn without someone breaking it down for you and teaching you how to do it in a safe way. I spend as much time as I can afford at the studio and then practice some of what I learned at home. I don't have an amazing pole so I try to save the difficult stuff for class until I get a pole. I am at the studio 5 days a week but the lessons here are pretty good and broken down really well.
headoverheels · 7/9/2012
Thanks so much ladies! Makes sense that really having one on one instruction would help...Jessica, what would you say are the main differences between both studios?
BeccaBuck · 7/10/2012
HeadOver Heels, I do pole with Jessica at Bella Forza in Cincinnati, and its an awesome studio! I only did one class at Pole Kittens, so I can't really say mcuh of anything about it. Jess can tell you more about that studio. Bella Forza is a women's fitness center, they have 7 poles, they're 16 feet tall! Some are brass some are stainless steel, they do both static and spin mode. There are two advanced level instructors, they're both awesome! Danielle Tillie on this site is one of them (I think her username used to be Eglann?). Bella Forza is pretty affordable too, I think theyre running a special right now of $50 a month, unlimited classes (and they offer fitness classes too, like yoga and TRX, and kickboxing, etc). This is their youtube channel, lots of cool pole videos up there if you want to see, and the videos include people of all levels : http://www.youtube.com/user/BellaForzaFitness Hope that helps some!
Danielle Tillie · 7/10/2012
Hey there fellow Cincy girl! I am the one pokeyd mentioned as an instructor at Bella Forza Fitness. We would love to have you, of course! If you have any questions regarding our pole classes or the studio, feel free to shoot me a message. I am actually mostly self-taught myself, with the help of Veena's awesome lessons. It's possible to be self-taught, it just takes longer and is a bit more difficult. It can also be dangerous if you are not cautious. If you feel like regular studio classes are too expensive, I would recommend coming to class once every 2 weeks, learn a few new moves and get a check on the moves you know or may have learned on your own, then you can practice them on your own pole in between. We have drop-in class rates as well as punch-card or monthly membership, so you have options. Anyway, if you do drop in, please introduce yourself as a fellow Veener! :)
headoverheels · 7/10/2012
Yay! Thank you so much ladies! 50$ is very afforable so I definately think I'm going to check Bella Forza out! Plus its nice to know there are some fellow polers here in Cincinnati!! You girls all seem awesome,I have to say that its a wonderful thing when wemon
headoverheels · 7/10/2012
*women,Can get together and really share a passion for something in a non judgemental way
headoverheels · 7/10/2012
*women,Can get together and really share a passion for something in a non judgemental way
Vdub · 7/11/2012
HeadOverHeels I used to live in Cincinnati and took classes at both of the studios. Bella Forza is a beautiful studio and the poles are taller than any I've ever seen. The pricing was awesome so I was able to pole 3 times a week without breaking the bank. Check it out.
Veena · 7/15/2012
Hello welcome to the site!! As mentioned, there are lessons here too :) they are all arranged in order, focusing on building strenght first, to help prevent injury. So there is no guessing, or trying to figure out what to do next. Enjoy getting back on the pole!
headoverheels · 7/15/2012
Thanks so much everyone,and Veena I'm really excited to start your lessons!
PlatinumAni · 7/15/2012
I have never been to a studio or had a lesson outside of this site. If there was the option available I am sure I would check one out.. but there is not. Veena's lessons and the wonderful veeners has been my only forn of instruction. Even if I had studio access I would give up my memebership here! If I had the opportunity to take a lesson from Danielle I would be all over it though. Good luck and welcome to SV.
