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Ok, I am officially on AB Watch! Over the last few weeks I’ve been eating extra clean and stayed faithful to my cardio…and to my surprise and excitement there are actually some abs starting to peak through! Now, in addition to the recent weight loss (to the tune of 30+ pounds), the possibility of ABS is extremely exciting to me as it will be my first set ever!
Despite NOT being overweight in high school, I still never had any distinguished abs. Like most girls I had the flat tummy and some nice curves, but no chiseled 6 pack. Then once I started breaking feet 4 years ago and gaining massive weight…I really never thought ABs would be a possibility. But to my amazement I’m finding that anything is possible…including my very own six pack (or maybe just four lol). Right now I’m down to 17.7% body fat and looking forward to getting that down even more. I’m even more determined now than ever to complete this transformation. Its my own personal extreme makeover. Yay me!
My music tastes are very eclectic. One thing I love most about pole dancing is that it has extended my range of taste in music. When I hear songs now, my mind immediately goes to routines. Could I dance to this song? What trick could go here? What transition would fit there? So now I am always on the hunt for new music. Checkout what’s on my current pole playlist!
So I was totally bummed to find out that I didn’t make MTPS this year. I mean, I’ve grown so much over the last year and I was ready to show off the new improved pole goddess. Well, as they say everything happens for a reason…but it wasn’t until a few weeks after MTPS finalists were announced that I realized why things happened the way they did.
Let’s back up for a second…
A while back my friend Karen signed up for Xpert Pole Fitness Training and was certified. When she got back to Dallas she told me about the program and her experience which got me super excited. This was something that will not only give me a better foundation and improve my own skill set, but would also open up the door to new opportunities should I decide to teach in the future. So, I decided then and there that I wanted to go to NY and complete the training program as well.
OK, fast forward to the present…
Now, I’ve yet to make it to NY, but to my surprise I found out that Xpert would be holding a training session here in Dallas during the MTPS Convention. So instead of taking celebrity workshops (although all sound super fun), I decided instead to put my “workshop funds” towards Xpert training….talk about an investment. Anyways, when I really started thinking about the way things played out, I know it would have been difficult to prep for MTPS, complete 2 days of training and then compete. So actually things worked out for the best. I get to train with some of the best and improve my own skills.
About Xpert Pole Fitness Training
It doesn’t matter if you’re new to pole dancing or a pro on the pole, registering for an XPERT Pole Fitness professional training is one of the best moves you can make. In our 2-day, 16-hour training, accredited by ACE and AFAA and endorsed by the PFA, you’ll learn everything you’ll need to know to teach a safe and effective pole fitness workout.
So there’s a scene in the movie Remember the Titans where the football team finally starts to come together. They are at practice and after an great block two of the guys start chanting “Left side, strong side”. It is this moment that they realize the order and BALANCE necessary to succeed as a team…and ultimately WIN. So I asked myself, shouldn’t we also have this balance in Pole as well?
Coming into pole all of us are told that our right side is typically the dominant side, and that we should work on the left side to have equal skill and ability. Now, maybe during the first few classes that actually happens, but as we advance we tend to forget about that left side and fall deeper into the comfort and security of our right side. I think that it’s important for us to work on balancing out the left and right…so that we have equal ability on both sides.
I have yet to come across a studio that actively promotes this. So I am calling out to the studios in hopes that someone will read this and act on it. I am hoping that at least one studio will make time in their schedule for a weekly “lefty” class that would focus solely on the progression and skill advancement on our left sides. This is something that should not be forgotten and that should be actively taught in studios as it would greatly benefit dancers (both students and instructors) of all levels.
Update
Ok, so I woke up this morning to some interesting comments, so I felt inclined to add to this post with some additional thoughts. Ask yourself, Can I do everything on the left that I can do on the right? My answer to this question was No 🙁
I think everyone agrees that working on the left side is important. There are classes that initially teach tricks on both sides, but from my experience we try the trick on the left a couple of times and then go back to the right. Once we master the trick (on the right side) we move on to learning the next trick. How often can we say that we went back and worked on the left side until that was mastered as well?
Incorporating the left side is good in class, but I think we need more. If your dominant side is the right side and you don’t give your left side more attention then the left side will always be trailing behind the right side.
Our studios and instructors can help us challenge ourselves to master the left side just as well as we’ve mastered the right side. Plus working on this in groups may help us embrace the difficulty and how silly we may feel that we look when trying to attempt it. I mean, I think I’m pretty good at a chair spin…until I do it on my left side lol.
I think that many of us would benefit from a structured and dedicated class for left side TLC. Consider this: many of the studios have (or have recently added) a dedicated stretch and flexibility class. Now, we stretch before each class right? Yea, but stretching is so important to our development and safety that someone decided it should be its own class. And might I add that it always seems to be a very popular and packed class at every studio that does offer it. So why not apply this same frame of mind to the development of our left side?
