[anngiern]

i love heels! i do dance barefoot sometimes but i mostly wear heels. i am short (only 5’1) so i love being 5’6!!! and i like the way my body looks in heels. puts a different look on my body. and i love that shoes show individual style.

but when you are learning new tricks…as everyone said definitely learn without so you can focus on what your body is supposed to be doing. you dont want to come down wrong and hurt your back or jab yourself on your lower legs b/c of foot placement.

my only suggestion is that you dont have to start with 8" heels!! i really try to encourage students if they are not used to walking in heels start with 4" and work your way up. also getting a more square heel and working your way up to a more narrow heel is a good progression. it took me over a year before i could wear 6" heels.
also if you really like the 6" and 7" inch shoes..do a floorwork routine with them to get your heel "fix". shoes look great with floorwork and is a great way to wear hot shoes but you dont have to get up and walk. plus if the shoe has a platform it pretty much like doing ab work with weighted ankles.

and some ankle strengthening exercises(done barefoot):
**write the alphabet with each foot!
**alternate tip toe walking and heel walking
**balancing on one foot(ex..keep your right leg straight and then bend the left leg and use wall to help balance..eventually try to challenge yourself to be able to balance with the assistance of the wall**

hope that helps https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

[anngiern]

congrats! i know you will enjoy your journey as a teacher. it is wonderful https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif

[anngiern]

Just sent u a message

[anngiern]

I got to try a ps for the first time last weekend and I totally loved it. It was sticky sticky sticky and my chrome is slick slick slick! Actually big enough of andifference to make me want to ditch my xpole for stainless.

chrome sucks big time! i love brass and i think stainless steel is fine too. but brass is my friend https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif i like to stick…but xpole is supposed to be releasing a brass pole soon. but right now i stick with platinum stages.

just remember if you are ordering poles for a studio do tell them that and ask for a discount. every little bit helps. they want your business and your repeat business.

i know some people dont like platinum stages but i have personally always had a good experience with them.

[anngiern]

i have not used their stainless steel…but once you call them just ask what kind of finish it is..i think stainless steel is pretty standard with a polished finish…but always ask.

i would see if you could get a handyman/carpenter/contractors to help you brainstorm. they are good at figuring out ways to get your poles installed creatively but safely.

what kind of dance studio is it? does she only have one room or multiple rooms?

[anngiern]

Amcut: markstaar sadly only goes to 8ft.

And by $500 I meant in outright pole cost. I’m rather handyman-savvy so any installation work needed, I can handle. Power tools don’t scare me haha.

hmmmm…i have permanent brass markstaar poles in one of my studios and our ceilings are 11 feet. i went to the website real quick and you have to call to order poles taller than 8 feet. (they used to have it as an option on their website but i guess they took it down) but they were very reasonable and just ask for a discount if you are ordering more than one. and they have the covers that go over them so you cant see the base and that is included. kirk is the one that helped me.

what kind of floor are you drilling into? if it is cement that is a whole different kind of drilling and anchors. (you said you were handy so please dont take offense…as i am not handy…LOL…just making sure you are aware of all possible costs so your not taken by surprise https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_thumleft.gif )

[anngiern]

What is pole drama? I didn’t understand it ..
pole drama is a little more theatrical and relies more on choreography. your dance usually tells a story. also you should be able to express the music through your body movements (as opposed to music just being in the "background") so to speak. pole drama also has more of an entertainment value to it vs. just doing lots of hard moves linked together.
look up some of the miss pole dance australia videos….their style of pole is very theatrical…there was even one girl who did a mission impossible theme. it was cool https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_thumright.gif even though i am a total heels girl she worked those jazz type shoes!!!! but it fit with her theme.

hope that helps!

[anngiern]

i meant to post this a while back and then just remembered as my bill was due today…LOL
http://www.dancestudioinsurance.com speak to caitlyn. they even have a category on the application for "pole dancing". hope that helps https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

[anngiern]

so you can put permanent poles in? and when you are saying 500.00 per pole do you mean that is what pole installer (handyman, carpenter) is charging or are you talking specifically pole costs?

