pirouette

WHEEEE

I love gifs. They’re so weirdly mesmerizing.

So anyway, I was messing around on my pole this weekend (hence this gif), and decided to try a handstand.

And I was like… wow, okay, that went better than expected! It was definitely hard (you can see me shaking!) but I didn’t feel as scared or as disoriented as I usually do in an upside down, free-standing movement. Progress!

Note: this may seem obvious but it was helpful to me: I just started (literally, one class under my belt) this floorwork/capoeira-inspired class, and the teacher tells us to PUSH against the ground through hand-based movements. Really helpful for handstands on or off the pole! (LOL as if I have ever done a handstand off the pole, but I’m using my imagination).

I also got yet another failed try at taking my leg warmers off without stopping a dance. Listen, I don’t care, I WILL NEVER STOP TRYING TO MAKE THIS WORK. I’m convinced it can be done, somehow, someday.

Oh and here’s a still of my shirt flying up in a handstand with a filter, because why the f*** wouldn’t I put a filter on this? Filters on everything.

Here’s a photo of how red my thighs were afterward–without a filter because my thighs are majestic on their own and don’t need one. (Sorry that this is also a closeup of my crotch, the proximity of thighs to crotch could not be helped. I made it small so as to be less offensive).

For real though, my thighs really hurt.

How’s everybody? Anyone want to do a music swap? Here’s what I’ve been listening to. Share something!

1. Otis Redding, Stand by Me

This version has the perfect amount of lilt for pole. #Classic

2. D’Angelo, Feel Like Making Love

D’Angelo on one of my playlists? Not a surprise. I don’t mind being predictable when it comes to consistently perfect pole music tho…

3. Jah Khalib, Out of My Head

I don’t know what language this is in. Russian? Give it a chance because the hook is hot fire.

4. ScHoolBoy Q, Collard Greens

This beat is really different from everything else on my playlists.

5. J. Cole, Wet Dreamz

Love the beat/vibe on this one.

XOXOXOXO

Hot weekend, wasn’t it?

Nothing is a better incentive for me to get into the studio, personally, than the prospect of sitting in my hot apartment all Saturday.

Morning is fine, and evening will probably be spent gallivanting about in sundress, but that stretch from 12pm to 3pm is brutal, oppressive, and more often than not, totally squandered.

Which makes it PERFECT pole time.

I hit the studio for the first time in a very long time this weekend. Not that I haven’t been on the pole–I have! For several hours every week, actually, but teaching the same 5 or 6 moves to bachelorettes every class.

That means blistered hands and pole burn out, but very little headway on new skills or strength. I like to tell myself that all pole time is good pole time, but, that’s not exactly true… judging from my greatly diminished ability to invert and climb. Whoops.

Case in point: I took a Level 1 class at body and pole (with the fabulous Shaina) and it KICKED MY ASS. A Level 1. And like, kicked my ass to an embarrassing extent.

Here’s a couple of practice vids I shot after the hour and and a half sweat fest (disclaimer: summer is only a good time for pole if the AC is full functioning), which include a spin combo (dip into a pirouette with a bit of a fan-kick leg into a one-handed backhook) and a carousel-kick climb/fan-kick/thigh grip combo that DESTROYED me.

Sorry for all the hyphens, but wow, I was loving the complexity. Shaina does such a great job of giving everyone options to embellish according to skill level, and it makes for a lot of fun experimenting, and never-ending opportunities to push yourself.

How’s the summer poling coming for everyone else? Are we all seriously dipping into the dry hands? (I just bought 2 new bottles).

XOXO

Cathy