[Serendipityma]

thanks all for the tips! 🙂  I was thinking about trying Toy Box… but maybe I'll look further into the one in downtown Tacoma now (Poledello, I think??)

[Serendipityma]

I think my biggest barrier in class was in learning the more advanced moves… I always felt guilty for being a bigger girl (size 16), and having the instructor have to push my extra weight up the pole when learning an invert or a climb…

Beyond that, I never really noticed if I was the biggest girl in my class… but some of my classmates did tell me later on when I was the first one to brave the pole shorts and a tank top on the very first day of class (and do so with confidence, might I add!), that I inspired them to open up and "strip down" (to pole shorts) as well…

As for accomplishing certain tricks, I don't feel that spins are really that affected by a girls weight… in class there were several spins that most everyone else got that I just could not get (at S it was the ballerina… I think at Veena it's called the front hook), but then there were other tricks that completely clicked… and had little or nothing to do with weight or size… everyone's body moves differently, and anybody, plus sized, or micro sized, has to figure out in which plane or frame of mind their body WANTS to move…  I can now do the ballerina, but it will never be **MY** move and will always feel awkward and unnatural because that's not how my body wants to spin…

Transitions:  not even a problem!  More so than the skinny girls in my class, I actually excelled at floorwork and transitions… but I have a strong dance background, so I may have to be ejected from this topic… 😛

Conditioning: S Factor has a phenomenal warmup with each class, and I really found that sufficed… I progressed at just about the same rate as the rest of my class with minimal modifications (though, the plank just is not my friend and my butt just refuses to lift off the mat! :P)

I will agree that split grip moves are more difficult, but as a pole-lefty, and with nerve damage to my left arm, I can't tell if it's more difficult because of that silly ulnar nerve of mine, or from the weight…  And, might I add… I have a VERY loose right shoulder (I roll over in bed and it dislocates), and even when I was initially learning as a pole-righty, I never felt that I might pop it out or do any damage because of my weight… the body knows how and when to compensate… 🙂

I hope this helps… 🙂

[Serendipityma]

there's no real trick to it… just do it without thinking about it… learn the basics from the videos, and then turn it into your own organic movement!! 🙂  No restrictions, and there's no way to do it wrong!! 🙂

[Serendipityma]

I have horribly dry and sensitive skin as well… the best foundation I've found is MakeUpForEver Liquid Lift (unfortunately they don't sell it in Sephora… but look online, or if you have a MUFE store near you, hit them up!! :P), also Smashbox has a new HD Healthy Skin foundation that I tried yesterday and it turned out pretty darn good!

But if you like powders (as long as you're not going to be on camera), Bare Escentuals seems to be the best so far, followed closely by Smashbox's Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder… I tend to go for higher end products, but they're worth the money!! 🙂

First thing you should try, though, is MUFE's HD Elixer… it's a miracle product!! 🙂

[Serendipityma]

hmmm… that requires some thought…

I love my eyes, and really pretty much all of my face (does that sound vain? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif), the small of my back, my clavicle's, and my feet… as for the rest, let's just say I need to get back on the pole… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif

[Serendipityma]

I was never diagnosed with carpal tunnel, but I did have cubital tunnel (ulnar nerve runs through the cubital tunnel in the elbow… think of hitting your "funny bone"…), and had surgical release… it's now 9 years after my surgery, and as a poler, I actually find that I'm pole dominant on the affected side… the only issue I've experienced is difficulty with split grip… but for spins, climbing, & inverting I've never had an issue… stretching will obviously help, but there will probably always be SOMETHING that sends that shockwave into the hand…  But it is ABSOLUTELY possible and with proper stretching, I'm sure she'll be amazing!! 🙂

[Serendipityma]

I was never diagnosed with carpal tunnel, but I did have cubital tunnel (ulnar nerve runs through the cubital tunnel in the elbow… think of hitting your "funny bone"…), and had surgical release… it's now 9 years after my surgery, and as a poler, I actually find that I'm pole dominant on the affected side… the only issue I've experienced is difficulty with split grip… but for spins, climbing, & inverting I've never had an issue… stretching will obviously help, but there will probably always be SOMETHING that sends that shockwave into the hand…  But it is ABSOLUTELY possible and with proper stretching, I'm sure she'll be amazing!! 🙂

