Making REAL Progress Part 2:

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

I’ve been having a series of breakthroughs out of nowhere lately, and I have some thoughts on finally making progress!

This is especially shocking to me because lately I’ve been feeling like I’m throwing everything I have at pole (getting up a little earlier to do 15-20 minutes of conditioning before I jump in the shower, abs/pullups/shoulder training on my lunch break, pole, flex, floowork or barre classes in the evening and on weekends. But the progress has been sloooooo0w.

Until suddenly it wasn’t. Suddenly the dots started connecting and trying (and failing) at a Jamila for several frustrating weeks meant nailing a violator on my first try in three years (an experience so traumatic in 2013 that I haven’t attempted it until now haha); struggling to get my outside leg hangs with that little leg shimmy (you know the one) suddenly got me aerial inverts, monkey climbs, and straight leg inverts (which barre REALLY came in handy for–that is serious quad work, holy crap).

Moves I thought were impossible for me are now (marginally) accessible and make some sense. And I’m feeling crazy inspired to tell you all immediately: DO NOT GIVE UP, because it might be just around the corner.

And it’s not linear. You don’t do X amount of work and get Y result within a set amount of time. I work out sometimes just to deal with anxiety, or out of habit. I stopped expecting it to pay off immediately quite some time ago. But damn, the results come when you least expect them. It’s just so important not to quit.

So here’s my continued list of progression tips:

1. Whatever you do, hang in there.

Learn to love the work. You never know when a jump forward in your skills is going to happen, but it probably WON’T happen if you aren’t hitting the studio, conditioning, and/or crosstraining. Take a break from one thing for a while if you get burnt out but don’t go inactive. I skipped pole classes for a week but kept doing my Core XTREEEEEEME (extra e’s mine) and barre classes, and then when I went back to pole I felt great and got a new trick.

I saw a girl in my level 2 class a few weeks ago who was brand new to the level. And she was struggling and clearly looking defeated and embarrassed to be struggling. And I just wanted to freaking hug her, because leveling up and 1. no longer being the best in your class in the lower level, and 2. suddenly being the worst in your class and everything’s hard and hurts is no small thing.

Also, at my particular studio (and in many, I’m sure) level 2 is miles away from level 1. The two almost have nothing to do with each other. In level 1 you spin, in level 2 you’re doing upside down. It’s almost cruel how big that jump is.

But anyway, mad props to this girl because in her freestyle–ie. the time to do easy fun stuff that you’re good at–she attempted a chopper and leg hang she JUST LEARNED, and bailed out, and looked so frustrated with herself. I wanted to give her a medal right then and there just for trying, because that’s the whole point.

Side note: I almost NEVER attempt upside down stuff at the end of a 1.5 hour class unless there’s a gun to my head.

(Hasn’t happened yet, but hey, this is New York).

So, retroactively:

2. Keep Trying and Failing at Hard Things.

Because failing at them is practice and conditioning too. And give yourself props for freaking TRYING and being willing to wipe out in front of Level 3 girls who are straight chilling in Level 2 classes because they don’t have your balls. #respect

3. Partner Up With Someone Better Than You

Last night I monkey climbed (ie. chopper, outside leg hang, aerial chopper, outside leg hang, drop exhausted to the floor). I didn’t know I could. I tried it because the girl I was partnered with (who also happened to be really friendly and chill, which is essential) did it first.

[Monkey climb see, monkey climb do! (hehe)]

Now normally I like to hide in the back and partner with somebody who’s doing their first Level 2 class so I can feel helpful and not totally clumsy.

But, this has definitely not been me to push myself (duh). Don’t be like me. Share a pole with someone who’s pushing herself. This is especially effective if you’re a competitive person! Your pole buddy can also give you helpful tips, like mine did, because she’s probably been there and already worked out the kinks with moves she’s mastered.

4. Record Yourself

I know I’ve said this before, but it’s so important for getting better. Pole can be hard when it comes to seeing yourself. We’re often spinning or upside down, so it’s hard to catch a good look at yourself in the mirror. That doesn’t excuse you from looking, though.

I have a good friend who’s much more advanced at pole than me. But she’s a “jump from trick to trick” type who’s addicted to progress. She doesn’t like doing the same move over and over–least of all Level One moves. But at her first major competition recently, she lost points from every judge over bent knees and sickled, flexed feet. (Something I feel guilty for not telling her I noticed, but one sort of looks like an asshole saying “maybe you should straighten your legs more” to someone who’s doing handsprings while you’re doing yet another pinwheel spin).

