[BodyandPole]

Hey there,
My friend needs a ticket to the competition, how much are you selling your ticket for? what seat do you have?

THANKS!!!
Lian
Body & Pole

[BodyandPole]

You can all RSVP on FB!

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=events#!/event.php?eid=340195181965

This way we know exactly who is attending and who can’t make it.
https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif

[BodyandPole]

We added another workshop for *Leigh Ann Reilly! Saturday March 20th at 6pm, Leigh Ann will be teaching her Bespun Signature style class! With some creative climb and invert techniques, and a lot of stretching, this class is great for anyone who wants a taste of the best studio in LA! This is a mixed level class.
(*If Leigh Ann wins top 3 in the competition, Amy Guion will be teaching instead and Leigh Ann guarantees that she is just as great!).
If you girls missed out on her class on Sunday, and still want to take a workshop on Saturday, this is a great opportunity!
You can sign up on our website: http://www.bodyandpole.com

ALSO, Don’t miss out on taking VEENA’S WORKSHOPS!!!

XOXO
Lian

[BodyandPole]

Hey fellow polers! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_razz.gif
I got the ok from Alethea last night to add a Sexy Flexy floorwork/stretching workshop at Body & Pole on Sunday March 21st.
I had a very tight window of exactly 1.5 hours between her workshop and Jenyne’s workshop so I put it there for all of you who might still be able to/want to take it.

We already have a few girls signed up since this morning, this looks like it will fill up super fast, so if you want it, don’t wait too long, and also let your friends know.
I wish I could add many many more, but we have a small studio and only one space, so I can only have 1 workshop at a time.
I am really happy to see all the love and support from everyone here.

LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING ALL OF YOU.
XOXO
Lian

[BodyandPole]

Hey everyone.

I want to say here that I DO NOT think that Anna and Wendy are bad people. I do on the other hand think that what they did was very wrong on many levels.

I know that for a fact because I saw the initial contract. There was nothing in it saying that they can not teach at other studio, USPDF or non USPDF.
in my email to them, I offered to split all the travel and accommodation costs with them, in case that was the issue, but like I said before, never got ANY reply to phone calls, text messages emails etc.

Because I considered these women my friends, knowing our past relationship with me competing in last years nationals and them asking me to compete again, as well as Kyra who teaches at Body & Pole, I never imagined that things would come down to this.
I worked around their schedule to make sure there was no conflict, and the girls are available to do anything they might need to do for the USPDF, other than a small 2 hour window where they would come to B&P to teach.
I also made sure they were all scheduled to teach at B&P after their last scheduled workshop at NYPD, making sure there are no Liability issues if God forbid they get hurt teaching at B&P.

The only person who has all their airfare and hotel accommodations paid for by the USPDF is Jenyne, as they hired her to perform and teach workshops. The rest of the girls had to pay for their own hotels and some for their own flights.

As for sponsorship, if that was the case than why wouldn’t they get back to me to discuss the issue and maybe ask me to pay some money as a sponsor? I actually offered to split their costs for the instructors with them.

I even told the girls I would fully pay for them, hotels and airfare if the USPDF wouldn’t do so.

The USPDF and NYPD should be completely separated entities. If it was NYPD bringing some girls here for workshops at their studio, I would have never even though to book them at B&P and let NYPD pay to fly them out here…
But since I considered myself and the studio affiliated with the USPDF on many levels (maybe not officially as I just opened it and never had the chance to apply online), I thought they would be happy to support me and my studio.

I disagree that they should have not contacted me, this is not the girls fault as they knew very well that their contract said nothing about teaching at other studios. So did I as I had to sign the same contract last year.
Sending a revised contract in retrospect is absolutely poor business management in my opinion.
in my email to them, I told them that based on the fact that non of the parties thought this was ever going to be an issue, and we already have full workshops, PLEASE just THIS TIME, let this go. No one would get hurt, and no one needs to know about this. I even told them this is going to possibly hurt THEM in the long run and not me or my studio, and maybe they want to avoid it. NO REPLY.

I decided to charge less for the workshops because I didn’t think that $75 was reasonable when people are already paying so much just to come here and see the competition. I charge only $60 and pay the instructors 85% out of that. So money was never my concern when booking these workshops. My students and the pole dance community and instructors were my priority. I was one of you when I came to VA in October and paid for tickets, hotels and workshops, so I knew how difficult this can get.

I am so sorry that this has become such an issue. I do agree in hindsight that the FB page is wrong. I am only human and got a bit giddy at first as I felt that I wasn’t in this alone, but I do agree that there is no need for hate. I will ask the girl to remove it.

I just wanted everyone to know WHY I had to cancel those workshops. Everyone needed to know that the USPDF isn’t there to represent ALL studios and students, as they very clearly proved by their actions.
I don’t hate Wendy or Anna, I just think they owe a lot of people an explanation and an apology.
This is not how you run a federation. Even if it is new and they might make mistakes, this is more than just an innocent mistake, as I gave them every opportunity to back out of it and let the girls teach these workshops.

I really truly hope that they will reach out to me, and talk to me. The fact that they never bothered to do that just showed me that they knew they couldn’t give me a real solid reasonable explanation as to why these girls can’t teach 1 workshop each on Saturday at my studio. All they could do was threaten the girls and then send them a revised contract when the threats didn’t work.

I hope this clears things out a bit more.
I HATE DRAMA. But I will stand up for what I think is right and wrong. And this was wrong on so many levels.

Much love and respect to all of you, even Wendy and Anna.
Lian
Body & Pole

[BodyandPole]

Hopefully Veena will be around somewhere and I’ll get to at least meet her in person, anyway

Foxi_Rei, We will be having Pole Play time for only $10 at Body & Pole on Thursday and I am sure a lot of your online friends and idols will come by.

