My First Pole Crushes!
In your pole journey, you will fall in love with other dancers. You will envy their strength and movement. You’ll want to be just like them. You’ll want to meet them and pick their brain for ways to improve your craft. In the sport we call these our pole crushes. My first two pole crushes were my two first teachers, Phoebe and Rani. These women inspired me beyond words. They were GORGEOUS women, inside and out. They were SO PATIENT with me. I was likely a horrible student, who wasn’t coordinated but wanted to try really hard. With no dance background and very limited physical activity before starting pole in general thanks to lots of knee surgeries, I started “way behind”. They never let on that I was a pain to teach. They always answered my million and six questions with a smile. They always made me feel like I could accomplish my next goal and pushed me to expect myself to achieve. Phoebe was a trained dancer, ballerina style, and she was beyond beautiful and kind. She had this warmth about her that just made anyone within a mile want desperately to be near her and have her like you. She taught me technique without me realizing it was happening. She made classes simple and fun. She made pole seem achievable. Her legs were an envy of mine (and still are….) because she had a gorgeous pointe and extension that I simply do not. Phoebe was grace, every movement was unbelievably soft and delicate and gorgeous. Rani was funky awesome and electric. I don’t know what her dance background was, but she had spunk. Her classes were upbeat and fast paced and had a drill Sargent feel to them. Yet she had this sweetness to her that when you were frustrated she made you laugh and do it again. She was excited about pole and made you excited. Her abs were an envy of mine (and still are…) she executed aerial moves with an incredible ease. Rani was power in every movement she made. These two women shaped who I am as a dancer and teacher. I’m so grateful for Facebook because I’m still in touch with both of them. Phoebe is actually taking her pole to the competitive circuit and doing very well. I LOVE watching their progress as I work on my own.
Getting There…
Master the basics. I don’t think you’ll find an aerial instructor at any studio that would disagree with this! It’s fun to learn new things and try new tricks. But, if you try the new stuff without solidifying your basic skills, you’re more likely to fail. I’m not discouraging you! I just cannot stress enough how important the basics are. When I meet beginner students in practice, some seem ashamed that they’re beginners. I let them know that we’ve all been there and we all have to start somewhere. Never be ashamed that you’re a beginner! You found the courage and motivation to start your aerial arts journey, and that’s a big step! The material beginners work on is some of the most important material in the whole curriculum. You need to master quite a bit of that material before you can successfully perform the advanced material. There’s not a single curriculum, in my opinion, that’s more important. So, if you’re a beginner, give yourself some credit and keep on spinning! Returning has reminded me how important basics are. The Fireman, the Front Hook, and the Back Hook are three basic spins that one learns and (hopefully) masters in Beginner classes. Definitely a difference between these two photos! My “now” photo shows more strength–my back is straight and there’s a right angle in my legs. I would say that I look more engaged overall. The only reason I’m not smiling is because I’m trying to watch myself in the mirror behind the person taking the picture. 🙂 You know all that self-praise from the last set of pictures? Yeah…. not happening here. I certainly see improvements between “Before” and “Now,” but it’s definitely not a spin I’ve perfected. In fact, I would venture to say that my form might be worse in the “Now” picture! In both, I’m hooking my foot–cheating! This happens. You will have those moves that you don’t care for and aren’t the greatest at. Front hook is one of those for me. It took me a long time, when I started pole, to perfect my front hook. It’s going to take me quite a bit of time and focused work to get it back to what it should be! I realized now that I don’t have any “before” pictures for this move-my bad! Almost any time that I touch my pole at home, I’m doing this spin. Even while I was gone from the studio, I practiced this spin. It is my favorite, and I will choose it over a Front Hook any day. It looks harmless and unassuming, but you can use it for a few things! Take it from me: You’ll learn all sort of fun tricks and spins, but never let your basics falter!
Hoop: My New Love
When I came to Aerial Dance in the beginning, I fell in love with pole. To me, pole was all that ever existed. I knew that there were other aerial sports, but I was always set on pole. Those hearts in my eyes had poles in them. That’s not the case anymore-I tried hoop for the first time Monday, and I’m hooked! I didn’t ace anything on the first try. That hardly ever happens, and it definitely didn’t happen that night. I am still gaining back that body awareness and I certainly do not have as much strength as I would like. That’s OK, because I love a challenge. I get discouraged sometimes, like we all do. However, when I’m faced with something that is difficult, I want to conquer it. That hoop intimidated me, but the only way I was going to know how I felt was to get in that hoop! It was great! I was falling in love all over again, this time with a different aerial sport! I wasn’t a whiz at it. Some of my pole skills were transferable, but I struggled just as much as anyone else, if not more! I had to remember to pace myself. I also had to remind myself that this was my first time–no one was expecting me to do anything but try. Try I did. I enjoyed learning this trick at the end of class. I was so happy that I started “seal clapping,” or what I call “happy clapping.” I can get pretty excitable sometimes, and that’s one of the side effects. Had I been posing correctly, I would look like my classmate in the background! Those who have been in pole are aware of “pole kisses,” a kind name for the lovely little bruises that come with the sport. Let me tell you, hoop is not without it’s own “kisses.” You might not see the red line of blisters, but I sure felt them! My thought when I took this picture was “It buuuuuurrrrrrnnnnnsss! Why wont’ it stop?!” Don’t worry, it eventually stops. It might just be the honeymoon phase, but I don’t care; I’m in love with hoop! I’ve scheduled it for next week, and I am soooo excited! They could hardly get me out of the hoop for Bendy Babe! Hoop selfies! I’m probably not supposed to do that…. do as I say, not as I do. 🙂 Maybe I’ll see you at next week’s hoop class?
Educating the Public
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A HUGE part of what I do as owner of Aerial Dance is educate the public about pole. When I first opened in Aerial Dance in Appleton, the number of “stripper” comments made was frustrating. Now, after almost 5 years and the shift in pole to be part of mainstream culture, it is better. But I STILL spend a LOT of time and energy educating people about the sport of pole. My first “educating the public” experience was actually in 2008 in Sydney, Australia with Studio Verve. They were setting up a booth at the Health & Fitness Expo and asked for some students to come along to demo. I WAS SO EXCITED to be part of this.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”35938″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” image_hovers=”true” img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”35939″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” image_hovers=”true” img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]I spoke with the crowd. I answered the same question a million times with a smile. My pole buddy, Kelly, and I danced the routines we knew. And we demoed a bunch of our favorite moves. I was exhausted at the end of the day but so excited to bring pole to the public.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_single_image image=”35940″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” image_hovers=”true” img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]I spent that day in 2008 with my pole buddy Kelly, my beloved instructor Phoebe (left center) and the owner of Studio Verve Jen (right center). I learned so much from Jen. Watching Jen that day, I saw the stress of keeping everyone safe and the love pouring out of her for this sport. I watched her teach a bunch of people their first pole spin. I saw her professionalism and kindness at “inappropriate” (and annoying) questions. I learned so much more from Jen than pole. I will always be eternally grateful to her for all the lessons she doesn’t even know she taught me. And a few years from that date, I too was the owner of a pole studio at a fitness expo and got an even better understanding of what it takes to educate the public at a mass event. I’m so glad I started valuing education early! We have a long way to go, but are making progress.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Practice, Practice, Practice!