[Serendipityma]

It sounds like nerve pain to me… speaking from both an RN's perspective, and someone who has had nerve damage in the past…

Best way to get it to heal is RICE… Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate… and ibuprofen (or other anti-inflammatory of choice)…  To go into the physiology of nerve pain, what generally causes it is inflammation of the muscle or structures surrounding the nerve… decrease the inflammation, and the pain gets substantially better! 🙂

Massage is also good because it helps to loosen the muscles, and if nothing else, take your mental focus off the shooting pain…

Overall, though, if none of that helps, go see your doctor, you may need nerve conduction studies to pinpoint where the injury actually is…  Nerve injuries are a pain in the butt, so baby it as best you can!!!!! 🙂

[Serendipityma]

One of the first times I inverted (in class…), I got my legs switched (I'm a pole-leftie and that was on the right… BRAIN CONFUSION!!), and for some odd reason I tried to switch my legs to be correct, and down I went onto my left shoulder… no serious injury, but I was sore for weeks!! 😛  Learned my lesson from that!!

Also did a classic comedy fly when I was practicing the V Carousel (AKA Ronde Jambe at S) and lost my grip… managed to do a soft landing on my back while still holding my arms in split grip and my legs splayed open… I was so proud of myself that I stood up and did a bow for my classmates who were all staring with jaws agape… 🙂

[Serendipityma]

I do a lot of floorwork in my dances, and it's probably my strongest area as a dancer… and I find (and was taught) to just take your head out of it… close your eyes and move where your body wants to move in relation to the music… 🙂  Just let the music guide your soul, your hips, your legs, your arms, … your whole body, really… 🙂

[Serendipityma]

2… I have two positively delightful pole cats… they are pretty good at staying out of the way, though… at least when I'm poling… the rest of the time they consistently try to kill me, though… 😛  I guess they figure that if I fall off the pole it'll do just as much damage… 😛

But they're still my preciouses… 🙂  Don't know what I'd do without them!! 🙂

[Serendipityma]

I've got a lot of BeeGee's to pick from!! 😛  (1978)

[Serendipityma]

For anyone who has seen my dancing, it's obvious that I'm more of a dancer… as many others have said, I just don't have the strength yet for the advanced tricks (and let's face it, it takes more strength to haul a plus-sized butt upside down on the pole… :P)… but also, having been trained at S Factor, pole dancing is more focused on emotions for me, and most of my emotions can be better expressed on the floor… but I will agree with those who have said that a generally even split between dance and pole is the best to watch… HOWEVER… if someone is *really* involved in what they are doing whether it be all on the pole, or all on the floor, it's going to be amazing to watch! 🙂

[Serendipityma]

As another S-Girl, I can say that S Factor encourages your to bring in your own music for the dance portion of class… they have a CD player, an iPod adapter, and a general speaker-jack for the non-ipod mp3 players… no one in my class ever had any problems… 🙂

I also noticed that no one suggested Snuff by Slipknot… I always found that to be the perfect song to dance to because of the crescendo's… it covers slow & sultry, angry, powerful, and perhaps at times upbeat… it always moved me and made me feel a little bit more, and push a little bit harder in my dancing… 🙂

Other favorites of mine are (I mostly enjoy dancing to slower music):

I Love the way You Lie – Eminem

Angel – Massive Attack

Closer – Kings of Leon

Cry Little Sister – G Tom Mac (from the Lost Boys soundtrack)

Need You Now – Lady Antebellum

Moonlight Sonata – Beethoven

Climbing Up the Walls – Radiohead

P***y Liquor – Rob Zombie

Afraid – Sarah Fimm

Draw Your Swords – Angus & Julia Stone

Heavy in Your Arms – Florence & The Machine (from the Eclipse soundtrack)

I Want You – The Beatles

Crash Into Me – Dave Matthews

Stranglehold – Ted Nugent

Sober – Tool