Natasha Wang at Twirly Girls

Last night, Twirly Girls hosted a workshop with the amazing USPDF champion, Natasha Wang. 

The workshop was called poetry on the pole.  I don't want to give away too much, but we worked on some pole moves, then we talked about the dance.  We learned teddy bear (armpit ouchie...my teddy bear had straight-down legs...with one that seemed to not want to leave the ground) and worked on what the TGs call the KT Coates spin (using Aerial Amy's theory about spins, I did my most successful spin yet!).  I tried side climb (maybe in my case better described as a side sit and cling).  And also did what we call the Natasha toe slide (from a handstand).

Then Natasha gave us cards and we had to dance a story.  We talked about how a story should have a beginning, middle and end.  We randomly chose cards, but it was like she hand picked mine.  My story was about being starving, then after you are satiated, feeling guilty.  This is so my relationship with food.  I eat.  I feel guilty.  It's such a bad place to be in.

So I decided the pole would represent food.  I started away from the pole -- hungry.  Then I danced what I felt was one of my best free dances ever.  The middle of my dance was spent devouring the pole and the floor around it.  I ended by leaving the pole behind.  It completely describes my relationship with trigger foods like jellybeans.

I really enjoyed the story aspect.  I felt like maybe I danced better too because I have such a painfully emotional response to food.  I always say food addiction is so hard to deal with.  You can live without alcohol, drugs or cigarettes.  But you can't survive without food.  So finding a healthy relationship with it can be difficult.

We ended with a cool down and stretch...blindfolded.  There were a few times when my toesies touched someone else in the darkness (turned out to be Rita).  But for the most part, I felt like I did pretty well.  The pole was my guide and I let him lead me.

Here are some videos and photos from the evening.  Natasha is so easy to chat with, very beautiful to watch and really fun to dance with.  I hope I get another chance in the future to take a class from her!

My story (very dark so it might be hard to see...sorry!):



And, just for fun, here's a video we made for Aerial Amy.  Check out her video about waving legs.  This is...the vagina monster: