yogabeachbabe
Forum Replies Created
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That is such incredible news! It’s going to be such a blast! Wow.
This is my favorite community. I’m still fairly new in Vegas and it’s a tough town. Maybe it sounds weird, but I feel more connected with you guys than anyone I know here. I love how we all support one another. That’s the way it should be–at least in my world. So it is my great pleasure knowing that in telling RoxyPink that Alethea was coming to her part of the country, that she created such good things for herself! I’m really impressed by Roxy’s initiative. Her studio is very lucky to have such a wonderful, talented, enthusiastic instructor.
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OK, here’s something I don’t understand: why the heck would anyone want to pole in the water?! Um, don’t we spend a lot of time drying off our hands and discussing sweaty palms and dry skin contact with the pole? Out here in Vegas, one of the big hotels is featuring a pole in their pool. HUH? I guess it’s for drunk people posing on the pole. Too funny. Also, with this new type of pole, do you notice in a lot of pictures it looks like it’s bending? I’m not a physics genius, so unless the base is a zillion pounds, how does it not tip over? And if it’s a zillion pounds, then how is it so portable? I’m sorry to sound so negative, but I just don’t get it!
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I try to practice more in heels than barefoot these days. The first time I was at the studio in heels, I felt very self-conscious, especially when landing a spin because you can hear the shoes clunking down on the floor. I had to work extra hard to be silent, controlled and graceful. They do add extra weight to your workout and they do extend your line and they can help you in climbing like others have already mentioned. I prefer the chunky heels over stilettos because they feel sturdier–again, it was the first time I wore them, and I was trying to control my landing, came down slightly off and could have snapped the heel off. And I also think that if I accidently spike my neighbor, the chunky heel might hurt her less (although both probably hurt equally, lol). Since you’re a dancer already, you might not feel it, but when I do a lot of grand plies in shoes in forced arch (in 2nd position), I can definitely feel it in my quads the next morning. My favorites so far are a clear plastic (clear REALLY extends the leg!) pair of Pleasers I got through http://www.shoebuy.com for around $40. They’re super comfortable and secure. Besides, they scream out: "LET ME OUT–I WANNA HAVE FUN!"
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I just saw this on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Ly_-scJ2A
Holy crap!!!! I think Felix and Pantera were just hanging out having dinner and then…
I repeat, HOLY CRAP!
Phenomenal. -
Hooray for you! You really are a great example!
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I am totally guilty of favoring my dominant side, too! But I do force myself to keep at it on my non-dominant side no matter how sad my spins/moves are. I remember my very first pole class and the teacher very nonchalantly taught every single spin on the left side first. Looking back, I applaud her for her insight! When I do a fireman or ankle spin, it "feels" more natural to have my right hand on the pole, but in all actuality, my spin is more clean when I have my left hand on the pole. Why? because my right leg is dominant and when it’s on the outside (with my left hand on the pole), it’s my gas pedal so it looks stronger and faster. So keep in mind which leg is on the outside as well. Good luck!
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Yay Glitter! Sounds like you totally kicked ass! So proud if you!
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Foxy, you might want to see a doctor before doing any self-diagnosis. I mean that sincerely and not in a snotty way. The problem with Google is that a lot of people think they have this or that when they might not. And they might treat themselves before knowing what it is that they might actually have. Having said that, I do believe that drinking water/keeping hydrated is a great idea. I’ve also heard of people who have electrolyte imbalances that results in either excess sweatiness or excess dryness in the hands. Since I’m not a doctor, I’m not going to suggest anything. But recently I met a lady who said that nothing helped her sweaty hands (tried Mighty Grip, Dry Hands, Bobbi’s Pole Gunk, etc) EXCEPT FOR golfing gloves. She also said that there’s this chalk stuff from REI for rock climbers that is supposed to help. Good luck and keep us posted.
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I’m sorry you feel that way, Pole-Twista. I don’t think it’s a personal issue at all. Yes, I’ll admit that when I see a bunch of vids by the same person, I’ll save them for a later date. And also, I’ve commented on some vids and they end up disappearing and I’m not sure what’s wrong. Glad you got your feelings off your chest. As for twisted grip, or other moves that I haven’t even had the nerve to approach, there’s really nothing for me to add. It’s hard when you put something out there that you’re proud of and don’t get the response you wanted. I admire all you guys who post videos. I still don’t have the confidence to do it, but I’m working on it. Keep posting and keep dancing–Veena’s right: it doesn’t matter what anyone else says, good or bad. And for the record, you’re a lovely dancer, in my opinion!
