Thinking about competing in pole/aerial but feeling unsure? The best time to start preparing is NOW! And the best way to start is by learning the rules of that competition and getting answers to all of your burning questions. So before you jump into creating a routine (although I’m sure you’ve got dozens of exciting ideas running through your head already), here are three things you should do off the bat. These will give you a look into the structure and personality of the competition, and help you understand how to build a competitive routine in alignment with the competition, its rules and areas of scoring.
Review the rules and scoresheets so you know exactly what you can and cannot do in your routine, the layout of the stage, and what the judges are looking for, so you can craft a routine that is both compliant and uniquely expressive.
Watch past videos from that competition to get an idea of the stage and what a competitor in your level/category ideally looks like movement wise – and for those that are after hardware…what a winning routine looks like.
Ask any and ALL questions you have to the competition organizers, your coach(es), other competitors you know, other competitors that have competed at the competition and are open to sharing.
Got competition questions? Ask away! Drop your questions in the comments or contact me here!
Having an infusion of dance styles will not only make you stand out on stage with a memorable performance, for many competitions it can also be worth some sweet sweet bonus points. But WHAT are all of the dance styles in existence and do you know how to recognize (or better yet, perform) them? Let’s take a look at the different dance styles and their key characteristics:
Ballet:
Graceful, precise, and technical
Emphasizes turnout, pointed feet, and fluid movement
Classical storytelling and structured choreography
Styles include Classical, Neoclassical, and Contemporary Ballet
Jazz
High energy, syncopated rhythms, and isolations
Includes leaps, kicks, turns, and sharp movements
Influenced by African, Latin, and ballet techniques
Variations: Classic Jazz, Broadway Jazz, and Jazz Funk
Contemporary
Fusion of ballet, jazz, and modern dance
Fluid, expressive, and often abstract movements
Strong emphasis on floor work, breath, and emotional storytelling
Uses improvisation and dynamic energy shifts
Modern
Rebellion against classical ballet’s strict structure
More grounded movements with a focus on contraction and release
Pioneers: Martha Graham, Isadora Duncan, and Merce Cunningham
Often performed barefoot
Hip-Hop
Urban street dance with strong beats and grooves
Includes breaking (B-boying/B-girling), popping, locking, and krumping
Highly improvisational with freestyle elements
Often performed to hip-hop, funk, or electronic music
Tap
Percussive footwork using metal taps on shoes
Syncopated rhythms and intricate foot patterns
Two main styles: Broadway Tap (showy, musical theater style) and Rhythm Tap (more intricate and jazz-influenced)
Latin Ballroom: Cha-Cha, Rumba, Samba, Jive, Paso Doble
Emphasis on posture, connection, and rhythm
Salsa
Latin partner dance with fast footwork and hip action
Emphasizes spins, intricate arm movements, and energetic rhythms
Originated in Cuba and evolved in New York and Puerto Rico
Bachata
Dominican Republic partner dance with romantic, smooth movements
Features simple footwork, body rolls, and close connection
Styles: Dominican, Sensual, and Modern Bachata
Flamenco
Traditional Spanish dance with intense passion
Includes foot stomping (zapateado), hand claps (palmas), and expressive arm movements
Often accompanied by live guitar and singing
Swing
Lively, upbeat partner dance from the 1920s-40s jazz era
Includes styles like Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, and West Coast Swing
Characterized by fast footwork, lifts, and aerials
Charleston
1920s jazz dance with energetic kicks and fast movements
Often danced solo or with a partner
Syncopated and playful movements
Argentine Tango
Improvised, intimate partner dance with close connection
Slow, deliberate footwork with intricate leg hooks and embellishments
Emphasizes musicality and improvisation
Belly Dance
Middle Eastern dance focusing on isolations of the torso
Undulating hip and abdominal movements, shimmies, and fluid arms
Various styles, including Egyptian, Turkish, and Tribal Fusion
Kizomba
Slow, smooth partner dance from Angola
Focuses on connection, fluidity, and sensual body movement
Danced to rhythmic, romantic music
House Dance
Social street dance style from underground club culture
Quick footwork, fluid upper body, and groove-based movements
Includes elements of lofting and jacking
Waacking
Expressive dance with dramatic arm movements and posing
Originated in LGBTQ+ disco clubs in the 1970s
Emphasizes musicality, speed, and storytelling
Vogue
Inspired by fashion poses and exaggerated lines
Styles: Old Way (precise, geometric movements), New Way (more flexibility), and Vogue Fem (fluid, dramatic, and feminine)
