[Charley]

They were having mega issues up to a 6 or 7 months ago with multi piece poles 🙁

We had a client who went through SEVERAL extensions on her pole before she could errect it.

I think PS makes a great removable one piece pole but their multipiece poles are not reliable in quality.  

If it has to be a multipiece then I highly recommend the x-pole and yes x-joints can be a pain but I've had my x-pert up since october and haven't had a problem with x-joints turning, the studio however has and all the poles need to be taken down and fixed.

[Charley]

Awesome Idea!!!!!

Hands: Tite Grip and hour, 30 minutes, 15 minutes and then right before…Grrrip for additional drying out and extra grip.

Legs Pole Physics the night before, right before

 

[Charley]

I have owned personally 5 platinum stages poles and 3 x-poles…I can honestly say no pole is perfect but I've had much better luck with X-pole vs.Platinum Stages…with PS their multi piece poles rarely ever fit together – for that reason alone I would stay away from them.

If you need a multipiece pole – go x-pole.

[Charley]

I would highly suggest just purchasing the shorter extension.  ALL of the X-pole extensions fit the XSL.

I have one and I bought the extra extensions so that I could use the pole in my house, works like a charm.

My XSL can go 8,9 or 10 feet.  I don't think it's good to cut the top off because you never know when you'll be able to use the whole top and if you cut it off it won't fit any of the extensions because it won't have holes for the x-joint.  I'm guessing replacing the top piece of the pole would be expensive too.  Just sit on it and get an extension 🙂

[Charley]

I have been so far pretty good about it.  I've met music celebrities in my former life and interviewed lots of actors and other celebrities as a DJ.  I have always tried to be calm cool and collected although my heart was beating so loud you could hear it through the mic.

The worst thing I ever did was when I met Alanis Morisette I told her I was "going to pee my pants" then ended up inadvertantly telling her she was a bad singer.  I was just so excited because I was a hippie, litlith fair teenager growing up and while I was in my mid 20's when I met her and her fame had fizzled out I was still just so mesmorized by her that I made an A%& of myself!  lol!  LUCKILY, I was just there to see the show and not on a work thing – that would've been sooo bad.

I got really giddy when I met Wendy Traskos for the first time a few years ago when she came to our studio – but kept it together but I was so super excited.  I really did want to pee my pants.  This was just after the first USPDF if you can imagine how long ago that was.  This was also my first pole class too so I was just so excited.

 

 

[Charley]

Here is a list I have compiled using google – there are many, many more certs out there.

 

http://www.polefitnessstudio.com/certification.html?filename=Certifications

http://www.verticaldance.com/poledancingcertification.htm

http://www.urbanfertilitydancer.com/licensing.html

http://www.polefitnessstudio.net/certification.html

http://www.climbandspin.com/

http://www.empowermentthroughexoticdance.com/ETEDInstructorTraining.htm

http://www.poledancinglasvegas.com/pole_dancing_certification.html

http://www.poleworx.com/pole-dancing-certification.htm

http://www.frommindtobody.com/Instructorcertification.html

http://www.sobepoledance.com/pole-dance-certification.html

http://www.lrustudios.com/pdcertification.html

http://www.felixcaneinc.com/certification.php

http://www.poledancestudio.com/mastercertification.php

http://www.discoveriesdance.com/

http://www.pole-dancing-for-fitness.com/milton-and-mississauga-ontario-live-once-pole-dance-and-fitness-studio.html

http://ripped4real.com/Poleology.aspx

http://www.lady-katherine.net/certification.html

http://www.isabellesalsa.com/newsite/pole-dancing-teachers-training-course.php

http://www.studiosoiree.com/InstructorTraining.html

http://www.teachexoticdance.com/certification/types/poleposition/

http://www.ocpolefitness.com/certified.php

[Charley]

I think I could like with a pink stage lol, although some of the guys might feel weird about it.

[Charley]

Just a thought – if you can powder coat a pole…could you powder coat the xstage pie plates????  I could have a pink x-stage lite????  

[Charley]

I think you can get powder coating at an autobody shop.  You would probably need to sand the pole first though…not 100% sure.