[anngiern]

Congrats Anngrien!!! That totally exciting! I also agree maybe next year doing a pro/ametur levels.

Thanks Lulu!!! and thanks for the compliment you had wrote in one of your blog posts about Atlanta Girls!!! We hope to represent!!!

Vertical Joe is competing in the doubles category in l.a….so I know she will bring it with some dirty south flavor!

I hope some Miami girls start competing soon as well b/c they are bad ass!

Definitely come see us in Atlanta or Houston if you are ever in the area!!!

[anngiern]

i dont know who made trixpert…i guess they will be posting that soon.

raquellestar…you did the right thing…honor your body and when your ready then get back on the pole.
i have a lot of difficult moves i need to get but if if they are not solid by the competition i am just going to do the moves that i feel 100% confident in excecuting..

does anyone know who made trixpert?

[anngiern]

Hey Ladies,

I did make it into Pole Drama!!!!! I AM BEYOND EXCITED (& NERVOUS)!!! I feel so honored to share the stage with so many awesome pole dancers. I do wish there was a beg/intermediate division and then advanced…I will probably make that suggestion to them for future competitions..but for right now it is what it is. I am just happy that I made it this far https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
So I am going to do my best but I am going against some really tough people to beat….but I know I didnt make it based upon my difficulty..I got in on my theme/musicality b/c that is my stronger area (got kudos from them on that so I am glad they were able to look past me not having a ton of hard moves!) But I have a private lesson with Fleur in a few weeks so hopefully she will be able to help me perfect my difficult moves in time for the competition.

I just cant wait to tell my students…they have been getting on me about not competing…so they are going to be thrilled

Yes ladies…please keep submitting your videos… I did not think I would make it either but pole drama is my thing and what I teach to my students so this competition was more my flavor as opposed to other ones that dont suit my style of pole.
There is also another competition (american pole fitness association)…audition pieces are due today though and the footage has to be within the past 6 months.
USPDF…uggh…I am still torn on that one…my level of difficulty is still not where it needs to be….but I think I am going to go through with it and a few of my instructors are as well…we really want to bring more of the dance side into competitions so we are hoping that will stand out from everyone else… so we will see https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

Good luck to all of you on your future competition entries!

Now I have to go brew up my theme…… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_twisted.gif

[anngiern]

i submitted for pole drama…i love theatrical pole dancing. honestly it was a great experience preparing my audition piece and choreographing something. it also gave me a chance to incorporate some traditional dance.
My song and audition piece is entitled "Moments In Love". My dance will express all the different emotions that we can feel when we are in love: excitement, passion, hurt, anger and contentment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXJ6bD3uwtU

I really liked this young lady below a lot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0S8FBooagI

I love the wink in the beginning…totally drama and she put together a great audition piece..loved the outfit, musicality, attitude but most importantly she brought the personality and matched it to her song.

Good luck to all of you that entered!

[anngiern]

is their a list of the finalists for this competition?

[anngiern]

the pole fitness association has a link for all the schools in the u.s. (underneath "resources") and a link for many competitions (underneath "news and events")

hope that helps!

[anngiern]

hip hop/pop is good for building fast dance stamina since not all students respond to slow. i have a ton of hip hop songs but here are some that i am playing in class for this week:(some are older and some are newer)

Hip/Hop
Ride by Ciara
Look Back At It by Ying Yang Twins
Lil Freak by Usher featuring Nicki Minaj (she’s hot right now)
Woman Lie, Men Lie by Yo Gotti
*Lose my mind by Young Jeezy
Candy Coated Diamonds by 2 Pistols
Jigglin by Ying Yang Twins
Show Out by Unk
Feel it by Three 6 Mafia
Put it da air by Papa Reu
Girls Gone Wild by Ludacris
Houstonatlantavegas by Drake
Hello Good Morning by Diddy
U a Freak by Chingy
Hands Up by Lloyd Banks
*Lil Freak by Three 6 Mafia
*Becky by Plies
*songs with a star are for the grown and sexy https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif …meaning its not for the shy…contains explicit in your face lyrics… if you have a crowd for that..down south we have a huge crowd for that so use at your discretion. but you might be surprised…my moms love that explicit music..they need a break from sesame street music! lol

