catmoves2718
Forum Replies Created
-
I think it’s really, truly, wonderful that some people feel better about their bodies after starting pole. Any time anyone learns to love and accept their body that’s a win in my book. That said, this is not a universal experience in pole. Being part of the pole community does not make everyone feel better about their body. Not all studios are body positive or supportive of people of all size or fitness levels. Some are downright hostile if you don’t fit a certain mold. Not all instructors model body positive behavior, and some model very negative and unhealthy behavior (e.g. under eating). So while I think it’s great that some people feel better about their bodies because of pole, I think there is a real tendency in the pole community to over state this experience and make it seem universal, which is very isolating and alienating if you are not one of those people who feel pole has improved their body image.
-
The ability to download videos in the app and store them at least temporarily would be really useful. When I practice in the studio I don’t have wifi access.
-
As others have said depending on your contract you absolutely can be fired for having a second job. Additionally in the US some employers require you to sign a contract with a morality clause and they absolutely can dire you if you violate it. Other employers have policies about social media use. My employer doesn’t much care what I do in my free time, but they absolutely do care what people can find when you type my name into a search engine, so I have to be careful. If you have questions about this I suggest reading your employment contract and possibly talking to a lawyer.
-
As an instructor, I am very clear that if you come to a level 1 (i.e. beginners) class you are working on beginner material. The same holds for level 2, 3… I do not want students distracted or intimidated by what their classmates are working on, nor do I want “adventurous” beginners trying things they have no business trying because they saw someone else do it. I do tolerate students doing the same move that is being worked on, but a slightly more difficult variation–if we’re working on fireman spins, and you can safely do a one handed version, fine, if you do a obviously different, showy spin (e.g. reverse grab) or start inverting, you’ll be politely asked not to do that right now. I am clear and consistent about this policy, and for the most part, students respect it.
I don’t regularly take classes, but I do visit other studios whenever I travel (which is fairly often). I typically sign up for classes that based on description are below my ability level (a) because I’m often tired on work trips, and (b) to make sure I’m not signing up for a class that is above my ability level. If I show up and we’re working on the fireman, that’s what I work on. Occasionally I’m asked if I’ve done this before and I’ll admit I’ve been pole dancing a while, but unless the instructor encourages students to work on more advanced material, I just enjoy the class. I often find I learn a new transition, or slightly different way of doing something, things I might miss if I tuned out the instructor because I have already mastered the move being taught.
A couple of other things:
I have split classes into beginners and not beginners before out of necessity. I found those classes are very taxing to teach, and I’m not sure my students got as much out of them. If you’re going to offer what is essentially an open/mixed level class, why not just call it that, at least students will know what they’re getting.
Personally, I also avoid letting students act as “junior instructors.” There are some fairly serious liability issues. Also, just because a student can do a move, does not mean they are going to explain how to do it well or provide useful/safe advice to other students. An occasional tip is fine, but if I see much beyond that, I’ll pull the student aside and politely ask them to stop.
-
I’m not adding anything new here, but I agree with others who have recommended Veena’s lessons. Also, I have an Althea Austin DVD, I watched/used it once, but as others have said, the combination of ballistic stretches and not-great cuing turned me off. Especially the ballistic stretches.
-
Go see a healthcare professional! I’m two months out from something very similar and trust me, I wish I’d gone right after it happened.
-
Tangentially, I recently heard someone recommend pointing the index finger of the top hand up in split grip, as though to mirror the lower hand. I understand why pointing the index finger of the lower hand down is better anatomically, but for the top hand it’s less clear to me. Has anyone encountered this grip, or know why it might be preferred?
-
Thank you for the detailed response, Veena!
-
Veena, could you please say a bit more about what you mean when you say “I also feel split grips are often over done too”?
-
I like 7′ as a minimum, 8′ is really nice. As someone else said, I’d rather share than have to worry about kicking people.
-
I’ve been there. Multiple times. It feels terrible. I hope you are able to move past this feeling soon.
That said, for me at least, Runemist hit the nail on the head with “I defeat myself, I put myself down, I don’t celebrate ANY victory. Ever.” The problem isn’t that I suck at pole, the problem is that I *think* I suck at pole, or that I’m not progressive fast enough, or whatever. Part of my problem is that I compare myself to others, and part of my problem is that I’m just way too hard on myself. Sometimes I have to sit myself down and remind myself that my progress is just that, mine, and it has nothing to do with anyone else. I try to point out to myself what has gotten better. If I’ve lost tricks I worked hard to get before, instead of beating myself up about it I try to remind myself that I worked hard before, and I’ll do it again.