Don’t wait for someone assigning you points in a competition to read your bad habits. Video early, video often, and troubleshoot. Which reminds me…

5. Master Moves, Don’t Settle for “Good Enough”

If you’ve ever watched a non-poler watch pole dance, you’ve probably noticed that the stuff they’re most impressed by isn’t particularly hard stuff. It’s Level 1 skills performed with confidence, mastery, and expression that elicit the gasps.

So aim for that. Don’t check a move off and move on. Explore it. Try it big, try it small, try it in new combos, with different emotional notes, with different tempos and song choices. A dip turn can go 100 different ways–but each time you work with it, yours gets stronger and more versatile.

Work on new tricks, but aim for total mastery of your Level 1 stuff. And also (sorry, this is the longest post ever but I have SO MANY THOUGHTS): Level 1 mastery=the strength, control, and deep understanding of moves to learn to add on or do similar (but harder) variations of them in higher class levels. If you still don’t know how to get good momentum without jumping, or muscle your way through climbs instead of push-pulling, you’re going to struggling with tricks that build on theses elements (and possible get hurt trying to learn them).

How do you feel about your progress? What made a difference for you for a certain nemesis trick? What advice would you give polers on the cusp of giving up? And have you ever given up yourself? I feel like burnout combined with injuries makes for a lot of “ex” polers… Share below!

 

Step-through to flag to sit from a forearm climb

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

This move is SO cute! Just learned it last night (Kelly’s level 2 at B&P, hollla):

You do a forearm climb, lean to the same side as the “high” arm and the outside leg (the ankle that’s in FRONT of the pole), then, keeping that outside ankle on the pole, “step” through the little window you’ve created with your inside leg and immediately roll over it like you’re going into a cradle. You can “flag” your legs for extra drama.

From there, you pass the leg you rolled over around the pole and cross your legs for a sit. I probably could have then straightened my leg to make nicer lines, but, I got there! Something back and polish I think… Cute transition, right?!

 

Help With Ballerina Pose Even If You Have Dinosaur Arms

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

So here’s a recent picture of me stretching my shoulders.

Trexbig

And here’s a picture of me FINALLY doing a ballerina after years of frustration.

ballerina

 

The difference was a teacher who flat out admitted “this pose is not for everybody,” and that she struggled with it for years before getting it because of her specific build. How encouraging is it for pole goddesses to say stuff like that? “Not every pose is going to be right for your body, and that’s okay”??? I love it. <3<3<3 Kelly!!!!

So anyway, even if you DO have shoulder flexibility, chances are you’re going to be in that forward fold just reaching fruitlessly for pole and finding air. This doesn’t look super cute but it’s also scary and extremely frustrating when you’re already in an uncomfortable position and high off the ground. So these are Kelly’s tips for getting yourself a sweet, sweet handful of pole on the first try and  locking into the pose comfortably (and safely). Worked for me, and again–I have no shoulder flexibility. So I’m fairly confident that this will be helpful to most people!!

So to get started, take a climb or two, release your arms, and wrap your body around the pole in the same direction as your front leg. If you’re climbing with your left leg in front, you’ll be leaning towards your left, twisting over your left shoulder, and grabbing the pole overhead with your left arm. Now you’re ready to tweak a little and make this easier.

Lean ALL the way over the pole

A halfway bend won’t do you any favors. Commit to touching your toes in that forward fold before attempting anything else.

Twist your torso

This is a huge assist toward getting that grab and doesn’t require crazy shoulder flexiness.

Turn your body at the waist and look back towards the pole as you reach down between your knees to grab with your outside hand and get ready to grab with your inside hand. Which reminds me…

Make room for your lower handballerina prep

Don’t be afraid to loosen your knees a bit on the pole to make room to grab with your lower hand. Kelly says this also gives you a little more room to twist and reach behind you. As you can see from this janky pic taken right before or right after the money shot (I’m not sure which), my knees are a bit open and I’m relying more on my ankles and shins for grip. According to Kelly, this is totally okay and you shouldn’t be afraid to do it (despite your instincts telling you to grab on for dear life with everything you’ve got).

Make T shape with your outside arm before reaching back to grab the pole

I don’t know why this helps but it does. If you don’t believe me, try doing the T shape first and then grabbing the pole vs. doing a backstroke motion and grabbing. Even if you have super flexible shoulders, the first should be a lot easier than the latter. And done slowly, it can look just as lovely and dramatic.

