firebird
Forum Replies Created
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Might want to check if the above or any referrals are licensed to sell policies in your state (assuming u r in USA), and that the policy is backed by an A-rated ins company (can check on AM Best).
I just got a new policy (considerably less expensive than some others out there) with Veracity Ins (go through a group called Alternative Balance Therapies) — found out about them from a “pro” pole dance/fitness instructor/competitor/performer as she has this policy too (which BTW, for those of you who care, does NOT exclude coverage for teaching in shoes of any sort). However I highly recommend also looking into a company called Anthony Insurance, found them online at some website called something like dancestudioinsurance.com (might not be exact url so be prepared to search), but they quoted me rates that are even LOWER, and yes cover pole. I didn’t pursue them further to find out about whether shoes where excluded (or any other limitations for that matter) only because I had already proceeded with urchasing the Veracity Ins policy (good customer service by the way, esp Chris — male) and very quick and efficient with all their responses and everything, much better than I’ve see with some other pole instruction ins companies I’ve dealt with…
Lastly for all the back & forth abt whether K&K is covering pole fitness these days (based on a pervious LONG thread about this on SV — which I *highly recommend* you go search & read through — where it seems people keep getting new responses from the company about whether or not the still cover pole instruction) the answer as of this post is YES, HOWEVER athletic sneaker-style shoes are the only kind of footwear they allow to be used in a class where they’ll cover any claims — using any shoes other than this will nullify your coverage. Barefoot is the other option. But as much discussion & debate as I had with 3 diff underwriters @ K&K about this, some where iffy, but thelast person I spoke with was firm on this issue.
Oh one more tip, for those who liked Philadelphia Ins thru IDEA, I spoke to an agent and also confirmed with some stuff I found online, that they are back to covering pole, only now you DON’T have to be a member of IDEA to purchase policy (& that membership alone could make it a pretty costly option), however while I didn’t probe much deeper into them to make absolute sure, it *sounded like* they were taking the same stance as K&K on the whole “strictly fitness” approach (read: NO STILETTOES accepted).
Since some of the studios I teach at (& on personal preference & principle) shoes are important part of the experience & learning, I really needed coverage to include the use of stillettoes. However, if not an issue for you then you have a few more options, so work the market & beware of just falling to the 1st gimmicky policy you run across.
If you are like me and DO use/teach with the shoes, then I beg you all to PLEASE PRACTICE & TEACH MAXIMUM SAFETY on those things — please, we need to build a history of no incidents/claims in order to keep having companies willing to cover this field with the stilleto option, and at a reasonable price! I worry about whAt might have caused to scare away these insurance companies that once-offered-it-then-now-don’t. As it is, we are already battling that “stripper” stigma out there (yes, still: I went like 2-3 rounds via email with one K&K underwriter about this being referred to as “adult entertainment” that they didn’t want to cover, and me of course arguing that it wasn’t, etc… Ugh I have no time for that BS)…
Anyway, more than anything else, I think liability insurance is the bane of a pole instructor’s existence, so good luck with this. Funny, because I **just completed** this whole saga of a search for a new PL insurance policy, and was planning to post about my experience & findings on this here on SV soon anyway, so this post showed up at quite a perfect time.
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Best (easiest & most attractive) way I believe is how I learned from Mina — “fan” it out. So she starts it out by diagonalizing her body so head is opp of pole than where legs are, body straight (no hips caving back) — she called this position the “foosball” (sp?), then outside leg fans inward & up (in direction of spin), turning your body into pole, inside leg follows (this one can also have a mild curve/fan to it) while outside leg completes its fan-around motion to get you into that inverted chopper pose. Think climbing up a steep mountain via switchbacks vs straight up the steep face of it (that’s the analogy that I give my students anyway)… Yes, the “straight up” (what I also call the “brute strength”) way works too, however it is like 10x harder on spin mode, could look clunky (visually the “fan” way is much more forgiving, can even be prettier), and no matter how strong you are, burns so much of your energy — why not conserve it for all the other cool & hard stuff you want to do after that once you are up there & upside down on the pole?
Good luck — DEF’LY takes practice… You will get it & love it & look gorgeous!
