GatorGirl4Life
Forum Replies Created
-
I think definitely handsprings! Aerial shoulder mounts, too!
-
i think you raise a lot of really good points gatorgirl! i have to say though… i hate it when people say "oh i can recognize your style as being from XX studio." i would like to think that part of being taught how to pole DANCE is to come up with your own kind of style that is unique and not just like your teacher’s…. that’s something that i’m trying to explore on my own and i am hoping that eventually, although my technique may be an amalgamation of dancers that i respect, that the way i move is not a cookie cutter of someone else. i realize that this comes in time, and is difficult to do, but i like to think that dance can, and should be, an expression of individuality.
I understand what you mean, but a lot of non-dancers who want to learn how to pole dance seem to find it hard to just develop your "own style" from scratch. My goal is that by showing them these tricks that I know, they take them a step further and add their own flair to it. After a while you should be able to find your own style, but sometimes it just takes a little inspiration from others to get started.
-
This is a very interesting thread and I think everyone’s opinions are great. It does sound to me like your boss is a wee bit insecure. What would she say if you told her you were watching a pole instructional DVD or videos on youtube and learned something new? Would you not be allowed to teach it in class even if it meant improving the instruction of the studio over all? I am constantly looking to learn new things for my studio, whether it was learned at another studio across the country or from a video on youtube. I always let my students know where I learned the trick and give other pole instructors credit as necessary. For example, I teach pole pirouettes the way I learned from Leigh Ann when I visited her studio a few years back. She is such an inspiration to me, and I love the way she dances. I have even referred students to her youtube channel and tell them that if they are ever in the LA area, to check her studio out. I hate how a lot of pole instructors and studio owners are so sketchy about not wanting to share their trademark moves because god forbid another studio uses it. If your style is unique enough, a good student will recognize it. I can tell sometimes when a dancer is inspired from other dancers or is trained by others. Look at all the girls from BeSpun? They all kind of dance like Leigh Ann…. I want my students to be as good as me, so I have no problem showing them things I may have come up with on my own. A good owner and teacher wants their students to succeed, and to me, that includes learning outside of the studio on their own time either at home, or traveling around to other studios. Anyone disagree with me?
-
As long as he doesn’t make you feel bad for doing what makes you feel happy, I would say ignore it. When he starts putting you down or making you feel like what you are doing is wrong or shameful, get rid of his ass. If pole dancing makes you feel happy and good about yourself and stay in better shape, KEEP DOING IT!! My bf doesn’t like strip clubs and is fine with me pole dancing so long as I don’t go to a strip club and get on stage and strip for others. Forget all the nay sayers, they are just haters and will be your biggest fans LOL. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif
-
That’s true but I don’t think some people realize the amount and cost of training and certifications others have had. Just off the top of my head, my training has been closer to the range of 7,000 when you add it up. That doesn’t even count the time I’ve put into it which in business you have to consider the value of your time as much as what you spend.
This isn’t just about making my money back…heck if I’m a successful business person I will more then break even…It’s about how could someone expect to spend a couple of hundred dollars to get what I’ve worked so hard to obtain on top of my monetary investment.
Finally consider this – a student spends close to a couple of hundred dollars for for just one 6-week/6 hour program…sometimes less…many times more. But people expect to only spend a couple of hundred dollars for certification?
Now…I don’t charge thousands. Mine are roughly $800 for basic and $600 for intermediate but I know of other really good programs that cost a couple of thousand dollars that are very good and definitely worth it. Of course I know of some for much less that aren’t worth the time, let alone the money.
This is all very valid. I think it’s hard to really put a value on the amount of time and money one has spent learning the trade and knowledge to present to others to make a successful business. Unless you make the students sign a non-compete clause (which may or may not hold up in court), you are running the risk that they will immediately turn around and open a pole studio down the street from yours, and be instant competition. Not that there’s not enough business to go around for all, but to teach someone how to run a SUCCESSFUL pole studio based on your personal experience to me, is priceless.
