"why am I not surprised that this song isn't entirely slow? it's Lauren."

monday, june 28, 2010
9pm advanced climb & spin w/Lauren (along side Suzanne and Kim)

song: "Love The Way You Lie (feat Rihanna)" by Eminem

this was a fun class and I definitely got to work on a few moves that I have been meaning to. the freehang felt good, as did working on my meatball (baseball grip hip circle) (this time, NInJa-style!). when we did the beginning pole work, it coincides with the slow Rihanna part fo the Eminem song and I thought "wow, ok, we're doing a slow song". so wrong. as soon as we out the moves to the song for the first time and stopped at our last move, Lauren started to go into the next move, as the rapping started. hilarious. should have known better.

I'm gonna let the movie speak for itself. these are just moves that were in the routine, that I had Suzanne tape after class was done. spot the blooper. ok, well there are a few, not so perfected moves, but one really great blooper.

at the beginning of the movie, I have a moment of a really nice straight body line going into the freefall and into the spinning climb. I can already feel that my spinning climbs are improving. I know that I fell out of the freefall a little soon and started to wrap my legs around the pole for the climb a little early, but they didn't touch until they both did at the same time, which is an accomplishment.

now, I make two attempts at the ninja meatball (baseball grip hip circle)- the first one is the best b/c my body does star horizontal for a longer period of time and it looks like I'm really leaning into the pole. it felt good to improve on that one. that went into a knee hook, folding over, chest out and up and into a reverse knee hang. still working on keeping my body away from the pole and not folding over myself in the beginning of that spin (it looks crazy awkward to me). the second attempt was not as good as the first, but how I "land" the reverse knee hang is a really great blooper! enjoy :)

"breathe. don't forget to breathe!"

saturday, june 26, 2010
10am beginners climb & spin w/Anna (met Yolanda)

song: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" by Marilyn Manson

that was the motto for the entire class, not just me. I tend to hold my breath while dancing, so when it comes time to climb, I look like I'm about to die. and that's just not sexy. by holding my breath, it doesn't make me look like I'm enjoying what I'm doing (but I am!) and it only makes it harder on myself honestly. if I remember to keep my breath consistent, I know I'll enjoy the performance more and my body won't want to collapse on the floor after the routine is over. no one likes a gasping for breath pole dancer. Anna was hilarious climbing the pole, whipping her legs around and talking like a princess saying things like "My body is like air - I'm so light - This is so hard, but I look like I'm enjoying myself." hilarious, but so true. have to keep those positive thoughts, but all the negativity reads on your performance face.

I actually wrote down in my blackberry what the routine consisted of, so here I go, listing moves and hopefully getting it right...

3 steps into an inside skater spin, step back, then forward, getting into bicep grip position for a fan kick, chest swing against the pole, body waves (work the legs), a climb with a bow at the top, making sure that front leg is straight and pointed (it makes all the difference & looks so nice), bicep grip position, swinging body (mainly your butt) in front of the pole, descending by pedaling down through the air, nice and big movements, landing on the ground.

first visit to Body & Pole

friday, june 25, 2010

5pm pole choreographer class w/Kyra

I went to see Michelle Stanek and Kyra from Body & Pole perform during the Femme Totale show at RBar on thursday, june 24th and their performances were great. ever since I met Michelle through Pole Superstar, I wanted to take class with her (and am signed up for tomorrow actually, tuesday, june 29th). Kyra I met at the Pole Convention and she just seemed like a lot of fun. after talking to Jill Anne and Kyra, I told them I'd be at the studio for the 5pm class the next day.


the studio is beautiful and very wide open, lots of mirrors. Lian checked me in and my first class was only $20. the class consisted solely of Jill Anne, Kyra and myself, so we got a ton of attention. their classes are 1.5 hours long, and I get it b/c their warm-up is so intense. which was great! I was sweating and ready to go home for dinner by the time I was done stretching and doing abs! Kyra also reminded me to breathe and not hold my breathe. constant problem I have.


we played around with a choreographed routine to a few different songs and we worked in a chair spin (which I wanted to work on), but I couldn't seem to get a grip on the pole and kept messing them up. perhaps this is because the studio has thicker poles than I'm used to at NYPD. the routine was slow and sensual and fun to work on. and then... we got to the climb...