Popularized by ballroom culture and Madonna’s “Vogue”
Krump
High-energy street dance with expressive, aggressive movements
Originated in Los Angeles as a way to express emotions
Characterized by chest pops, arm swings, and quick footwork
Bharatanatyam
Classical Indian dance with storytelling through hand gestures (mudras)
Rhythmic footwork and expressive facial expressions
Traditionally performed in temples
Kathak
North Indian classical dance with intricate footwork and fast spins
Includes rhythmic storytelling and expressive gestures
Often accompanied by live tabla music
Odissi
Classical Indian dance with fluid upper body and grounded stances
Inspired by temple sculptures and Hindu mythology
Graceful and intricate storytelling
African Dance
Rooted in traditional African cultures, highly rhythmic
Emphasizes full-body movement, high-energy jumps, and percussive footwork
Often performed to live drumming
Step Dance (Stepping)
Body percussion-based dance using stomps, claps, and vocal calls
Popular in African American fraternities/sororities
High-energy and synchronized
Irish Dance
Rapid footwork with minimal upper body movement
Styles include Soft Shoe (graceful, light) and Hard Shoe (rhythmic, percussive)
Popularized by “Riverdance”
Clogging
Appalachian dance style with percussive foot stomping
Similar to tap but with a looser, folk-style approach
Often performed to bluegrass music
Polynesian (Hula, Tahitian, Siva Afi)
Hula (Hawaiian) tells stories through hand gestures and hip movements
Tahitian dance features rapid hip shaking (ote’a)
Siva Afi (Samoan Fire Knife) is an acrobatic, martial-arts-inspired dance
Folk Dance
Traditional dances representing various cultures
Includes styles like Russian Cossack, Greek Sirtaki, and German Schuhplattler
Typically social and performed in groups
Can-Can
French cabaret dance with high kicks and splits
Fast-paced and energetic, often performed in a chorus line
Famous for its association with the Moulin Rouge
Burlesque
Theatrical dance with elements of seduction and comedy
Often features feather boas, gloves, and dramatic movements
Inspired by vintage jazz and cabaret
Twerk
Twerking has roots in West African dance styles (like Mapouka) and evolved through hip-hop, dancehall, and bounce music influences.
Rhythmic hip movements and strong lower-body engagement with variation in speed and levels
Isolated hip movements, popping and shaking, squatting and bending
Hiplet
a unique dance style that combines classical ballet technique with urban dance influences.
traditional ballet pointe work but with rhythmic, grounded, and percussive movements rather than the usual airy, classical style.
Rhythmic footwork with sharp syncopated footwork and often follows hip-hop or R&B beats.
Movements emphasize rhythm and timing, responding to bass-heavy beats rather than classical music.
Urban Flair & Attitude – Hiplet dancers incorporate expressive head movements, hand gestures, and attitude-driven styling influenced by hip-hop culture.
Fusion of Styles – While hip-hop is a primary influence, Hiplet can also blend elements of jazz, contemporary, and even dancehall styles.
One of the best tools at your disposal as a developing artist-athlete is competing (and performing in general). Even if competing isn’t your jam, these three things still apply if you are just interested in performing in shows or one day professionally.
Going through the process of developing, fine tuning and debuting a stage performance can do wonders for growth! Here are 3 things I love about the benefits of competing:
1. Exponential growth through regular practice and hopefully movement mastery
2. Planting your own performance seed and watching it grow
3. Connecting the dots between what you’ve been learning in classes and/or working on your own. This happens through connect tricks and flow, working through transitions and adding character and style.
Bonus: wearing cute outfits and shoes!!
There’s definitely MORE but these are the three that as a coach and judge, I absolutely LOVE seeing happen for performers.
Want to learn more? Join me Sunday February 2, 2025 at 10am CST for a virtual competition info sesh! In addition to answering all of your burning competition questions, we’ll be exploring what competitions exist, how to know if you’re ready to compete, time and cost commitment and more! RSVP here.
Ashley here! The last two years have been full of surgeries and healing, but I’m finally out of pain and feeling more like me! Prioritizing my body and healing put so much on hold, BUT I’m back! So you’ll be seeing me pop up in your feed a lot more and I hope that you’ll connect with me and engage in some much needed discussions. In the meantime here’s some fun facts about me and the many things I do:
✨ I gave birth to my creative brain child: Aerial Athletics Dallas. It’s not a studio, but is home FlexyFit, Aerial Ashletes, Slay the Stage, Aerial Ambition & everyBODY.