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MzV — you yourself said it best: he isn't worth all these thoughts. Love how you put that. I personally would think any dude that is gonna leave me w/that much doubt & discomfort, I'd be movin on… You seem like a sharp young hottie that is blossoming into a future bad-ass ("level 4", LOL!) pole dancer! Dang that sounds like a chickie that is worth a million bucks, so yeah, maybe that's this guy's loss…
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When I’ve done this, I do slow down (almost stop sometimes) while lifting, but then once my legs reach the pole, it’s like “hang on to your hats” — somehow spin picks up new life to a crazy degree. That doesn’t happen to u?
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Oops, continuing from above…
Pink & electric blue — nice colors, but that’s it? Well owner assured me no would NOT be it, that in time they plan to introduce more colors… I hope they hurry… Anyway, really interesting use of diff features like criss-cross tie-up & even horizontal laces on sides & mesh fabric accents, etc… And prices look quite competetive vs Mika / Zweet, tho admittedly I haven’t yet so much as tried any items on, much less bought any… So can’t vouch for comfort nor durability…
To find them u need to go to http://www.ontheverticaledge.comHappy pole clothes shopping (& wearing)!!!
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Some new brands we discovered at PoleCon last June:
(1) Zweet Sport — my boss liked these so much too that we set up a retailwr account w/them & started carrying their stuff @ our studio. Their website says they ship internationally via UPS Global. I like that they attempt to be very “green” in their biz approach, have interesting & unique prints and designs. Good quality too (washed & washed, still like new) — price & otherwise, totally comparable to Mika (even in their size & print/color availability — yes, sometimes frustratingly lacking…)…(2) Vertical Edge — spent a bit of time getting to know this owner/designer, & browsing her stuff… Liked what I saw & heard, VERY UNIQUE designs, diff looks from everyone out there (Mika, BK, Zweet, even that Etsy one above), so that excites me… Also smart well-thought-out designs that I think will be flattering on all kinds of (real) bodies… One huge drawback to these guys in my book: lack of color options. Everything is for sure available in basic black, but otherwise only other options are in hot
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Yes totally for ur body. I know seems crazy, but got that direct from the source @ PoleCon in June. They called it a “body slougher” or exfoliator or s’thing like that. Funny too bc there were like 2 other xPole employees + 1-2 pro polers + my own studio owner + 1-2 other bystanders all there looking at me nodding and saying “yeah, it’s a blah-blah” like in other words, “duh, didn’t u know?”… So I was like, “ok… I’m clearly the moron here” so I’m happy now to see it’s NOT so obvious to others… LOL
That said, I will tell u that I personally like that thing for a cpl reasons/purposes (no, not dishes): I personally enjoy a good hard scrub when I bathe, plus helps w/my blood circulation which I’ve always had issues with… Hence I tend to like that black abrasive side just for that reason alone… But with this in mind, where that spongey-heart thing has come to live is in our camping gear — again, NO, not to wash dishes… But, you know how u don’t always get around to showering daily when camping? And maybe tend to get extra grimey? Well this thing is AWESOME precisely in that situation, which I’m in quite a # of times a year bc we go camping a lot. Another huge plus: it retains almost NO excess water, so dries SUPER fast, and no matter how deformed it gets wherever u pack/store it, returns to original shape no problem. Nifty little item…Now if only xPole could design that BRASS pole as effectively… Hmmm… (sorry to rag on ur brassy again, xPole… But Please, we can’t have that woble! Esp not at that pricepoint!)