You mention you took a break, I’ve had to take a number of breaks over the years I’ve been poling, and what I have learned is that pole is not forgiving of breaks. Coming back can be hard because you want to compare yourself to you before the break, but it’s just not a fair comparison. So you might not have mastered any new moves in 2 months, but have you regained strength since coming back? This is important, necessary, and worth celebrating. Also, have have you gotten better at the tricks you can do?
As others have said, remind yourself why you fell in love with pole, and focus on that. And try to be kinder to yourself.
-
Yes, things like backwards rolls and fish flop. The issue wasn’t direct pressure though, since you really shouldn’t be on your neck there anyway, but something about the head motion didn’t always go well for me.
I thought microdermals had generally replaced surface bars? When I got my nape in 2007 microdermalss were recommended over the surface bar but I went with the bar for other reasons. If you haven’t had issues with clothing and stuff rubbing/getting caught on the microdermals near your cleavage then you might have fewer issues with them on your nape than you would with a surface bar.
-
I had a nape piercing done with a surface bar for the first couple of years I did pole. I do not know what the microdermal implants are like, but with the surface bar I always had to be very careful about something pulling on or hitting it. It shouldn’t be an issue with shoulder mounts (I wasn’t doing them back then) because you’re over on the trapezius, not right on the center of the neck, but things like rollovers can be painful if you move your head in a certain way and kinda pull the piercing. Moves like broken pencil might also an issue. Also, I have long hair so I had to be careful about getting my hair caught in it when I was dancing (and the rest of the time). I loved my nape piercing but it was literally a pain in the neck. If the microdermals are substantially less sensitive to pulling/bumping than the surface bars, it might be okay, but if they’re not, I wouldn’t recommend it.
-
I’ve been to the Downtown Pole Pressure and really enjoyed it.
-
I’ve been to Verticality. The studio is nice physically. And I have enjoyed the classes I’ve taken there. Two of their current instructors have been Miss Texas Pole Star, so I wouldn’t expect to “outgrow” them too quickly.
-
Yes, both Chinese pole and Mallakhamb pre-date pole as we practice it, but I think claiming them as our direct ancestors is disingenuous at best. Mallakhamb, Chinese pole, and pole as we practice it seem to be examples of similar dance forms/sports evolving separately or with limited influence on each other. Mallakhamb and Chinese pole clearly came first historically, but that doesn’t necessarily mean pole as we practice it evolved directly or even indirectly from those forms. If you compare the three forms, there are some pretty major differences in equipment as well as style. Mallakhamb poles are much thicker (at least at the base, they taper) and Chinese poles are just a little thicker (52-60mm) but typically much taller. Another big difference; in Mallakhamb both the athlete and the pole are coated in oil to reduce friction. Chinese poles are typically coated in rubber or similar materials to improve grip, this means they wear clothes in order to avoid friction burns. In contrast we dance in little clothing on a 40-50mm pole made of polished metal and fastidiously avoid any form of oil on our skin. Yes, we have seen the incorporation of moves from Chinese pole in particular into the pole lexicon, especially at the elite levels, but this doesn’t mean pole as we practice it comes from Chinese pole.
We can point to the circus connection, and in the US the side-shows of the 1920s, but the nude or nearly nude girly shows where women danced around the center pole of the tent isn’t a far cry from the gentleman’s clubs that started showing up in the 1950s. If we look at the recent history of pole, we can see a direct line from strip clubs to dance studios. Two of the women who helped bring pole to women outside of strip clubs, Sheila Kelly and Fawnia Dietrich, both credit strippers as their inspiration. Fawnia Dietrich was a stripper and Sheila Kelly is an actress and screenwriter, who discovered pole while writing about and playing a stripper. Sheila Kelly wrote a book and opened a studio. Fawnia Dietrich made instructional videos/DVDs and opened a studio. There is more to the start of pole in studios than that, but our pioneers were clearly influenced by what was going on in strip clubs. Additionally, while it seems to be less common now (or at least not discussed), when I started pole in 2008, it was quite common for pole dance instructors to be current or former strippers, if for no other reason than few other women had ever danced on a pole.
I did read the link you posted Kellye Perkins, and nothing it says is at all inconsistent with what I had previously read about the history of pole as we practice it, they just devote more attention to Chinese Pole and Mallakhamb. Their discussion of recent pole is confined to two paragraphs, but is consistent with a direct link from pole in strip clubs to pole in dance studios.
-
My (very strong) thoughts on #notastripper…
I used to bake a lot, and I used to read a lot of baking blogs, look at photos, etc.. In all that time I never–not one single time–saw a hashtag or any language preemptively declaring that the author/baker was not a professional baker. So why then do pole dancers feel the need to preemptively declare that they are not strippers? Because they want to “defend” themselves. The only reason someone would need to defend themselves is if they buy into the idea that there is something shameful about stripping. Intentionally or not, it is denigrating women who strip. It is slut shaming. The #notastripper tag says I’m not like those women, disrespect those women, denigrate those women, but respect me, because what I do is “fitness,” or “sport.” If you have a sporty style or a non-sensual dance style on the pole, that’s fine, be you, celebrate you, but it is not okay to put down other women who do pole in other contexts or embrace another style. Pole as we practice it comes from women dancing in strip clubs, it is an art form created and nurtured by strippers, it is not okay for us to take pole, but disrespect them.
