[polergirl]

Be careful in the straight leg inverts that you’re bringing legs up first, then tilting body back. I pass that advice on from the great Jamilla herself, who explained that a “plank” straight legged invert, where you tilt back while bringing legs up, can be hard on the rhomboids and intercostals, especially when you first begin doing them.

[polergirl]

This is going to sound weird but watch her knuckles and forearm muscles–they’ll give you clues as to which hand is bearing more weight, which one is pushing v pulling, etc.

Oh wow I sound like such a creeper. 😀

[polergirl]

I have learned from a lot of trial and error that much of her movement seems to depend on *exact* hand placement and joint angles. Like even though it looks like she falls/floats right into things, when I personally do them if I don’t have my hands and elbow/shoulder angles and placement JUST RIGHT I have a non-starter.

That is always the very first place I start when I try to break down a Bembo lol. OMG I have loved her work for so long. Her flow is deceptive! Seriously! :/

[polergirl]

I have used Tuf Skin on my body before. You’re not going *anywhere* if you use it lol. When I first got it, I sprayed some on my socks out of curiosity–and I could climb as easily as I can bare-legged. If you’re going to use it on clothing for inverted moves I’d make sure to spray skin first, or your clothes could end up sticking while you slide out of them. Not what you want!

[polergirl]

What do you want to use them for? I can say this: never, ever, ever, ever, EVER use them on your skin undiluted or ingest them unless they’re food grade, and even then make sure younfollow distillers’ usage guidelines. I make bath and body care products and I use only essential oils in my formulations… so I have a lot of experience with EOs. 🙂

[polergirl]

I imagine that many people here will say they could never imagine themselves doing full climb, or inversion, or pole sit, or [insert move here]. And then one day, you’ve conditioned and trained and spent hours just dancing because you needed pole therapy and BOOM. You climb! Or invert!

For me, all that stuff was in my wildest dreams. But I kept working at it, and I got better, stronger, more confident, and now I can do things I never imagined!

[polergirl]

Pantera = AMAZING instructor. Seriously amazing. I can’t speak to the other others though I have some friends who did a Sarah Scott workshop and loved working with her.

[polergirl]

I hate scales. Right now I weigh the same as I did when I wore four sizes bigger clothing. FOUR. If I looked at scales I’d feel horrible. Instead I do as Veena mentioned–how do my clothes fit? More importantly, how do I FEEL?

The scale is just a number, darlin’ — don’t let it be the boss of you and your fun pole dancing self!!!

[polergirl]

You have to really think about the direction you’re spinning when it comes to doing extended moves like leg switches. For example, if you’re spinning clockwise and do a left leg outside leg hang, in swinging your inside leg around to catch the pole and then swinging your outside leg off the pole and around to go into an inside leg hang, you can help yourself re-generate some spin.

Also, how are you going into your aerial invert? If you go into it as an aerial fan kick you can keep momentum going better than if you simply swing around to the front of the pole and go up.

Little things make a BIG difference on spinny. 🙂

I’d love to see a video of your combination after you’ve got it–sounds lovely!

[polergirl]

In a word, intense and *VERY* helpful, at least for me. My back particularly loved/hated it lol.

[polergirl]

I feel like this has been such a good and positive discussion. Thank you all for your insights! 🙂

[polergirl]

@SpyralBound, I have no tremendous issue with a dispassionate delivery, the way you describe–though it is almost never delivered in that manner. The “but” part of it does still trouble me somewhat because there’s an automatic (even if slight) negative connotation that comes with the intentional distancing of one from the other. Admittedly, that’s what they call splitting hairs. 😉

If you were to leave the stripper part completely out and smile and say “I take pole dance lessons at a local studio” or “I pole dance at home, just for me”–do you think would that give you the same nip-in-the-bud effect, seeing as how it makes the context of your pole dancing very clear? Follow-on questions may include stripper/club questions but at that point the door is more open as is the conversation.

[polergirl]

Whenever I get stuck in a pole rut or feel like I’m not progressing as I’d like … and start to feel all mopey … I remember that even a basic fireman spin is like effing MAGIC to someone who has never pole danced. And I try to recall what it felt like to climb the pole for the first time. I felt like the QUEEN OF THE WORLD. That gives me inspiration to keep on keepin’ on. 🙂

[polergirl]

I think it’s great that you’re thinking about this–thank you!! To me, it seems perfectly appropriate to say “I pole dance for fitness. I enjoy the physical challenge and the dance aspects of it, but I don’t dance in a club anywhere,” as long as the last bit isn’t delivered with a contemptuous sniff and roll of the eyes. It’s possible to have strong opinions on a subject, without allowing it to degenerate to negativity and name-calling. There’s no need to build pole dancing up by putting a whole segment of humanity down! 🙂

Personally, I don’t particularly want to see pole in the Olympics. I would rather not see it sanitized to the extent that Olympic competition would require. But if someone asks about pole in the Olympics I don’t roll my eyes and disparage Olympic caliber athletes.

So yes to peace, love, pole! It’s a matter of remaining positive whenever we talk about pole, and staying off the defensive (which is what often starts the negative statement ball rolling in any conversation where we’re put onto the defensive, we feel like we need to distance ourselves from the “offending” party/action!

[polergirl]

I appreciate all the responses on this thread. To me, it’s important to reflect pole dance, whatever your style of pole dance may be, in a positive light *without* putting someone else in a negative light, whether outright or by connotation. If I can make one person think about this issue in a different way than they may have in the past, then I feel like I’m accomplishing something worthwhile.

Group hug! 🙂