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Ok I wasn’t gonna say anything more but this has now gotten quite entertaining, so I can’t resist! Glitter, luv ur passion! Thx for getting my back. So some funny add’l background for u to enjoy the soap opera further: on the characters… The original mom who “outed” me was “just invited” to that party, so she can always back herself up w/”not my idea, I just went for my friend”, plus she happens to be a loud, in-everyone’s-face, majorly conflictive drama-queen of a personality… So no, it is NOT in her nature to ever shut up abt ANYTHING… 🙂 As for the husband in question, ironically my 1st interactions w/that guy happen to be in recruiting him onto the school’s finance committee (I’m also known for volunteering insane amounts of my time at this struggling independent school), of which at the time I was doubling as interim chair as well as Treasurer of the school’s
Board of Trustees. On days of our FC meetings, I was not in studio so not wearing any pole garb whatsoever (no need). His (and his wife’s) only knowledge of me was this role I had, given my educational & work background (couple math degrees & many yrs as a statistical analyst). Haha, and as for me, numbers-geek-turned-pole-dancer, very deep down BENEATH the very-much-on-the-surface sense of offense taken at what I think was somekind of jab at best, full-on attack at worst, secretly I have to admit feeling flattered… Oh well, I’m a hot mom juggling priorities and struggling to strike balance as much as the next, and I may not have a lot (materially). But in the process, I’ve prioritized the health & strength of my family & myself (nevermind the sleep part), so we eat great, have healthy energetic lifestyles, and I’m blessed to have the pole be such a big part of my daily life. Helps me feel and look fantastic. And luckily, in part due to all the right focus of said priorities (for US, anyway), my hubby and I enjoy NO LACK of passion and fun and TRUST and major love in our relationship. Thank God, and yay for us… And sad for them that I sense maybe DO lack this. -
At a “Mom’s Night In” w/like 12 moms from 1 of my son’s (3rd gr) classes, this topic came up (I’ve taught at a local pole studio for cpl yrs now). In my mind, I was like “oh please no, here we go…” while the mom who “outed me” sometime back told the story of the private party she came to at our studio and I happened to be the instructor for their party… Anyway, she was floored and felt compelled to go and tell everyone @ the school the very next day… Ayayay, I had specifically kept this under wraps bc I could already anticipate the variety of reactions, most of which I just don’t have the energy to deal with… (I have a busy household plus 2 other jobs & regularly get 3-6 hrs/sleep per night, so I pick my battles carefully.) Anyway fast-fwd to this evening a cpl weeks ago. We’re all seated around her huge dining table, and at this point the other mom (sitting right next to me) who is telling the story of “discovering” my pole dance job now has everyone’s attention of course. Then, sitting clear across the table from me (so picture 1/2 the crowd on either side of us), the hosting mom (her family is new to our school this yr) says “No wonder! One day my husband came home & said someone at the school was wearing a jacket/shirt that said ‘Pole’ on it & had images of dancers on the pole” (yup, our logo) then she exclaims “so that’s YOU!” I didn’t say anything this whole time, mind u… But here’s the kicker: she goes on saying I don’t remember what, then ends with “well, if you don’t mind, please stop wearing that stuff around school, because some of our husbands don’t need anymore things to be fantasizing about!”
OMG… like I said, I didn’t speak the whole time, but even if I’d wanted to, after this my stomach wouldn’t let me anyway. I was already in a “mood” as it is, before walking into this gathering… I stuck it out thru the rest of this “party” (like any good tough poler would), even lingered a bit in the end to politely help clean up & thank her for coordinating & hosting this. But of course, I am now more self-conscious than ever walking in & out of school every M, W&F at drop-off & pick-up, as those are the says I teach AM classes in the studio. More interesting still tho is that ever since that night, this 1 mom in particular has REALLY gone out of her way to be friendly w/me, stops me in hallways & emails me to ask random ?s or see about getting my son involved in a sporting activity w/her son, etc… Kinda weird. Told my boss @ studio abt this and she was shocked, but also suggested the crazy (to me) notion that maybe it’s this mom who is the one fantasizing abt me (gotta love her — um, my boss I mean)… Who knows, but oh well… Anyway, never a dull moment in the pole world, that’s for sure! There’s no stopping the love we have for what we do, friends, so let’s keep holding out heads up high & enjoy the journey no matter what it brings along… -
Post-class report: um, MOTH is hard! & scary (kinda) & weird… Maybe bc new? But I feel more tangled up in it than in b’fly, where I like (& count on) being able to open my whole body (hips & all) up outwardly, away from pole. W/”moth” I’m stuck centered acing
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Haha, abt to go teach a class, & totally gonna try out the “moth” w/my students. LOVE IT!