I mentioned in my first post that, like every pole woman, I have a life. That life has been quite busy! I work part time at a credit union, and I just recently got a job as a bartender. I’m also a college student, and I start classes in September. I’ve still got to fit my aerial passions in my schedule, so I’m going non-stop. This week was the busiest I’ve had yet! I worked 8 hour shifts at the credit union, and then went straight to the bar and worked until close. Thank goodness Aerial Dance has online booking, so that I can schedule my classes in my down time! One of the only times I could get to a pole practice this week was Saturday morning. Even though I was scheduled to work a 9.5 hour busy shift at the bar that night, I was not going to let anything get in-between me and a pole! I rolled my tired self out of bed Saturday morning, and with coffee in hand, I headed to the 10:05 AM practice. I had to down the coffee to find the energy to get on that pole. I will totally admit to spending a portion of the practice staring at the pole, trying to decide what I wanted to do. Watching fellow students practice was motivating, and I tried to pull off some of what they were doing. One of the suggestions I had when I first started was to try a Butterfly to Flatline Scorpio combination. These are two moves that I used to be rather proficient in, so I thought I’d give it a try. Yeah…. no. It’s definitely humbling when you try to attempt something you used to be able to do, and then completely fail at it. I’ve lost my “upside-down sense” and my strength to pull it off is just not there. It’s not just humbling, it’s downright frustrating. I kept trying, but I was quickly losing strength and endurance. It came to my attention that I needed to get back to the basic moves and solidify those before I tried to attempt such a lovely combo. It was suggested to me that I try working on the outside leg hang to prone combo instead. Once I can do that well, I’ll likely have the strength to try the Butterfly to Flatline combo. So up I went to try outside leg hang to prone. I’m a big fan of outside leg hangs. They’re quite secure, and I prefer them over the inside leg hang. Any prone is a move that I would like to avoid at all costs. In this case, I know that it’s going to help me, so I suck it up and do it anyways. My outside leg hang isn’t shabby, but that prone? It needs work! When you do this combo, you ought to be able to do it without touching the pole (as far as I know!). Not me! Getting around that pole is a challenge! If my prone were stronger, my chest would be farther away from the pole too. After my first or second practice back, I thought I was making leaps and bounds. “Oh yeah, I’ll be able to be back in an Advanced class in no time,” I laughed. It’s a goal to have, but it’s not going to happen in the snap of a finger. The honest truth about the aerial arts is that they take time to learn. There are many elements that come together when executing a move. Pole and the aerial arts come easy to some. Those people can fly through the curriculum and be doing the crazy stuff in no time! They’re not normal, but they are pretty awesome. If you’re normal, like me, it takes longer. You have to keep trying, keep practicing, and keep moving forward. You’ll be frustrated and angry at yourself sometimes, because you can’t do the move. Everyone else might be acing it without an issue, but you’ll still be working on it. Take it from me: don’t give up! All that hard work WILL pay off. All the nights that you’ll leave the studio frustrated will turn into nights that you leave on Cloud Nine. Those days of frustration will never leave you; however, if you keep working hard, you WILL see results. I know how it feels, and I’m telling you, it happens. It might be hard in the beginning, but it will all pay off!
Bringing Mom to Pole!
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]I am very lucky, because as mothers go, mine is the coolest. Really. My mom is awesome. She’s been my best friend forever; she’s also great at being my mom when I need it. And she’s totally willing to do anything. Even hop on a pole because I told her it was fun. When my mom came to visit in early 2008, I was addicted to pole and Studio Verve was my home. So naturally I brought mom! I had her take a lesson with me and my beloved teacher, Phoebe. We had a blast. And mom did really good!!!!! At the time she would have been 60 or so (too lazy to do the actual math….) and she had good strength to be able to climb a little. I sincerely hope I am as mobile and adventurous when I’m her age![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”35932″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” image_hovers=”true” img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”35933″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” image_hovers=”true” img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”35934″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” image_hovers=”true” img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]In 2011 when Aerial Dance was growing, I realized that I’d need to turn my sole-proprietorship into a corporation. Ah fun business stuff. To do this, I wanted to form an S-Corp LLC so I needed another person to be a “member” of it (aka: owner.) So who would I trust to own part of my company? And who would I want to be able to give advice that I could listen to or totally ignore? MOM! I asked my mom to be a “member” and she became the “other owner” at Aerial Dance.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
My first invert!
