[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Interesting. I agree with sassafrassle that I like to have quite a lot of dancing in my performances (because it comes naturally to me) and also because I feel like the tricks have more impact if they are only occur every now and then (in moments where the music climaxes maybe) as opposed to one after the other. Plus, who has the stamina for trick after trick? One day I hope to be able to for competitive reasons, but geez… Still, artistically and aesthetically I still prefer more dancing and emotional expression than just trick-transition-trick. I actually struggle to fit alot of tricks in one song before the music ends…. I get distracted with all the groovin 😛 Maybe that would be an interesting challenge? A whole song consisting of every trick you can do…. Uh im exhausted just thinking about it! 😛 haha

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Alethea Austin, Bobbi, Karol Helms… They are my faves…. Im IN LOVE with Alethea Austin's dancing! Had an awesome workshop with her in Sydney last year… so unique, fluid and sensual. Gorgeous! 🙂

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Hey Caitlin, I used to live in sydney but not anymore, so we cant pole jam together sorry, but I can recommend a great pole school for when youve got the mula. Bobbi's Pole Studio in the city of Sydeny is AMAZING. Teachers are vibrant and so much fun, the 8 week courses are instructive in both pole tricks and dance moves, they hold regular amateur and show nights, and they've just moved to a brand spanking new studio on Elizabeth st in the CBD, so its all very glam. The prices for an 8 week course are average – $230 I think. So check out their website and ring them up – best to book into classes a few weeks in advance as the good time slots fill up really quick. Have fun in Sydney! Hope u find some poling buddies soon! (oh and the best way to meet them is via classes… thats how i made all my poling friends). 

Scarlett

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Im not a mum, but I have a teenage brother (15), and he and his friends know that I pole dance, and have seen me pole dance – it eventuated naturally, they were curious, wanted to give it a go, I showed them some tricks and how to do it… it was never a big deal for me as Im naturally very relaxed about showing my body and am so proud of my poling. 

HOWEVER…. recently it started getting a little complicated… even though they think I only do it for exercise (they dont know about my past stripping experience of course), I guess boys will be boys, and their hormones kicked in and it became apparent that they were starting to enjoy watching me dance a little toooo much 😛 

From what I overheard this and there, it seemed my brothers mates were teasing him and giving him a bit of a hard time about having a "hot sister"… Which immediately made me feel sooo guilty and repentent for inflicting any social embaressment or awkwardness on him… I got really worried about wether I had allowed the situation to become inappropriate… But then I considered the alternative – If i had of hid my poling and treated it as a very private, secretive thing, it would have only sent the message that pole dancing IS something to be hidden or ashamed of. 

So in the end, i just gently let the boys know that it wasnt appropriate or mature for them to be referring to me in that kind of a way (since im their mates sister, and also a school teacher now :P). So all the teasing has abated, things are all good, and I cant help feeling content that I openly express my love of pole, which only advertises to people that it is a sport to be proud of and to admire.

Also, someone else on here pointed out, that familiarity and knowledge of something takes away the fear or awkwardness of it. Its only ignorance that creates misconceptions and stigmas. SO if your kids grow up in an environment that accepts and appreciates poling as an art form, they will be too confident in the value of pole dancing to be seriously effected by other kids opinions…

 

Anyway, hope this helps… I know as a mother you would sacrifice anything for the wellbeing of your kids, but you should also consider how giving up or holding back your poling will effect your own happiness, which in turn will effect your mothering. 

 

All the best xoxo

Scarlett

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

I second Fern Sycamore,

Alot of clubs are investing in instructors to raise the quality of their dancers' pole skills. At the club I worked at, they payed one of their own dancers (who is also an instructor at a studio) to train us at 3pm once a week… Dont be too nervous about the environment – its quite common for strip clubs to use their space for their own extra training/activities/interviews/ or to rent out their space for a seperate function/event. And really, unless you are there at peak time, late at night when its crowded and the customers are intoxicated, you should be very safe. Club managers are professional businessmen too… So i reckon, just get as much info out of this woman as you can re the interview and venue, but I would be definitely show up as long as she can give a reasonable explanation for the choice of interview location. Also, from another poler who has aspirations to one day be an instructor, sometimes we have to be prepared to start out small and underground, before we can make the right contacts and rise to the top (ie fancy studios). Its all about networking and diverse experiences girl! 🙂 Hope the woman gets back to u and pouts your mind to rest… I know how u must be feeling, it sucks to always be hitting dead-ends! But keep putting yourself out there! 🙂 xox

