[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

I think intensity matters more than the amount of time you do it for. If you train on the pole fast and furiously and really push yourself until your muscles are sore and you are out of breath, that will get you faster results than if you train with a lot of breaks and with minimal effort. 

To get a cardio workout while poling, I like to freestyle to a song, have a few minutes break, then dance to another, and so on, until im really buggered or too sweaty to do any more (usually 4-6 songs). You have to constantly be moving and dancing, no quitting mid-song! You can do a mix of floorwork and on the pole tricks, but you have to keep moving from start to finish. I find this always gets my heart pumping and makes me feel like I've really pushed my endurance by the end. Plus, you get to film videos of you dancing at the same time that you can later upload onto veena or just watch to learn from! 🙂 Good luck xox

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Yeah as Veena said, a lot of people struggle with Bridge due to stiffness in shoulders and upper back. Some good exercises for stretch that area is standing about a foot from a wall, then arching your back to rest your chest, neck and chin against wall with your arms stretching straight up towards the ceiling. It gives me a nice stretching feeling in my arm pits, pecs and upper back.

Otherwise, for strength, I recommend handstands for building control and confidence in your arms. Make sure you are pushing up and away from the floor. Don't let your shoulders sink into your arms. Try and make them as long and extended as possible. I think a lot of people in Bridges don't straighten their arms fully and extend through their shoulders and chest, which means instead of using your chest and back muscles, all your weight is pressing down on your bent arms, which is really hard to maintain. (If you think about doing push-ups, its always when arms are bent that the muscles have to work the hardest. When they are straight it's easier because shoulders and back are also doing part of the work.) 

 

So those are my two tips: Improve flexibility in upper back and shoulders with regular stretches AND build strength and control by practicing pushing up and away from the floor, through straight arms. 

 

There is a great youtube channel WeFly by Tracee Kafer  that is currently doing a monthly challenge on backbends (featuring Rebecca Star) called "GetBent" and they have some great tips and stretches for bridges. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eJQvYKFFNO0

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Oh this sounds like what  I generally do when freestyling, although not thinking at all about lines or angles or extension (ie the esthetics of the body) and rather just being completely relaxed in the present feeling of your own physicality and the music…. that will require some concentration/or lack there of 😛 I love this!!!!!!!!! 

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Rainbow marchenko and dead lifts. A lot of stretching and strength training is in order! 😛

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

From personal experience I've found that I have more energy and healthier skin when I take a daily multi-vitamin. I also take cod-liver tablets and pro-biotics daily. Many people don't consume enough protein through their diet but I don't know enough about protein shakes to recommend them. 

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

I think the idea of doing tricks on our weaker side would be really helpful and beneficial, but also really frustrating lol.

I've found dancing blindfolded to be so much fun and really helpful for getting in tune with the music. 

How about something that would challenge our strength and creativity? Should we choose one or two of our favourite tricks and try to do them over and over, but with interesting transitions and variations, so that the whole routine is still interesting? I find myself often deliberately avoiding doing the same trick twice in a routine for fear of making it boring or repetitive, but I think that sometimes busting out a move 5 times in a row or something can make a statement and be impressive. Especially if it requires a lot of strength or skill ….I really like this idea! My sister came up with it! haha

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

I will definitely be visiting Paris to train in those studios! Thanks for the suggestions Sunshine Diva… I just don't know how I'm going to get through 2 months travelling south east asia without pole! Arrghhh… If anyone else has awesome studios to recommend to me in India, Vietnam, Burma (haha slim chance I know :P), America or Europe, please let me know! 🙂 xo

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Marlo Fisken is my latest pole idol! Adore her lines, flexibility, unique combos and artistic musicality…. Have you see her performance at Gravity this year? Stunning! 

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

And I'd just like to say in response to those many people who believe that the "industry" is unsavoury… What is so undignified about exploiting your body for income? We do it with our brains, we do it with our fitness (gym instructors etc), we do it with our appearances (models), so why can't we do it with our sensuality? I just think that society has had major hang-ups and repression regarding sexuality and the naked body and that in my personal experience there is nothing degrading or undignified about it. In fact, strippers are the ones with the power (over men). Also, the industry is not a den of iniquity filled with desperate and ruthless people. The women I worked with had university degrees, full time jobs, they were mothers, they had travelled the world. Strong, independent, feminist, educated, intelligent women can use their body to make money. There is nothing paradoxical about it.