while Jill Anne was inverting, working on her butterfly move, Kyra asked if I knew any tricks, to which I responded no. she asked me if she could show me one and I was game. let's try this! she had me climb up the pole, then basically get into a guy sitting position. you know what I mean. if we are climbing on the right, the left leg is hooked around the pole, and you bring your right ankle to cross overtop your left knee. not very ladylike :) but for a reason. she then had me grab my right ankle with my left hand and then lean/fall backwards. this was not easy. as soon as I crossed my legs (b/c I was afraid of going backwards and also b/c I was all sweaty), I started slipping down the pole... at a pretty rapid rate. if Kyra wasn't there underneath my body to spot my back, I would have slipped all the way to the ground. but she was there and had me just do it. it definitely felt weird, but after a few run-throughs with the routine, so just made herself known to me when I needed that spot and I finally got it down with the music. which felt great. knowing that you are hitting those marks in the music where it makes a statement, while at the same time, you're about to do a move that will emphasize it even more.


don't get me wrong, it was scary. and I do not have the strength to invert yet. I know that, but it was fun o try that little piece. however... as I was leaving the studio, I did feel horrible. I think during the beginning stretches, I pulled something in my right thigh and it was acting up as I was walking down the street. I could also feel the kick-ass bruise that I just knew I was going to have right next to my crotch, on my upper inner left thigh. this was where my thigh, once crossing my leg at the top of the climb, hit the pole as I fell backwards. I KNEW it was going to be major. and it was. it killed to have shorts on that were rubbing against it. every time I had to go to the bathroom that night (and the night after) and pull my pants down over the bruise, it killed. it may sound silly, but it really did. I took photos of how purple it got, the darkest being on Sunday morning, but I can't figure out how to get them off my blackberry right now. killer!!



as a side note, I called my Mom after this class to talk to her about my pole dancing and she said the following: "you're not doing this for a living, so don't go crazy taking classes and spending money." which is true, but I did explain all the benefits to her and told her I wasn't going crazy. it's fun even though it hurts. it's not a cheap sport, but I am working off a discounted package and I want to get better. the other week was a little crazy with the class schedule, but hopefully I'll be working on the recital piece soon enough :)


* and I have no idea why the formatting is all crazy on this post.

I own you, sundial!

tuesday, june 22nd
6pm open pole w/Gabrielle
8pm booty camp w/Gabrielle (and Suzanne)


Grace, Novella and I worked on testing during this open pole class, since we were all in the beginning stages of testing. Gabrielle had seen us previously do some moves, so she went through the testing sheets and crossed off what she knew we had down. we worked on the following moves, plus a few I may have missed on writing down:


- sundial/double attitude spin - CHECKED OFF (finally)


- compass spin - hook the pole with your inside leg, then you whip your outside around, so when we land, you land outside, inside. need to make sure that my inside leg is vertical, with the pole, not angled out. very cool move.


- some variation of the compass that I can't remember the name of


- little lady, another variation of the compass spin - this is where you cross your outside over your inside when you whip the outside leg around. looks like your sitting on the outside of the pole, with only your inside leg hooked around the pole. this was a bit difficult for me b/c you have to get that leg crossed damn fast before your spin looses momentum. since my legs are a little bigger, it is harder for me to completely cross my legs, knees to knees, as quickly, but I'm working on it.


- knee hang - forward, not reverse. working on keeping my body leaned away from the pole and not gripping too hard and letting my body slide down the pole. also, keeping that top leg (which was originally hooked on the pole) bent, not straight. so both legs are bent around the pole when coming down. sort of looks like a side limb but falling down the pole in a spin.


- biceps & narrow baseball grip pullups - damn. I was that kid in elementary school that during the President's fitness challenge that couldn't do one pullup. seriously, I just hung there while the gym teacher urged me to just get one. didn't happen. and it didn't happen on these pullups either. whenever I would try, my heels never left the ground, even if it was only my toes. no jumping into it. plain arm strength to pull the weight of your body up on pole. something to work on.


- straddle spin - still working on getting those legs straight and up.


booty camp. kicked. my ass. Suzanne asked for ab work. and we got ab work. to be honest, I did stop a few times during a few things to work out some kinks in my body and to catch my breath. I get more gym cardio in my life. and I was sore the next day. not immobile sore (thank God), but sore enough to realize I need to get my ass in shape.

choreo the pole

sunday, june 20th

semi-private class w/Gabrielle and Suzanne, Pheon & Shirley

a little  ago, Shirley had the idea to get us together to chip in for a semi-private class so we could all work on what we wanted to work on. I had wanted to work on choreographing my August recital routine, Shirley wanted to work on inverting and her routine and Pheon and Suzanne just wanted to invert with someone whom they thought could spot them and not get crushed if they fell on top of. haha :)

I brought my list of moves and my iPod shuffle so I could listen and play on the pole at the same time, but they proved to be difficult b/c I felt really strange trying to remember what moves I could do and how to get from move to move in the recital piece. with everyone inverting around me, I just felt a little weird trying to think of ways of putting together this routine and not looking awkward doing it. after an hour of standing around my pole, working on some climbs, descents, spins and trying to not cut up my hands any more, Shirley practiced/taped her routine and it came out fantastic! I followed with mine and really did find out that just putting the music on and moving to it really helped getting some ideas out of my head and onto the videotape, so that I could look back and think about when would be the best times to do some of those moves and have them go with the music. without even noticing it, I quit at 3 minutes and since the song is only 4, I'm sure I don't be cutting it down. it's just about getting those moves down pat that I know and really practicing them to death, so the routine is perfect.

