ottersocks
Forum Replies Created
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Glad you are all discovering Bob Cooley’s book and getting results! The DVDs with Dara Torres are really terrific too. Happy stretching!
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Hi
Poletential instructor, here! Almost all of us are headed to LA for convention. The owner is there already, which is why you likely aren't getting called back. Our regularly scheduled classes are cancelled this weekend, but there is indeed open studio Sunday 10:30 – 12:30. I believe it's $10 (but don't quote me, not certain.) You can just show up, someone will be there to have you sign a waiver and take your $.
Ellen
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Hi Paulette,
They’re $20, and they show and describe the strength and stretch moves for all the major lower and upper body stretches. They’re super helpful. Send me a message if you’re interested. Good luck with the stretching!
Ellen -
Sorry Shay, I don’t record them. Use the flash cards I sent you, they’re really good. 🙂
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Omg I just saw this! How’s it going, you two?? Any questions?
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I think it's just like anything else: practice practice practice! I just started a new class at Poletential called Pole Fusion: where tricks meet dance. I come up with about 7 tricks or move combos that we all go over (these are advanced girls who know most of these tricks anyway), and then we work on how to dance in and out of them. How can you transition them? What are good moves to do going in and coming out? And then we dance these same 7 moves for a month. At the end of it, the goal is that those 7 moves are now so second nature to you, that you can incorporate them smoothly into your dancing while still moving expressively to the music.
I'd say, practice with moves you know well. The more you're used to the moves, the more you can forget about them and focus on your movement quality. And then dance to a song you know like the back of your hand. Hit the big moments, work the pauses, really focus on interpreting its highs and lows.
It takes time to get good at this, but it's well worth practicing just as much as the "trick of the moment."
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ooh poledanceromance, please elaborate! i'm intrigued!
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OK, just uploaded a vid of me doing Jenyne's apprentice to allegra transition. I look like holy hell after 4 hours of teaching, but there you have it! 🙂 Hope it helps.
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I have zero skill/luck at finding moves in videos, my apologies!
I learned this from Jenyne. You start in an apprentice V hold at the side of the pole– for me, right (inside) thigh pressed to pole, left outside arm at nose height, right inside arm fingers down with right thigh placed on the pole above the hand. Lean back into a V. (See Apprentice on http://www.wikipole.org–but don't hook the top ankle on the pole, and keep both legs straight.)
From there, both knees bend so you tuck into a ball and hold the pole between your knees/lower thighs. To do that, you'll need to let the pole slide from the top of the right inside thigh up deep into the hip crease on that leg. Once you have a good squeeze on the pole, your bottom right hand releases and re-grabs the pole behind the right inside knee, thumb up. Release the left outside hand, and unroll the body and chest away from the pole, down to the left. Ta da–Allegra!
I hope this helps. If you're totally mystified, I can try to video it.
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I have zero skill/luck at finding moves in videos, my apologies!
I learned this from Jenyne. You start in an apprentice V hold at the side of the pole– for me, right (inside) thigh pressed to pole, left outside arm at nose height, right inside arm fingers down with right thigh placed on the pole above the hand. Lean back into a V. (See Apprentice on http://www.wikipole.org–but don't hook the top ankle on the pole, and keep both legs straight.)
From there, both knees bend so you tuck into a ball and hold the pole between your knees/lower thighs. To do that, you'll need to let the pole slide from the top of the right inside thigh up deep into the hip crease on that leg. Once you have a good squeeze on the pole, your bottom right hand releases and re-grabs the pole behind the right inside knee, thumb up. Release the left outside hand, and unroll the body and chest away from the pole, down to the left. Ta da–Allegra!
I hope this helps. If you're totally mystified, I can try to video it.
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I like Jenyne's method of going into Allegra from apprentice. It also puts the pole right at your hip and allows you to unwind your chest away from the pole, so the ribs never make contact.
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No problem!
Rebecca Starr and I chatted about rainbow Marchenko. She said as hard as it is, what's even harder is getting into it! Can't even freaking imagine….https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif
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Alethea taught this in her masters workshop at Poletential last weekend.