I did really appreciate Veena’s comments that, if you’re that afraid to even try the sexy or sensual side of pole, even in your own home or in a studio with women you know, it’s worth asking yourself why?
I also wonder, if all you want to do is gymnastics or dance, if pole is really just another apparatus, then why not take gymnastics or dance classes? If the only reason you pole is fitness, then why not take Zumba, or Pilates, or one of a hundred other things? Just some food for thought.
-
A related article: http://www.dailydot.com/lifestyle/notastripper-pole-dancing-instagram/
-
This is a great topic, thank you! I’ve considered amateur night performances myself, but so far have decided against it. Here is my two cents. I think before you decide whether you want to do an audition or amateur night, it is worth thinking carefully about why you want to do it and what you are hoping to get out of it. If your main goal is to show off your pole skills, the audience in a strip club may or may not really appreciate those skills. If your desire is really to perform and show off the results of all your hard work, you might consider seeking out other types of performance opportunities in the pole community, such as competitions or showcases, as the audience at these types of events may be more likely to appreciate the technical and artistic aspects of your performance. And of course you can always post videos on here, YouTube, etc..
As Honolulusushi53412 noted, there can be consequences to public performances. Personally, I have a professional job in a male dominated field, and I do perform, but so far I’ve stuck to studio showcases and similar events because I feel like those are safer performance spaces for me both professionally and personally. Depending on where you live, your particular professional situation, and how brave you are this may or may not be a concern for you. There are ways to disguise your appearance, and you can go to another city to find a club, but there is always some risk you’ll be recognized, and/or photographed.
Also, you may want to consider how you might handle a negative response from your audience. I’m not a small woman by any stretch of the imagination, and while I feel accepted within the pole community, people outside the pole community are sometimes judgmental and even mean about bigger women pole dancing. I do *not* think other people’s ignorance should stop you from doing what you want to do, but it can sometimes be useful to think about how you are going to respond to negativity in advance, so that you have a plan for dealing with it if it does occur.
Best of luck to you in your performance journey!
-
Happy anniversary!
-
P.S. Veena wrote a really nice blog on a similar topic, you might find it helpful.
https://www.studioveena.com/blogs/view/567b1881-5ac4-40b1-b25a-000aac110002 -
All of the moves you listed there are at least solid intermediate level moves, and I’d classify most of them as advanced. When I’ve taken “level” classes at various studios, these types of moves weren’t introduced until at least a year into regular classes, and even then, a lot of the students struggled with them. What I’m trying to say is that your progress isn’t slow, if anything I’d characterize it as remarkably fast, especially if you are only dancing once a week. I assume that you must have been in good shape when you started to be able to achieve this so quickly.
That said, your progress will tend to be slower if you pole once a week or less. More consistent practice (but not over-training) will tend to result in faster progress. Like anything else, pole takes practice.
-
You can email X-pole with questions, I have gotten very good/useful responses from them this way, usually within a day. I’ve recently had a similar conversation with them. The permanent mounts are 4″ x 7″, so wider than most ceiling joists. I recommend you contact them about your exact situation, especially with the 12′ ceilings. That said, what they recommend I do in a similar situation is have a contractor attach a wood block to the joists (which are metal and only a little over an inch wide in my case) and then attach the permanent mount to the wood block. A piece of 3×6 cut just over 7″ long works well.
Also, I’m not sure what the ceiling limit is on a standard home X-pole (I know it’s listed on their website), but their studio poles can be used with higher ceilings, and since you special order the pole with only the parts you need, they actually cost less than the home pole kits.
-
I should add, I use a pencil and a ruler or other straight edge to help out here. Just mark lightly, because it’s hard to erase from paint, and putting touch-up paint on the ceiling is not fun.
-
I’ve lived in several older houses where the stud-finder had a difficult time finding the joists. If you don’t have a piece of plywood, you can try using a paper grocery bag, I have found that it can smooth things out just enough to help the stud-finder. I also map out relatively large sections of my ceiling, to make sure I have a joist. So I’ll use the stud-finder to map out the joist about 12-18″ along the joist on either side of where I want to put the pole. I figure if I can’t find the joist a foot or so down from where I thought I found it before, it’s not really a joist. Then I move perpendicular to the joist about 16-24 inches and look for the next joist on either side. It’s a fair amount of work, but it helps convince me I’ve really found a joist, even if I’m getting a lot of false positives from my stud-finder.