[Charley]

We made a stage based off of the Jay Silver plans – my stage was actually reinforced in the center because the pole sta on top of it, pole didn't actually go through it – but it was very sturdy and very good!  

We used 3/4'' plywood I'd suggest maybe using 1'' thick if you can though.  It was also VERY heavy but very effective.  I have the XSL and it's just as heavy as that stage was but less cumbersome because it's smaller.  The cool thing about the Jay Silver plans is you can really get creative and make an awesome custom stage.  My stage was over $100 in parts but well worth – I wish I wouldn't have left it at the studio I used to teach at.  If you powder coat the pole it will be super grippy too 😀

[Charley]

I feel like pole is as specialized as yoga or pilates, there are a lot of things to know and while I was a good teacher before certification I am a better teacher now.  I learned so much more than just how to teach a trick or when to teach a trick but class management, how to minimize use of my body, effective communication and more.

I have never done ballet, gymnastics or any other kind of dancing, never attended any kind of fitness class so for me, this was an important step and I got a lot out of it.

Not everyone will need certification because of their various backgrounds, degrees and certifications in other things but for me, pole is my passion and this was a way for me to learn a lot all at once.

I really recommend certification especially to self taught pole dancers.  I still try to take as many classes as I can and teaching pole dance has afforded me the luxery to train with ballet teachers, pole teachers, aerial teachers, yoga teachers and whole host of other skills.  Going through the certification process also gave me an unlikely education in how to find amazing trainers.  The men and women I have trained with in various skills have been extremely knowledgable about their craft because they too took the time to really study it.  I've been able to identify unsafe teaching in other skills/dance because I was taught what a good teacher should be.

As I said before I lack formal training in most of the hobbies I like to immerse myself in and I feel I would be better at most of those things if I had the option to pay for real training…there is just so much to know about everything.

I am a person who enjoys studying and learning so the process to me was not only something I should have done before I ever taught a class but really enjoyable.  AND certification wasn't so expensive if I look at all the money I have spent on taking private lessons- upwards of $150/hour…if I'm willing to spend that much money on pole tricks I should be willing to save to my money and spend it on learning to be a better teacher too.  My certification was the equivilant of 15 private sessions – which I would easily do in a year if there were than many available to me – I've already spent just about $500 on pole dancing and related training this year alone and that's a drop in the bucket in comparison to what my regular clients pay to come take lessons with me.  So, to sum it all up, I feel better having gone through training, I learned, I feel like I offer better products now because before I had nothing to draw from.

Just my personal story.  Teaching has given me a great appreciation for paying for education.

[Charley]

I'd also like to add that my experiences with fitness instructors is likely unique to me because I do know that there are a lot of top notch instructors out there teaching pole with fitness and/or dance backgrounds.  I think there ARE those who probably don't need pole certification like Amber Richard – pole is in her veins!  Not to mention that she is studying physical therapy.  Marlo, Michelle Stanek, Alethea Austin, Karol Helms are all amazing instructors that I've taken classes with but at the end of the day pole is their life, certification is an amazing process that really aids in giving you a lot of knowledge in a short amount of time.  I consider a few months a short amount of time when you leverage the time it has taken for the aforementioned talents to not only get good at their craft but also get good at communicating.

Plus for me, I hated telling students I was a self taught dancer without any prior experience, now, I can tell them I taught myself but I took the time to get certified and immerse myself in pole.

[Charley]

I'd also like to add that my experiences with fitness instructors is likely unique to me because I do know that there are a lot of top notch instructors out there teaching pole with fitness and/or dance backgrounds.  I think there ARE those who probably don't need pole certification like Amber Richard – pole is in her veins!  Not to mention that she is studying physical therapy.  Marlo, Michelle Stanek, Alethea Austin, Karol Helms are all amazing instructors that I've taken classes with but at the end of the day pole is their life, certification is an amazing process that really aids in giving you a lot of knowledge in a short amount of time.  I consider a few months a short amount of time when you leverage the time it has taken for the aforementioned talents to not only get good at their craft but also get good at communicating.