A topic of much discussion throughout the pole community seems to pertain to the ability (or inability) to freestyle. Questions and comments of “How do I freestyle?“, “I can’t freestyle“, float around our groups and forums all too often.
I’m starting to notice (as it was also pointed out to me) that much of this is accompanied with self-doubt and (IMO) lack of confidence in our own ability. I think we should all understand that the inability to freestyle does not reflect a limitation in skill or ability in us…rather I believe that it is a mental limitation and lack of confidence that we (often unknowingly) carry around.
I can say this because I too suffer from the I-can’t-freestyle epidemic. This is the very reason why I started FreeStyle Fridays…to bring this mental limitation that I’ve been placing on myself to an end.
So how do we improve our freestyle ability? Well, first understand that freestyling is not something that can be taught; It has to be developed. Why? Because it’s not choreography…there are no counts (other than making sure you hold your trick long enough), and there is not right or wrong way to do it. This is something that truly comes from within. It’s your ability to feel a song deep down inside and make it come to life through your movement, expression and personal style. You can go to classes and workshops to learn tricks, transitions, combos, poses, hand-styling, leg styling, facial expression, etc…but these are just elements. We must develop our own ability and style to put these elements together into a freestyle. Your skill level, dance background or length of time pole dancing have no effect on your ability to freestyle.
The only way to get better at it is to do it. Once you become more comfortable with your ability and work on your confidence the pieces will start to fall in place. But you can’t just dance, you MUST watch yourself dance. Record yourself and then play it back. Ask yourself what you liked, what you didn’t like and what you can do different in the future. With each dance and each self-critique you allow yourself to discover your body, your ability and your style. These will help you with your confidence and fluidity in your dance…which will help you to see that you CAN freestyle and that you ARE good at it.
We all need to challenge ourselves so that we can get better? Once you break through the mental boundaries you will be able to PUSH PAST the physical ones. If freestyling is not a strong point for you make a decision to work on that. Start small…maybe set aside 30 seconds at the beginning or end of your choreographed routines to freestyle. Make it a point to dance freely to one song, once a week. If you can’t make it through a full song then just do 1-2 minutes of the song. The point is to get yourself started on something and the rest will follow.
There is a wave of professional pole talent that is sweeping through Texas, to share their skill and experience with us. With all of the upcoming competitions, this is the perfect way to get some additional (and specialized) practice in. I think that having an opportunity to work with the pros has a big impact on our growth and development.
One pro that I’m extra excited about is Aerial Amy. The Flight Club creator will be here early next month and has a robust lineup of workshops that offer something for every one of us.
Friday
Amy kicks off her workshop tour at The Girls Room Friday night.
Friday, September 7th 6:00pm – 7:30pm Instructor Class
Friday, September 7th 7:30pm – 9:00pm Drops, Tumbles and Oomph Oh My!
Saturday
Saturday you can find Amy at Zensual Dance
Saturday, September 8th 1:00pm – 2:30pm Polished Pole: Inverts, climbs, descents, and transitions (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced)
Saturday, September 8th 5:15pm – 6:45pm Sexy Stiletto Chair
Saturday, September 8th Nemesis tricks 3:30pm – 5:00pm (Advanced/Professional)
Sunday
Then Sunday she’s back at The Girls Room for two more awesome workshops.
Sunday, September 9th 10:00am – 11:30am Floorwork and Flexibility
Sunday, September 9th 11:45am – 1:15pm Polished Pole Spins
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_62joLWrXY
About Amy
Amy hung up her ballet shoes at the tender age of 4, after seeing her cousin come home in bloody pointe shoes. After that, it was a long dance drought until a few years after graduating from NYU, when she found pole dancing classes and quickly fell in love. She found pole dancing as a means of staying in shape and re-connecting to her sensual side and has found that it has given her enormous physical strength and conditioning– besides being ridiculously fun and continually challenging!
Amy’s goal is to build a healthy self confidence from within by helping you gain strength, sass, and skills on the pole. She truly believes that all women are beautiful, that all hips are inherently sexy no matter what size, shape, or color– and that anyone can pole dance.
Currently she lives and works in Manhattan, managing construction by day and flying weightless at night teaching pole classes at Shockra Studios.
When it comes to pole I’m all about the tricks. I love learning and practicing new tricks…they just get me energized. But as we all know, it takes a lot more than good tricks to make it in a competition. A solid (and winning) competition routine is a well-balanced mix of technique, flexibility, artistry (the ability to tell a story), creativity, and fitness.
Now I’m on a mission to get stronger in all of these areas, and to be the most well-rounded dancer I can be. My trainer is helping me with the fitness part, but the rest is on me. Because of my hectic work and training schedule, going to classes isn’t always an option, and while I have two poles at home I find myself walking past them more than actually practicing on them. So I started thinking of ways that I could encourage myself to work on my weak areas more…I mean some serious motivation. I came up with the idea of Freestyle Friday as a way for me to challenge myself – the only way to get better at something is to practice…right?
