[catmoves2718]

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.

[catmoves2718]

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.

[catmoves2718]

A related article: http://www.dailydot.com/lifestyle/notastripper-pole-dancing-instagram/

[catmoves2718]

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!

[catmoves2718]

Happy anniversary!

[catmoves2718]

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

[catmoves2718]

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.

[catmoves2718]

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.

[catmoves2718]

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.

[catmoves2718]

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.

[catmoves2718]

Hi Stephanie,

My pole is working just fine, but when I had difficulties with my older (2008) pole, you guys were awesome.

[catmoves2718]

Welcome!

[catmoves2718]

Second for call support. Or you can email them. They’re awesome and super-helpful.

[catmoves2718]

I’m so sorry you had a scary incident! And very glad that you made it through unharmed!

I have had a few scary incidents, but thankfully I’ve never been seriously injured. Safety mats can be a useful tool, but you want to be careful that you do not become over-confident just because you have a mat. You can still sustain injures, particularly neck injuries.

I think sometimes fear is something that you want to get over, and sometimes fear protects you, so it’s important to consider which is happening on a case-by-case basis. As Veena often points out it’s also important to realize that because of individual differences in anatomy, flexibility, etc. not every move is appropriate for every body. We tend to be conscious of this when we are talking about advanced moves, but this can be true of beginner and intermediate moves as well. For example, I’m not very comfortable with a cross-knee release, but I have a very solid cross-ankle release. The cross-knee release never felt very secure to me, but my instructor always said it was easier/safer than the cross-ankle release. Then I fell out of it, hitting my head and bruising my iliac crest (the back part of the pelvic bone). Thankfully I wasn’t seriously injured, but I generally don’t do it now. After thinking about the matter carefully, I’m pretty sure I know why I can easily perform the cross-ankle release and not the cross-knee release based on my anatomy. I share this as an example of how idiosyncratic our bodies can be, and how we need to be conscious of this, no matter how supposedly easy a move is.

[catmoves2718]

As Adventures of Alice said, I think you need to seek professional help for this. If your husband refuses to go, then please consider going by yourself. Personally it doesn’t bother me if my husband watches porn or goes to a strip club. But clearly it bothers you a lot. If you’ve told your husband this and he continues to do it and to lie about it, that’s a real relationship problem. If it is this painful for you, and he continues to ignore your feelings, then I don’t think it is unreasonable to consider divorce. Even if you end up getting a divorce, you might want to see a professional to help you work through the difficult experiences you’ve had in your marriage.

I hope that you are able to come to a place where you feel respected and at peace, with or without your husband.