Gabrielle also worked with me about how to go from the angel spin into a back hook, which I've included the video of here:

I have open pole with Gabrielle on Tuesday, so perhaps I'll try a little testing for half the class, then work on some moves for the recital piece as well. but for today, my hands are getting a much needed rest!

"you're pretty, you're pretty... now you're a slut!"

saturday, june 19th
10am beginners climb & spin w/Gabrielle (and Heather Maggs)
11am advanced climb & spin w/Gabrielle (and Pheon)

my friend and former-coworker, Heather Maggs was coming up to NYC this weekend and wanted to take a beginners climb and spin with me, so we signed up for this morning class. first off, there were 10 people in it, which was a little crazy. I am so used to taking class with small amounts of people, that it was a little bit of a shock. plus we were in the smaller studio, which didn't make any sense. I barely got my stretching in, since I was right next to the door that went into the lobby and people kept going through it.

I had never before taken a pole class with Gabrielle and was surprised at the combos we were doing right off the bat. not much of downtime, hip circles or transitional work like Lauren, but rather climb, descent, fan kick, spin, spin, splits, floor work and back up. Heather did a good job considering it was her first time and learned how to hold herself up on the first level of a climb. it was a great combo, but just a lot of moves and quickly at that. I do have to say that at one point, I did land a spin not directly on my right heel and fell off my shoe, sort of twisting my ankle a bit. even now, two days later, it's a bit sore, so I'm taking today off to give my ankle, hands and wrists a rest.

pheon walked into the studio and we asked Gabrielle is she was going to be doing the same routine and since it was a yes, I decided to stay and give it some more practice. so saturday I got two hours of pole in and realized I am gripping the pole too hard when I spin, thus causing the blisters and torn skin on my fingers and pole burn on my wrists. I DID however work out my chair spin, which is looking nice and really felt good about the routine at the end of the second hour. Pheon took video, so here we go!

damn you, sundial!

friday, june 18th - 11am open pole w/Anna


pheon was supposed to make it to open pole this am, but wasn't able to due to work, so there were only 3 of us in open pole today. Anna did a good job taking her time with each one of us, going down the line and working with us on what we wanted to do in that hour. one girl was inverting, another was working on her illusions and I continued my testing. I should start working on my routine for August, but I'll do that on Sunday. it proved to be a good decision on my part because I checked off a few more things!


- lunges (spins) - CHECKED OFF outside hook, making sure that knee is against the pole like a regular front lunge is, while the back leg is straight. start off with a basic star prep move and fall into the spin, using that outside leg to swing around and gain momentum for the spin. make sure not to look at the ground, but rather over your shoulder at your back leg. one thing that Anna mentioned is that once I put my stilettos on, I get a great deal of height, but I'm not using it to my advantage, I need to whip that leg around and get some spin on it. 


- sundial/double attitude - still not checked off. this is the double attitude move that I described before. still need to get my torso straight and core tight, position my hip out and back, pulling my back leg back and towards the other side of my body. when I stood at the pole and Anna helped me just put my leg in the air, in the position it's supposed to be in the spin, damn that hurts! still have to work on this one, but I think I'm getting a bit better.


- straddle (spin) - ugh! keeping your body straight and your core tight is hard. it's all the little things that you have to think about that makes pole dancing harder than just whipping yourself around a pole. need to get those legs straight, even if they're not as high as they should be.


- floorwork - CHECKED OFF pedals, straddle waves, in/out, shoulder rolls (first time doing them! like a backwards somersault)


- transitions - CHECKED OFF hip circles, body wave, dips


I get a few great tips from Anna this morning:
- she told me to overexaggerate my moves, don't be afraid to mess up, because it will force my body to reposition itself correctly (keeping core tight and straight).
- she noticed a blister on my right pinky finger (damn it hurts!) and pole burn on my wrists. this is because I'm gripping the pole too hard and dragging my wrists against the pole. I need to LOCK my wrists when I do my spins and hold my arms correctly or else I'll end up with more pole burn (which was killing me today) and tension in my forearms (which I am totally feeling right now).


great open pole! can't wait for class with my friend Heather tomorrow morning then a semi-private class with Suzanne, Shirley and Pheon on Sunday evening. gotta get ready for the recital!