Once you’ve made contact, rotate your shoulder back and slide your hand up the pole to lock in

You’ll know you’re doing the rotation right if you’re exposing MORE armpit, not less, and you’ve made contact with your lat on the pole. Solid! Now you’re in a shoulder-safe position to let go.

I know this pose comes super easy for some people, and for others its a total nemesis move. Have you tried it? What do you think? Even if you can get into the pose it’s a little rough on ya, right? (Looking at my underarm bruise as I type this, haha).

Good luck and please share any tips you have for getting in (and out) of this pose safely and cute-ly.

And have no shame in your dinosaur arms. It’s a lifestyle!

TRex Arms

Drills to Improve Your Freestyles

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

Ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut, dance-wise? The music comes on and you pull out the same 4-5 moves over and over again?

On the one hand, it’s great that you’ve mastered a few tricks or fillers and you know how to work them.

On the other hand… this gets boring fast, for you and for your audience.

Here are a few “prompts” to get you mixing up your freestyles that I’ve picked up from other teachers (both pole and belly) over the years.

1. Try a choreographed routine to totally different music

This is a great “toe in the water” approach to shaking up your movement. You don’t have the pressure of thinking of what to do next, but different music will force you to reinterpret your moves, adjust phrasing, and maybe even get a little inventive with new fillers or transitions. You’ll find yourself putting a whole new spin (heh) on a tried and true move.

2. Pick a body part

Elbow, foot, head, chest, arm, even hair–pick something to focus on and accent with throughout your freestyle. It’s amazing how thinking about something as small as your fingers can open up your usual way of dancing and approaching moves.

3. Pick an adjective (or verb, or noun, or mythical creature)

Favorites from my classes are “heavy,” “sleepy,” and “drunk” (see a theme?) but we’ve also done crazy stuff like “sea witch” or “spider” or “swimming.” This is a great way to get yourself moving in new ways without being too self conscious about it. You’re in character!

4. Pick an emotion

This is another way to play with choreography or a sequence you already have down. Try dancing it with elation, then sorrow, then fury, then jealousy. Record yourself. Can you see the stories of those emotions coming through?

5. Make a trick list

This is another good one to catch on video. Make a list of 4-5 tricks (they can be simple poses or complicated sequences), then put on a song and try to get in and out of all of them as gracefully and naturally as possible. Pick a new song and try again. How do your transitions look? Did you find yourself entering and exiting a move the same way? Was the style and/or emotion the same for each trick both times?

6. Get someone to yell at you

No seriously: grab a friend and pick an alternating theme. Floor work vs. pole? Flexed feet vs. pointed? Bent knees vs. straight legs? The possibilities are endless. Put on a song and ask your friend to call out the “switch” in regular intervals. Whatever you choose (ex. flexed feet) you have to maintain that until the change is called out.

7. Choose a handful of moves to repeat over and over

With 3-5 basic moves, experiment: how different can I dance these with each repetition? Practice getting in and out of those spins, climbs, and transitional moves with a different style, intention, speed, or shape every time. This is another great one to catch on video–if for no other reason that to see that what feels like a big change to you can read very small.

Do you have a favorite freestyle game or prompt? Share below!

Bracket Holds!

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

Pop quiz: which is my bad side??? I know, I can barely tell either. (looooooool jk jk).

Half_Bracket_Hold_on_the_Pole.gif

After about 3 years of casually struggling every time I remember to try it, I finally got my half-bracket hold last night! I kind of credit this (along with all my other recent pole gainz) to doing pull ups. Seriously, the back, core, and shoulder strength you get from these is like having a pole super power. Highly recommend!

But aside from that, here are a few technical tricks that really helped me. Maybe they’ll do the trick for you too:

1. Use your elbow as a shelf for your rib cage

I always thought this was cheating. It’s totally not.

2. Retract your shoulders

SO key, both for execution and for the safety of your poor, hardworking shoulders. You can see on the right side of the video that my lower shoulder is scrunched up (not ideal).

3. Use your back

Once your grip feels safe enough to let go with the legs, use your back to arch a bit and pull your legs back and up (just like that back conditioning drill your teacher has you do on your stomach during warm ups!). I’ve found this changes your center of gravity and removes some of the strain from the lower arm. #magic

4. Turn your chest towards your lower arm

…or as my teacher Rica said, “turn towards the opening” which I found slightly confusing at first because OH GOD EVERYTHING’S OPEN I’M GOING TO FALL. Opening your chest and angling it out away from the pole really helps anchor your bracket hold and help you brace better. And again, opening my chest is something you can see I’m clearly not doing in the “fail” side of the video. Don’t be like me.