PlatinumAni · 7/15/2012
Ha I hope you understood I meant I wouldn't give up my lessons here. =)
firebird · 7/16/2012
Hi & welcome to SV & (back!) to the pole! As an instructor, I'll echo what others have suggested abt trying classes at a local studio. And just to even the playing field a bit here, I'll also plug Pole Kittens, just bc I met & pole-jammed (& even went bargain shopping!) w/1 of their instructors who happened to be visiting San Diego, & came to our studio while in town. Cindy was awesome & so much fun, & if I recall correctly she & her peers there @PK had the same pole instructor training/certification we've upheld at our studio since it opened 3 years ago (Pole Position Fitness methodology developed many yrs ago by Sharon Polsky) -- so I'm kinda partial to that fact since it's based on proper anatomic/kinesthetic principles & safety, etc. Anyway, for all I know maybe Bella Forza also uses the same methodology. But anyway, I'll say the same thing that I say to those who 1st try our studio & ask us abt others: try them all & see where u like the most & feel like u can make ur pole home. And I mean it. We refuse to bad-mouth another studio for a competitive edge, as that is just scarcity-minded behavior that also reeks of unprofessionalism. Especially because we are quite successful and we believe in what we do and that we do it well, and in supporting a "feel-&-show the love" vibe throughout the pole world. So enjoy exploring ur options! :) Also, here's a tip on spins that I just posted to another veener: try holding lower (as low as u possibly can while remaining standing upright) on the pole w/the low hand, so it pushes u away from the pole more. That should result in 4 desirable things: (1) more spin due in part to ur odds vs gravity being improved & also less body frixn on pole slowing u down; (2) easier transition from 1 spin to the next when doing combos; (3) more controlled (read: smoother) descent/landing; (4) almost the most important reason & why we teach this as a fundamental rule to all spins, is that the more u train ur body to hold low (& strong!) w/that lower hand/arm, the more u can train that arm to even start supporting some of yout weight, hence reducing the burden on ur primary (inside) supporting arm/shoulder. Even if it's just taking 5-10% of the load off the main supporting shoulder, we well know that any little bit helps! Pole spins r so gorgeous & dynamic, but they can be some of the most damaging moves in pole dancing. Hope that helps!
firebird · 7/16/2012
Hi & welcome to SV & (back!) to the pole! As an instructor, I'll echo what others have suggested abt trying classes at a local studio. And just to even the playing field a bit here, I'll also plug Pole Kittens, just bc I met & pole-jammed (& even went bargain shopping!) w/1 of their instructors who happened to be visiting San Diego, & came to our studio while in town. Cindy was awesome & so much fun, & if I recall correctly she & her peers there @PK had the same pole instructor training/certification we've upheld at our studio since it opened 3 years ago (Pole Position Fitness methodology developed many yrs ago by Sharon Polsky) -- so I'm kinda partial to that fact since it's based on proper anatomic/kinesthetic principles & safety, etc. Anyway, for all I know maybe Bella Forza also uses the same methodology. But anyway, I'll say the same thing that I say to those who 1st try our studio & ask us abt others: try them all & see where u like the most & feel like u can make ur pole home. And I mean it. We refuse to bad-mouth another studio for a competitive edge, as that is just scarcity-minded behavior that also reeks of unprofessionalism. Especially because we are quite successful and we believe in what we do and that we do it well, and in supporting a "feel-&-show the love" vibe throughout the pole world. So enjoy exploring ur options! :) Also, here's a tip on spins that I just posted to another veener: try holding lower (as low as u possibly can while remaining standing upright) on the pole w/the low hand, so it pushes u away from the pole more. That should result in 4 desirable things: (1) more spin due in part to ur odds vs gravity being improved & also less body frixn on pole slowing u down; (2) easier transition from 1 spin to the next when doing combos; (3) more controlled (read: smoother) descent/landing; (4) almost the most important reason & why we teach this as a fundamental rule to all spins, is that the more u train ur body to hold low (& strong!) w/that lower hand/arm, the more u can train that arm to even start supporting some of yout weight, hence reducing the burden on ur primary (inside) supporting arm/shoulder. Even if it's just taking 5-10% of the load off the main supporting shoulder, we well know that any little bit helps! Pole spins r so gorgeous & dynamic, but they can be some of the most damaging moves in pole dancing. Hope that helps!