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Glitter, you’re going to be awesome. There’s no doubt about that!
Have you been to the club before? Sometimes those stages aren’t really set up for pole dancing. If the tip rail is RIGHT THERE, be careful of kicking a customer or losing a shoe. I’ve only been to one amateur night and one competition, so here are some observations from my limited view:
1) The girls who work there MAY not be that nice at first. I hope they are.
2) It’s not the tricks that get the most money from customers, it’s your sense of confidence and fun. There are some dancers who earn big bucks and NEVER do an invert. They know how to work the crowd.
3) Warn your friends to scream as loud as they can for you. The winner might be chosen by crowd noise and every yell counts.
4) This is kind of a silly one, but: know the rules ahead of time. The amateur night my friend competed at hadn’t told her until right before she went on that she was required to be topless by the end of her first song and then completely nude by the end of her second song. Seemed like a lot of girls didn’t know that because there was some hopping around when it came time to take off the thong.
5) Take your time: slower is better in a strip club.But most of all, have fun and enjoy the experience. I wish I could be there to cheer you on! You’ll be GREAT.
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Yay! That’s great! Congratulations!
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You’re welcome, Lily! I’m just glad my mindless wandering on the internet has led to something good!
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One studio that my teacher recommended was Pole Position:
http://www.polepositionfitness.com
It seems that they are very into afaa and ace guidelines. It’s in Long Beach, CA, so it might not be feasible for you.
The following was cut and pasted from Diva Den Studio website (Portland, Oregon):What about credentials and experience?
Does you being a dancer for X amount of years make you an expert?
Short answer, no.
Long answer, I’ve corrected many issues with dancers that have been dancing longer than I have. You need to make sure that not only can your instructor dance, but also that they have taken classes on how your body and muscles work, a personal and/or group training certificate is good, but pole dance certification that is approved by AFAA or ACE is even better and the two combined is fabulous! AFAA & ACE are the 2 leading fitness certification associations in the country. Also, do they stay up to date with the latest health and fitness news. Are they continually honing their craft by training with other qualified instructors?
Anyone can say “I developed a Pole Dance Certification Class”, even if they’ve never touched a pole, because it’s not regulated, but if the certification class has taken the time to get the approval and CEC’s through associations such as AFAA or ACE, then you will be doing yourself a huge favor by dealing with instructors that were trained properly.Just a note: I am not affiliated with either studio in any way, shape or form. I was doing a bit of research and found these items.
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Foxy, you might want to practice headstands and handstands the way we teach them in yoga (which is slightly different than gymnastics). On your new blooper video (so much fun, by the way!), you do a tripod headstand against the wall. First off, whenever you do a headstand, make sure your hands (or elbow points, if you’re doing a dolphin headstand or even a forearm headstand or yoga scorpion) are not too far apart. Try to keep them in line with your shoulders for protection. If you’re doing a dolphin headstand, your elbows should have an arm’s length in between. The easiest way to do this is to cross your arms, hold opposite elbows, then place them on the ground and release your hands. Second, instead of popping your legs up, try to either draw them up slowly in a pike position or from a straddle position. Believe me when I saw that this will immediately warm up your abs! Once you’re confident, try your headstands against the pole (smaller surface area so less dependence). As for handstands, I place my hands on the floor first, instead of reaching to the sky like gymnasts. Yes, the yoga way is much less sexy, but it’s for practice! That way, you tend not to use the momentum of kicking your legs up. I tell my yoga students to first find their "guide leg" and their "push off leg" and then get them to start that way. Once they’re much more advanced, after placing their hands down, they’ve got to "hop" (using abs, of course) into a tuck or pike, getting their hips on top of their shoulders, and then bring their legs up with control. And since I’m on such a Jamilla kick these days, to gain even more strength and showmanship, control your exit out of the headstand or handstand. Wow, you’ve inspired me to start practicing those again!
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Welcome! This is a great forum. Really filled with wonderful people. I hope you enjoy it as much as we all do!
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Your new baby is so super cute! And you are a gorgeous woman. I’ll bet you both stop a lot of traffic when you go out on your walks!
It sounds like you’re on your way to a better view of yourself. Good riddance to your ex. Surround yourself with honest, healthy, supportive people. And puppy, of course!
Glad to have you here!
