I have learned many lessons in taking beginner pole. It has been quite an experience and I am very excited to continue my pole journey. One lesson I have learned is that you don’t have to be flexible, fit or thin to pole dance. I always thought that you had to be a certain size and in shape. That changed when my best friend got me to go to an Intro to Pole class. I was very unsure about taking the class, but having a friend to come along helped. I realized that I loved pole dancing. I learned that I don’t have to worry about my size and could wear what I wanted. The instructors really helped to make me feel welcome and did not judge me. I’ve always had people that judged me and felt I couldn’t do certain things because I was “plus sized”. Everyone has been amazing and I learned that there are people out there that do not judge.
Another lesson I learned is that it is not as easy as you think. I thought that certain moves looked easy, but they weren’t. I’m still learning and found I need to strengthen my body before I can do some moves. Its about trusting yourself and practice, practice, practice .Conditioning is also important because it helps you to strengthen your body. Not only that, but conditioning helps with balance and muscle memory. I had no idea how important it was until I took classes. I may not like some of the conditioning, but I now know it will help me execute moves in the future.
I’ve also learned that everyone learns at their own pace, and some people may be able to do more than others. My friend can do stand, but I cannot. I can do the corkscrew into back fox, but she cannot. It takes time. Just like after 4 months I’m able to do back hook. Personally, I found myself getting frustrated at first because I had difficulty with moves. I continued to practice and kept trying and slowly improved. It takes time. The key is to not get discouraged, and keep trying. My hope as I continue into intermediate is to be able to learn more moves and continue to strengthen my body. I’m excited to learn new things and see what my body can do.