✨ Aerial Ambition: Connect with me for creative Business Coaching for Movement-based Businesses and Soloprenuers, and branding for pole/aerial/circus instructors.
✨ Body & movement nerd. CPT, CES, HMS are some of my fancy titles. The more I learn about the body, the more I realize I don’t know about this incredible machine.
✨ everyBODY coach that believes in body inclusive teaching practices because no two bodies are alike.
✨ Slay the Stage: my contribution to our local community and a way to positively pour into our future leaders, teachers, performers and stars!
✨ I’m a shape shifter that has been overweight, in shape, out of shape, in broken shape and back. Now I’m just happy to be in a pain free shape.
✨ Professional Beginner. I’ve started over more times than I can count. I get a little better, more patient and a lot stronger each time.
✨ Pole/Aerial Competition Judge. I’m a multi-certified judge, and I’ve judge hundreds of competitions and thousands of competitors.
✨ Pole/Aerial Competition Coach. I love coaching all levels and have trained athletes on the National and World stage. My team has a nice pile of hardware
✨ Master torturer is what my #Ashletes lovingly refer to me as.
One of the conversations I find myself having with all too often with students is grounded in this randomized expectation and the resulting disappointment in movement abilities. It seems with all of the #inspo and #goals we consume via tv/movies and social media that we’ve somehow created these mythical standards dictating what we should be able to do and how long it should take “because we’ve been doing (insert apparatus) for this many months or years.” This line of thinking actually keeps us forever trapped in a model of comparison, stuck and frustrated because of what we *think* we should be able to do, rather than appreciative of what we can do and have achieved.
Let’s start with what a “Mythical Standard” actually is. We know a standard is defined as a rule of measure orsomething established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example. It becomes mythical when we start to apply that arbitrarily, unnecessarily and unrealistically to ourselves or our students. I’ve noticed that many of the things students think they should be able to do are based on what they see other’s (near and far) doing. But there’s a whole lot of context missing from what you see posted, streamed and shared.
This line of thinking is disappointing and dangerous. Besides impacting your mental-emotional and self-worth, it can also lead to injury if it’s something your body isn’t ready for or something you’re trying to force your body to do. Like Regina George, I’m here to tell you to STOP trying to make fetch happen! Now, I’m not saying give up on your goals. Goals are important! What I am saying is to get specific about the goals you want and why you want them.
I personally think we just get excited and impressed by something cool we see and instead of simply allowing ourselves to say: “that’s dope”, “I love the way that looks” or “I’d like to grow to where I can try that one day,” we instead tell ourselves “I NEED to do that” or “I SHOULD” be able to do that. And if it shows up in your feed, studio or on a competition stage near you then that seems to amplify the thought that it is a must do.
Understand that another person’s abilities or movement style does not have to be and really shouldn’t be yours. Respect your body, respect your level and create your own style. Yes there are certainly some foundational movements and ranges that we need to be able to strongly and safely put ourselves through as we progress on our movement journeys, however get clear on what’s foundational vs. what’s not. Now that’s not to say that we shouldn’t have movement goals that we are working towards, but it is to say that we should pick out realistic goals and treat them as things we’d like to do and not things that we should be able to do. From there get with an experienced coach to learn your body’s challenges and abilities, understand the demands of our sport and the desired move and then build a realistic training plan to help you close that gap.
And remember, your self-worth isn’t and shouldn’t be determined by what moves you can do.
Here’s a little exercise I want you to do. Grab a pen and a notebook and answer these questions:
How do you THINK you should move?
What do you THINK you should be able to do?
How easy do you THINK that should be?
How did you come to these conclusions above?
Send me your responses and then let’s talk about it!
This is probably my favorite and most asked questions. If you’ve ever trained with me or even just been around me, then you’ve probably heard me ask this…A LOT. I ask it so much I put it on a t-shirt and then made it into a sticker! If you have a shirt already, send me a photo of you rocking it!
Since a New Year is upon us, it feels appropriate to share a few tips for goal setting. You’ve probably heard the acronym S.M.A.R.T before and likely have even used it, but it never hurts to have a reminder. S.M.A.R.T or “SMART goals” are a framework for setting effective and actionable goals that ideally will set you up for success.
The acronym SMART stands for: Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. But what do each one of these things actually mean and how can you design your goals to fit within this equation for success?
Specific
Your goal should be clear and precise. It answers questions like: – What exactly do I want to achieve? – Who is involved? – Where will this happen? For example, instead of saying, “I want to get fit,” a specific goal would be, “I want to lose 10 pounds by going to the gym three times a week.”