Each week I am going to challenge myself to do a freestyle routine and document my progress. I’m sharing this challenge for three reasons:
1. Now that it’s public it’s encouragement to myself to get it done. 😉
2. To get helpful feedback from my fellow pole sisters. Thanks in advance!
3. I’m hoping it will encourage others to join in and challenge themselves.
This week’s song was E.T. by Katy Perry. (Next week’s song is Too Close by Alex Clare). There are only two rules: 1. have fun and 2. stick to the chosen song..but it CAN be a remix/different version!
So here it goes, my first ever EntGoddess Pole FreeStyle Friday! (Not great, but hey…it’s a work in progress!)
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIXeVCwr6KA
One of the things I enjoy most about studio hopping is that I get to meet (and learn from) so many talented ladies. I believe that it is always great to work with new people who can help offer new ideas, different perspectives and share their expertise. To be a well-rounded pole dancer you need to “get around” (IMO). Don’t be afraid to venture out…there’s no such thing as cheating on your studio because we are all part of one big pole community.
I think that the key to studio hopping is to:
1. Understand what areas of pole you excel at.
2. Understand what areas of pole you struggle with and need to improve. (For me it’s floorwork and flow between my tricks/transitions.)
3. Learning the strengths and uniqueness of each studio classes and instructors.
4. Matching your “areas-in-need” to the what each studio offers.
Anyways, during my MTPS tryout prep I was lucky enough to work with and grow closer to Stephanie Brinlee – an awesome instructor at VFD. Now, when I say this girl kicked my butt and helped bring out my best: I mean it! Many times we tend to focus in on the bigger picture: what tricks should we do and in what order.
However, it’s really those smaller details that we need to pay attention to: are you toes pointed? Is your face relaxed or do you look tense? These are just some of the things that Stephanie was able to help me become more aware about and clean up. She also helped me step out of my comfort zone and give myself a makeover from the inside-out and top-to-bottom. We were able to iron out my kinks and then build around my strengths. With her expertise being in the dance aspect – that being one of my weaker points – it was definitely a great match up.
If you’re looking for some serious dance training Stephanie is your girl. And if you’re getting ready for MTPS, Southern Pole Championships or even just an open house, I think a class with her is a definite must. In addition to being a talented dancer, a inspiring instructor and Stage Director for MTPS, she is also extremely motivating and passionate about all that she does. And if you didn’t know, she also trained MTPS 2011 Amateur winner: Kimberly McCarter.
Last night I was disappointed to find out that I did not make it to MTPS this year…talk about being bummed. Ironically there were two other ladies with the same last name as me…so I was momentarily excited and then quickly disappointed: TWICE. But it was definitely a bitter-sweet moment. Even though I didn’t make the cut, it was beautiful to see just how much the Texas pole community has grown. There is just so much talent and support, and I am super proud for everyone!
I spent the better part of my day dissecting my tryout video over and over, asking myself What could I have done better or different? Were my toes pointed enough? Did I hold that trick long enough? Should have done another “one last recording”? I guess at this point those are just open-ended questions. I guess I had put so much thought and focus on my hopes of making it, that I never really thought about what would happen (or how I would feel) if I didn’t make it.
So now as I think about where to go from here, I am reminded of what actually got me to this point: FITNESS. What started me on this journey of wanting to be a more serious pole competitor was my desire to be more more healthy and more fit. And what has helped me on my fitness journey is my desire to become a better pole dancer.
When I first started losing weight, I was amazed at how much more I could do on the pole and how much better I was at holding and executing tricks. Since my 2011 MTPS tryout I have successfully dropped over 30 pounds. I’m aiming to drop 20 more, so now I have an opportunity to really focus and put forth the necessary effort to achieve that goal.
Looking back, I can’t help but to say that I’m proud of myself for what I have accomplished, and I’m super thankful to have such a wonder trainer and friends that have encouraged and motivated me along the way.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EA57vjY1rE
My 2011 MTPS Amateur Tryout (representing PFS)
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wTaki8ifLo
My 2012 MTPS Fitness Tryout (representing TP Fitness)
There is a lot of really exciting stuff coming up in the Texas pole world. I just received word today, that the wonderful ladies behind the Melee on the Bayou Pole Dance Competition are gearing up for the 2nd Annual event. This is going to be a fantastic competition that showcases the talented ladies of Houston’s pole community. The competition is limited to ladies of the greater Houston Metro area, so be sure to check out the rules and requirements.
The competition will be held on December 8, 2012 at Grooves of Houston, 2300 Pierce St, Houston, TX 77003. Starts at 5pm. Dallas pole ladies…anyone else thinking ROAD TRIP?!?!