POP MUSIC
Anything Lady Gaga love her! (really liking "teeth" right now)
Anything Beyonce…love her as well!
Revolver by Madonna
Bump by Trish
Rockstar 101 by Rihanna
Sell me candy by Rihanna
Reach out by Hilary Duff
With Love by Hilary Duff
Stranger by Hilary Duff
I Am by Ricky Martin (i swear this is good)
WhooHoo by Christian Aguilera featuring Nicki Minaj
Say Something by Drake
Whine Up by Kat Deluna
Slowly by Joystick
Pucker Up by Ciara
High Price by Ciara

Hope that helps you!

[anngiern]

i personally have not read this clean eating book but i don’t neccesarily believe that exercise is only 10%. i believe exercise is about 60% to 70%. you have to burn off more than what you are putting in. i think sometimes people are doing the wrong exercises to attain the results that they want. i truly have the abs that i always wanted b/c i do ab work that targets the middle abs (6 pack), lower abs, obliques, transverse abdominus (abdominal belt) and my back muscles. now my ab workout is more well rounded. before i used to just do crunches b/c that is what i saw in the gym. now i found that pilates type movements really helped to get the body i wanted from a "toned" perspective.

if you have been overweight a long time its going to take a while to get it off. it took me about one year to lose my 40 pounds (and then i gained 18 pounds back in muscle). but i was exercising like 5-6 days a week for about 1 hour to hour and a half and included a lot of intense cardio. now i exercise about 4 to 5 days a week with just pole and exotic dance and that helps me to maintain my weight.

i was very fortunate that i came from a very active family so once i jumpstarted my metabolism again the weight came off. its so important from an early age (early childhood) to start your kids being active. i really believe that helps to prevent weight issues as you get older. i gained my weight about 3 years post college when i wasnt as active as i had been the previous 16 years.
i also encourage my students that it is truly a lifestyle change. take the stairs instead of the elevators, park far away and walk…etc… once you start incorporating these things into your daily life it will become habit.

as far as eating goes i do limit my fried foods (really b/c it is messy, smelly, and time consuming), i do not drink any soda (just juice and water…but that was b/c soda makes me so darn thirsty) and i dont eat very much fast food except subway.i do eat cupcakes and goodies though…if i do eat them it is only once a day. i remember when venus and serena (tennis players) were on oprah and they said they eat mcdonalds all the time…but all that running back and forth on that tennis court it will be gone. now this is not good for your arteries, cholesterol, etc..

i totally agree with reenie about portion control. restaurants pile it on. when i go out to eat i split a meal with someone…even dessert! i am finding that many restaurants are now starting to offer small portion sized desserts. and when i feel full i stop eating.

the food diary is a HUGE eye opener. i give some of my pole students a food log so they can visually see what they are eating. it really helps to see what your eating habits are and where you can make changes.

also i agree to stay off the scale..pay attention to how your clothes are fitting..that to me is one of the better indicators of weight loss.

[anngiern]

sure thing! i do the shoulder dismount a lot https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

it’s about 2/3 thru this vid, this is a side view: http://ver3.studioveena.com/lessons/view/3466" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and a little mroe than halfway thru this one, from the back: http://ver3.studioveena.com/lessons/view/2862" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

thanks so much!