From the superman, you bend the knee and grab the opposite foot of your free hand. Your free/straight leg has to point WAY down at the floor–pretty much vertical. You press the calf of the bent leg against the pole, pull it into the pole with your hand, and let go with the hand that was the top hand in your superman.
The only place it really hurts is on that calf. If you point your free leg down you get away from your lady business. Alethea said when she first did this, she just let go and dropped into it, and thought she fractured her vagina! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_surprised.gifSo, move into it slowly.
Hope this helps.
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Sorry to report this event has been cancelled. I'm having some health issues and can't fly. Sad I won't get to meet Veeners!! 🙁
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Pole jam is coming up next weekend!! WOOHOO!!!! Can't wait to meet Veeners. If you're in New England, join us!!
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Thanks ladies, some great ideas! Keep 'em coming!!! 🙂
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SM in a double cup grip scared the crap out of me at the beginning so I mastered it with the inside hand cupped, outside hand thumb up on front of pole–I think that's what you're calling the Veena grip…?
And then Pantera came to our studio, and in her own special way, called me right out! Her opinion: if you can't do it in double cup grip (which is the most anatomically neutral way), you're not strong enough to be doing it period. Immediately switched to double cup! 😉
That's a little harsher than my thinking, but I do try to only teach double cup now, unless I have a girl who's just too freaked out about it. Definitely don't want to be kicking up into this one, practicing it from the floor (while harder) builds your strength to do it without momentum. Think about pulling your elbows together and down–the pull comes from the lats and back of arms.
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Barefoot only, for sure.
Natasha Wang told me she puts grip aid on the bottom of her foot–that's the only thing that keeps her from face-planting, in her words. She also said she picks up a load of gross gunk stuck to the bottom of the foot! 🙂
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Ooooh develange, please come! Everyone is right, a pole jam is just awesome fun. Everyone chats and shows each other what they're working on, supports each other, tries new things…and it's SO great to be in a room full of people who understand your sport and obsession! It doesn't matter what level you're at, you'll have an amazing time.
I'm so excited to be back in Massachusetts for a few days and can't wait to meet other Veeners at our jam! This one does cost $20 per person for the two hours, that's what the studio is charging us. Let me know if you'll join us, I really really hope so!!
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Hi 40plus!
I'm actually in California but headed to Worcester for my college reunion in May. We're having a pole jam with a few other Veeners at a studio in Worcester on Saturday May 21 at 9 am. jayjay125 and dezcalda will be there as well, and we are all 40 and up. Would love to have you join us, let me know if you want more info!
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My two best falls:
Doing gemini/scorpio leg switches at my birthday party in front of a dozen friends. Missed the pole entirely and WHAM on my back!
Teaching a class, standing in the middle of the floor in heels just talking. Lost balance, feet flew out from under me, WHAM on my ass!
Apparently I only fall with an audience!
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People seem to either love itac or hate it. I think Amy nailed it, it must be a body chemistry thing. I am not a sweaty person but like a little bit of tackiness when I'm learning something scary. Itac 2 turned to grease on me in the middle of a true grip handspring. I've tried 3 and found the same thing. Starts out tacky, turns to grease. I agree with trying samples before you buy.
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Sarah is miniature. I doubt she's much over 5 feet. She's smaller than Karol.
Alethea is pretty close to my height, maybe an inch or so shorter.
Here's a link to our guest instructor photos page. For comparison, I'm 5'6" barefoot. The picture of Karol is misleading, as she's in shoes and I'm not.
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Yay for cheater jade! I'm with Amy.
As for Charley's problem, I want video too. 🙂
One note: the true jade as invented by Jamilla is actually a straight on square split. That's why she's able to do it without using the inside arm to squeeze the pole. She (and others who do it flat–like Wendy T annd Jenyne come to mind immediately) are actually sticking on the inside of their front thigh. The back arm inside arm does nothing. Truly awe inspiring. 🙂
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If I'm remembering correctly, I think Sarah also was an ice skater.
And she is TINY! Smaller than Karol even.
What cracks me up about Sarah is her face–total lack of expression or effort. She's so zen when she poles. I've done a few workshops with her and she finds everything so easy that she can't even understand when things are hard for us. She's like, what do you mean you can't lift into a TG?! Just do it!
She's hysterical! 🙂