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Wow chem is that u? Great picture (and pose) whever that is. I want to try that, seems like a bow & arrow from iguana hold, but one hand released to regrip by shoulder. Is this the move/pose u are asking abt? Don’t onow any kind of official name for it myself either.
@shana ur profile pose to me looks like an extended eros — extended bc top leg is gripped @ ankle instead of @ knee, the way u’d do a basic eros (Brass Monkey-style) — just like extended vs regular butterfly… I feel like in Butterfly whole body needs to be on one single side of the pole. Eros 1/2 body is one side, 1/2 is on the other.
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Yup agree w/all said above, esp abt Arnica — so funny someone called it a Poler’s heroin, it sure is! I’m a total Arnica junkie, I’ve even tried everything available (topically and ingestive!) only to whittle down to what seems to me to work the best… which so far are:
(1) the oil by Weleda — an organic & biodynamic brand from Germany, which we now even stock @ studio where I work & sells pretty well
(2) and these tiny pellets by ….(3) Also, I almost nightly DRINK the stuff — my nearby Sprouts (think While Foods only WAY more affordable) sells dried Arnica flowers in these little packets for $1.69 or so, in the Mexican food products, a brand called God’s Garden/Pharmacy or s’thing like that). So I have a steeper that I put abt 1/2 tsp of that loose dried Arnica in per cup of tea (delicious too, and super relaxing, possibly more than good old Chamo, so watch out — at least for me has the tendency to knock me out, & I tend to be a night-owl, sometimes even on the insomniac side).
Also, I like the tip above abt ice-then heat, and I’ve heard abt the iron pills before (be careful if u tend to struggle w/bowel movements tho, this can make things “harder” — sorry, but we’re all family here, right?)… As mentioned, really anything to support the blood flow, hydration, cardio-exercise, and even sleep.
I really need to take all this advice myself bc I taught a class last Fri focused on the Apprentice move, variations, & transitions, and OMG I may never do THAT again! Have these CRAZY mean DARK bruises on both my hips, yikes! I think possibly the worst I’ve EVER had! And I’ve been poling for 3 yrs! That said, like also mentioned above, I agree no matter how long you’ve been doing this, you venture into “new territory” w/moves, be ready for new bruises too if it’s an area of your body u hadn’t trained yet on the pole. For me in last couple months was knee-pit holds. I only had Cupid, but felt so limted. And sure enough I’ve even now gotten my 1st Marleys that I just was resigned to thinking I’d never be able to do. And oh the possibilities that have opened up on spin-mode from this are so great! Next frontier: armpit/torso holds — little by little getting there, and SURPRISE: no matter how hard or how much I practice those, no real (or significant!) bruises — go figure! Yes, indeed we all do have our “areas” that bother us more than others, and everyone is so different that way.
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Interesting ?… Where I teach, there is no set policy on whether we promote anything in particular or not, it’s really an independent matter that varies by person. I know 2 others there have told me they are not fans of SV for their own unique reasons, but marvel that I get so much great pole-related info (just in general, besides learning how to do things on the pole) out of it myself! I find this phenomenon quite curious… I don’t know about the other instructors, I don’t get to interface much w/them… That all said, since I myself AM a fan, I do promote it in my own ways, and not really intentionally either. I treat SV just like one more resource for polers, just like any other, like talking abt grip aids, or pole clothes, or good places to go see strippers, or pole events/competitions/etc… So I certainly mention it if it comes up or I remember bc of s’thing relevant. Like for instance, when I 1st discovered the Janeiro pose on here, I was so excitedly sharing abt it w/a bunch of our students while 5 of us were in a car together driving to a local event. Similarly w/Orion move… A couple times I’ve even forwarded links to some of my students (or fellow instructors) of discussion threads on topics they are specifically dealing with (pole brands/finishes, grip problems, hosting showcases, and so many more…). So I’m not saying “oh go to SV and buy her lessons” – that’s their call. Actually, I lie, bc I did do that once w/a great student who was just starting & wanted to continue but was moving across the country to some new town where she’d already checked & found NO pole studio there. But I am making people (in general) aware of its existence by sharing info/resources w/them off SV — up to them to even check out what I share w/them! I also agree w/person above, that when I’m w/students in front of me, whether actively teaching a class or not, OMG I am non-stop busy, so this is all only really a matter of whether “it comes up”.