In early 2008 my addiction for pole hit full force when I was taught to invert. I love the spins, I loved feeling graceful (note that I “felt” graceful rather than give myself credit for actually looking graceful to anyone else! Pole is all about how YOU FEEL!) Like at Aerial Dance, my first invert was a serpent. I was SO EXCITED when I got to hang there and feel totally secure!!!! I loved hanging by my legs…even with my snazzy white tennis shoes on! I was lucky because inverting came fairly natural to me. I understood how to get my hips up without thinking about it. I’m sure that my teacher was horrified by my form. I’m sure my first invert was a “big-toe scramble” up the pole. But I understood that saving energy was actually going for a clean leg placement quickly, which put my hips into the correct place. This helped me progress quickly through the first few inverts. One thing I DO remember is how much inside leg hangs hurt. Man oh man, that was a whole new level of discomfort. Yes, sitting hurt when I did that, but inside leg hangs left an entire LINE of bruising up my leg. Yes I felt totally secure but IT HURT for WEEKS. AND it does again. I think one of the most frustrating things about coming back to pole after my shoulder surgery is that it hurts again. If I’m honest with myself, I’ve become a wimp, when it hurts I want to quit. Actually I don’t think it’s that I’m a wimp. I think that when I was first learning a move I was so determined to GET the trick that I would have endured almost anything. Now that I “have” the move, or did, the pain to get it back seems more painful and I’m less interested in putting up with it because I “should have this” already. I’m angry at the pain for being there since I feel it shouldn’t be, rather than seeing it as a challenge to over come to get what I want. That mindset is hampering my returning to pole as quickly as I had hoped and is something that I am trying to fight through. I need to re-frame the pain and get back my “I’m going to do this regardless” attitude!
My Amusing Flexibility FAIL
When you think about the skills that a pole girl needs, a few things come to mind. She needs strength to pull her body into those moves. She’ll need endurance so that she can practice that move over and over. She’ll need perseverance to help her get past her frustrations. She’s also going to need some flexibility! Flexibility is not always the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to pole or the aerial arts. It’s crucial for a pole fitness woman, whether she’s a beginner or a very advanced dancer. Think about it: there is nothing natural about what a pole woman asks her body to do. What person in their right mind would contort themselves into various positions on a pole, for fun? A pole person of course–and we’re a special kind of crazy. In order to protect herself, a pole woman should make flexibility a priority. Paula and the staff at Aerial Dance have been stressing this to students since the beginning. Now that I’m returning, I realize just how right they are! In order to start gaining flexibility, I decided to try a Bendy Babe class. Most other classes cause me to break into a sweat, so it was nice to take a class that didn’t tucker me out! I was a cheerleader in high school and I could drop into the “scissor” splits from a jump. I thought I’d have it all in the bag! NOPE. Not a chance. Sure, I can stretch. We all can stretch. Let me tell you, it felt great! I was able to get some of the tension out of my shoulders and work out some knots. Leah did a whole body routine, so no muscle was left un-stretched! At the end, we stretched using what I call the “sideways” splits. Everyone else in the class had a pretty flat block, or maaaaaybe one big one under their hips. Not me. Nope. I think it was 6-8 inches of foam blocks under my hips. I was so high up that I had lean on another block in order to keep that tower from tumbling. Total flexibility FAIL. Here’s the thing to remember though: Failure should not deter you, it should motivate you. I cannot do those sideways splits worth a darn. That won’t stop me from taking another Bendy Babe class. In fact, it motivates me to keep it on my schedule! Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get it right away–keep trying, keep working!
You Have the Keys–What Door Will You Open?
