Ladies Night!

On Wednesday April 11, I hosted a little get together with some of Aerial Dance’s own competition team! Unfortunately, not all could attend and we missed them dearly! My reason behind this even was to get a perspective of what it is like to participate on the Aerial Dance Competition Team! I like many at the studio have wanted to take the leap and compete, but I am afraid! My hopes for this ladies night is that it would sway me to compete in the near future!
 

What I Learned

From meeting with the ladies of the competition team, I learned that the team practices a extremely beneficial. You are practicing with women who have the same goal in mind! Even though many are competing in different categories, they still have the mindset for competing! At Aerial Dance we have a pretty homey community feeling, but these women have become even closer than before!  Each of the competition ladies agreed that one on one practices with the instructors and Owner Paula were beyond beneficial!
As they work on their routine many of the competition women practice when ever they have time! As we are counting down the days to the PSO Central Competition in Chicago, many of these ladies have their routines nailed down! Now they are onto perfecting the performance of their routine! How they are doing this is through  one on one facial lesson with instructors! Anyone can perform a pole combo, but to make it seem effortless and graceful takes practice. I remember taking a floor flow class with Olivia. We played the face game. For those of you who do not know what the face game is, it is a game where you perform the routine learned and look Olivia right in the eye the whole time. I couldn’t make it through the routine without laughing. I give these ladies so much credit! It takes courage to be able to perform, but to compete is on a whole other level.
 

What the Ladies Found to be Most Beneficial!

1. Instructors help writing the competition routines
2. One on one lessons for routine
3. One on  one lessons about facial expresssions
4. Team practices
5. New competition apparel to tie the team together

A Word From Some of the Ladies!

Team Member Veronica!

I like competing because it pushes me to work harder and really perfect my techniques. I also love to get creative and perform a solo that is truly mine!

Team Member Kayla

What I like about Competition: I love working towards a goal that is bigger than working on moves and strength in class. I also love spending extra time with my Pole sisters and competition weekend is my favorite weekend in the year other than the Christmas show. Even though I get extremely nervous and freak myself out I have a great time! Also the photographs they take at competitions are amazing! Plus this year I have another amazing costume!

 

Team Member Amanda

What I love most about Aerial Dance is the challenge. Obviously, it can be an intense physical workout and constantly pushes my body to be its strongest, bendiest, healthiest self. However, it is the mental challenge that I find the most rewarding. I (or shall I say most women in our society) am not very kind to myself in terms of self-talk. “I can’t do this” or “I’m not strong enough” or “I’m too fat” or “I’ll never be as good as she is” are thoughts that often flood our brains. In my three years of training at ADPE, I am slowly training my brain that kindness is just as important as strong muscles if I want to see success in and outside of the studio. I 100% believe that perception is reality, so for example, if I tell myself that I’ll never be able to do a shoulder mount on my “bad” side, it’s true. If (like the Little Engine that Could) I tell myself that I think I can, or that trying it is half the battle, or that practice makes progress, it’s true! Pole has helped prove to me that positive self-talk is pivotal for personal accomplishments—tricks or otherwise.

Regarding the upcoming PSO CPC competition, it is just as much a mental challenge for me as any other practice day in the studio. I have seen so many beautiful and strong humans perform and have their own moment on stage. In the past, I have thought to myself that I’ll never be brave enough, or strong enough, or fit enough, or talented enough to have my own moment on stage. After years of hemming and hawing, and after being inspired by the other amazing women who have competed from our studio, I decided that my belief in perception=reality can be put to use in a competition as well. I am choosing to think positively about this upcoming experience. No one will ever truly feel “ready” to compete, but I have come a very long way in my pole journey and have a lot to be proud of, and if I can believe that I can do this—be on stage and share with the world this moment in my life—it shall become true!

Team Member Misty

I absolutely love aerial dance. It makes me feel strong and beautiful. The amazing women always know how to brighten your day. I’m competing to be my own person and to show off the awesome skills I have learned.

Team Member Tiffany

Aerial Dance has changed my life and given me something for ME! As being a wife and mother you can sometimes lose yourself and Aerial has given me something to work towards, a goal to achieve for myself. Competition team just seemed like the next step to help challenge myself. Along with the actual sport of pole, I have met some amazing woman, who I am blessed to now call friends. I can’t wait to see where I am on my pole journey a year from now, five years, and beyond!

Team Member Cybil

 

 
THANKS FOR SHARING LADIES!
Until Next Time!
Janelle