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I don’t think sit ups really help in this situation, Glitterhips. I think the focus is on the lower abs for aerial inversion. Which all goes back to learning to invert properly, using abdominal strength instead of momentum. I started doing shoulder mount prep exercises and discovered that my lower abs are made of chocolate chip cookies (vegan cookies, but still cookies nevertheless!). Keep at it, girl.
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My best friend is 6’3" and 145 lbs but doesnt exercise and eats terribly. She’s much thinner than I am but we’ve tried to go running together and she’s huffing and puffing after a block. Im getting to the stage where I’d rather be strong and fit than rail thin and stuffing myself with cheeseburgers!
Er, I can attest to that one. On the outside, I am thin, and fairly fit-looking. But inside, I’m kind of pathetic. Even when I was doing full-on yoga, I had the cardio stamina of a 98 year old smoker. So while I look like the picture of health, I’ve got a long way to go! I can’t pole full out for more than a 4 minute song, and even after that, I’ve burned up so much fuel I’m shaking. I’m very unhealthy and really trying to do something about it. We can only start where we are.
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Yes, Rouge, she did! It was really obvious to watch in action as she demonstrated different inversions over and over without seeming winded at all, but when you looked carefully, you can see that she was definitely controlling her breath. She spoke about it for a little bit. I don’t think any of the students performed so I’m guessing she didn’t feel it was necessary to lecture too much on it.
I was also captivated by doing the straddle inversion from a crouch! I started practicing that and wow, you can’t cheat there! I’ve seen tons of girls (gulp) jump into an inversion and girls who fling their legs ups and I always cringe (trying not to be judgmental but think they’re going to hurt themselves eventually, especially when they think they’re strong enough to progress). These are usually the same girls that invert and kind of hang there, and are unable to push their hips up the pole. Then of course their hand gets stuck when they try to do scorpio or gemini, etc.
It truly has been an incredible experience studying with a person so fluent in the language of pole. And if Veena ever decides to have a flesh and blood studio, I’d be there in a flash!
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Oh Veena, I just checked and the class is sold out for tomorrow. It would have been right up your alley–Advanced Intensive Workshop. $90 for 2.5 hours and then the girls are all going to have lunch out together afterward. I just observed the Intermediate/Advanced Workshop (it sold out before I registered!) and it was amazing. She makes the Superman look totally doable. As a matter of fact, I saw a girl there who was maybe advanced beginner and Jamilla taught a very basic version of Superman and this girl could do it. I’ve got to run to the pole and practice some of the things I saw her teach! And I totally love how she stressed that descending from a static chopper/straddle inversion is more important and more conditioning that ascending. I learned so much in these past 3 days. So, ladies and gentlemen, if Jamilla comes to your city, I will quote Rouge and say: "GO, GO, GO, GO, GO!!!!!".
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She’s not performing, unfortunately. She’s teaching workshops at Fawnia’s Pole Fitness/Aradia Studios. I think tomorrow (Fri) is her last day! But if you did decide to drive out, CALL ME!
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Yes, those were really amazing and thought-provoking replies you got!
I work in a very specialised, not very well know field, Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis (heard of it? probably not…although it’s such a shame because it relates so nicely to pole dancing) and right now, the newer studios that are staying alive include other disciplines such as Pilates, Yoga, etc. The studio that I take pole classes at is well known, but I notice that the Booty Camp seems to be bursting with students during the daytime. They used to have Yoga, but it kind of disappeared. There is 1 teacher who teaches many disciplines (pole, Yoga, Pilates, PiYo, Booty Camp) and I think it helps a lot to keep the cost of hiring other teachers down. In other words, market your abilities and certifications if possible in this unstable economy.
As for pole parties, I think you can make lots of money off of them. But if you have them at your studio, you’d have to cancel your regularly scheduled classes (assuming that you’d have only 1 room). If you bring your party to their venue (be it someone’s house or a hotel), then you could still have a class going on while you (or someone else) does the party. One plus for a traveling party business is that since you are not the host, you wouldn’t be responsible for a party-er drinking and driving (although you’d have to review the laws) from your studio nor would you have to clean up afterwards.
Whatever you decide to do, I agree with the girls and say that you’d make a great teacher!
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Jennifer, your site is great! I love the interviews–they’re so much fun! Thank you for all your creativity and hard work.
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Yay! Congratulations!
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Maybe my brain is as screwed up at Joel’s because I would always look at your name and translate it to either Mrs Tone or Mr Stone, too! Ha!