Many know the cliche “no pain, no gain.” For pole and aerial arts enthusiast, that cliche is literal. It doesn’t mean that you have to hurt yourself in order to be great at the sport. It does mean that you will have various bruises and very sore muscles as you strive to accomplish physical feats that no average person would consider doing. The Aerial Conditioning class is no exception. I assumed that the curriculum would test me, and I was not disappointed! I’ve been away from pole fitness for a long time, and I know that I need to condition my body to withstand the requirements of this beautiful niche of sports. Let me tell you: That is EXACTLY what this class does. Every major muscle and plenty of minor muscles on my body are quite sore today, and I’m writing this the day after. Don’t freak out–it’s not so bad. Here’s how it works: The instructor will let you know the exercise you will do. You do that assigned exercise for ten seconds, and then break for ten seconds. You will do this eight times in a row. After those eight reps are done, you get a minute to “relax” before the next exercise is introduced. The instructor guides stretches in the beginning and end. Seems easy enough, right? I thought so! The first exercise we had was jumping jacks. I was pleased, because I thought this would be a simple first exercise. By the fourth rep, my muscles were begging me to stop. My calves were seizing and I was losing steam. No longer did I think, “Jumping jacks–pfft! I got this!” My inner dialogue was along the lines of, “For the love of all that is sacred and holy, please, please, please let this be the LAST set of reps we do!” and “One more Breanna, you can do one more.” We proceeded on to various squats and lunges, as well as sit-ups, mountain climbers, and burpees. I honestly can’t remember every single exercise we did, for the simple fact that I had to remain so focused on the moment at hand. It required all of my attention, and all of my strength. I will absolutely take this class again. It was an enlightening experience. I learned so much about my physical self. I felt great in my squats and lunges, which shows me that my thighs and rear are acceptably strong. My triceps, on the other hand, are very weak. I think I was only able to do three teeny-tiny triceps dips in a row, in each rep, before my arms refused to do any more. Triceps play an important part in aerial strength, so I know that I need to work on those. My overall physical endurance could definitely use some work as well. The more endurance I possess, the longer I can practice or perform. I also learned that if I believe in myself and I try my hardest, I can endure and/or accomplish anything I set my mind to. That Aerial Conditioning class was hard. I would venture to say it is the hardest physical thing I have done in quite some time. I wasn’t sure that I would make it to the end of class, but I did. I can now say that I have endured and completed an Aerial Conditioning class. If I can do it once, I can do it again! “I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to” might sound like another cliche, but it is another thing that any pole or aerial artist can prove true. Each day we practice, we strive to be better than we were last time. We will push ourselves farther than we ever consider feasible, and we accomplish it. When we realize that we hold the key to our own success, anything is possible. I hope I see you in my next Aerial Conditioning Class! Together, we will fight through the repetitions, each one making us a better pole goddess than we were before. 🙂
Just Try It
When I tell people about Aerial Dance and the pole classes I take, they’re understandably curious. I start telling them about it, and how much fun I have. I show them pictures, which usually intrigues them more. I’m not trying to sell; I want to share the fun with them too! I ask them if they’d be interested, and then the excuses start: “I couldn’t do that, I’m too fat/out of shape/old/etc.” They haven’t even tried it yet, and they’re already saying that they can’t. Really, how much sense does that make? You really never know until you try. If you had told me three years ago that I could hang on a pole by one leg, I would have told you that you were insane. If you told me that I would be able to hang from one arm, or that I could even set myself up perpendicular to the ground, I would have laughed at you. The joke is on me though! Funny enough, I can do all of those things. It took time and work, but I did it. All the things that I thought I couldn’t do, I can. I’ve realized that the only thing that’s holding me back is me. The only time that I can’t do something is when I don’t believe. Knowing this has helped my pole skills, but it’s also helped me in my life. When I’m faced with a trial, I remember what I’ve accomplished, and believe than I can overcome whatever faces me. Tonight I’m going to tend bar, by myself. I’m brand new to the bar-tending industry, and I’ve had one night of training. I’m nervous and apprehensive, but I know I can do it. Simply believing in myself will help me conquer my fears and my problems. Don’t ever be afraid to try. You never know what you can complete until you actually do it.