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Ive always been completely open and honest about my love for pole-dancing as a hobby and possibly future career. And people have usually respected and shown polite interest in this. However I have to admit it does effect how some people percieve you, depending on their own preconceptions of pole-dancing. Boys in particular have seen me with new eyes… they are always quick to try n get a free pole performance out of me, or take the party back to my place in the hopes things might get a bit raunchy… I used to enjoy the attention, but now I prefer for guys to show n interest in me thats unrelated to the fact that Im a pole dancer. 

Stripping was a whole other issue to unravel. I always thought "what they dont know wont hurt them" etc, so I kept my parents in the dark for as long as possible. Plus, who wants to go throught that awkwardness? But eventually I had to tell them, I hated concealing the truth all the time… the deception actually lent some kind of guilt to the whole activity, which I didnt want so…

They were very accepting and were actually pleased and surprised that I had willingly told them. I think they were chuffed that I felt I could be honest and open with them… anyway, it has led to some embaressing and awkward moments, especially when some derogatory remark or perspective about the industry is voiced in our vicinity or is shown on tv… 

What I leanrt from this dilemma of telling or not telling them, is that mainly, its your life. Of course parents have a huge role in our lives and no one wants drama or dissapointment between them, its not fair that you feel guilty or torn because of something that gives you pleasure. I think the stigma comes from pole-dancing for money, exploiting yur body, b lah blah blah. Personally I think the stigma is ridiculous and just results from society's conservative and hypocritical hang-ups about sex and the human body. But, in your case, youve got nothign to worry about. You arent doing it for money like I was, you are doing it for fitness and as a creative outlet. SO I would push the perspective that its just another form of dance, that its artistic and challenging and inspirational. If you show them how much it menas to you, if they are only thinking of what makes you happy, then they can only accept it and respect you right to make your own choices in life. 

I dont think its a bad idea to show them some footage of pole-proffessionals. Its amazing how many people are compeltely ignorant of the strength and skill required to be a pole dancer. So educate them. 

 

Good luck, and remember, put yourself first! Its your life! 🙂 xox

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

All these tips are awesome! Im just wondering if anyone else has the same fear regarding the aysha as I do…. I cant help but be scared that once I take my legs away from the pole, my core wont be strong enoug hold my body straight and my legs will actually go backwards over my butt and ill hurt my back, and probably crash and smash myself 😛 lol. I actually have yet to try the aysha, but I can do a one-handed caterpillar climb, which involved sliding your legs up the ple and therefore looseing them a bit…. so I should be able to do it right? Ahh I just freak out about doing like a back-flip off the pole…  :S

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Hi Hilary,

 

I feel ya. I remember when I first started out and I had to consciously decide on which moev I was going to do next before I could do it. Its just attitude and practice that makes it all smooth and easy. Practice combining several floor moves together, in different sequences, over and over. Once you've got muscle memory, you can just let go, stop thinking and go with the flow. I find actually thinking about the moves makes my dancing seem so much more awkward… over-thinking can be very transparent. So STOP thinking about it…. just lie on the floor on your back, raise your legs slowly (toes always pointed!) and kick them leisurely in the air, kind of like your cycling. Then lower your legs, slowly roll over and push your bottom into the air and follow onto your knees, do some hip swirls, stretch your arms above your head, then do a little body-dip back to the floor, and so on. Its just repetition that makes it flow, but its attitude that makes it look sexy! Dont let yourself think about hte awkwardness, instead, pretend you are this hot dynamo who knows their stuff, knows their amazing, and doesnt even give a damn. Imagine yourself sexy and smooth, and your body willl eventually catch on! 

