LillyBilly
Forum Replies Created
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I had a conversation about this with a colleague once. It seems like there are two types of people – those who are really calculated and orgenized, and are good in learning patterns an repeating tedious tasks in order to learn, an those that are spontaneous and jump between things and ideas, and learn and advance in sudden "bursts" of action.
We observed that people of the first type will often be good "technicians" – they will learn fast and have perfect technique in whatever they do, but when asked to improvise they will freeze or be lost with all the options, and their results will always feel "forced".
People of the second type will usually be brilliant freestylers, but will have a hard time focusing and learning things that require precision and repitition, so their technique may be sloppy at times.
(Of course this is a spectrum everybody is somewhere between those ends).
I am of the first type, and it has always frustrated me – no matter what kind of art I try to create, I can never stop being calculated. When I paint, I can copy the most realistic pictures, but I cannot paint an abstract. When I played the guitar I could play all my scales and the most complicated solos, but in 6 years I never managed to improvise to a song. When I pole dance, I learn the tricks really quickly, but play a song and tell me to express myself, and I will spend half the time standing in the corner looking silly.
I think that most people expect that when you improvise, you will do it like a person of the secon type does it – this is what you wrote, scarletthoney – that you will "let go" and the creativity will flow.
But for us calculated folks, letting go is the problem, and I find it often helps to practice letting go intentionally. One way I find very useful, is to let go in small steps – you keep some rules, and improvise within these rules. The fact that you still have some structure really helps the "too many options" fear. Once you get used to that, you remove some limitations and repeat.
So for instance, you could start by working only with 3 moves that you like, and play with transitions between them. Then, when you feel comfortable, limit yourself to grounded moves, and decide that you must use these 3 specific moves in your freestyle, but you can add other things as well. You get the idea. This gives you some structure to work with, while still allowing a degree of freedom to be creative.
I know that some of the more spontaneous people feel this method kills their creativity, but we all work differently.
I also find it very helpful to practice just letting go before I freestyle – maybe doing stupid and grotesque moves on purpose with a song I like, maybe dimming the lights and rolling on the floor feeling sexy, mayby smearing all my colors in my pallete with my fingers on a fresh sheet of paper, whatever.
I think that perhaps instead of telling your students they can let their words flow, you can help them ease into it by turning it into a process using similar kinds of exercises.
Just a thought 🙂
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I hope your shoulder gets better soon…
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A friend of mine used to say that our modern way of life – the fact that we sit all day, useally with rounded back and bad posture – is causing our muscles to be extremely weak, which is why so many people can't sit in a straddle straight.
Try to just sit straigt in a straddle, while holding your hands extended to the sides in the air.
Also, the move where you sit, hold your heels with bent legs and try to straighten them in the air in straddle position while keeping your balance has taught be a lot about using my back muscles.
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@scarlettthoney – you do have some amazing freestyle vedeos 🙂
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I had it too!
For me it was a combination of:
1. Lack of flexibility (which the other girls covered)
2. Improper alignment, see here where he covers it:
http://www.stadion.com/stretching_splits.html3. Weak back muscles – at some point I could do a nice straddle if someone pushed me down, but I couldn't hold myself in that position (which, of course, you have to do on the pole). Part of the problem was that my back muscles weren't strong enough to hold my back straight while I rotate my pelvis, so I would just fold forward from the waist instead of stretching my straddle (I don't know if it makes sense).
The muscles you use for that are the ones you use when you try to sit straight in your chair. I don't know which specific exercise strengthen them – we do a lot of related work around the area. Maybe Veena can help.
When you do the straddle stretch, imagine that you want to stick your b*tt (sorry) out – it will give you a good idea which muscles I'm talking about, and the proper movement during the stretch. It will be hard at first (my GOD, so hard), but it will improve with time.
4. Weak turnout muscles – again, same problem – can do the straddle if someone is rotating my legs to the position from the article in #2 and pushing me down, can't do it on my own/ in the air. In order to be able to do it hands-free, you need to get used to rotating your legs from the hips and opening them using your muscles.
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I think it's a combination of accutane and our family's skin. My mom also has a relatively thin and sensitive skin…
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Wow, your BF sounds just like my ex…
I hope things turn out OK for you. I hope you enjoy the showcase!
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@muroo – LOL!
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OMG, thank you!
I did scheule an appointment with my dermatologist, although I suspect I know what he would tell me (wait for the effects of the medicine to wear off). This is what he said when I asked him about other skin problems I had that were related to it.
I think I will go to someone who specialises in stretch marks treatment… :\
I believe that the friction is the problem because in other areas of my body where the skin is not pulled so much I don't get stretch marks.
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@Hazelnut – Sounds good! I live in Israel, does this instructor sell her products online?
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@sensualscimitar – I stopped several months ago, but I'm using retin-a as well now. When I took accutane its effects were horrible – I could accidentally rip the skin on my face by pulling it with my hand! I hope that you are right about the effects wearing off after a year or so. Maybe in the meantime I need to concentrate on strength-based moves that don't pull the skin so much…
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Thanks for the tips everyone!
@RoseMay – maybe I will try to practice a free elbowstand first…
@dustbunny – I don't do skype, sorry 🙁
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Ok, found it.
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What's a tornado?
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I've been poling for two years or so. Like muroo here, I was quite strong when I started but had no dance background – so while climbing, inverting and tricks were relatively easy for me, I kinda looked like a monkey.
I only started getting compliments on my dancing about half a year ago.