5. Start low

I was working on this hold with a class of other girls as part of a climb sequence and we all had some serious “Oh Shit” moments while attempting it from way too high a height. I’d definitely stick to one climb’s worth of height while getting comfortable with this move. You need to feel safe enough to get your legs away from the pole, and that’s asking a lot if you’re 6 feet off the ground. Bonus: if you fall from one climb up, it will be more like a tiny, adorable jump than a splat situation.

How do you feel about floats and bracket holds? I know some people have wrist and elbow issues that make this move a no-go. My forearms are definitely a little sore today, so I feel that. Also, how annoying is it that you just completely can’t do this with sweaty hands? It’s so all or nothing!

Drumroll: It’s called a Capezio!!

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

Harriet came through for me on this one–the weird move I was trying to describe (and did so very poorly) was called a Capezio (at least by my instructor, the hilarious and cool Rica at B&P) and possibly a dolphin by Angela’s teacher.

As Angela pointed out in the comments for the last post, this one’s great for intermediate beginners because there’s so many points of contact–but you do have to be comfortable enough in a thigh hold to lean back and regrip below your legs. Definitely a bit of a spooky experience the first time.

Here’s a video I shot 10 minutes before leaving for a belly show this weekend (hence the false eyelashes and pin curls). Yes, I arrived sweaty and late.

If you want to try this one at home, I definitely recommend practicing first 1. thigh grip sits with straight legs, then progressing to 2. leaning from one side to the other and noticing how you can lock in your legs with a “push pull,” 3. leaning back in this tilted “push pull” position with your top hand gripping near your waist and your bottom hand grabbing under your bum, and finally 4.  opening your legs into this jazz split/half stag position (but remembering to push against the pole with your top, bent leg).

This WILL hurt a little, and I have the crotch bruise right now to prove it. But it’s so cute!

If you try it send me a pic or vid!! I wanna see!

And speaking of pics, here’s some of the show the pin curls were for! We were channeling some Britney vibes circa Me Against the Music. Very fun 😀

The fabulous Maki moves created something called “cha-cha fusion” for us set to an Arabic version of “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.” We got to throw our hats, so obviously I was thrilled.

XOXO

Photos by Michael Ortiz: (except for the backstage shot, that’s someone’s iphone 😉

#hair
that moment when you think you’re smiling but it’s barely a smirk

 

What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you before a pole class?

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

Please let me know. I think I just made my own hall of fame last night: I knocked over a bottle of scented diffuser oil while changing and successfully soaked my pole clothing in oil.

In OIL.

Recap: Oil-soaked pole clothing 3 minutes before class.

It wasn’t a total disaster because I was able to run up and buy a new ($30, ugh) tank for class, but I’m sure my pole mate didn’t appreciate the stench of some sort of floral bug spray or whatever TF that oil was supposed to smell like.

Runner up: that time I was supposed to TEACH a class and realize that what I that were pole shorts were actually a pair of balled up black tights. I thought I had saved the day by cutting them into little shorts and doing my thing but it wasn’t until after class that I caught a glimpse of my floral underpants showing directly through from behind. Whoops.

What’s the worst thing YOU ever had to deal with right before a class or performance? Did you soldier though? Ain’t nobody got the money to skip class and still pay for it because of cancelations policies, please tell me you soldiered through.

But luckily, this particular pole class was awesome! I learned this thing that I didn’t get a picture of and also don’t know the name of but let me try to describe it?

You do a normal pole sit with straight legs, tilt to the side so that your top leg is making contact with the pole from the front (like, not the side or back of your leg, right on the quad). Then you lower your top hand (same as top leg), sweep your bottom hand out and around, opening your chest, and grip below your butt, and—pushing your top leg into the pole from the quad–bend the top leg, and straighten and open the bottom one. As you start to feel more secure, open your chest and arch your back more, trying to touch your top foot to your head. So pretty!

It looks super spooky and hard, but actually the more you open your legs (while making contact with the inner thigh of your lower leg and quad of your top leg), the better and more secure the pose is. Very pretty, and not that tricky or painful!

I’ll have to upload a photo/video, but please let me know if you think you know what this is called!!

Why are you here? Please take this pole. (freudian slip)

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

Quick question: WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT.

JK, but not really. I’m curious about you. How long have you been poling? Years or just curious and thinking of starting?

Do you read pole blogs for information and tips or fun and commiseration?

I’m at a crossroads here. I miss teaching a looooooooooot.

