Extended butterfly: trials, errors, and falling on video.

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

Hey guys!

My friend Irene came over this weekend and we had a pole play date!

She was working on her butterfly, which motivated me to challenge myself too and attempt an extended butterfly. And also, with Irene there, I had someone to spot me/take me to the hospital if I busted my ass, so that was an extra incentive. (Spoiler alert: I did indeed bust my ass, and it’s on video. See below).

So I tried and failed a few different ways, and I’d love to get some poler feedback on technique here. (drop it below!)

On my first few failed attempts, I did my usual butterfly (top leg on the pole from ankle to knee pit, upper body turned out for opposition), but when I straightened my leg and slipped out to my ankle I lost the tension and… well… yeah.

Then I tried an (ugly) version where I hooked my knee first, which WORKED. I think it’s because the hook forced me into a straighter, more squared butterfly where my weight ended up directly overhead (instead of at an angle). With my weight pulling straight back when I stretched out into the extended version, my ankle locked in with the tension on my Achilles, which felt great, and shockingly, SECURE. (Before I was feeling the pull more on the side of my ankle, which felt (and obviously was) much less safe).

So I guess now I need to go back to the drawing board on my plain o’le butterfly and learn how to square it off WITHOUT the knee hook (because it really is ugly).

Aside from that we also working on cupids, and some cute Dirdy Birdy transitions that Irene brought clips of (and a notebook of moves with instructions because the girl is on her game. Seriously, I felt like such a slacker).

Don’t you hate when something that looks simple and easy takes more strength than going upside down?

(That thwacking sound is me hitting my knee, ps).

Irene of course did this beautifully, with much more an arch in the upturned, planky position. Which leads me to believe that hoopers have WAY more shoulder flexibility than the rest of us, and I should get on that.

Here’s DB working the trick: (or click this link to start at 2:03 in case the embed doesn’t take you there!)

What are you guys working on?! Any exciting new bruises?

Happy spring :D!

A girl from class took my picture!

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

As I wrote before, I’ve been having stupid bad back pain. I’ve been mostly trying to ignore it and go about my business, but trying to get through pole classes was too hard. So I’ve (very begrudgingly) stayed away from classes for a while.

It was a really nice surprise then, when I went back to the studio for the first time in a couple of weeks, that a girl from my usual class ran up and said she’d been looking for me. She’d taken my picture during a choreo class. I had no idea! She apologized for being a “stalker” haha but honestly, how sweet is that?! And the picture came out FIERCE. I don’t really have any photos of me just doing my thing, so it was an awesome surprise. Anyway, thanks Jenny!! Here’s the pic–she sent it to me in two filters so credit for the below artistry goes to her, not me.

Jenny pic 2
Jenny pic 1

Oh and here’s me just running through some flow stuff from class. Yeah, I know, it’s the same old same old. I’m feeling stuck, especially with this mysterious back stuff. I want to get going on harder tricks, but inverting (and any kind of prep stuff that I so desperately need to KEEP my invert) kills my back. I’m really not exaggerating when I say I’ve been struggling to get through warm-ups with tears involuntarily leaking out. It has not been a good time.

The GOOD news is: flow stuff doesn’t hurt at all! Weirdly, sitting still actually hurts much, much more than anything I do with climbing or spinning, so that’s encouraging. I also think I’m starting to see ballet paying off in terms of lines and general grace (as always, LONG LIVE BALLET), so, those are a few more good, happy thoughts. I just hope my back either heals itself or just breaks already so I can go to the emergency room, which is all my catastrophic insurance probably covers.

Anybody else ever have back pain? Let’s play “guess the diagnosis”! :p

16 times that dancing is the literal worst.

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

1. When you get a note you don’t understand (what does “quiet collarbones” mean I should do?)

2. When you go over the hard part of a dance over and over and then mess up the easy part in a performance.

3. When your teacher says, “one more time!” for the 900th time and you’re starting not to believe her.

4. When your feet are dirty and you have to put your nice flats on.

5. When “warm ups” are code for “flexibility contest” (it’s a silent contest, but a contest nonetheless).

6. When a sequence is so fast that if you think, you just missed it.

7. When you get multiple notes at the same time and you can’t seem to do one without messing up the other (your shoulders lift when you try to straighten your knees, your feet flex when you try to keep your face soft, AHHHH MY BRAIN IS EXPLODING).

8. When a movement just doesn’t look the same on your body as it does on your teacher’s.

9. When you randomly can’t do the thing you totally did yesterday.

10. When your body just flat out won’t do something and you have little hope that it ever will. (Re: dinosaur arms.).

11. When the floor is too sticky, the pole is too cold, and nothing is working.

12. When you learn a dance in class and try to practice it home but blank out on 3/4s of it.

13. When you’re waiting in line to do something in front of the class that you’re definitely going to suck at.

14. When the teacher calls out a correction for “some people” and you look down and you’re the one who lost your turn out.

15 .When you remember to pack everything except your sports bra.

16. When you only nail it if no one’s looking and you forgot to hit “record.”

Now your turn!

You know you have a problem when…

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

…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

I’m in the New York Post today… on a pole!

Posted on by Cathy Vandewater

Look! Here’s me, making my parents proud!

Haha, kidding, they’re okay with it… mostly.

(FYI: This is just a picture of the full length photo, which is only the print version, so pick it up!)

Anyway, here’s the back story: I had a nasty breakup and ended up on OK Cupid (per the realization that everybody else I know is on it and no one’s been murdered). (YET).

Funny enough, the only non-creepy message I got was from the dating editor at the NY Post, asking if I’d like to be set up for Meet Market (TM). I guess pole=marketability?

Long story short, there’s a photographer at my house (!!!!) so yes, that pic is my room and my beautiful, beautiful X-Pole making its stunning debut. Glad I remembered to polish the Dry Hands off first!

I still haven’t been on my date yet, but (SPOILER ALERT) I picked the trainer. Because I don’t already work and live with enough trainers. I needed an extra person in my life to give me dirty looks for eating a bagel. 😀

Jokes! I love my trainer friends and I’m going to bribe them very soon to give me a specialized pole workout and stretches I can share with you guys.

Anyway, click the link, stalk my write up, and feel free to vote? Because make the guys feel good?

❤ and don’t forget, classes on Monday!!!

Happy Twirls!
Cathy

PS. A little pimpage for the Dating Editor at the Post, Jozen Cummings… he has an awesome blog “Until I Get Married” and he’s generally a doll, so, check his shit out!