Also, I find watching youtube clips of my favorite pole-dancers a huge help… Check out Alethea Austin (she does alot of floor work) or whoever else has a style that you'd love to imitate, and use them as demonstrations and model yourself on them! Fake it till you make it love! Have confidence in yourself, or atleast pretend that you do! lol 🙂 

Hope some of this helps… Have fun! xox

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

I know that pole-dancing organisations have a lot of 'high-up' influences over the sport, but personally, I think for most polers, our greatest influences are our studios in which we train, the teachers or owners of those studios, and our personal pole idols (who are usually the top polers in the world, who compete etc). If you want to look at pole dancing down under, you should definitely research the beginnings and recent expansion of 'Bobbi's Pole Studio' in Sydney. Im not sure, but I have a feeling Bobbi's was the first pole studio in Australia… and they now have branches in Singapore, Malaysia, and more.

I find it interesting to compare the different priorities of pole studios, why some are more athletic and fitness orientated, while others push more dancing/asthetic values…

And as far as pole Idols go, and big names in poling, you cannot go past Alethea Austin! She is the current USPDF Champion, and has been hugley influential in regard to incooperating innovative, gymnast and breakdancing moves into her routines. 

I think you should look at how pole dancing is constantly evolving and expanding… Dancers like Allegra, Felix, and so on are inventing new moves and expanding the physical possibilities of pole…. so yeah, I hope you give plenty of credit to the individual original talent and interpretation of the top pole dancers! 🙂 Good luck!

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Such a great idea about referencing favorite film/literary characters for names… But my fave heroine is Elizabeth Bennet, (P&P by Jane Austen)… not exactly a sexy name 😛

Hmmm… I love Bronte novels too… but Bronte beach in Sydney was not one of my faves – im def more of a Coogee gal 😛 haha Sorry im thinking out loud now… ah its so hard to find the perfect combo isnt it! 

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

OMG EXCELLENT advice THANKYOU Runemist! Ok, so will def google potential name first. Would rather not be facing a law suit if I ever decide to use my name for a business/logo/whatever.  😛

Ok so you vote for Monroe, and maybe Saoirse, except its prob gunna tongue tie everyone… hmmpf. Ok… excellent, we r narrowing it down!!! I need more second opinions though! PLEASE, have your say! You can determine my future pole-dancing identity!! lol 😀

Oh and it might be pertinant to mention some of my key characteristics, so that you can interpret whether the name suits me as a dancer or not at all…. I guess I dance kinda fluid and flowy… and sometimes sultry, love rock n roll music… umm but my personality is kinda bubbly and sweet, not raunch or grunge. Soooo maybe just check out my videos and then get back to me!! hehe 😉 Thanks!!!!

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Mrs naughtywed pretty much said it all. I stripped for a year in Sydney in a posh Gentlmens club, so i guess I got the upperclass end of the scale, in both customers and staff…. but in any working environment you'll come across troublemakers and sleazebags, however I was lucky that most were pleasant and harmless…

 Look, i am a HUGE feminist, but I guess im third-wave feminist, in that I believe women have won the right to self-determine their own lives, we've got the freedom to own our own bodies. So what we want to do with our bodies is totally our own business, and I dont think that its appropriate for the government to make this illegal. Some might claim its degrading or disempowering and sexist to allow or support women using their bodies to earn money, but from a politicall and empirical point of view, I have to disagree. It may be in the name of protecting women, but to my mind making it illegal for women to earn money for taking off their clothes or dancing in the nude is taking their rights of freedom of choice back away from them, its disempowering. 

Stripping is not inherently evil or degrading. Its how the individual woman feels about it, how it makes her feel, the limits and values and principles she has, that determine wether its a good or bad thing for her. I found dancing on stage and getting nude for strangers to be strangely empowering, exhilirating, liberating. I felt like I was no longer being inhibited by social conventions, I felt proud of my own courage and daring, it taught me to be self-confident and appreciative of my body, what it looks like and what it can do. I think the human body is an incredible thing, and should be celebrated and appreciated whenever possible, not hidden away or covered for modesty or the law's sake. But thas just me. As Naughtywed said, it depends on the individual woman. 