I feel like I’d like to start just posting simple, cute combo videos with breakdowns, because that would be fun for me, and an excuse to dance more.

But, drawbacks:

1. I don’t know if y’all want that shit. I’m a firmly “beginner-intermediate” level dancer, and I get the feeling everybody else is doing flips and shit and would find level 1/2 combos boring. (Maybe that’s just on instagram?).

2. I get inspired by music and I know if I post me dancing to a song via YouTube it will get taken down immediately. (Does anyone know a way around this?)

3. I feel a lot of pressure to have a gorgeous background for vids, but let’s face it, I live in a studio apartment in Brooklyn and you can choose either a view of the bathroom or a view of my refrigerator, and that’s what I’m working with.

So anyway, please take this pole, and give me some advice or something in the form of a comment. Or tell me how stupid this blog is or about your cat, or whatever, that’s cool too.

 

How to make a sexy V-day routine even if you’re a pole beginner: Part 1

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

Hey guys!

Valentine’s is just around the corner, and if you have a bae, you’re probably doing what I do every time I hear a sexy song come on the radio: mentally rehearsing the sexy routine you MIGHT do on Vday but probably won’t because choreography is hard.

Here’s the good news though: a super sexy dance does NOT require fancy tricks. Bae will likely be just as impressed if you flip your hair and climb the pole than as if you did a bird of paradise or some double jointed Marion Crampe shit.

But I know how annoying it is to get some vague tips for HOW to do a routine and like… you don’t have any moves for a routine in your skill level. So please: as someone who once taught routines at bachelorette parties, let me get you on this.

You can use all of these moves or just a few of them and even repeat yourself. If you’re flowing and feeling yourself, it will look awesome, so don’t get too hung up on execution or difficulty. I’ll keep adding more throughout the week, and add some gifs of the moves so you can get the full affect.

I’ll also put my money where my mouth is on this and make a short routine out of these moves to prove it can be done–and that you can look damn good while doing it.

1. Walking

You can kill like 15 seconds of your song just by walking. Here’s how to make it worth watching:

-Start off of the pole. Key time-killing tip.bend and snap

-Walk slow (duh), drag the toe of the foot you’re stepping with (HACK: this helps you keep your balance in heels or while exaggerating your ankle cross as you saunter).

-Pause to bend over your front leg, drag your hands up it, and flip your hair. (Slo-mo ben and snap, shoutout to Legally Blonde!)

 

-Do some more bending when you make it to the pole: when you’re about arm’s distance away, drag your hands down the pole as you bend over with straight legs and an arched back. Dip your head and roll it half-moon to the other side and SNAP that hair as you come back up. (Pro tip: definitely roll your head to the SIDE of the pole, lest you smack your face on the pole).

-Work a pole walk. Again, the focus here is WASTING TIME. Walk incredibly slow. Keep it interesting with hair and body touching. Again, bae will be enthralled if you are legitimately feeling yourself, don’t worry about popping tricks.

2. Half pirouette

These are great because they look fancy without the risks attached to a full pirouette (ie. getting stuck, losing your balance, hitting your leg on the pole–these are all things that would definitely happen to me with my luck during a sexy performance).

And here’s the other great thing: when you end up with your back on the pole, you can kill MORE TIME doing stuff you’ve already done because it looks different from a new angle. SCORE.

3. Spins

I highly recommend spacing these out. They’re  exciting in moderation, but clumped together they lose that affect. You also want to be very careful not to anticipate a spin while doing a sexy-ish dance: fully let yourself fall into it, and don’t give it away by sneaking an extra step, etc. The appeal here is having fully control of the spin and riding it all the way out to the floor. (Then woohoo!!!! Enjoy more time wasting opportunities on the ground! Roll around, tick tock yo booty, stripper push yourself up–so many possibilities).

4. Spins Pt. 2: 

Get some contrast between spin 1 and spin 2, if you can. If you’re doing a front spin, try a back spin for #2–falling lady is nice and simple, and looks really different from a fireman or attitude spin.

5. Climb

Again, the appeal here is the control you have while. Don’t even worry if you can’t do much once you get up there: focus on climbing slowly, with a bit of body wave and some head rolls, if you can. Then sit for a bit, stretch out your legs if you can, and try some waves or see saws to get back down. Again, if you’re selling it with hips and hair, you do NOT need tricks.

Once on the ground, rinse and repeat the first three steps! You have half of a routine!

More coming soon 😉

Cuter pole pirouettes (hint: STOP RELYING ON YOUR POLE)

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

Pirouettes are such a reveal in pole. They weed out the polers from the pole DANCERS, in my book.

It never stops being shocking for me seeing advanced tricksters perform stilted, stuttering pirouettes. They race through them and seem a little panicked before getting back into their comfort zone (insanely difficult pole tricks that make pirouettes look like baby stuff), but the impression is made.

a1n3rI
Not my most beautiful or technically correct example but the only one I have a gif of. #priorities.

So why are so many incredible pole dancers struggling with pirouettes?

A few hypotheses:

  1. Racing to the good stuff. Pirouettes are considered “fillers,” so the averaged jazzed new poler will want to skip over them and get to the more impressive, upside down stuff.
  2. Balance confusion. Most spins in pole require being OFF balance (ie. letting hips pull to the side to generate momentum/centrifugal force, etc etc). This doesn’t work so well with pirouettes (but I’ll get back to that in a minute).
  3. Spotting confusion. Where am I looking? Fuck it, let’s do something else.
  4. One too many banged elbows and knees. See the above conclusion.
  5. Inability to relinquish control and relax. I mean this is a sport that requires full body death grips on the pole so like… relaxing into a tension free, friction free turn with no push/pulls can be freaky.

Whoops, that was more than a few, but oh well. Let’s talk pirouettes–off the pole.

It wasn’t until I attempted a little ballet that my pirouettes on the pole stopped confounding me. This is not a coincidence. I fully believe that to be able to do a pretty pirouette on the pole, you need to be able to at least stand still in a pirouette position without holding onto anything (ie. a position you’ll end up in at any ballet class ever).

No seriously, try it. Stand with one leg in passe (bent, toes touching the standing leg at the knee, either parallel or a little turned out, do you). Then rise up onto the ball of your standing leg. Hold.

Can you do it?

Are you annoyed if you can’t, but you think “If I only had a pole, I could totally do this, just let me hop on really quick”?

NO, bad poler!! BAD!

Here’s why you can do it on the pole and not free standing: your ass is cheating.

Maddie Ziegler like "lol u mad"
Maddie Ziegler like “lol u mad”

That’s the bad news. The good news is, you have no incentive to continue to cheat because the signs of your cheatish cheating are obvious, so you might as well, like, not do it.

The ugly truth: if you’re cheating pirouettes (ie. relying on your pole), your standing leg is probably bent. Your supporting arm is probably supporting you WAY too much (ie. half your weight is on it and it shows in your shoulder). Your body is likely not fully centered over your standing leg, but rather slightly to the side–your comfy, familiar spin position. You might be SURVIVING your pirouettes but they  feel unpredictable, uneven, out of control, and you might even dread them a bit, not knowing how they’ll go at the crucial moment.

Let’s fix that!

Assuming you know the basics of how pirouettes work, let’s do some quick trouble shooting:

  1. Straighten up. Practice this off the pole, and correct your form in the mirror. Your hips should be even (one hip not higher than the other), abs should be in tight, chest and head lifted and aligned as though pulled on a string. Now lift a leg into passe. Got that? Try to rise up onto your toes.
  2. Spot. I had a pole teacher once instruct me to look at the pole for a spot, and it works for me. As you go into your pirouette glance at the pole and lock your eyes there until the last possible minute. Whip your head around and look for the pole again. Try to do this at eye level (not up or down) to help keep your alignment.
  3. Practice letting go mid turn. Is your weight centered? Let go of the pole and find out! A good drill for pirouettes is to use the “waiter” hand on the pole to initiate the turn and the release that hand for the turn. Were you able to complete it? If not, what happened? Which side did you wobble to? Work to identify and correct your weight imbalances. It’s worth a little practice, I swear.
  4. Lean a bit forward. Another trick from an old pole teacher: if you must lean, lean forward as you begin a piroutte–not from one side or another. I don’t know why this works, but it does, especially if you’re performing multiple pirouettes.
  5. GET ON YOUR LEG. Sorry for screaming, but that’s the only way to deliver that sentence, right? Whenever I’m wobbling a bit I give myself this directive (which is short hand, in my mind, for centering your weight, straightening your leg, and pushing through that leg to pull your upper body up). It almost instantly helps to tell myself this. Magic? Who knows.

Do you struggle with pirouettes or love them?

I hated them (I always felt out of control) until I knew I would be tested on them for my teacher training. Then I drilled the shit out of them (with the above tips in mind) and almost never have a problem with sticking or falling out of them now. Muscle memory is real!!!

Do you have different tricks or tips than me? Or just not give a rat’s ass about these things? Let’s talk.