[marle777]

I came to comment on exactly what Empyrean has stated. I suspect it’s best to have a gentle hand with those plastic pressure tabs. But that’s kind of impossible considering you have to squeeze them pretty hard. Other than that they are fun addition to my black light. 🙂

[marle777]

Sold! Off to the good ol’ Amazon..

[marle777]

Forgot to mention this mega-resource: http://www.homeofpoi.com/lessons_all/teach

Happy hooping!

[marle777]

I have both of these dvds and really they are good, clear instruction and troubleshooting. Nicely produced and classy but truthfully you don’t need them. Save your money and check out some of the better done free tutorials on YouTube. The user that first comes to mind I believe is babzrobinson and be sure to check out hooping.org and hoopcity.ca for tons of user submitted tutorials, all free. Cristobel Zamour also has good dvds too if you decide that you do want a dvd library anyway. But it is more about doing the lessons than ‘owning’ them, right? 🙂

[marle777]

Ballet has a lot of historical backing so you’ll come across misinformation sometimes suggesting that all dance forms come from it which is not true although it has touched many styles due to westernization. I can easily see how Alethea could be correct with her notation there and I think, from having watched my sister train for elite gymnastics most of her life, that really the most closely related mainstream class would be adult gymnastics for both strength and flexibility. Again, middle eastern dance (bellydance) movements are one of the truest ‘mothers’ of exotic dance floorwork, so I try do all of the above for my own practice. Nothing wrong with cross training..

[marle777]

I forgot to note that the belly dance floorwork often incorporates much of what you already have learned in your yoga classes so that is also a plus.

[marle777]

Ballet is something that I have only had the pleasure of dabbling into with my own solo practice and already it has had many benefits all over and of course most especially in the core and legs as previously mentioned.

I reccomend also looking into some form of bellydance as this can help with your transitions and flow tremendously. I prefer the modern tribal fusion forms with an emphasis on floorwork for the really sinous and sultry look but there are many styles and really, just the basics are enough to help with pole dance anyway.

[marle777]

Wow, all of this talk makes me very glad I bought my X-Pole long before they changed the design of the joints. Never had a problem with it. 🙂

[marle777]

I was making the same mistake until my arms got tired, lol. Body weight does seem to be held from the hip to foot instead of arms and shoulders.

[marle777]

I recently got to try the silks and I thought it was going to be more like pole than it is, but truthfully there is more exertion in the legs and even moreso in the feet holding you up than you have in poling (the exception is the inverted crucifix but even then you have the pole for support where with silks your leg is the ‘pole’ support). Pole tricks are also most times focused on arm strength which is not so much the case with silks.

The flexed foot thing definitely threw me off instead of pointing and when I tried the lyra I had trouble not crossing my ankles and just having straight legs for hanging poses.

They were both fun though and I’m looking into getting silks and an aerial hoop to accompany my pole. 🙂

[marle777]

I can’t recall where I read this to verify I remember being informed years ago that pole dancing girls originated under the turn of the century style circus big top tents. The poles used to hold the tents would be climbed by the the acrobatic females inbetween the bigger acts.

[marle777]

You may also want to take a stroll around stripperweb.com if you haven’t checked it out yet. Lots of useful info there. 🙂

[marle777]

I wanted to add to the convo that I have quite a few dvds as well but Veena’s lessons are the best, most informative and it’s been great to watch the professionalism and content expand so greatly – but not being able to download them has been such an inconvenience that I have not renewed. I refuse to buy a smart phone for security reasons and my pc is not always connected to the net. I miss the lessons but it’s just not convenient to be attached to an online computer for something so physically interactive. 🙁

[marle777]

Hi Amy! I don't yet own the BeSpun DVDs, but I plan to and I purchase a lot of fitness DVDs anyway, so here's my two cents:

I like options so I believe the countdown timer should be availble as an on/off option in the menu. Furthing that notion, any music and detailed instruction should both also be on their own on/off switches. And, if you really want to go the extra mile, then have the instruction play straight through but chapter it and also have a 'Create Your Own Class/Workout' option. (Shiva Rea and some other fitness producers do this).

Thanks for listening to your customers. 🙂

[marle777]

When did you order your copy, Veruca? At it's release or more recently?