[HollySatine]

My absolute favorite pole dancer to watch is Felix Cane, because she is so fluid and graceful that while her routines are mostly tricks, they look like dance to me.  (This video is a great example of what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUOmIQ269-E)  Plus, even when she is on the pole for a while she really knows how to grab the audience's attention through her stage presence and eye contact, which is normally what the dance part of the routine is supposed to do (I mean as far as making the audience feel like part of the performance, aside from wowing them with trick after trick). 

It is hard to say that a routine should be this percentage tricks and that percentage dance because every dancer moves differently, and everyone is at a different level – I know that part of Felix's skill in making the tricks look like dance is that she's so advanced (and flexible!) – she has a lot more moves in her repertoire and has had a ton of experience performing for large audiences.  It's much harder when you only know a couple tricks.  But still, everyone can work on stage presence (eye contact!) and flow, which I would argue doesn't necessarily have to be in the transitions – it's also how you perform the trick itself, and how the timing of it fits into the routine.

[HollySatine]

this is great, thank you so much!!! 🙂

[HollySatine]

sorry, but what is the marley?

[HollySatine]

Thanks for the support everybody!  I really appreciate reading all of your stories and responses.  I do have an update – this weekend I visited my parents and I came prepared with a video I filmed of a bunch of stuff I've been working on.  I showed my mom and she thought it was really cool since it was the first she's seen of anything I've done, and we started talking about telling my dad.  The verdict is that we will tell him eventually, although my mom wants to wait for the right timing since a lot of stuff is going on in our family right now.  But at least it won't be a forbidden subject anymore!  So I am happy. 🙂

[HollySatine]

@vamp79 – I just posted a video in which I do the figurehead twice (I'm in an advanced beginner/intermediate level) – first at 1:58 where I get into it from a back knee hook (with elbow hold) on spinny pole (which is really fun because it makes you spin faster) and at 2:47 where I get into it from a side climb on static (which I still have to work on smoothing out but you can get a sense of what it should look like).  Hope this helps!

[HollySatine]

Ollie – if you like birds…have you thought about Robin?

[HollySatine]

I picked my name by combining the names of two movie characters I felt drawn to – Holly from Breakfast at Tiffany's (classy, endearing and free-spirited) and Satine from Moulin Rouge (spicy, seductive and tragic). 

…Or you can google "stripper names" but that tends to be less personal unless there's a name that really strikes you as fitting. 

[HollySatine]

I personally don't think there's anything wrong with Risque Dance, I kind of like it, but I'm not sure if it would put off women who are already uncomfortable about trying out burlesque for the first time…it's hard to say.

but other than that I don't think it's too sugestive and I don't think it sounds like a stripper's club, lol, so if you really like that name i think you should go for it 🙂

[HollySatine]

I also like Viva Dance, and Venus Fitness 🙂

[HollySatine]

thanks dustbunny! 🙂

[HollySatine]

hahahaha! that's so funny! i try to make my boyfriend try things all the time so he can appreciate how difficult and painful some things are (and I'm talking very basic stuff, like the pole sit, lol). and he's taken a swing or two around it too to make me laugh.  boys are so cute and silly sometimes! 🙂

[HollySatine]

Thanks Veena! 🙂

[HollySatine]

That's so funny! My boyfriend told me that was his favorite too (although I haven't learned anything too advanced, just some intermediate stuff – but still!) 🙂

[HollySatine]

I also highly recommend Veena's lessons!  I've been taking a pole class in my area and I also bought some pole DVD's, and Veena's lessons are WAY better than the DVD's and almost as good as being in a class environment and having someone right there to help you.  She does a great job of going over the points of contanct for every move, and she anticipates mistakes you might make as if she recently learned the moves herself (whereas some people seem so far removed from their memories of what it was like to be a beginner).  You also get access to ALL of the lessons (which include strength, beginner-advanced pole, and lap dancing lessons), so you can go at your own pace.  You also don't have to complete a lesson to go on to the next one if it doesn't work for you.  You can cancel your membership at any time (so that it does not recur) and still have access to the lessons for the remainder of the time that you paid for.  And if you're not getting a move everyone here is very supportive and helpful, and Veena herself does chats so that she can watch you try a move and help you get it.  Plus, the lessons are only $20/month – which is as much if not less than many DVD's out there and way less than a month's worth of lessons at a pole studio!

[HollySatine]

Thanks for all of the info! I will try those.

🙂