[Amaranth]

 

 

Thanks Gsylass. Good to know you've had good experiences with them… as I said, the one pair's doing great, I was just shocked to see the other wear like that so quickly. Maybe I was just unlucky and there was a fault in that batch.

[Amaranth]

 

 

Yes, the lessons are done in a way that you start off learning the basics and progress with each lesson. You can skip between them if you like, but if you go through them in sequence you'll get the most out of it.

There are the beginner lessons, intermediate and advanced as well as stretching and strength building sections.

Three months in on just Veena's lessons and I've just started on the inverts, which are half way through the intermediate lessons. Still lots to work on!

[Amaranth]

Veena's lessons are a bargain as far as I'm concerned. I think a year's membership was equivalent to one private lesson at the majority of pole schools around where I live which was what made me take it up here, and I haven't regretted it.

I think Veena's lessons are easy to understand, give great tips and pointers and give you an excellent build up to the different moves. What's more Veena seems to be extremely active on the forums, and from what I've seen if you're struggling with something she's more than happy to offer advice – I've seen her offer to look at what people are doing on webcam through the site chat and such, which is pretty amazing. I can't think of anywhere else you'd get that kind of support!

I don't know how advanced you are already – I'm a complete noob, so a longer time frame for the lessons made sense of me anyway, but I'd say if you're going to sign up, seriously consider paying a bit extra for a longer length of time. I think it's a bargain, certainly cheaper than a series of DVDs, regular updates, advice and support… yes, go for it!

[Amaranth]

 

 

Well I'll certainly try as I'd love to see (and please do more lessons, you're an excellent teacher!). Hope to see you then 🙂

[Amaranth]

 

 

Sounds interesting Veena – I'm not familiar with foam rollers but if you have the time to describe in more detail what you're doing as part of your stretch routine I'd definitely be keen to hear!

[Amaranth]

 

 

I would suggest seeing a physiotherapist to see if there is anything they can do to ease the problem.

I also 'crunch' on my right side, but not at all on the left. My physio manipulated the joint for me this week and definitely made a difference to my movement and the sound effects. I'm still crunching a little, but can definitely confirm the issue has lessened. I am hoping it will continue to improve.

[Amaranth]

Thanks for the early reminder – promise to try and be there 🙂

[Amaranth]

Thank you both, appreciate the advice! I applied the WD40, grabbed a broom and took out the day's frustrations. After a lot of brute force and some very disapproving looks from my dog, the joint finally came out. No apparent damage…!

I thought I tightened as well as I usually do, but clearly not. I'm always a bit scared to overdo it and snap the key in the joint, but I will take extra care from now on.

[Amaranth]

I've had my Xpert X-Pole for a few months now and had the same trouble maybe a month after I got the pole. I put mine up and take it down after every use (3 to 4 times a week), so I do turn the screws a fair bit. Still, the thread went on one and I had a "omg!" moment when I thought I wouldn't be able to get my pole down from my living room and have to explain it to my mother who I was expecting over the next day.

Not good!

Anyway, pole did come down after much effort on my part, but the screw was completely threadless on the inside. Internally to the pole, all was well. I emailed Xpole and while it took them a good week and a half to get back to me, they did eventually mail me out replacement screws free of charge so I can't complain.

I guess you just have to be careful, I have to say I haven't had any more issues since.

Hope you get this sorted!

[Amaranth]

Hi livelifeloud – congrats, I've been lurking for the past couple of months and you've brought me out into the open…

*Realises her error, screams, hides behind her pole and peers out*

…Quite. As a fellow UKer I felt obliged to offer suggestions as I keep having the same frustration of being unable to find products that seem to freely available in the US!

Mighty Grip's official website redirects to poledancehaven.com for the UK. They seem to sell a range of their products there including the gloves.

More generally you can pick up grip products from amazon.co.uk, eBay and the like. Search for products by name (Amazon currently have Mighty Grip for one). You can also try sports shops for general liquid chalk products but some may or may not work for poling and not sure if they'll help with the clammy hands so much.

I know one girl who uses hairspray on her hands to get grip and to dry her skin out. It works for her apparently, but does leave a lot of really stubborn marks on her pole. I certainly wouldn't want to get on it after her, but I suppose if you're the only one dancing it may not matter so much?