FreeStyle Friday

I just wanted to share a little excerpt from a book I’m reading. The authors point out that “…[in regard to inaction] Actions could have had results. It is generally better to do something rather than nothing, because action just might have a positive effect. There’s even more to the advantage of action over inaction…it’s certain that inaction will have NO benefit.”

So, how does this apply to each of us and our participation in FSF? Well think about this…How many of you have said to yourself that you’re waiting until you “get better” to do FSF or that you’re waiting for a “different type of song”? And in hindsight what has really been accomplished by waiting? How many weeks have gone by where we’ve skipped working on our dance? Consider the fact that there are 1,440 minutes in a day and 10,080 minutes in a week, so what are our reasons for not taking 5 minutes out to just let go of all of our inhibitions and dance? Think beyond the reasons of work, injury, family obligations…etc. What I hear most often from my fellow pole sisters are:

• “I don’t know how to freestyle”
• “I’m not good at it”
• “I don’t know enough tricks”
• “I’m not ready”
• “It won’t look good”

Although, I would certainly disagree with each of those statements no matter who you are (we don’t give ourselves enough credit for what we do know and are able to do). The fact that you are a pole dancer, you’ve been to classes, you’ve learned tricks and transitions means that you are ready and YOU CAN do it. There’s a lot that we can learn about ourselves and our dance just by doing it. No matter how good or bad we think we are, there is always something to be learned and growth that can be achieved. So ask yourself: what’s the harm in trying?

Think about this…Do we skip pole class each week because we can’t do a trick? No, we go to class and work on that trick until we nail it. Do we avoid stretch class because we are unable to do the splits? No, we go get our stretch on (maybe even make our own daily stretch routine) and do this until we master that split. So I wonder why don’t we apply that same approach to our freestyle dance? Working on your freestyle dance will produce positive effects. Practicing will bring you more success and learning than not working on it would.

I want to emphasize that what’s important is NOT your activity here in the FSF group, rather, what matters most is your efforts and motivation to work on your Freestyle Dance “offline”. Challenge yourself to a personal Freestyle battle…recording periodically and comparing your videos to see your growth. This group serves simply as a form of motivation and structure. While it is also a platform for those that wish to share videos (although there’s nothing wrong with keeping yours private) it’s also a prosocial opportunity for us to support one another by asking questions, giving encouragement and offering feedback.

Stop putting off what you can do today and TAKE ACTION!

Many of us are still trying to find our groove when it comes to freestyle dance. I hear the words: “I can’t freestyle” all too often from my pole sisters. And heck, I’ve even said them before myself. But I’m here to tell you that you CAN freestyle. If you would have told me a year ago that I’d be free styling and loving it, I would have given a hearty laugh and called you a liar, but to my surprise it is actually true! Now, I’m not saying its been easy…or pretty but it is possible. So I want to share with you 5 tips to help on your freestyle journey. I hope that you use these suggestions to help you find your freestyle and develop your own dance style.

1. Stop Looking At Everyone Else and Don’t Copy. This is especially true when you are recording a group freestyle. YOUR freestyle comes from within. So don’t let yourself get distracted by others and what they are doing. I know it may be hard, but fight the temptation that you may feel to emulate what you see or compare yourself to those around you. Now there’s nothing wrong with getting ideas from others and making it your own, just don’t try to copy someone move-for-move…it rarely comes out the same. And in some cases it may leave you feeling a little disappointed. I like to say “Observe, don’t obsess.” If you see someone do something that you like: observe. Point point what you really like about it. Deconstruct the trick, transition or flow and then make it your own. It will look a lot better in the end if you do it your own way.

2. Dance Often. Practice makes perfect and the only way to improve your freestyle dance is to practice. I suggest that you dance daily if possible. Try out different music and different movements. Don’t feel like you have to do a full routine every time. Maybe you’re at home cooking or doing laundry, just take a moment to go by your pole and do a few spins or dance around it…again, no need for a full production. This kind of impromptu dance can really benefit your freestyle journey.

3. Do What YOU Know. When dancing, I’ve found that Less is More. Some of my best freestyles have turned out to be the ones that had little to no big tricks in them. “Less is More,” keep this in mind when you set out to dance. Don’t feel the need to pack a routine with every trick that you know. Be confident in the moves that you know well and execute them to the best of your ability. It is better to see 3-5 beautifully executed tricks (from any level) than to see 10 tricks that are rushed and poorly executed. If your new to pole or comfortable with spins only, then build your freestyle around your spins…and if you want to spice it up then try some on your left side (usually our non-dominant side). Often with routines we might be excited and tempted to throw in something new we learned, but if your still a little shaky with the trick then it can backfire and instead throw you off…so it’s best to hold on to it until you can execute it flawlessly.