[anngiern]

the reason why i ask whether or not people are kicking into the SM is because i don’t see why it’s dangerous to kick into an invert and NOT dangerous to kick into a SM! sorry but it’s just really easy to hurt yourself when you kick into anything. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_evil.gif i dont mean to be a stick in the mud but it’s not as important to get tricks as it is to stay SAFE and NOT INJURED!

i would suggest that you work on going from a regular invert into a controlled shoulder dismount down to the floor… it’s the same principle that strength-trainers use, and it’s called doing "negatives"– see http://www.healthandfitnessadvice.com/fitness-tips/how-to-do-a-pull-up-when-you-can-not-do-a-pull-up.htmlfor some more info on negatives as they apply to pull ups. you can also go from an invert into a SM dismount and go back up into a regular invert for practice.

great article amy..really enjoyed reading that. do you have a video clip (in your uploaded videos) of you doing a regular invert into shoulder mount dismount? just need to get visual on how to reposition by hands to come down. i love that descent and think it looks nicer than going into from standing. is it easier to do that one first? i was wondering b/c my ab/core strength is very good and that way looked like i would be able to nail it better.
thanks https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

[anngiern]

cool..i like this one….i love spinny work. are we allowed to use spinning pole at veena or just on stationary?

[anngiern]

there is a burlesque festival in september in new orleans. here is the link

http://www.neworleansburlesquefest.com

i might be going…just waiting for them to put up a schedule of workshops.

[anngiern]

Man…I know you guys like this thread, but it’s totally bummed me out. Every single move I’ve learned recently that I was super proud of is here. Now I feel like the ugliest laziest dancer ever to live.

Maybe you guys should rethink the extent to which you are describing some moves as hideous, because it’s made me feel like the top 5-10 moves in my bag of tricks are all fug. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_pale.gif It’s when I see things like this that make me not want to post vids of my progress….not if everyone’s just going to think everything I have worked so hard for and am so proud of is just me slutting around the pole or looking terrible.

no worries poledanceromance…that is why pole dancing is an art…and art is always subjective to the person who is viewing/watching it. so what ticks for one person might not for the other. i think at the end of the day it is all about presentation. you can sell any move if the presentation is appealing.

veracblue…..i LOVE LOVE LOVE THE CATERPILLAR!!!! (we call it a pole snake). i dont care for it when people do like 10 in row real fast b/c then it seems overdone…. i do mine SUPER SLOW like i am sexing the pole and take ages to finish it and time it with the music well. when i do demos for new students that is the move that signs them up for level 1 with a quickness!!!LOL…

and i still love the chopper……i saw sheila kelly of s factor do that on an episode 20/20 and i was INSTANTLY sold. i love peeling my legs slowly into it like a flower petal and then slowly descend from the top of the 16 foot pole (which actually is hella hard to hold that long way down) all the way to the floor. many people still love this move.

in the end just do what makes you happy!!!

[anngiern]

hmmm…i do not like the side climb at all…it looks like spiderman or something…but i do hope that some day someone can make that look better.
dont really care for the iguana or the teddy either. superman is ok…but i agree.. i love Fleur’s version at USPDF. that made me want to go revisit that move again.
but the biggest turn off for me is something very simple…a bad walk!!! nothing makes me cringe more then when someone walks from pole to pole like a zombie. i constantly work on my walk(and free hand) as much as i work on my pole tricks..but i am biased b/c i am a dancer at heart and we are trained that your walk is so important when it comes to doing a performance or traveling between two points. your walk connects all of your dance together. someone’s walk and transitions can make or break a performance for me. (again…i am little bias b/c i do personally enjoy "pole dancing" more vs. "pole fitness" due to my background in dance)

[anngiern]

go ahead and use the song mini!!! not to sound like 8th grade but i dont see anyones name written on it! LOL..pole dancing is all about individual self-expression…so everyone’s interpretation of it is different. make it your own girl! that is how i find songs…by watching others dance to it and then i put my "spin" on it.

i would love to do a challenge where we all dance to the same song to see how everyone interprets it. i think that would be fun glitterhips!

[anngiern]

cool..sounds like fun!