NickiLee88
Forum Replies Created
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Thanks guys! That is an excellent start! I really appreciate your input. I'm hoping that some of the pole studios will be open to having drop ins 🙂
azriel – I'll send you a message and let you know what I'm planning! that would be the most exciting thing ever!
pavi – the czech republic isn't on my list atm, but I have very flexible travel dates and potentially I might be in europe longer so it's always possible that I might make it there. it sounds like you have a lovely supportive school.
ollie – Manchester could be quite a possibility! I have checked out elena gibson's studio, it looks amazing. She's so flexible. I'm very jealous. I've seen Karen's videos, she's such a good performer.
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I have to confess I am a massive Crossfit devotee. I was a little hesitant before I started but I love it now – it's the only sport I've found that I enjoy as much as poling (quite a recommendation). I've definitely found that it's increased my poling ability strength wise and my overall feeling of fitness and wellbeing.
I think it depends a lot on the type of person you are as to whether you'll like it. I really enjoy competition and pushing myself past my comfort zone which is a big part of crossfit. If you're not into that kind of thing maybe it's not for you… But it's worth a shot – that was my thinking and i love it!
My one piece of advice – I have to disagree with Chemgoddess (respectfully) – a lot of sports aren't body friendly, even pole dancing (eg – twisted grip handspring – in my opinion that puts a lot of torsion in all the wrong places!) however, like pole, your chances of injury in crossfit are drastically reduced if you have proper technique and don't work at a level too advanced for you. That being said, I wouldn't recommend purely following the videos of all the exercises on the website. Unless you have experience in the area, you're better off going to a crossfit affiliate with trained coaches who can teach you the correct movements and ensure that you don't injure yourself.
The other thing I love about it is it's a very supportive environment. It reminds me a lot of poling in that respect. Heaps better than the gym.
Sorry for this long post – I get quite passionate talking about things I enjoy… Hope it has helped somewhat…
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Oh I'm in Newcastle (which is about 2 hours north of sydney!) You should totally do a day trip to my town (which has amazing beaches) but I also work in Sydney so I'm there a fair bit. Send me an email if you want to get in touch 🙂 It's mailto:nlojszczyk@hotmail.com
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Just a heads up, it's the le poisson (as in french for fish) rather than poison. In case you were looking for it anywhere. They need to change their spelling!
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I tried to find the moves you were looking at. Is the second one called the poisson? I find that a super hard move to teach because it involves flexing your foot which we're all not very good at! It really helps in this move if you have a strong butterfly first with a solid split grip.
If i'm thinking of the right move there's a video on Youtube which shows someone going into it slowly, the link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO6fU3wH4xc
Is that the move? I'm not sure if veena has a tutorial…
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I think that's a lovely idea. It would be nice to have other instructor's input on how they teach different moves to students as we all know that sometimes we have students who just don't seem to get it no matter what we say! I believe this concept was discussed at some point in the forum… I just don't remember what the outcome was. I also think it's important to continue to build rapport between different studios. I also think something along these lines may provide more global connections as well. I know quite a few instructors with Australia, but not so many around the world and I would like to! (admittedly, this is partially because I'm heading off overseas next year and want to meet as many polers as possible while I'm over there so I'm trying to make contacts now!)
Anyway, regardless of whether it occurs, I like the sentiment in your post poledanceromance https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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Hello! Welcome to Studio Veena! I think we can all agree that pole dancing is addictive… Hope you get as much out of this forum as I have. Looking forward to seeing the pics!
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Oh I am so interested in this thread because I will be travelling to Europe at the same time! I may actually be in Greece around then…. not sure of my exact dates yet. Perhaps we could meet up at some stage if we are in the same area? So excited about the thought of meeting polers on the other side of the world!
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They use 38 mm brass poles at Bobbi’s and the MPDA championships. At the Australiasian Pole Championships they use 45 and 50 mm. So there’s no set diameter in Australia, we’re all over the place like everywhere else!
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I was thinking about getting the R=pole as I have an x-stage but it’s a pain to transport at times. Since the R-pole’s only about 40 kg, it would be a lot lighter. I am put off by the fact it’s only 2.4 m though. I don’t really think that’s enough height. The X-stage is 2.7 m and that’s workable (Mind you, I am very tall though so other people may not have that issue – and I’m fussy. I think I look like an idiot trying to do a nice routine on a short pole). I’m interested in knowing whether there’s anyone out there who’s a bit heavier and taller who’s tried the R pole? I know it says that it’s stable for weights of up to 100 kg but spinning mode tends to increased instability in non-fixed poles in my experience. I’m always hesitant about letting men use my x-stage on spinning without extra weights because I know it gets unstable even with just me on it.