-
Hi everyone,
I’m with Brass Ovaries Pole dancing and I’m NASM (National Association of Sports Medicine) certified and getting a Pole Position Fitness certification in February. My NASM cert is about to expire and I’m not sure if I should get ISSA certification as planned (a very well respected personal training exam) or ACE. ACE seems to be preferred by pole instructors, can I ask why? Is it because they have a group exercise focus?
Julie
AFAA also has Group Fitness Instructor Certification (what I earned my cert. with), but ACE is probably heard of more than AFAA. Both are equally good IMO. I have heard tho that the ACE Personal Trainer stuff is harder than the AFAA Personal Trainer stuff, but I have no experience with either course, so I can not give a fair opinion on that. Essentially you should be learning the same info from both programs, so I guess it depends on the price of the course and what the Pole Fitness Certification you are going to take prefers. Good luck.
-
No matter how you break it down, it still amazes me the people who expect to not only get a short cut to certification but to pay a fraction of what I did to get there and cant understand why I won’t do it cheaply! I dont expect each person to pay what I did to share my experience and knowledge with them but I won’t insult myself by offering it for a couple of hundred dollars.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
-
Thanks girls, great explanations. I got the grip but how high and low should I grip to be able to start practicing a gentle lift into the TG handspring lift https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_question.gif How far down should I bend my body https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_question.gif Any tips into lifting up https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_question.gif Thanks,again https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_razz.gif
I have been watching a lot of people doing this lift, and it seems that we all do it a little different. I know for me, I need my top hand high, but not overly extended, and my bottom hand just below my waist height. I start standing to the side of the pole, lift my outside leg, then push with my bottom arm and pull with my top arm. Once my feet are off the ground, I turn my hips upwards and tuck my legs into my chest and I pull my body up the pole. This is what works for me. As far as tips for lifting up, a good way to get strength is to reverse train. This is done by slowly lowering your body down from the handspring. Instead of just falling down from the move, engage your abs and upper body muscles and try to SLOWLY lower your body down to the ground. This is hard at first, but after a few weeks of training (and allowing some days rest in between) you should start to see a difference in your strength. I also did a lot of other conditioning to get my strength up to do it – lots of climbing, push ups, pole-ups and ab exercises. Remember, if you start to feel pain in your shoulders, arms, or wrists you need to stop immediately and allow your body to rest. Injury prevention, people! Good luck.
-
That depends on what you are getting for $3000.
How many hours of instruction will make a significant difference. So will the range of content…is it just a beginner level certification – does it include intermediate…advanced?
Is it TRAINING to pole dance in addition to how to teach – two different things.
Is the certfication endorsed by any organizations or groups? That requires a lot of work on the part of the certifying school to become qualified…and money as well as ongoing expenses.
What is the reputation of the program/school you are taking it from.
Keep in mind…some schools/instructors have spent years learning and developing programs and techniques. This isn’t just about how to spin around a pole but how to do it safely and how to teach it. You have to pay for the years of hard work they have put into it and are now willing to share with you.
