Bianca_DuPree
Forum Replies Created
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I love this thread!
Yes, it happens when you don't want it too…that's performing for ya. That's pole for ya. I often feel jealous of my fellow burlesque performers, for when they do solos, they are truly solo. But me with the pole, I feel that I am up there with another performer – the pole – and she can have a mind of her own!
This summer was terrible for poling, with the heat and humidity. The absolute hardest was this May at the Show-Me Festival in St Louis. Ya see, I *needed* to be in this festival and am forever thrilled I was accepted. I performed in the late show, and when they say late, they mean late. In addition to the fact that St Louis is one hour behind East Coast, basically I made my super important-to-me performance at 2am EST!! Holy crap, my body had never-ever pole performed at that hour, and almost immediately into the routine, my muscles were pretty much shot. That combined with the humidity in the air, the pole was practically liquid, it was so slippery. EVERYTHING was a struggle, EVERYTHING was almost impossible! But I fought. my. ass. as hard as I could. I was convinced that I did a terrible job, but at least I was accepted for the festival, and at least I got through the routine with no quick on-the-spot changes.
A couple months later, I performed in Philly, same routine. Almost immediately into the routine, the pole became liquid, shockingly slippery. I was freaking out -on stage- with people looking at me, with people taking photos, with cameras taking video. I couldn't believe that it was happening again, "This is just like St Louis, crap, another terrible performance…noooo!" I got off the stage so dissapointed that I messed up again.
Then I got the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKercz61IQ8&
Seriously, you can not tell that I was freaking out during this, you can not tell I was sure I was going to fall off every other second, you can not tell that my mind is racing constantly thinking of on-the-spot adjustments I could do to make it through, but I kept the routine as is. Somehow I had trained myself to smile throughout all this mess going on in my head. I dont know how that happened.
Just saying that when you think its a HORRIBLE performance, when you think you did so bad you just want to hang up the heels and throw your pole away – it just might not look as bad as you think. 🙂
I don't perform in full on pole shows, often I am the only poler in a show. So its more difficult for me, temperatures in venue are not regulated for poling (often too hot, so I'm sweaty and the pole is slippery). I wipe my own pole down before I go on, since I dont trust non-polers to do a good job at that. I've also learned that I can be cold backstage, but I get out there with the bright lights up close to the stage and I turn into a sweaty mess. Also, small venues and me climbing the pole means I'm even hotter closer to the lights and heat up high.
Basically, the more you perform, the more situations arise that you have no control over. All I can do make sure I know my routine backwards and forwards, grip up, swear by my dry hands and alcohol spray, and pray to the pole goddesses.
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That is pretty expensive, but thanks for posting!
Might just non-pole this application. 😉 -
Dont know if this would help anyone, but Im working now on making my Allegra better.
I get into it from a flatline scorpio, that gets my body into position to have the inner thigh grip. I reach around and under the bend leg and I grab the pole with my thumb pointing down (not up like normal). I find that allows me to not feel so much like Im going to fall off the pole.
I just need to be more flexible to be able to reach behind the pole and grab that leg with my lower arm. In due time.
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After getting an industrial grade WD40, and using a very hard rubber mallet, and then asking someone else to beat the holy poop out of the bearing unit…I was able to move it down.
https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif
It too A LOT of effort.Seems I have tightened it so much over the past year and a half that I did indeed dent the pole where the screws were in the bearing unit, and that was causing the extreme amount of difficulty when moving the unit down.
But hey, when I bought the Xstage in August 2009, there was no DVD to help me out. I looked at the manual over and over and still wasnt sure, so to lock it in good I tightened all the screws. Made sense at the time, and didnt seem like a problem until now.
So I have two lovely dents in my pole, but I can live with that. Worth it to not have to deal with the Xstage-heavy again
https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif -
I called xpole, and they told me to spray WD40 into the bearing unit, and then hit it repeatedly with the back end (wooden) of a hammer to knock it out of its place.
I did that over and over and over, and it wouldn't budge. Now I seem to have indented the pole where the screw areas of the bearing unit meet the pole.
They keep telling me that the original Xstage pole is compatable, but now after hitting it with a hammer, the bearing unit still seems fused to the pole, and Im getting frustrated.
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Yeah I saw that video, I mentioned that it doesnt help me, for my unit doesnt budge. The video shows it slide down easily. I took the screws out, and it wont move at all.
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they were coming unscrewed when you spun lefty….
I have heard this too, and since I’m left-dominant, that’s a deal breaker for me. I was told they were working on resolving that issue, but I heard this back in March.
