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From Front to Fear
A little background first….
Before I found pole dancing, I was a jazz dancer through my entire adolescence. I ate, slept, breathed dance and had no problem performing in class with the other students. I also spent a lot of time hiding in my room put on my own performances for fun. I even remember teaching friends my own stuff for school talent shows. I had no fear when it came to performing.Fast forward now to my adult years. I have been pole dancing for 2 months now and I am ridiculously the opposite way. I literally cringe and freeze the moment I know someone, specifically the teacher, is watching me. I can do the moves 100 times flawless but only when the teacher is preoccupied. She calls on me, I forget everything, lock up and stop. Its not only embarrassing but aggravating. I know i can do the moves and do them well but no one believes you when your a bumbling idiot all of a sudden. Only to execute them flawless when she walks away. I've even had a fellow student notice this when we shared a pole.
And, like most studios, at the end of every class we're given an opportunity to "freestyle"…..
Nope.
I just don't.
I can't. I panic, stand there and hope I become invisible for those 3 min everyone else is doing their thing. My body paralyzes, anxiety through the roof, brain blank and I get mad at myself no matter how much the teacher coaxes. Its in there, I can feel it, but I just can't seem to flick the switch!What the hell has happened to me?!
I went from being the front girl of my dance class to a dreading deer in headlights.I want to blame the music. Its never my style nor loud enough to jam out to. But even if I tolerate the song I don't dare perform, even though I know full well I can. I dance all the time at home, sans pole. I have the ability to choreograph and I can mimic videos flawlessly {like CATS and other people's choreography}. Yet, come class, I feel no one will ever see my awesome potential.
I wish i had a pole at home so I could just go wild but I don't.Is this normal?
Is there any tips out there to overcome this?
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3 Replies
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Have you considered that you're feeling like this because it's something that you are new at? Before, with jazz, it was something that you had done for a long time and were good at. Now, you are having to go back to being a beginner and having to go through the process of learning new skills. Maybe you're feeling like you should already be "good" at pole because you were a dancer before. Pole and jazz are two different things with two different skill sets. Some of them do overlap, true, but give yourself permission to be a newbie and learn the new skills that you need for pole. Remember, even Jamilla and Kym and Jenyne had to learn their skills too, and some of them came from dance backgrounds like you. Hopefully that was helpful, and not just more confusing
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my suggestion is to dress the part. become the dancer when your uniform is on.
get an awesome outfit. maybe get some shoes. when you go to class, fix your hair and put on some makeup. this can be your time to be the shining star you once were!
you just need to get your mojo back and it might take time.
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As far as feeling comfortable with freestyling don't worry too much about it, some people (myself included) never will…BUT…that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Here is how I taught my students to freestyle.
Get a piece of paper and a marker. Write in nice big, easy to read from a distance, letters.
1. Walk
2. Spin
3. Change direction
Next time you are asked to freestyle, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and try to remember that no one is watching you in particular. Everyone else is doing their own thing too. Place your note on the floor near your pole, and follow the instructions. Yes, for 3 min straight, just walk, spin, and change direction. It might seem like it would be boring, but don't worry about that for now. You can even do the same spin(s) over and over. If you are into the music and it feels right at the time by all means throw in something else, but you don't have to. Give yourself permission to just walk, spin, and change direction.
There is a catch though…no matter what, DON'T STOP MOVING!!! Keep walking if nothing else! Before you know it, 3 minutes will be over and you will have survived! 🙂
Then every time after that, if you want to, you can add just one more move to the list; maybe a transition like pirouettes, cross-steps, hip circles, or figure eights.
I also like Katana's suggestion too. It may seem silly to "dress up" to go workout, but she is right. My freestyles are always better in shoes and sexy outfit, even though I can do less moves with shoes on!
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