This is what people don’t understand. The studio I am with right now is trying to implement an instructor cert. course and were baffled when I told them how much I wanted to get paid and how much they should charge students. I had to break down all the years I have spent studying pole dance, studying the AFAA group fitness instructor cert., and all the money I spent getting the certification, attending classes and workshops. They wanted to charge just a couple hundred dollars, and to me that didn’t seem to be enough. I know these are tough times, but I am afraid that if they make the price too low, then anyone will want to do it, and not weed out those who are the most serious and dedicated. It can take years for someone to fully understand the CORRECT techniques, stretching, and execution of the moves and even longer for them to learn how to teach someone else properly. I know everyone is different, but it always made me nervous when I would see pole dance instructor cert. programs that were only held for a weekend or a couple days. IMO there’s no way someone with less than a year of pole dance experience can take such a short course and come out as a stellar instructor. Maybe I’m being a little harsh, but I have seen a few instructors who *think* they are doing moves correctly and end up having injured students because they weren’t educated on the safety aspects or how to go in and out of the moves the right way (and also emergency exit options). I just hate hearing about students getting hurt bc their instructor did not show them the right muscles to use and safe ways to get in and out of tricks….. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif
-
When I was first starting out, I had very little grip strength, so I was having a hard time not sliding down the pole. Also I realized later that I was holding my breath as I performed tricks, which in turn causes the muscles to tense up and my hands to sweat. Once you build your grip strength up, you won’t be sliding as much. The weather and humidity has a lot to do with the stickiness of the pole. Since it’s been so cold here, my students have been having a hard time at first, but once the poles themselves get warmer, they are finding it easier to grip. Remember not to apply any oils or lotions on your hands or body before you pole, as this can also contribute to slipping. Whenever I am learning a new move, I find myself using more grip aid and wiping the pole down more. After I feel more comfortable with the trick, I see that I am not sweating as much and I am able to stay on the pole longer. Just keep at it and your strength will build up more.
-
One thing I have my students do to try and build strength is to start with the chair spin (on spinny mode), then reverse mid way and start going backwards, then perform the back swing out (swinging your body around the other side of the pole so that you go forwards). This combination can keep going on forever as long as you can hold on. Start going forward, twist your hips mid spin so you then go backwards, then swing your body around the other side so you go forwards again, and repeat! Your hand position does not change, but since your legs are not on the pole at all, it is all abs and upper body. I find that most intermediate level students can complete the entire combination about two or three times before their arms give out. It’s a fun strength building combo that can only be done on spinny mode. Also helps build grip strength!
-
Ok found what you guys say about dancing on carpet. I’m just starting so will be dancing in my bare feet for a while anyway. And we have carpet. Veena’s suggestion about tape on the feet is along the lines of what i was thinking, but would ballet pumps be a more practical (and attractive!) solution? I havent used these in years (you know the flat pink ones with the elastic across them?), I think they would be slippy, and therefore suitable for poling on carpet? Would these be good for poling in, or would they prevent pole-foot contact??
What do you think?
My ballet slippers always had suede on the bottom, so I don’t think they would be very slippy on carpet. When I dance without shoes on my carpet, I just wear socks and I slide all over the place! I had a friend of mine who tried the plywood piece under the pole. It worked great for a while, but then after some time playing on the pole and tightening it when necessary, the plywood started to bow a bit in the middle from the pole. The edges of the plywood started coming up off the floor and were no longer flat on the carpet. I don’t know if she did something wrong or the plywood piece just wasn’t big enough, but she eventually removed the piece of wood and went back to just carpet. I told her about the packing tape on the shoes and now she doesn’t have any problems!
-
youtube.com/alliegatoruf
-
ooo nice, I’m glad you had such a great experience last year! She always seems…well exactly as you described…whenever i see her in a video or interview. the workshops you’re taking on saturday are at B&P too? or are they the ones through USPDF?
All of the workshops I’m taking are at Body and Pole. Money has been a little tight this year, so I went with the place that was less expensive. They also have less poles, so less people per class = more attention paid per student. I originally tried to register with the USPDF site, but for some reason I wasn’t allowed in the site to sign up, even though I am a USPDF member. I emailed Wendy about the problem, but she took a few days to respond, so I ended up going with Body and Pole….
-
Sandy – I’ll be in that workshop with you! I signed up for Jenyne and Alethea on Saturday and Leigh Ann on Sunday @ Body and Pole. I took Jenyne’s workshop last March at NYPD and she was awesome!! She came in and laid out all of these professional photos of her doing things on the pole and told us if we saw anything we wanted to learn, to ask. She also came around and asked what we were working on, and what we needed help with. She is soooo sweet and humble and patient!! She wants to see you succeed. No one should be intimidated by her because she is SO NICE!! Unless the skill level is specified, I wouldn’t worry about it because Jenyne will work with people at all levels. Anyway, looking forward to meeting some of you in March!