Sorry I haven’t really helped with your question at all Amber, just asked more of my own!
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I did read your long rant and felt the need to reply so at least you know there’s someone out there listening! I think you’ve hit one of the nails on the head when it comes to pole dancing and my beliefs! I truly love to dance, but I agree that at times, elements make me slightly uneasy, and even more so, people’s perceptions make me slightly uneasy.
I don’t think pole dancing is inherently feminist or anti-feminist. You can be a feminist and pole dance. You can be a misogynist and pole dance. Nobody takes away your feminist card just because you pole dance/lap dance/strip for money. I think pole dancing (or any type of dancing) builds your confidence, gives a self esteem boost and allows you to explore how you feel about your body and the things you can do with it. I think that increased confidence then leads on to other aspects of your life and can drive you to achieve more traditional feminist pursuits such as career success, equality and overall life satisfaction. I don’t believe that purely learning how to sexually objectify yourself is empowering, and it does nothing to promote respect for yourself and other women. Getting fit however, learning to love your body, and interacting through communities such as these is empowering. I’d say for the majority of us on this community, pole dancing is empowering because we have the choice to do it. For those women who don’t have that choice and can’t make money any other way except by pole dancing, lap dancing, prostitution or similar types of exploitation, I don’t believe pole dancing is synonymous with feminist values. As Roxy said, it all comes down to choices….
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This is why studios have you sign a waiver before you take classes.
Just a point for those who have studios/are thinking of opening one up. Waivers will almost never hold up if someone sues you for negligence…
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Okay, I just need to take a moment to giggle at you ladies (don’t take offence please!) – it’s just 5’8 is still kinda short where i’m concerned.
2dyzzi, I am just under 6’2 (so I tower over just about everyone else who has replied so far) and I would consider myself to be an expert on how to pole dance when you’re tall https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif
I admit that some moves can prove to be more difficult, particularly since tall people traditionally tend to be less flexible and moves like the iguana and such which require you to lift your legs can be challenging. Also sometimes I find my legs get in the way, they’re a bit too long and awkward.
That said, I would never class my height as a disadvantage. As Runemist said, everyone is different and trust me, moves like the extended butterfly look really impressive when you have long limbs. Being tall has never held me back in anything in life (except if I decided I wanted to be an air hostess, then i’m too tall) and it’s the same in dancing. I’ve been dancing for over two years now, I’m reasonably advanced and I instruct as well.
So don’t let your boyfriend burst your bubble. You can be tall and still be a great dancer, it’s all about hard work, perserverance and having fun no matter what your height is! So be proud and keep being excited to be poling!
And just as a side note, I love to wear six inch heels as well when i’m dancing – you’ll definitely have to do so too!
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Hiya! The subject of poles is close to my heart as I currently own two and am thinking of getting a third (I can hear my boyfriend now "What do you need three for??")
In short, I have a 45 TG and a 50 Chrome. I principally learnt on 45 stainless, so the TG was okay, but I did find the 50 a struggle when I first got it. I don’t regret it though, because i think practicing on a different size pole really increases your versatility and helps if your thrown in a unexpected performance or go in a competition where they have set sizes different to what you’re used to. If you already have a 50, I doubt you’d have much trouble going down to 45. I’ve been learning on a 38 brass recently (see, I’ve tried them all!) and it does make split grips easier. The only problem is with laybacks and superman style moves, you have to grip a lot harder until you adjust to the difference in width.
Anyway, that is my two cents, hope it helps with your decision! Either way, I’m sure you’ll have fun with your two poles!
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I always tell them that if they’re really strong they should be able to do a Superman… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif or even just climb and sit, the amount of whinging my boyfriend does when he tries to sit puts the entire male race to shame!
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That is a cool idea! My boyfriend’s an engineer and obsessed with trying to duplicate an x-pole (i tell him that i expect him to have a go on his home made pole before i get on it), i’ll have to let him know about this idea.
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Does anyone have any tips on balance? is straight edge easier? i have been able to (very breifly) do split grip aysha but was using forarm grip when fell. any tips on this move would be great!