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

I trained at Bobbis on 38mm… and the pole I have at home is also a 38mm… which I love love love. I have no problem gripping with my thighs, which I hope means thigh grips on anything bigger will be a cinch for me when I try a 50. However I am really nervous about trying spins n stuff on a 50, as I too have little hands… The pole at the club that I worked at was probably a 45, and I didnt really notice that much difference to the 38, but a 50 makes me quite nervous… lol. 

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Lovely! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! Your guy must have an artistic eye 😉

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

If you're an arty farty type like me, you'll love the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which is near the Botanical Gardens/Circular Quay/Opera House. You should try and check all of these out! A ferry ride across Sydney Harbous is the best way to view the Operan House and the beautiful views… plus its fun! You can catch a ferry across the harbour to Luna Park (if ur into Theme parks) or catch a ferry to Watsons Bay and have lunch at Doyles Seafood Restaurant on the beach – its stunning and delicious, plus historically interesting – It was Australia's very first fish n chips shop, way back in the 1800's! (I used to work there as a waitress – not in the 1800's, lol, just a fwe years ago :P) 

 

I grew up in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney (where the famous Bondi beach is located). Dont just visit Bondi, as it can get uncomfortably crowded. Bronte, Clovelly and Coogee beaches are just as beautiful, and less touristy. There is a coastal walk you can do from Bondi to Coogee and back which offers AMAZING views over the Pacific Ocean… its about a one hour walk, so its a good workout too! I highly recommend it 🙂 Just ask one of the locals to point u in the right direction, everyone knows about it.

 

Hyde Park is really beautiful, as is St Mary's Cathedral (near Hyde Park and the Art Gallery of NSW). 

Glad to hear you have already booked in at Bobbi's Pole Studio! Thats where I trained – they are amazing teachers who really know their stuff and are soooo friendly. You'll have a blast! My favorite teachers were Chilli (very vivacious and confident) and Isabella (quiter but very sweet). Cleo is also fantastic, and she came runner up to Felix Cane in Miss Pole Dance Austalia 2011. So she is extremely talented too. 🙂

If you're in the mood for some retail therapy, Bondi Junction's Westfield is HUGE and offers everything… For Pole STuff, go to highheels.com on Elizabeth st, Surry Hills (you can walk up the hill from Central Train Station).

Hope this helps…. have a great time! 🙂

 

 

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Ohh yes I agree, that would be so handy… to have like a glossary/dictionary of pole dance tricks. I think there are a few on the net, but not sure if the pole names used are universal… ?

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Not sure if I should be posting a new idea for feb challenge here, but I couldnt figure out how to start up a new thread…

 

I was just inspired by PeaceLoveBlond's recent video "Thursday play". Throughout her dance, her friend kept changing the music and switching songs… and it actually worked really well. It meant she had to instantly and smoothly alternate tempo and pace, mood and attitude etc… If we were all to attempt a seamless dance to several different songs back to back (obviously not playing the whole song, just 30-60 seconds or so) it would test our adaptability and quick reflexes, and it would force us to diversify our dancing style… from fast rock to slow and sentimental to fun (maybe reggae lol). The vids would be really fun to watch too…. 

 

Anyway just an idea… 🙂

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

I like this idea… although im not sure if i can remember EXACTLY which album i first bought… but its got great possibilities. Maybe the first album you fell in love with might be easier to remember… they're prob interchangable… anyway, good idea. 

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

WOW CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You should be so proud of yourself because im so so so impressed and proud of u and im a complete stranger who doesnt even have a clue about how hard it was! U have honeslty saved ur own life – how capable and strong and self-sufficient and incredible are u!? YOU MY DEAR ARE A LIFE SAVER. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif lots of love from sunny sydney xoxoxoxoooxo

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

FANTASTIC THREAD! It was a lovely thought from a lovely person that got this going….

I love my blue eyes
I love my long wavy hair
I love my toned tanned legs
I love my hands (they make beautiful art)
I love my voice (it lets me sing)
I love my broad and toned back
I love my curvy butt n hips – hello hourglass figure
I love my slim wrists
I love my feet (they have carried me so far – and look hot in heels! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_razz.gif)
I love my lips
I love my tiny ears
I love my freckles
I love my cute nose
I love my teeth (no fillings and no braces needed!)
ooo and i love my collarbone/shoulder/decolletage area… such a sexy body part on a woman

wow i think ive sent enough love to myself for now – then again, can there ever be too much? I think we r tempted to balance out the self-praise with nagative comments because maybe we dont want to be considered full of ourselves…. but i think its much better to overestimate urself than it is to underestimate yourself when it comes to body self-image!

