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Competition and Performance – at what point?
Ok, so here is a question, and as all questions often do, this was born from one I was asked the other night. There are a few competitions looming and it is a buzz at my studio…
"when are you going to compete??"
Now, I wasn't quite sure how to answer this as I hadn't really though about it. Every month my studio has a night put aside for wine, food and pole/lyra/dance performances from students. It costs $5 and there is cheap wine and nibbles, and a night of fun. Members bring their partners, friends, whoever. It is also a great chance for both pre-competition dancers to have a dry run, and for others to show off what they have learnt.
My questions are though – have you performed? Have you competed? At what point (of your poling ability/confidence) did you decide to perform or compete? If you haven't, do you plan on it? And if so, what is your 'goal' you are building towards that is your 'ok, NOW I am ready, bring on the crowds'.
🙂
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5 Replies
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Hi Koidragon! I'm competing for the first time this august! Less than a month away ahhh!! I'm in level 3 at my studio, so I'm still working on spins and climbing, haven't gotten to the inverts yet.
For the first time, our studio has decided to have a competition, and luckily for me, there are 3 categories: Divine Diva (no inverts), Dizzy Diva (spin pole) and Daring Diva (whatever you want to do). So needless to say I'm doing the Divine Diva and I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into! Of course I would love to win, but I'm really just doing it to push myself and for fun! Also maybe so I can overcome my fear of being in the spotlight. If you're just doing it for fun, it really doesn't matter whether or not you feel 'ready' as long as you feel safe. So you really have to decide for yourself what you want to get out of it.
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I think I'm just going to do what I usually do and go by instinct. I'm only 2 months into poling, so I'm definitely nowhere near ready for competing – though I was looking at the requirements for a competition in my state and I think I could definitely qualify for the amateur division. I may compete or perform once I feel more confident in what I'm doing. I think we're usually pretty good judges of what we're ready for – listen to your instincts! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_heart1.gif
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I think this is a good topic and I am hoping some of the older members will chime in.
At my studio, I am level 2, which was hard as heck to get to (but in a good way). I am finally doing inverts and i love the strength drills. But i still feel like i am a while away from competeing, and then i would certainly rely on my instructor's imput, because she can tell my progress, and she is very big on technique (which i love).
I feel like i could do a preformance at the studio level, but not at the organized competition level.
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Thanks ladies – I too hope more chime in 🙂
I should clarify – I haven't yet decided if competition is a path I want to go down, or at least, not for a while. Not because I don't think I would enjoy it, rather that it isn't yet my focus – for me, I think I would perform once I had a full deadlift with control up and down, and I don't have that yet. That is just for me though, and I am incredibly interested in other people's stances on this, and I love that so many seem to be performing! I do know (from experience in other things) that competition and performance will actually increase your skillset, which is why I might consider a performance (or prep for one) at some point. I am actually incredibly 'pro' performance and competition.
I also like the idea of your studio having different categories ladynocturnal – especially as I imagine it opens the door for the girls who might not normally feel ready to display their skills if they were 'competing' with the higher level students.
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When I started pole, roughly 6-7 years ago, I never thought I would perform/compete. I just wanted to take a dance class in an environment where I wouldn't be put on the spot for having absolutely zero dance technique. As a result, for the first couple of years, I really enjoyed free dancing at the end of class with the other students, but never wanted to do a recital. My pole journey purely about me and my attempts to define my movement quality and learn how to express myself through my body and its movement. It wasn't until about two years ago that I performed pole for an audience. I loved it! Thought it was very stressful for me to choreograph, etc. I found through aerial that I really enjoyed performance and that spilled over into pole. I have submitted video for a couple of competitions, but I have not gotten in to any. I think I enjoy performing more than I would enjoy competing. Though I am a very competitive person generally.
Pole is what you make it. If you never want to compete, then 'never' is a valid answer to the question 'when are you going to compete?'. 🙂 Same for performance. By all means, if you want to do either, you should! There are lots of opportunities to compete at many levels, so pursue it for sure if you want to! I don't think you need to wait on anything if you feel safe and you find a competition that meets your needs.
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