When i’m teaching this to my girls, I suggest that rather than just taking their legs off, they move their knees apart and their feet down and do a froggy type position where their feet are stilll on the pole but their knees are pointing out. This helps to move your bum further away from the pole.try to find your balance point while your feet are on. Then when you feel comfortable. slowly take your feet off. I find the split grip much easier than the elbow (mind you, that’s probably because i like it so i practice it more… bad habit!) but for both of them, your balance point is easier to find the further your bum is from the pole. I wouldn’t say that the straight edge is necessarily easier, but once you’ve conquered the aysha, it doesn’t take as long to feel comfortable with the straight edge https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif
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Okay, i had to go into the studio to practice this, just top make sure I could go through it step by step! If you normally have your dominant right hand up top when you do the split grip aysha, leave this hand on top. It will be thumb up and your left hand will be thumb down, reaching your arm down below your head. If your right hand is on top, you will have to turn to the left. When you’re actually doing it, it’s like you’re turning towards your bottom hand. Give it a go and let me know if you need anymore advice! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
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Hi Joni,
I recently learnt and have been teaching this move at my studio (we call it the "spinderella") so i’ll try to break it down for you if you like. You go into the fallen angel and grip the pole with both hands behind your butt like you’re going to do a bow and arrow. Then place whichever hand you have on the bottom in your split grip down underneath your head (I invert on the left, so my right hand is down). Make sure you place it thumb down (not in a baseball grip). You then start moving your butt away from the pole. Keeping your feet on the pole to keep your balance, you turn your head and shoulders to the left, twisting until you’re facing the pole (this is the part that may hurt your shoulder if you’re not flexible enough as Veena said). Once you’re in position facing the pole, take your legs off into a V and you should be in your twisted grip aysha!Hope this helps@
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Hi, I own both a TG xpole and a chrome x-stage. Can’t say I notice a huge amount of difference between the two. I agree with azriel that the size difference takes more time to get used to than the finish. Also, i actually learnt and practice the most on a stainless steel finish and I tend to get the best grip on that! SO I also believe it’s a factor as to what you practice on the most and feel comfortable.
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yea i feel that way too =) i feel that i should be WAY better .. and for some reason when i get nervous i stutter or like… vobally dyslexic? lol instead of left ill say right instead of arm ill say leg.. that kinda stuff; LOL
Not to worry https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif if verbal dyslexia of that type stopped you being an instructor i would be in trouble! I’m an instructor and i have a terrible habit of saying "and now, let go of your legs" when i really mean, let go of your hands… lucky my students are smart enough not to listen to me…
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Is it basically that you stretch to where you’re mostly comfortable, contract your muscles, and then release and relax them, and go a little further?
That is definitely the basic premise. the initial hold should be for approx 30 secs to relax your muscles, contract for 5, relax and push a little further, hold 20/30, secs, contract for 5, relax, hold another 20/30. Don’t hold it for longer than 3 minutes, and come out of gently as recommended above.
If you’re not doing it with someone who knows what they’re doing, I would recommend that you get a book or a DVD (I have one by Kit Laughlin, he’s probably the leading authority in Australia), because, as Veena said, it’s intense and it’s sometimes difficult to know what you should be contracting in order to get the best out of the stretch and to make sure you don’t injure yourself. Also, the positioning is sometimes weird. But it’s definitely one of the most effective ways to increase your range of motion if it’s done right. I hope it works for you!
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Oh, I’m excited to post on this forum because I was planning to start a stretch thread. I’m also very tall with long legs and prior to starting pole (18 months ago) I couldn’t even touch my toes. With regular stretching I’ve improved to the point I can almost do the splits (I can do them if I’m really warm, if I’m cold I’m about 2 cms off), but I haven’t felt I’ve been improving. So the other week I decided to go to a stretch therapist I found on the internet and I have to say he was great. Showed me some really good stretches specific to what I wanted to achieve (using the stretch-contract-relax further method) as both assisted stretches and ones you can do by yourself. Also, I discussed with him, how often you should stretch. He said when he was teaching over in Japan, he was holding classes where some people came everyday, others twice a week, some once and surprisingly the best results were for those who came twice a week. This is because doing the intense contract-relax method (called PNF stretching) actually causes little micro tears in the muscle (why do we want to do this again?) similar to weight training, so the upshot is, to get the most from your stretching (as for weight training) you should do it every two-three days to give your body time to recover after each session. It might all be in my head, but I actually feel more limber already. So I would recommend doing that if it’s at all possible in your area. If not, I can describe some of the stretches he showed me ~ It’s so awesome to be able to do the splits for the first time at 22!
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You may be a pole dancer if someone asks you what you’re thinking and you absent mindedly reply ‘I’m just trying to figure out why my butterfly to hiphold to pike to superman tumble to mistress isn’t working right’…