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

I have and so obviously I would. I just want to say that stripping is not as glorious as some may think. Yes it's getting payed to pole (awesome) but it soon feels just like any other job, and the income is not reliable so it can be quite stressful. I often forget about my time dancing in a gentleman's club for a living, it seems so removed from my life now. Pole dancing to me now is about personal achievement and physical challenge, fitness, emotional expression and just enjoyment. Stripping was mostly about cash. Sometimes it was exhilirating, fun, interesting and educational, and I guess it has informed my style and confidence now, but really, it was just a job, a very hard and exhausting job. I think anyone who is strong in their sense of self, has healthy self-esteem and doesn't feel any shame or guilt attached to making money from your body could do it.

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

I am strongly against young people smoking, simply because science and medicine have proven that the health consequences and mental damage it does at that age is particularly serious when the brain is still developing. However, I am kind of one of those people who think you should try everything once, and I've tried it several times and it does nothing for me. I think certain drugs suit certain personalities, and alcohol is my drug of choice 🙂 However one of my best friends is addicted to pot, and while she has admitted that she she has a problem (she can't sleep without it, spends too much money on it etc) that does not take away from the fact that I love her and that she is a beautiful person. I think everyone has a weakness or an "achilles heel" so who are we to judge? However, I think if you know you have an addictive/obsessive or extreme personality, then you should be careful to not get into the habit of regularly taking any drug or stimulant. Everything in moderation 😉

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

In Australia the highlight of my year is Miss Pole Dance Australia. It's a National competition held by Bobbi's Pole Studio at Enmore Theatre in Sydney in November. It is always a huge production with hilarious MC's, a spectacular opening performance by Bobbi's teachers, and fun and sexy performances from contestants. I've been to MPDA two years in a row but this year I'm trying something different: Australian Capital Pole CHampionships in Canberra. It's also in November so I can't really afford to go to both, but I'm interested to see how it's different from MPDA. I'm pretty sure it will be more serious and athletic and less about the entertainment side of pole.

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

I have had so much trouble with this move! My elbow-grip aysha is solid but I just can't seem to get the hand-grip aysha! RAH! My grip never seems secure and the weight of my torso and legs just seems too much for my arms to hold strongly. It's a scary move for me because the body has to be so far from the pole, and since hands are busy gripping pole, I get paranoid that I'm going to fall on my head. 🙁 I find Twisted Grip a little more secure for some reason… I think the angle gives my upper hand better grip, but getting the balance right is SO hard. I can take my legs away for like a second but then I start falling. It's driving me CRAZY!!!!

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

….you have to plan and schedual for the days that you moisturise to alternate with days that you pole.

…. you have skin that resembles the sahara desert.

…. you spend 90% of your time on the internet researching/discussing/watching pole dancing stuff.

…. your friends ask you to perform party tricks like acrobatic handstand pullups or inverts on random poles for their drunken amusement.

…. if guys suddenly come on to you all heavy and strong as soon as you tell them what you do.

…. every song you listen to is instantly anaylsed and judged according to the dance choreography in your head.

…. you feel comfortably and appropriately dressed just in underwear. 

… you daydream about possible new pole moves/tricks/variations.

… one of your best friends is an inaminate object, probably made of brass, long and spherical. 😉

[Scarlett Honey aka Lola Grace]

Awesome idea SashaMae! I too love finding new pole inspiration, so the more we share the better! 

My biggest non-pole dance heros are: 

Megan Branch – in this video her movement and the music moves me so much I get tingles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlVDZNgQ28Y&list=FL9xQt3Y3z98CQ2UI_VXGggg&index=38&feature=plpp_video

Caitlin Kinney http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNwCkJnKHsA&feature=BFa&list=PLAD72FE65C64BCEA2

Jordan Clarke 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0y_Cj-4d6w&feature=BFa&list=PLAD72FE65C64BCEA2&index=42

Mollee Gray http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-dza0v5Gcc&feature=BFa&list=PLAD72FE65C64BCEA2

Beth Ann Robinson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA8KHEA0K_8&feature=BFa&list=PLAD72FE65C64BCEA2

Pole dancing heros:

Fleur – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb5cTnHKPAU&feature=BFa&list=PLAD72FE65C64BCEA2

Gypsy (Bobbis Pole Studio) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtCYxH1J1LE

Felicity Logan

Sarah Jade

Sergia Anderson, The Vertitude Pole Studio

Fontaine Bradbury

Alethea Austin

(don't know real name) luckygirl1220 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL0ReQTWvoc&feature=BFa&list=FL9xQt3Y3z98CQ2UI_VXGggg

Brynn Route

andvideo8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADs04O9T0Ks&feature=BFa&list=PLAD72FE65C64BCEA2

Milien Elayne  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7-2vSjUmVI&feature=BFa&list=PLAD72FE65C64BCEA2

Lisa Davison http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNntiMGQKr8

 

 

There are more but I have to go to acro class now! Happy viewing! Can't wait to see what other great dancers we can uncover! 🙂