Charley
Forum Replies Created
-
I loved it the first time! I cannot find anything near as good. Where can I buy? Take my money!
-
Here’s a tip I figured out a while ago. When you sit with your legs crossed which leg is on top? For most people whichever leg is on top when their legs are crossed is their stronger side for Gemini (outside leg hang.)
Allegra will come out of the inside leg hang or flatline inside leg (flatline Scorpio.) your hooked leg should be quite bent. I would practice the flatline position and get really comfortable with that.
-
Hi! Pole teacher for over a decade. I’ve seen many plus size pole dancers accomplish tons of great stuff. Size doesn’t matter when it comes to creating your pole plan. Start with transitions and dance. Regardless of size most people have a tough time lifting themselves up in the beginning. I’d look at the conditioning stuff on here and start with transitions. Get comfortable with gripping the pole – there’s totally a technique to it. Just start dancing with it and learn how that feels. In no time you’ll see progress.
-
There’s not a lot of community on IG. Questions about tips to do a move largely go unanswered and people are just saving videos of things they want to try without interacting. I guess the lack of interaction is why I’ve never been big on IG to begin with. Facebook can be better but some of the pole groups are down right nasty.
-
I don’t think labels are really accurate for pole. There is no real definition between beginner and intermediate. In my experience some transitions and movement can be intermediate in that they take quite a bit of coordination to get where as certain moves or tricks are sheer strength/technique. I personally like to think the difference between beginner and intermediate is comfort and polish (pointed toes, good lines, smooth transitions.) there is more to learn at the beginner level in terms of grounded movement and spins than there is at advanced levels. My advice always to students is to build confidence and strength by continuing to practice basic skills. The stronger your spins are, the easier it is to climb. The stronger your climb is the easier it is to invert. Some people are strong enough to invert at the first class but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are intermediate. I think learned technique and movement is just as important.
-
The lessons here are probably the most beginner friendly lessons. Veena’s lessons don’t assume anyone has any dance or fitness background like some other online options. They also don’t require any kind of flexibility and she has strength and flexibility programs to help you get there.
-
I was extremely active on here until 2014 when life fell apart. After I had my son I stopped watching what everyone else was doing and just returned to practicing things that felt good on my body. I only recently started using IG again to find new pole stuff and the ban is making that hard. I’m hoping everyone comes back here so there’s a good pole resource.
-
Instrumentals get flagged sometimes too. I’ve had covers get flagged. On FB I usually say I have permission to use the music as the music isn’t being used to endorse or sell anything. They haven’t rejected anything yet. I have only had muting issues on IG but if mostly people are like me, I never open vids to hear the music anyway.
-
I’m often clammy and I like Dry Hands or Grrrip Plus. itac is better used on body parts than on hands.
I also recommend training basics lots. When I first started pole there’s no way I could do a reverse grab spin in the middle of a routine because I was so sweaty. As I’ve taken many steps back in my 12 years on the pole I found that I would sweat less when I was really confident in what I was doing.
-
I’m in Ann Arbor, Michigan
-
I recently decided to invest in a silk for my pole and I went with the Nexus Wrap from LRU Studios. For what it’s worth to anyone I am not affiliated with any of the companies (though X-pole has been a great sponsor for my events.) I decided on the Nexus Wrap because it’s rubber and it won’t damage my pole or anyone else’s, it doesn’t require any tools and it’s light weight, compact and can be carried in my bag. Price wise the Nexus system is (from my research thus far) on the lower end of cost. I’ve hung fabpole from several poles and playground equipment with no issues. It’s VERY easy to set up and get going. Customer service at LRU Studios is top notch and it took less than a week to get my whole set up which included the Nexus wrap/sling, caribener and a set of 20ft silks. I have not used the other products on the market but the simplicity of nexus is really great.
It’s really important to note that Pole Aria does not recommend use of their apparatus with any other poles besides LM – which makes sense – this is the pole type it was designed for. I assume X-Pole will also state the same thing. Use caution whenever using a product in ways it’s not designed for. Make sure you are always using poles and attachments according the manufacturers guidelines.
I’m super happy with my fabpole setup. The silks that I purchased from LRU to go with the sling are on the narrow side (I’m used to fat silks) so I purchased a 30ft set of used fabric from a girlfriend – I have yet to play with that. I have hung the silks as silks with two tails, tied it as a hammock and even hung it as a hammock and it’s really great! The fabric I purchased that it came with it is high quality and really beautiful.
One more thing, I have silks experience and a lot of pole experience but I found the hybrid very difficult as did a lot of my very experienced friends. Before you purchase any type of silk for your pole please invest in a really good crash mat and have a buddy to help you. I’ve gotten tied up and stuck – knocked into the pole and host of other things. Go slow and be really careful. Don’t be afraid to spend the money on some skype lessons – which can be done with LRU for sure and perhaps a few other people/places. I fully intend on doing some privates with Leesi at LRU (it’s only $60/hour – very reasonable) and probably teacher training too.
My last piece of advice is to make sure you are comfortable with spin mode basics at least with speeding up and slowing down – you have to use these on spin – it’s really not a good idea to use them in static mode if your pole is not perm mounted. I’m not a spin queen by any stretch and that has been the most challenging aspect of this for me is being okay with the spin. You can start slow though. I also recommend you start using them as a hammock first – this allows you to be hands free in certain things and you can also work with spinning better especially if you aren’t great with it like me – and you can do some really simple and elegant things. 🙂 Hope this helps anyone looking at pole/silk hybrids.
-
No, it’s not going to tour we are going to keep it local however I am flirting with the idea of presenting it at Pole Fest as one of our feature presentations. I am praying and believing this will be successful enough to run it every couple of months.
-
Be careful of online voting. If I understand it’s a “people’s choice” does that mean you will have to garner a lot of votes online? The internet isn’t fair. Just keep that in mind. I personally stay away from these kinds of things because it can be hard on the confidence. If you do submit a video – do it for fun. If it’s an online vote thing like it sounds like keep in mind people will vote for their friends not necessarily who should be in it. If it’s not, then def go for it.
-
A butterfly leg position in a handstand requires a certain level of flexibility and balance sometimes a straddle is much easier. Were other leg positions taught or offered? Was she watching your hands to make sure they weren’t super far out from the pole and that they were lined up under your shoulders properly? The butterfly leg variation can feel very scary.
I don’t think it’s good to compare students as everyone has strengths and weaknesses and everyone struggles with something. Handstands came later for me because they always felt scary. There is a lot of technique to the handstand – not just strength. Seems like she could have been much more tactful than she was. In terms of strength I’ve seen seemingly strong students struggle with what some may consider to be basic things because it’s also a matter of muscle engagement. So you can be super strong and not be engaging your core or your arms/shoulders etc. I really feel a lot of variations should have been offered if they were not and she should be asking questions about what your are feeling and working through it with you.
-
I like grrrip and a new fav is girlie grip. I’m super sweaty, I’ve used just about everything. I wash my hands with Dirty Girl then usually apply either grrrip or girlie grip on top. I was using tight grip and still do occasionally. It works well if you use it earlier in the day. I just became a bit scared of using the constant aluminum.