Plus for me, I hated telling students I was a self taught dancer without any prior experience, now, I can tell them I taught myself but I took the time to get certified and immerse myself in pole.

[Charley]

I taught for a long time as an uncertified instructor.  I had just began research when I ran into Empy and she talked me about her certification, I was in a place where I realized, yes, I was a good instructor but I needed something behind me because I don't have any background in anything.  I am self studier of many things and have lacked formal training in most things I do.  I like to read and learn and study the things pertinent in the moment.  I actually studied and purchased many books about anatomy and fitness but what I didn't realize was that a certification would give me all the basic knowledge I needed.  I started teaching in a time when most people didn't even have fitness certs so a pole dancing cert seemed absurd.  Pole dancing began evolving, so did I.

I've had the pleasure of working with many instructors from all walks of life and training and I find that those with just fitness certs don't seem to feel the need to learn pole dancing.  When I say learn pole dancing I mean all the moves, all the transitions, study the basics, look for NEW basics, look for new ways to teach a move, look for new ways to do a move.  

People are not written pole syllabuses – they are people, there are so many ways of doing the same thing that feel better to certain people and it's about learning HOW people learn and what THEIR body can do.  It's knowing how make adjustments and find ways to make every body type successful with pole dancing, running a class that might have extremely slow learners and extremely fast learners and finding a balance so EVERYONE is learning something on their level and not bored.  It's about knowing when to advance someone and fidning a tactful way to hold someone back.  It's about finding as many ways to do something as humanly possible.  I spend a good 40 hours a week teaching and studying.  I'm always learning but I don't see that from many others who do have fitness or dance backgrounds…I feel like those I have run into anyway, have a lockdown idea of what needs to be accomplished and do not stray from their syllabus.  It's like if you cannot get something the way they are showing it to you they cannot offer variations or other ideas.

I learned a lot about running classes with my certification and how to reach everyone in the class – how to equalize a class of different body types and abilities.  I learned how to better organize my classes and how to teach with verbal ques, how to save my body given how many classes I teach a week.  

I'm very proud to tell students I am certified in POLE instruction.  I had to undergo training and hours of my life to pass a test, not just a written test but a practical exam as well.  I want students to know when they come to me they are getting the best for their money.  I wanted to be a specialist in all things pole and my certification has given me so much towards that and more.  My certification comes with after care that I have used time and time again.  

Recently I've been lucky to take private lessons with some celebrity instructors and I will tell you that while they are not certified instructors they all knew pole.  Pole was in their veins!  David Owen took me through SEVERAL ways of doing and training the same trick, different transitions into and out of and spotted me so well I think he may have been holding me on the pole.  Alethea Austin really imporved a lot of my existing moves and taught me some stretches that I don't have to be her to get something out of.  Natasha also had variations on themes that helped me achieve a lot in a short time.  I don't think any of them have fitness certs but what they do have is hours and years in the study of pole.  Which is my point here, certification programs give you so  much of the aforementioned knowledge withough the years and years of training with hit and miss teaching/pole tricks.

I think certification is important if you are like me and haven't been doing this stuff your whole life but would like to be a guru of all things pole.  

In addition to my certification with Empowerment Through Exotic Dance – which I will renew next year, I also plan to take another pole cert – I would love to do climb and spin but it's a little pricey for me – although a good value for everything it gives you, and will likely do X-pert.

I'll also say this, one of the reasons I certified with ETED is because Mary Ellyn herself has been certified with several programs.  To me, this action speaks of honesty authenticicty…she took the time to discover and learn herself.  She found certification to be important enough to not just write one but to also take some.

I also believe that pole specefic training and certifications are an important part of the growth of pole dancing as an industry and having recognized organizations and certifications allow us to reach a broader audience.  I won't take a yoga class with someone who doesn't have certain certs that I am aware of as being good programs so why should someone take a pole lesson with someone who doesn't have credentials?  Just because someone can lead you through a warm up and a cool down doesn't mean they can teach you anything about pole in between.

[Charley]

For those who are attending the Midwest Pole Comp – I heard that Collette's seminar is about this very thing.  I'll be in there!