This is one of the many lessons I learned after coming back from the break; here are a few more...
There will always be someone better than you. Seriously, unless you're a world champion (which I never will be, and I wouldn't want to be anyway), there will always be dancers with better tricks, better transitions, better floorwork, better stage presence, flatter abs... I used to find this rather depressing but lately I've come to think of it as reassuring in a way. I've come to realise that I can be a good dancer without being the best. I'm not ever going to be Stacey, and that's ok ;)
sigh... :)
Learning another style of dance alongside pole is SERIOUSLY beneficial. While I was having a break from pole, I took up beginner ballet, and it's the best decision I've made since deciding to start pole in the first place! It's given me more leg strength, better balance, better posture, and severely better lines. Plus it's just been really nice to start from the bottom again, and to be in a class where nobody knows what they're doing and there are no expectations. Ballet is so very different from pole; the correct posture in ballet is pretty much exactly the opposite to pole - bum in, ribs closed, slight lean forward, feet turned out. That was VERY hard to get used to!! But it's made me think about my pole moves in another way entirely.
You will get a lot more accomplished if you keep a training diary. I can't even count how many times in the past I would show up to studio time, do the warm-up, do a couple of moves, fluff around a lot in between, maybe do the class routine a few times, chat for a long time to various people, do a half-hearted stretch, and then go home feeling like I hadn't really done anything - because I hadn't!! Since I've come back, I've been keeping a training diary to try to motivate myself. Here's a page from last Sunday:
Turns out when you have a big list of things to do and you're ticking off each one, you don't have time to fluff around! There was also an unexpected benefit - before the diary, I would get hung up on not being able to achieve a move, so I would try it over and over again throughout studio time and obsess over the fact that I still hadn't got it. Not surprisingly, this led to me wasting time, getting dispirited, and more often than not, very sore! Now I have a limit on how many times I will try a move (usually 3-5) in one practice session, and if I haven't got it, then it's time to move on because I have too much else to do! And I don't have to worry that it'll never happen, because I know that it's in my diary and I'll be reminded to try it again the next week. It's a simple change, but has made a huge difference to my training and my mood. Another great thing about the diary is that I can flip back through it to look at moves that I've achieved, and give them a quick practice every so often to make sure they're still solid.
Diversify! Practice in heels, sneakers, bare feet, with hair up, hair out, on brass, chrome, titanium, on 38mm, 42mm, 45mm, 50mm (yes, seriously, give it a try) on carpet, floorboards, without air-con, without grip aid, on static, spinning (or alternate between both) - are you getting the message here?? Mix it up! You don't have to spend a whole practice session sans Dry Hands, but at least give it a try - especially if you're thinking of competing. The chillest dancers at comps are the ones who've practiced in all conditions and know what to expect.
Finish every move properly, even when you're practicing. If there's one thing you want to have drilled into your head, it's polished transitions and completed moves. If and when you get to performance stage, you'll be stressing so much about your tricks that you won't have time to think about transitions and finishing moves - if you've got that part on auto-pilot, it's one less thing to worry about. And trust me, transitions can make or break a performance.
Seriously - don't rush! I know I already said this at the beginning, but it's kind of heartbreaking to watch intermediate girls throwing themselves into moves in the hopes of just scraping through into the next level. Believe me, I know you want to get to advanced, but I cannot emphasise enough - it is so incredibly important to have your core moves perfected before you move up. If you can do an aerial invert some of the time, and only at the beginning of class before you're tired, and you kinda have to swing into it, then you haven't got it yet! If you can do it five times in a row at the end of class, then it's yours. Remember, pole dance is a dangerous sport - would you go rock climbing without a rope if you weren't 100% sure of your capability? Then don't risk the same thing with pole! Now I know we like to push ourselves as dancers, so here are a few tips if you're bored at your current level but not really ready to move up yet:
- Try to perfect your transitions and lines. There's more to a trick than just the trick itself; have a look at how you get into the move, how you hold it, your extensions, and how you exit the move. Try to smooth everything out, and if you're feeling adventurous (and it's safe!), try to exit the move differently - e.g. if you're doing an outside leg hang, instead of going back into an ankle grab to come down, try pulling up and going into an open jamilla.
- Repetition! Did your teacher ask the class to do the move three times? Do it four times. There's almost always time to get in at least one extra attempt while your teacher is helping others out, and it's great for building up your endurance. Just make sure that you're doing it safely.
- Have you done the move on both sides? Ok, but really, have you done it on both sides? An equal number of times? With an equal amount of effort? This is so incredibly important. It's a particular kind of embarrassment when your teacher shows you a combo in an advanced routine and you can't do it because part of the combo requires you to do a move on your "bad" side. Did you know that I did a shoulder mount on my left shoulder for the first time last Sunday? I have been pole dancing for over four years. Seriously. That is not good - learn from my mistakes, kids!
- Ask your teacher if they can show you a slightly more advanced variation of the moves you're learning in class. If you don't want to make a big deal of it, just have a quiet chat to the teacher at the start of class, or message them outside of class time.
The pole dance world needs more curvy role models. I know they're out there, but I want to see more of them (and one day, I want to be one). I'm not slagging off skinny girls at all - the most important thing is to be healthy and happy regardless of your shape - but the fact remains that at professional performance/teacher level, curvy girls are few and far between, and I would like that to change.
There is a fine line between hard work and stupidity. How many times have you heard that girl burst into the studio, saying "oh my GAWD, I'm soooo tired, I've done sixteen hours of pole this week, and eight hours of conditioning, and I went for a twenty kilometre run this morning, and I have eleven competitions in the next six weeks..." You know what? Good for her. If she can maintain that kind of insane training schedule, then that's nice. But you know what else? YOU DON'T HAVE TO. Your body has its own requirements and limitations, and once you tip over that point, your training will stop being effective and will start to become detrimental to your health. And remember, everyone has different things going on in their lives outside of dance that can make a huge difference to their stamina. There are so many other factors - stress, workload, family, medication, illness, age, injuries - it's very unlikely that two people are going to be able to keep the same training schedule. That doesn't make you better or worse; just different. Find your own balance. One of my friends does 2-3 pole classes, two studio sessions, crossfit, and conditioning every week. She can maintain this. I can't. I can do two pole classes, one studio session, one ballet class, and the occasional conditioning (stretch) class, and that's my maximum. I don't consider myself to be any less hard-working than she is; it's just that my limit is different and if I push myself any harder it will be damaging. It really is all about quality, not quantity - make the time count!
Work hard, be nice to each other, and have fun! Remember why you started pole dance - for a lot of us, it was something cheeky, a new form of exercise, and massively, incredibly, hilariously, FUN! Don't lose that! Whether you're a competitor, performer, or just enjoy coming to class each week to lose yourself in the fun of pole, take the time to remind yourself why you love to dance - that's the best advice I can give you.
with love from the lit dancer
artemis xx
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