4. Always Use Proper Technique. Regardless of your experience or level in pole, there is no excuse for poor technique. You should always use proper technique no matter how easy or hard the trick/transition you are doing. Proper technique will also make your overall flow better. Not only does this help your lines, balance and flow, but it will also help you in avoiding injury.

5. Finish Your Moves. This is super important in helping you to achieve clean and balanced dance. When moving up, down our around the pole (floor, chair, mirror..etc) be sure to fully execute each move to its maximum potential. A few key things that you can easily put to work starting today:

You want to elongate your body so be sure to extend through your toes and finger tips. Don’t cut your spin rotations short. Let yourself flow into and out of your spins. Make sure you hold your tricks. At least 5 seconds is a great place to start. This does not include the time you take to get into and out of the trick.

6. Back Every Move You Make With Confidence. The confidence that you show when you execute your moves makes your dance more believable and shows intent. No matter how well you can point your toes (something I still struggle with), how long you can hold a trick or inversion, how high you can climb, etc…just be sure that you believe in the movement that you do – and your audience will too. Displaying intention and confidence in every motion you make will help you make a powerful and memorable statement in your dance.

7. Have A Safety Trick. This might be your favorite trick, the first trick you learned or maybe just the easiest trick that you know. This trick will be your safety net in your time of need. If you ever come to a point in your freestyle where you just have a total brain fart or maybe if you stumble or fall out of a trick, quickly put your safety trick into action to help you get back on track. Going into this trick will reenergize and refocus you, so that coming out of it you are ready to flow back into your freestyle and finish your dance. The key is to never stop moving!

8. Record and Review. It is hard to know what is working and what is not working if you can’t see yourself. Often watching yourself in the mirror while you dance can be more of a distraction, so I strongly encourage you all to record your freestyles. This will allow you to review your dance to see what you like about it, what you want to try the next time or what you want to stay away from (like unpointed toes). Recording yourself also allows you to track your progress. If you’re in class then ask your instructor before class if they will record you at the end of class…I guarantee that they will be more than happy to do so. You don’t have to post or show your videos but do keep them for yourself and review often. And even if you don’t share your videos in the FreeStyle Friday group but want some feedback then again use your instructors – they are perfect for helping your critique your dance and for offering suggestions. (Myself and our FreeStyle Friday Admins: Tricia, Kim and Mindy are available to help as well!)

For the last few days I’ve been watching all of the FSF videos I’ve done to date and I’ve noticed a few [bad] habits that seem to occur every time I dance. Habits that I’m hoping to unlearn in the new year. So that got me thinking and I decided that I wanted to share these with you and encourage you all to sit down and watch your past videos as well. Even if you’ve only done one or two just take a moment to watch them and really examine your movements. Then I want you to pick one or two things that you want to work on for your future freestyles. I think we’d all be surprise how the smallest little tweaks can impact your dance and how those small fixes may be able to lead into some bigger fixes. Here is what I’ve noticed in my dance that I want to work on…

1. When I attempt to do any type of arm/hand styling I tend to break my wrists and not fully extend which isn’t very pretty.

2. When I do pole splits and heel stretches my foot always seems to be twisted in a weird way…breaking my lines in a not-so-good way.

3. Pausing. I noticed when I go to do any type of inverts typically cartwheel kick-ups but also inverting and shoulder mounting that I can’t seem to go right into it. I pause…like I have to get into position and talk myself into it. It makes my dance choppy and not fluid.

So these are my top things that I want to work on in the new year. I think these three adjustments can help make a big difference in my dance.

When you get a chance take a look at any of your past videos (and pole picks). Don’t pick on yourself or beat up on yourself, instead just really watch yourself (you may have to watch and re-watch a few times) and see what you pick up on. Then identify a few things (no more than 3) that you want to work on and improve and make these your goals and each time you go to dance think about these and make the necessary adjustments to improve them. It could be as simple as pointing your toes, making eye contact, relaxing the muscles in your face, holding your tricks longer…whatever you see in your dance and feel you want to improve on.

If you’re not comfortable sharing them here that’s quite alright. Just write them down in a journal or in your phone’s note app…anywhere that you can easily refer to. We’ll take these things into the new year with us and use them to better our freestyles 🙂

At the end of the Zensual Poleaween bash the students and staff got together to record a group freestyle to this week’s FreeStyle Friday song. Their start on the wall and branching off one-by-one was made a great start to their freestyle. Check it out!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ3HdKTPTNw