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Bless u for a great topic to gather info on and document!!! And a FUN one at that! Oh and I could go on and on here as this is definitely a matter that automatically brings a smile to my face (as well as my kids’ and husband’s and mother’s and mother-in-law’s and… faces)… But my story starts out similar to the one above who mentions her 5 year old son that she can’t keep off the pole… I would say little boys in general (of which I am raising 2! Currently 7.5 & 9.5 yrs), but really I believe it goes beyond to include ALL children, as even my little 1.5 yo niece is SUPER intrigued by it and always wants to touch it and hold herself on it & can’t stop laughing w/joy when (we help her) climbing it! Ok so here’s what I think you’ll find (same that I and so many of my students w/kids, namely if they do own a pole at home): this all just goes back to our “monkey instincts”, that’s all it is — and also, consider that what is exhilarating and fun for you & I, likely is also for children. Maybe even moreso for them! They don’t care what they can/not do, don’t care abt how flexible they are/not, if they look good or know a lot or are strong or weak, or blah blah blah… This is just a section of “monkey bars” as far as they are concerned, and they simply want to hop on it and PLAY! As is what many consider the “work of children”, since they are naturally drawn to PLAY, and rightfully by design learn & develop so much THROUGH PLAY… And how much more FUN when an adult who is important to them (parent, sibling, aunt, etc) ALSO gets lots of enjoyment out of playing in the same way!
So that premise set, yes, my 2 monkeys — ah-hem, sons — spin, climb, invert, even do static holds, etc. On the pole… And have built the foundations and coordination (& I guess strength, but not sure I can credit that to the pole exclusively) to do so over the last 2.5 years that I’ve had this fun “toy” installed in my home (or travelling w/us when we’ve spent extended periods away). It’s definitely quality time I can spend together that, gosh, especially my younger son can’t get enough of!!! And I can go pretty hard for pretty long! He really does amaze me in particular because of his strength and passion for the pole, and it helps that he’s already by nature a rather fearless & tireless creature, that LOVES being upside down, and also happens to have a really good sense of where his body is in space, & just good physical instincts, per se (also happens to be — probably no surprises after summing all this up — the more athletic of my two kids).
Ok I really want to wrap this up bc I feel like maybe this is all more than you care to know… BUT if my little guy knew I were writing this, he’d definitely want me to share the following w/u:
— he can climb GREAT and do an inverted crucifix, gemini, scorpio, chopper, AERIAL INVERT (yes, really), front & back hook spins, and any variety of “inside-planted foot” based spins
— oh can also hand- or forearm-stand into pole (actually this is really not so exciting since well before a pole entered his world, he could already do a free-standing headstand — and yes, I know developmentally this is not ideal for him to be doing, but this crazy child figured it out on his own one day, and since then, try and stop him… Ayayay, at some point I have to trust in Mother Nature…)
— he LOVES when pole is in spin mode
— things he wants to learn or work on more: butterfly, side climb & side (knee) holds, electric switch, probably much more I can’t think of right now…
— shoulder mount: we’ve tried this, and interesting discovery… So he definitely has the (namely core) STRENGTH to pull this off, HOWEVER, the 1 or 2x we tried this (of course me holding/spotting him), he started crying so bad bc it REALLY hurt him — and sure enough it seemed to get really bright red around his clavicle bone area. Needless to say I was mortified, and told him NO more of that until he is way older (and hopefully less scrawny, more bulky & able to withstand that pressure, and also NOT be at such an early stage in his physical development)…
— he & I have even started working pn “doubles tricks”, like spins & holds (haha, mostly results in an EXTRA workout on mama who more often than not has to support most/all of his weight while attempting these!)
— he loves bragging about ALL of this, and loves that there are all these moves w/all these interesting-sounding names (resonate w/anyone?)…
— he makes a “pole” out of anything around, at school, anywhere around town, my mother’s banister… Again, it’s all a game for him, and the PLAY never ends… ah, to be a child…Hence the smiles… 🙂