[Kira]

Hi Nikita! welcome to studio veena

I'm in Manchester (swinton) I practice in 3 different studios as well as at home, do you go to any studios? Clothes I just wear sports bra (sports direct lol), strappy tops and pole shorts I got from pole skivvies (not sure if they still sell) & dirdy birdy pole wear. Shoes I wear glitter heels (glitterheels.com) or pleasers from ebay 🙂 

[Kira]

a lot of studios are now doing half the class on static and half the class on spin but I find most the students are happier with it on static. I like practicing new moves on static but once I've nailed it, it's spinny all the way for me! Took me a while to get used to the spinning but because I changed to another studio that only taught on spin, I got used to it pretty quick as I had no option 😛

[Kira]

Runemist what pectoral exercises do you do?

[Kira]

cali – your boss sounds like my boss lol 

thanks for sharing personal stories with me, it motivates me and gives me confidence that I have it in me to take control of my life and change it for the better.

I'm sorry if I came across as whingey or moaning about a good job situation, I do not take it for granted for 1 second that I have a job whilst thousands are unemployed and desperately want a job (hammered home by the fact every week there seems to be a major retail chain going into administration and all my friends from my previous 3 jobs are all unemployed because of this).

I understand I am lucky enough not to have the responsibility of families and mortgages to be worrying about. I don't care for being rich, just happy 🙂 now off to do some soul searching 😀

[Kira]

Sorry to hijack this topic but any northern veeners fancy a 4 hr tailored stretch and contortion workshop? Sat 2nd march (if date is still available) £60. It’s with the stretch lady from British pole dance academy in stoke, she’s super bendy! Message me asap pls I want to see how many are interested x

[Kira]

Omg taylors retreat is your pole studio? Ive always wanted to go there it looks amazing! But like shona said it’s a bit far for me, maybe next time I’m in London I’ll make a trip over!

[Kira]

It seems the way forward is to have a job where there is less emphasis on pure design work so I can save that for 'me' time and do what I really love 🙂 

Portableninja that just made my night! There's so many situations on there that sound exactly like my boss lol

[Kira]

Thanks for your replies guys, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one that feels this way. Having read your stories and mulling it over, I think it's down to the fact that I do not get any respect in my work  (everyone thinks I just sit and 'mess about' on the computer and that it will only take 10 minutes to design something from scratch) and that I was disillusioned from uni that design was  creative freedom when it fact it is not like that at all. It is all about if you can talk the talk and business minded both of which I am neither.

Corby i hope you feel these experiences will help you too, it is enlightening to see what choices others have made and where they are now

chem – thanks for highlighting amy's article, I'll try hunt it down 🙂

jelania – sorry to hear that things didn't work out with your work, no-one should have to suffer so much emotionally, there is always a way to sustain a healthy and happy work life and paying the bills etc. like you say we just need to plan it a little 🙂 I have a few paths planned, it is deciding which to choose and stick it with it and hope it pays off

aerialgypsy – that sounds like a lovely situation to be in – part time work and working towards dance!

 

[Kira]

so is this sleeve like changing your pole to a chinese pole? I don't really get it, am I just being dumb lol 

[Kira]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8NJRCSyb4

hip flexor stretches 

and an oldie from aerial amy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al9FTJWbn4s&feature=youtu.be

 

[Kira]

Yeah I’m sure you added me on fb – oliva should come up or type in Raven. I go many places but mainly pole sessions and jln 🙂 shoes are from glitter heels.com or pleasers on eBay, I love shoes! Hope ro see you tonight I’m usually there til half past anyway xx

[Kira]

Lol well if you can make it tonight I’ll have some combos ready for you to try! 🙂 xx

[Kira]

Oh that’s a shame 🙁 I’m sure you know of jln they have some classes that start at 8.30. See if Claire will rejig the class format a little one day and add more classes xx

[Kira]

Hey zoey can you make francesca’s class at 1on Tuesdays? Or there’s a small studio called polefire in cemtre of town that does a 2-3pm class on Tuesdays too. Other than that there isn’t much choice 🙁 you going tonight? I could always train with you and we can try out some more advanced stuff or transitions etc 🙂 I need pushing too, I just mess about in class lol

[Kira]

Chem – if you are friends with Lolo hilsum on facebook she's posted that on her wall. The move she's doing is like twisting into the ballerina if that makes sense…

[Kira]

Thank you Cherished!!!! 

[Kira]

I'm in uK and all that plays is audio saying "sorry, currently not available" :S I hope it will be available to us non-aussies, I REALLY want to watch this!!!

[Kira]

congrats Nich! get lots of rest 🙂 

Lizzie what studio  are you performing with?

[Kira]

I'm up for it! Last time was so fun 🙂 Just let me know time and place. Hopefully this time Shona we will do some dancing in heels 😉 😀 

[Kira]

Shoulder mount bounce drop (does the Fonji count as a drop?)
Yogini/Rocketman drop,
Remi Sit drop – I learnt it from Charley's wonderful tutorial 🙂 http://youtu.be/fs5REv6mwnY

Chopstix drop
Knee hold to outside leg hang drop
Jenyne tumble (sit to flag down)
Pole Sit to elbow embrace drop
Elbow embrace to beauty queen (20 secs into this video http://youtu.be/8kYe3AbPkBo –  also at 1.04 there is an iron x to ballerina drop)
 

[Kira]

I get scared when I see beginners getting taught to 'take a jump' into an invert…. this style of teaching really annoys me, the teachers are supposed to be the responsible ones.

Beginners won't know the full extent of how strenuous pole is on the body and it's the responsibility of the teachers to coach them how to work towards a move. 

[Kira]

Andre from Bobbi’s Sydney! His YouTube is itsjustandre, he’s super strong, sexy bodywaves and the nicest guy you’ll ever meet!!

[Kira]

I only do pole and that's enough for me lol I got really lethargic and so tired all the time but I was eating correctly, sleeping enough and not practicing excessively. I decided to try vitamin b because my friend told me she takes vit b-12 to help with her energy levels. I've taken it for about 3 week now and I've noticed a difference in my energy, I still get tired but nothing like I was before, so maybe give that a try? I just got them from holland and barret 🙂 

[Kira]

I went to a studio where they only practiced in heels – warm up and cool down was barefeet but the rest of the class was in heels. Coming from a studio where I was always taught bare foot, it was weird and I kept wobbling on my heels at first (I dove straight in and bought 7 inch heels lol) but now I love dancing in heels.

The problem is that I am now back training in studios that only teach in barefeet…. 1 studio doesn't mind me wearing heels but everyone always stops and watches me practice (probably because I don't land quietly :P) and I'm not comfy with that… but yeah I prefer dancing in heels because it makes me stand better, makes me feel taller and it gives me more confidence and feel more feminine. And the taller the better!! I don't like to dance in anything lower than 6inch heels heehee. I spend my days in baggy pants and trainers, I don't go on nights out anymore so when I dance I like to dress up 🙂

And if I'm practicing a new move – as long as the move doesn't involve the possibility of me stabbing myself in the head with the heel 🙂 Stick with practicing basic moves with your heels on to gain more confidence and soon you will love it too 😀 

 

[Kira]

I go to a few & practice at home now but yeah I started off at bodybarre 🙂 tbh I only know of overseas studios that have brass, most ones near me are either 50chrome or just recently changed to 45 and 40 chrome. I never noticed the smell with brass myself and found it on par with the chrome – sometimes you slipped sometimes you didn't, just depending on the surrounding temperature I found. But each person is different… i'll keep my eyes and ears peeled if I hear of any brass poles though because I'd like to test these new x-pole ones out! x