Thanks for the lovely love

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Hi Runemist,

thanks for the reply. Yes i agree – im not so sure about the possible requirement for lap-dancing…. a policy of no-touching would suit me much better…. but im prepared to to give it a go and see what i can handle and what i cant. Im not going to push myself to do anything i dont like. Thats one of the main reasons i want to give it ago, coz i feel like stripping is a great opportunity if utilized properly etc… and my attitude is kind of: well if i can, i should try….

huh u were right to call me up on the slight sterotyping of men…. i actually dont have that much experience of men in romantic relationships myself… im only 21 and ive always been single – just never met a guy i liked enough to date more than once or twice https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_razz.gif I guess when i said "a male dominated world" i was referring more to history… it has been in the past but i think women r finally beginning to be treated like equals… and seen as more than just our bodies, and more than just domestic house-wives….

I hope that most guys are like the guys uve been lucky enough to have relationships with…. heres hoping… anyhoo thanks for the chat https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

love scarlett x

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Fantastic topic… and obviously very controversial… Not sure if it’s been brought up yet, but im gunna talk about stripping and its connection to sexuality in dancing….

I feel sad when women say they dont feel comfortable expressing their sexuality and sensuality, especially when dancing…. its not their fault ofcourse because its prob just a result of centuries of a male dominated world determining social norms and values for women, and projecting their own insecurities and judgments onto womens self-image. Call it sexual repression. The double standard. They want a whore in the bedroom but a buttoned up goody-two-shoes at the dinner party.

For me, one of the major attractions of pole dancing has always been the dancer’s attitude; the proud and confident expression of female sexuality. Maybe it’s the exhibitionist or egoist in me, but Im proud of my fitness, proud of my skills, proud of my body, so i naturally love to show it off to people. Dancing, as other members have written, is such a beautiful, natural way to totally succumb to your physical instincts, to let go of the nervous, neurotic encumbrances of the mind and just BE. Its so freeing to allow ur body to take over, so that all your emotions can be authentically expressed, explored, released. Its therapeutic. In so saying, I also love just as much to dance by myself, for myself. And even then I enjoy being sensual and sexual… I think it’s so important to be able to find yourself attractive… you cant base ur self-image on what others think of you.

It is irrational to try and deny that pole dancing did not originate in strip clubs, and that it is not essentially tied to the sex industry. I dont feel that this connection between pole dancing and stripping somehow lessens the value of it. And, it is my personal opinion that it is irrational to automatically demote the entire sex industry as anti-feminist, degrading, and dirty. Ive never seen how a man being willing to pay you handsomely for the privilege of seeing you naked is anything but complimentary. Being appreciated for her body does not devalue the woman’s other qualities. As long as she is aware of her own value which exceeds her tits and ass (ie; her mind, personality, her other skills etc) then why not take the money, flash the guy some skin, and say "Thankyou very much".

Im about to commence a career as a stripper. To me its a logical evolution… I need a job but i dont want to work my butt off waitressing long hours only to be payed the minimum wage. I adore pole dancing and im good at it, I love nudity and think that the female body should be revealed in all its glory more often… so why not get payed a fortune for doing something i love? When friends react badly to the news of my future aspirations, I am more dissappointed in them than they are in me…. it depresses me to encounter narrow-minded and dogmatic views in those i care for… ppl are shocked or embarrassed just because stripping is a social taboo, because working in the sex industry is transgressing some kind of unwritten rule… do they honestly think that how i earn my money is going to tarnish or lessen who i am? Some have said "This isnt you" which makes me sad… the image of me that they had in their heads isnt realistic. I am who I am, and I do what I want to do, and I refuse to limit my options or live my life according to popular opinion or socially-accepted norms.

Does anyone get what im trying to say? Would love to hear feedback from you, as long as its intelligent – not a blistering bitter and negative diatribe to vent your own neurotic insecurities…

Ciao https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif