So, here’s that marketing project I was telling you about: a “promo” vid, which I decided should be a tutorial for the Jenyne Climb instead of anything promotional, because ewww, promos.
Enjoy!
Oh and BONUS: practice vid of me warming up/dicking around for a bit before my friend could come back and shoot the tutorial. Butterfly action!
I love this girl because she is crisp like freakin’ celery. Unlike most polers who kinda flow around the music, you can see her hear and hit every beat. She works syncopation and plays with it (like with the little cha-chas), which, as a drummer, I loooooooooooooove. Very refreshing to watch after all the slinky flow vids I’ve been binge-ing on.
Oh, and if you saw her at Polesque a few months ago pretending to dance drunk, you know she’s an incredible storyteller. Girl gives pole an excellent name in the dance world. That rhythm… those lines… ugh, so great. Check her out!
First things first….
OKAY, now that that’s out of the way… 😀
So, for my marketing class, I have to make a promo video advertising my teaching services.
Um, because I hate that idea, I thought I would instead just do a quick tutorial vid on a basic/intermediate move and then be all, “LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK” in the last second of the video. Because fuck promos, right?
I was thinking of breaking down the Jenyne climb, because I still get lots of questions and comments on that. Would you guys want to see that, or something else? A basic spin, invert, pose, etc?
I LIVE TO PLEASE. Lemme know, guys 🙂
Oh, and this is totally unrelated, but I’m dancing my BUNS off to these songs, that have nothing at all in common or to do with each other. I hope you get some good freestyles out of them because I certainly have!
1. I’ll Make Love to You (Remix), Boyz II Men
SHUT UP I LIKE THEM. This is the remix. You’re welcome. NB: I had this on cassette tape in 1997.
2. Somebody Else, Mario
Feeling this so hard. Sounds like nothing else on the radio now… fresh.
3. Body Party, Ciara
Sweet, sexy… it’s like musical chocolate covered pretzels.
4. Girls Love Beyonce, Drake
Because a little Drake was mandatory…
5. Closer, Kings of Leon
Okay, not even going to pretend that I didn’t get the idea to dance to this from the fabulous Michelle Shimmy… so here she is in all her glory!
Have a great weekend, guys!
❤ ❤ <3,
Cathy
I know right?
Not something you think would really be the focus of pole–what it’s like for your feet.
But all the toe pointing and heel-wearing and foot dragging can really do a number on your tootsies.
I mean, let me just flat out make a list:
Like, what? Actually I know exactly why this happens, I drag my toe when I walk (pole walk, that is). Whatever, it looks hot. Sacrifices!
All the toe pointing in pole makes my arches/big toes freak out and cramp… which is not a good look when you’re in a graceful pose, your foot just twitching and flexing into a claw formation… ugh. And it’s PAINFUL.
Actually, this was just one time, when I was working REALLY hard on my pirouettes, and my pole was in a room with carpet. That said, the balls of my feet still get warm/sensitive/burny when I’m doing a lot of flow work, which is annoying.
Dusty floors, mang. They dry your feet into these hobbity husk things. It’s like your feet are wearing leather jackets, but, like, made from your own dried foot skin. Ew. Also, your feet get DIRTY.
Ugly, and not a great combo with slip on shoes.
Does that about cover it? Okay, so here’s what I do for each of the above foot issues (and if you have solutions, be a good person and share your tricks in the comments!!!):
So that one worn down spot at the top of each big toe nail is less obvious.
(And check out Kim’s awesome post on cramping…)
I even sleep in them, which I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do. But most helpful of all, I point and flex my toes while wearing them, and that seems to retrain/strengthen my foot muscles to like, point the way they should, without getting confused and cramping. (I’M NOT A DOCTOR OKAY). Oh PS, you don’t need the real ones, knock offs are good too!
I mean seriously, half the problems I have with injuries/bruises/discomfort is a direct result of ignoring my body’s signals and pounding away at whatever I’m working on way. too much. Alternatively, you can just live with the temporary pain and let your skin get tougher, which works too.
I mean like, Ped Egg and the classic vaseline/socks combo helps with dryness. But that really doesn’t solve the problem of having to put yucky black feet into your super cute new sandals after a class. Yucky. You’re on your own, girl.
Bruises are our badges of honor! That doesn’t change just because they’re on your feet.
Okay so your turn… any foot weirdness from pole?
I kinda hate heels except for photo ops, but I’m sure they wreak all kinds of havoc…
HT,
Cathy
…you’re planning a business trip that will last for less than 48 hours and you Google pole studios in the area.
Somebody call Intervention 😐
Anyway, I’m going to be m.i.a. for a while living it up in the exciting state of WISCONSIN. So, don’t miss me too much, but DO like my Facebook page so I can get an A in my marketing class… and, also, so we can geek out together more efficiently 😀
https://www.facebook.com/TheSpinDiaries
AND, if you have a fb page/Tumblr/??? for pole/your blog, please leave a link in the comments below to share!
❤ and twirls,
Cathy
So, a very wise person once told me to keep working through shitty times. “The pain will pass and all that will be left is awesomeness,” she said. (Lookin’ at you Tee!!!!)
Damn it all if she wasn’t right.
Look, it’s really hard to keep going with a goal that’s vague, and big, and distant when you feel crappy.
The good news is, you don’t have to be Jenyne Butterfly right now–right now, you just need to work on your leg hangs and knee holds for an hour, stretch out, and make something to eat with plenty of protein.
(That’s the pep talk I give myself every time I just wanted to skip practice and watch Netflix with a big bowl of I Wanna Die. (I mean not literally, but you get the idea)).
Each day for the past couple of awful, awful weeks, I found a different reason to do the same dang thing: get my buns in the studio.
I needed to be social: WENT TO THE STUDIO. I felt like crying: WENT TO THE STUDIO. I didn’t really have the energy to work out but maybe I could at least stretch…: WENT TO THE STUDIO. I felt fat: WENT TO THE STUDIO. I felt fit: WENT TO THE STUDIO IN SOMETHING TIGHT. You get the idea.
I’m still not Jen Butterfly. But a funny thing happened–while I was using pole just to get through a rough life patch, the consistency paid off in a lot of tiny ways.
You have to look closely, but, take these two pictures, for instance.
The first is from last summer, the second is from a couple of days ago.
Mind you, I’ve only been consistently stretching (the way every poler is supposed to, hello, slacker) for a couple of weeks.
But the difference in hip flexibility is there. Again, it’s subtle, but damn, there’s a difference! And I wasn’t even trying that hard!
I’m also noticing in a lot of pictures that my extensions look GOOD. This is a small thing, compared to how much more impressive it is to be learning new tricks–but regularly stretching and working on fundamentals has gotten me better form, which makes all the old boring stuff look newly awesome.
And, I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I was recently watching a documentary about ballerinas, and, as I am prone to doing, started dancing around my house while brushing my teeth. It was at this point that I discovered I can lift my leg straight out at hip level, sweep it around, and arc it behind me in one grand, controlled motion. LIKE A F***ING BALLERINA.
WHEN DID I BECOME CAPABLE OF DOING THIS?
I tried it on the other side and was successful again. (?!!!???)
Then I tried grabbing an ankle and lifting my foot behind me to head level like a figure skater, which was less pretty, but POSSIBLE. Again, other side, also successful.
So my question is: when did all these changes happen?
My question is not, however: how did these changes happen.
Because I already know: I WENT TO THE STUDIO. Lather, rinse, repeat.
So, what changes have you noticed in your body since you started pole? Any abilities you start to lose if you slack off?
I recently found that when I sit indian style, my knees fall flat to the side without my pushing down on them with elbows. Weird, and cool.
Anyway, tell me. And happy hump day!
HT,
Cathy
AAAAAAARGH it kills me to see simple shit I never would have thought of that ends up looking amazing. 0:40. This vid is ultra sexy, but dang, I’m looking at her seamless transitions and so should you. Gorgeous.
So I guess there’s no other way to tell this story than to admit I went speed dating.
I WENT SPEED DATING.
WHEEEEE.
Now that that’s out of the way…
This was my first time! I didn’t know what to expect, but my friend K (who’s done this several times over a few years) promised it would be cool and that there’s only a COUPLE of creeps.
I mean, I kinda didn’t care, because I’m in a phase right now where the thought of long term relationships kinda grosses me out (DON’T KILL MY VIBE, BOYS). So, more fun to meet a bunch of weirdos and have a story to tell than to accidentally meet some guy I have to pick out sheets with in a few months. Ew.
ANYWAY. Because I obviously didn’t care enough to try and look wife-like, I decided to conduct a sociological experiment: how will these guys treat me after I tell them I pole dance?
Better? Worse? Indifferent? Humping my leg?
So, I’d spend the first four minutes of my five minute dates being charming and polite and interested in their investment banking careers, and then blurt out the answer to their inevitable question: “So dance instructor, huh? What kind of dance?”
POLE DANCING. I DANCE ON POLES. I HANG UPSIDE DOWN IN TINY SHORTS WHILE TWERK MUSIC PLAYS.
(Okay that’s not what I said, but I was thinking it in sort of shrieking tones)
(I was nervous!)
“Actually,” I would say, leaning in and grinning conspiratorially (boys like that!), “believe it or not, I pole dance!”
And then you guys… the facial expressions… so, so priceless.
How to describe them: delight? bewilderment? happy surprise? disbelief?
What I did NOT get: judgment, horror, or an elevation in creepiness levels (I KNOW, I’M SHOCKED TOO).
They were all just kind of tickled and curious about it. A few had stories about cousins and friends who had taken lessons and loved it too. I think more than the actual pole dancing, the positive reactions I got were surrounding how passionate I am about dancing–how I would tell the story of how I loved it so much that I had to be at the studio fives times a week, and that’s how I got an offer to teach.
So I guess my conclusion is, most men are great. Like women, they liked to be surprised and intrigued. They like women with interests, hobbies, passions. Seeing that for myself made me like men even MORE. They’re people too, you guys! THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS JUST SEX OBJECTS. (jokes!)
And, bonus: K and I have dates on Saturday! I mean, not really, because they’re 24 years old. But, they’re semi-pro salsa dancers, and they invited us to their favorite club. How are we going to say no to that?!!
Do you guys typically just blurt out that you pole dance, or do you keep it closer to your chest?
Would you ever speed date?
LET’S DISH.
Where did the time go?! I just realized that it’s been almost 2 years since that fateful day that I first printed a Groupon for a pole dancing class and my life changed forever (or, for at least two years or so).
It was something I’d been curious about for a while, but I think the real push to actually GO to the class came from just getting out of a relationship.
Or, more accurately, a relationshit.
You know when you’re in a relationship, and nothing dramatic happens–no one cheats, no one beats up anybody’s siblings at family parties, no one has substance abuse issues–but things just… get shitty?
Like, the tone the other person uses to ask about your friend Joe’s job search just suddenly really pisses you off, or you have a three hour screaming fight because he doesn’t like that your ex works a block away from your office and is friends with you on Facebook, but Jesus, why can’t he just trust you? (Not taking this from real life, tooootally making it up. Cough cough).
It’s when you can’t remember the good feelings feelings you once had, because the bad ones pile up like manure on rose bushes and who can smell flowers through the overpowering aroma of shit, shit, SHIT?
Okay I’m being over-the-top here, but the point is, though the “slow fade” is totally the best kind of break up (since all the SWEET, SWEET FREEDOM overpowers the sad feelings), it’s still going to sting.
You’re still going to be lonely.
You’re still going to wonder if you’re really all that, without a boyfriend around as proof.
You’re going to need validation, the company of friends, and exercise.
Lady, you need pole.
Let me break it down for you:
Reasons Why Pole Will Help Immensely In Your Breakup Survival
1. You will look like a fine, fine dime piece (that he dropped, whoops, watch out, somebody else is picking that up!), thanks to a combination of serious toning and carrying yourself like a BOSS.
2. You can sweat out your pain without having to deal with the gym. And let’s face it, you need all the endorphins you can legally get.
3. You will make tons of supportive female friends. (Seriously. They will clap for you when you get a new trick. Everyone needs applause in their lives).
4. You can EXPRESS YOURSELF (Evanescence, anyone?).
5. You will be distracted (yay, learning new things! What’s his name again?)
6. You will have a place to go at a certain time that is not your apartment, where the ice cream and your cell phone is. Keep that schedule full, girl. Classes, classes, classes.
7. You will have new goals to keep your life on track (“I can’t drink myself into a stupor, I have a pole class in the morning and my Superman is soooooo close!”).
8. Your ex will cry when he finds out. (Mine did. They all do. Enjoy).
9. You will feel sexy and amazing about yourself without making any bad, boy-related decisions.
10. IN FACT: you’re going to get choosier about boys. You’re going to get choosier about everything in your life, because you realized through pole that you are AMAZING. You are strong and sexy, and you have a community behind you.
Him? Oh, like that Beyonce song, he’s replaceable. But you? He’s going to have to look looooong and hard for another one. And she probably still won’t come close.
Anybody else take up pole after breaking up? ADMIT IT! Or if it made your relationship awesome, tell me about that, too. GIVE ME HOPE.
Happy (single!) twirls,
Cathy
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