Measurable
Your goal should have criteria to measure progress. This ensures you can track your achievements. Ask yourself: – How will I know I’ve succeeded? – What evidence will prove I’m making progress? Example: “I’ll measure my progress by tracking weight loss and weekly gym visits.”
Achievable
Your goals should challenge you but still be attainable. Ask yourself: – Do I have the resources and skills to achieve this? – Is the goal realistic for me? – Is the goal realistic for me RIGHT NOW?
Example: If you’re new to fitness, aiming to run a marathon next week isn’t achievable—but committing to running a 5K in three months might be.
Relevant
Your goal should align with your values, needs, and long-term objectives. Consider: – Why is this goal important to me? – Does it align with my broader aspirations? Example: “I want to get fit because I value my health and want more energy for my family.”
Time-Bound
So this is where I’m going to go a little off script and lean into the idea of #FlexyFit. Typically time-bound asks us to set a deadline to create urgency and focus. I want to shift that idea of “urgency” and having a specific deadline to allow for the occurrence(s) of life happening. What we tend to not account for when setting goals is LIFE and there’s always going to be something you’re unable to anticipate. So that’s where being FlexyFit comes in!
Rather than creating “urgency” aim to create “action”. Instead of treating that deadline like my life depends on it (because it doesn’t) I use that date as a guide and along the way I’m looking for proof of progress. And if on that date, I haven’t hit “10 pounds in weight loss” but I’ve achieved 6 or 7lbs or if by month 4 I hit my goal of 10lbs then its still a success. But also if I haven’t hit my “final” goal(s), but I’m still practicing consistency in the action items that will get me to that goal, it’s still a success in my book. Why? Because consistency is the key to results.
Think about: – What’s my timeline? – What milestones can I set along the way?
Example: “I’ll achieve my goal of losing 10 pounds in the next 3 months.”
Happy Goal Setting! Let me know if this was helpful. If you have questions or need help with your body or business goals, give me a shout!
Not all tricks were made for everyBODY and you know what, that’s okay!
One of the things I teach in my everyBODY training is that tricks discriminate. The truth is that every trick we are inspired to try, that we double tap <3, that we save to our wishlist and that we ask our instructors to teach us was made by a specific person for their specific body and ability.
Tricks are specific to their creator and their movement ability and body at the time of creation. Their strength, mobility, flexibility, stability, balance, coordination, confidence and creativity at the time of creation/discovery of a trick is the foundation of that trick. It’s like forcing yourself to wear shoes that are too big or too small – don’t do that!
So yes, feel free to try things on and make alterations that work for your bodily variables, but stop trying to force your body to do things the way that others do them. Instead, try to discover: 1. the types of tricks and movements that feel good and align with your body preferences 2. make safe movement alterations that allow you to mold the trick to your movement and body
I said all of that to say: sometimes it’s not your ability, how long you’ve been training or working on a trick, your technique, a hack you haven’t discovered, or the quality of instruction. Sometimes it’s just the trick.
Getting out of a non-compete agreement can be challenging, but there are several approaches you might consider:
Review the Agreement Thoroughly: Check for any clauses or conditions that might render the agreement unenforceable. For example, if the agreement is too broad or restrictive in terms of geography or duration, it might be contested.
Consult an Attorney: An attorney specializing in employment law can provide guidance tailored to your specific situation. They can help interpret the agreement and advise on the best course of action.
Negotiate with Your Employer: Sometimes, a direct negotiation with your employer can lead to a resolution. They might be willing to release you from the agreement or renegotiate its terms.
Check State Laws: Non-compete enforceability varies by state. Some states have stricter rules or limitations on non-compete agreements. Understanding the local laws can help you determine if the agreement might be challenged.
Document Your Case: If you believe the agreement is unfair or not being upheld correctly, document any evidence that supports your position. This might include how the agreement impacts your ability to work or the specifics of how it was enforced.
Wait for Expiration: If the non-compete agreement is for a set term, sometimes waiting until it expires might be the simplest solution.
Prove Breach of Contract: If your employer has not honored their part of the agreement (such as failing to provide agreed-upon compensation), this might be a way to argue that the contract is void.
It’s important to handle this situation carefully to avoid potential legal repercussions. Consulting with a legal professional will provide you with the best advice for your particular circumstances.
*Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. You should not rely on it as such. Every situation is unique, and laws vary by jurisdiction. Always consult with a qualified attorney for advice regarding your specific legal situation.