I hope to see you at Body & Pole regardless, just come say hi and introduce yourself. I would love to meet all of you.

XOXO
Lian

BTW an angry student started a FB page. You should check it out.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=315378158328

[BodyandPole]

We just added 2 workshops on Saturday March 20th with VEENA!!!!

You can sign up online at http://www.bodyandpole.com

Veena was so sweet to offer to come to NYC just to teach these workshops! She felt so bad for all the students that had their workshops cancelled because of the USPDF’s actions against us.

We are so excited and honored to have her at Body & Pole.

[BodyandPole]

Body & Pole just added 2 workshops on Saturday March 20th with VEENA!!!!

You can sign up online at http://www.bodyandpole.com

Veena was so sweet to offer to come to NYC just to teach these workshops! She felt so bad for all the students that had their workshops cancelled because of the USPDF’s actions against us.

We are so excited and honored to have her at Body & Pole. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

[BodyandPole]

I am inviting everyone to Body & Pole for our Pole Play time on Thursday March 18th!
This is a perfect place for everyone to meet and have some time to show off your new moves on our 14 ft poles!
It is not a class, it is more like a pole party. It is only $10 each and you get a full 1.5 hours to mingle and play!

Sign up online if you think this is something you want to be a part of. I will be there for sure and am really looking forward to meeting every single one of you wonderful ladies!!!

XOXO
Lian Tal
Body & Pole
http://www.bodyandpole.com

[BodyandPole]

We’re on facebook too! Look up Body & Pole or Lian Tal, JOIN ME!!! <3

[BodyandPole]

Just in case a new organization might be getting set up (ahem), I think it’d be great to open it up to polers that want to perform for the love of it but who might not necessarily be in top athletic form. Costumes, fun songs, silly routines that get the crowd smiling and cheering on. Group performances, duets, dudes dancing, burlesque, etc. Wouldn’t it be fun if it was more inclusive of the rest of us out here who work our asses off on moves and just want to feel a little love from an audience! Just some input, just in case (ahem,) another organizationjust so happens to maybe possibly come to life https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif

And a less expensive yearly pass too!!! Young polers just starting off in life don’t tend to be wealthy!!

Funny you say so, as the first competition we put together was Polesque. Exactly what you are talking about. You can check it out online on our page and on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81BQLTyHP-M

It was for amateur girls, and was all about it being fun and entertaining and not about the big tricks.
We had Burlesque and dance performances and it was an amazing night.
We also have performances that include both men and women regularly, one is coming up here in Brooklyn called OUT THROUGH HER, and involves pole dance, silks, and amazing contemporary dancers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCKY3hl-Fvg
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Out-Through-Her/281556634819?ref=ts

I would love to hear other suggestions for a new organization. Everything you girls said so far I absolutely agree with and is already being discussed.

We can start a new discussion on what would everyone like to see if a new organization was to start…ahheemmm…
https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif

Lian

[BodyandPole]

Good luck Lian, we have never met, but you sound like someone who has everyone’s best interests in mind, and for that i thank you https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

Thank you so much. and yes, my intentions were always for the better of this community and that is way I am so disappointed with the way things have been going on and the lack of support from the USPDF.
I am charging less than the USPDF because I thought their prices were too high and I am paying the girls much more than NYPD is paying them, so at the end I am not going to make any money off of it.
It was never about the money for me. It was about giving polers another option.

There are some good things in the future that I can’t really discuss yet, but we will all have more options very soon. USPDF will not be the only organization.

So as long as we spread the word and make sure everyone in this amazing community know who we are dealing with, the future will definitely be a brighter place. I give everyone my word that I will ALWAYS look out for the community as a whole first and for most.

I love you all and thank you for all the support.

[BodyandPole]

Maybe their attorneys advised them not talk to you possibly? Have you tried calling their attorney to see if you could communicate that way with them? I know its impersonal but maybe you can get a response that way?
sorry you are having such hard time…i know its frustrating.

I originally had my attorney send them a letter to stop what they are doing. When I got no response, and neither did my attorney, I decided to write a personal email explaining why I think they should let this go, and next time have the girls sign whatever they want. I even told this this might hurt their reputation and that i would hate for that to happen.

I wouldn’t know who their attorney is, as I never got ANY sort of communication from them about canceling the workshops.

[BodyandPole]

Another competition program needs to be created that is truly supportive of these talented dancers and their fans.(hint hint https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif ) Even though it might be cancelled, I’m glad I booked my contortion workshop with Body and Pole!

Rest assured this is already in the works… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT.
This has been a really difficult month for me.

It is good to know that the pole community is finally seeing them for who they really are. I was struggling with this all month, even telling them that they should let this go because it will hurt their reputation, but they didn’t even bother replying to me. I tried to avoid this, but it is now out in the open for all to know.

I am sure they will come up with one excuse or another as to why they HAD to do this to protect their organization, but in reality, this was never a liability to the USPDF as we all know, and all the girls were scheduled to teach at B&P for 1.5 hours on Saturday, AFTER they were done teaching at NYPD.

So even if they had photo shoots that day, they had all day, minus 1.5 hours to do anything they need to do for the USPDF.

[BodyandPole]

this really does suck for everybody…i wish there could be some kind agreement that can be reached without getting attorneys involved. but unfortunately when it comes to running a business, contracts, etc… its not all fun and games…it can get real ugly really quickly. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_pale.gif

I tried in every way possible to reach an agreement with them, but it is hard to reach an agreement when the other side wouldn’t respond to any of your attempts to talk. They would only communicate with the instructors, but never once reached out to me or replied to my calls or email.

Way to go with representing this community.