Doing your best

Isn’t life really all about doing the best we can do with the circumstances we have? I haven’t been so great about updating the blog lately. Apologies to those following for the lack of new content. In the last two months I quit my day job to follow my passion . . . and as it turns out, following one’s passion is an ENORMOUS TIME SUCK. It’s true. I work many, many, many more hours now than I did before. The difference? I’m soooooo much happier. I get up every day and make beautiful things that people love. What’s not great about that?

I love my life. I seriously love my life. And I realize just how fortunate I am to be able to look at myself in the mirror every day and say that.

I’m still teaching (LOVE IT) and doing other fun things. Hopefully I’ll have more time to devote to the blog soon. In the meantime, you can check me out on United Pole Artists’ blog–I’m so proud to be writing for them!  <3

Getting the most out of a workshop or private lesson

Some things I’ve learned by taking workshops and/or privates with some of the pole greats:

• Don’t overextend yourself. It’s tempting to sign up for every. single. session. — but do yourself and your instructor a favor and sign up for a select few so you can get the most out of them.
• If they have prerequisite moves, pay attention to them. If one of the prerequisites is a solid outside leg hang, and yours is just “OK” then think twice about signing up for that workshop unless you have the time and the will to get solid in the moves required. Instructors have a list of confirmed moves for a reason — they are often a baseline for the moves that will be taught. If you don’t have the confirmed moves you may be setting yourself up for frustration.
• Don’t injure yourself by overtraining in an attempt to get ready. Condition safely and smartly.
• If they demonstrate a move that you don’t think you’re ready for, tell them. They will likely: a) spot  you, b) show you a variation, or c) tell you what you can do to condition for that move in the future.
• If you’re not in condition or have an injury, ask about auditing. You’ll get the benefit of some level of instruction even if you can’t actually do the moves. As an auditor, pay attention, be quiet, and don’t hog the session with questions or comments.
• Don’t try to teach the other students in the session. Allow the instructor to do his/her job.
• Don’t talk over the instructor. Coming into a new-to-you studio to teach varying levels of students is challenging enough without your students chatting about where they’re going to have lunch, or how much they love their new pole shoes. Save the chit-chat for break time.

For privates:

• Have a list of moves you’d like to work on, whether you want/expect to get them today or want help with conditioning for them for the future.
• Don’t expect to nail every single thing you work on. While that’s nice, it rarely happens. Chances are you’ll get a move, but you may not solidify it, and it almost certainly won’t be perfect. Privates are a good chance to try new things that you can then take back and continue to work on.
• Don’t oversell your ability. As a student you’ll get sooooo much more out of a private if you acknowledge your abilities and weaknesses. It’ll be less frustrating for everyone.

There are so many other ways to get a lot from a private or workshop–these are just a few pointers. Now…. go train!  :)

 

Pole inspiration

I have so many–the result of watching many, many hours of youtube. Some dancers inspire me because of their fearlessness. Others because they’re so danged BENDY! Then there are those with otherworldly flow. Or creativity that drives me to pause, replay, pause, replay, pause, replay. Some have a fun club style that I love. Every time I click into youtube I find new pole inspiration, and I get excited about pole dancing all over again.

So to the Sarah Jades, and Rhiannan Nicholes, and Aerial Amys, and luckygirls, and jannybugaliciouses (that was fun to type), and all the others I’m forgetting to mention (believe me, my pole crushes are MANY) of the world, I say thanks for the hours of inspiration and entertainment.

Here are a few vids I like particularly well.

Yes, that’s a long list. But it’s not half as long as it could be! If you watch each and every video above, it will *not* be a waste of your time. Trust me. These vids are delicious.

Peel and stick nail polish

I was highly skeptical of the Sally Hansen peel/stick nail polish ( http://tinyurl.com/4384twu ).

Really, I was.

I mean, how is it possible that a manicure could 1) look good, 2) be instantly dry 3) last more than a few days 4) be reasonably simple to do and 5) be reasonably inexpensive to do?

Skeptics of the manicure world, I say to you now . . . these things are AMAZING. I applied them for my niece’s wedding on July 6, and they are juuuuuuust chipping to the point that I *need* to redo them. Before today, I was at the point of “mmmmm, should be redone but not absolutely necessary.”

Find the sizes that (mostly) fit your nails, peel off the backing, peel off the top, and smoosh them on. File away excess. That’s basically how they work. I’m sold.

Here are my nails after 9 days. In those 9 days I pole danced several times, taught a few classes plus a party, worked out, worked on my house, cleaned out my car, and typed for a few hours total each day at my regular job. Day-um, hello unexpectedly awesome results!

Upper body strength

If I didn’t already have it from pole dancing, I might get it from hefting around my dance bag! I cleaned it out last week and was so overwhelmed by the magnitude of its contents that I took a picture. I have a lot of tiny shorts. The picture below doesn’t count my various grip aids, or bras, or tops, or wigs (I had two in there), or the several pairs of platforms that weren’t in the bag at the time.

What lives in my dance bag on any given day

• “Punk ass” booty shorts
• Other tiny shorts, at least three pairs
• Legwarmers. Several pairs. I love them.
• One or two wigs–I don’t have the patience to grow hair, so I buy it instead.
• iTAC
• Tennis rosin
• Dew Point
• Corn Huskers lotion (heart!)
• Silver faceted platforms … like wearing disco balls on my feet!
• Glitter platforms
• Neon pink platforms
• Ankle boots
• Fishnets + fencenets
• Antiperspirant for normal use + one for hands in case they get really sweaty
• Pole notebook
• iPod
• Cotton tank tops

Pole dancers need good upper body strength to carry around all their crap, lol.

“Bring Sexy Back” week – I say YES!

AnneMarie Davies of United Pole Artists recently wrote a blog entry that has set the pole world abuzz: 
http://www.unitedpoleartists.com/do-we-need-to-bring-the-sexy-back/

Here’s my take on it. My brand of pole is sexy. I have nothing against pole fitness enthusiasts, and believe me, there’s no one who’s a bigger supporter of the fantabulous workout a person gets from pole. It is *hard* work, folks.

But in my mind and heart and soul it is, and will always be, pole DANCING. I want to see strutting, floppy ankles in sky-high platforms, mesmerizing body rolls, floorwork that makes my jaw drop with its hotness. I want self-touching. I want throbbing music, and hair flips, and butt figure-eights done in tiny shorts.

Why? I’ve touched on this before. One of the many reasons pole dance is so very precious to me is that it allows me to free a side that doesn’t get much oxygen otherwise. Life is busy, and it’s complicated. Pole dancing is simple. Carnal. There are no thoughts of what bills need to be paid, or what to do for dinner. No, as I move and breathe and touch, I’m not thinking of anything but moving and breathing and touching.

So, at some point this week, I’ll be posting a video to add my resounding  YESSSSSS to the dozens already on YouTube. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.