Power of Pole: This is Naomi!

Welcome to our circle, another pole sister from Facebook: NAOMI!

How long have you been pole dancing?

I started pole in July 2009.  I took break at the end of 2010 for a bit over 6 months and got back into it again in May 2011.

What first drew you to try it? 

It was one of those things that I thought would be fun to just have a go at – but not having a dance background or being at all sporty I never really had the gumption. 

I saw a doco on TV in early 2009, “Best Undressed” about the 2008 Miss Nude Australia pageant and thought the name of one of the competitors, Miss Suzie Q, sounded familiar.  Took a bit for the penny to drop that I had been going past signs for ‘Suzie Q Pole Studio’ for months, as it was only minutes from my house.  With a studio only minutes from my house, how could I not give it a go?  The rest is history!

Where do you take classes?

Suzie Q Pole Studio (www.suzieqpolestudio.com.au) once a week, near home, and Blush Dance School (www.blushdanceschool.com.au) once a week near work.

Do you have a pole at home? 

Yes – the spare bedroom is now the ‘pole room’.  We invested in a sofa bed for the spare room so that I could have the space for my pole!

How often do you pole? 

Twice a week with lessons and then I try to get on the pole a couple of times a week at home also.  If I have a comp or performance coming up I might end up poling every day.

What else do you do to keep your body in shape to pole? 

Not enough!!  There just never seems to be enough time in the day.  I have committed to myself in the new year that I get to the gym to improve my overall fitness and strength – I’m getting to a point in my poling that my overall fitness is going to hinder my progression. 

I’ve also started taking some casual jazz ballet classes at Sydney Dance Company to help with my overall dance technique.

Do you like to dance in shoes or barefoot? 

Mostly bare foot, although I am trying to train myself to dance in shoes too.  I have a couple of pairs of fabulous ‘stripper’ shoes but just haven’t trained enough in them to perform wearing shoes (yet!). 

I need to get comfortable in shoes so that I can rock out my new ‘Glitter Heels’ – I am on love with my Glitter Heels!

How do you deal with dry skin on pole days and on off-pole days? 

I don’t tend to have too many issues with dry skin.  I just use whatever moisturise might be in the house on off-pole days.  On pole days, if my skin looks particularly scaly (sometimes my shins just look a bit dry!) I use Pole Physics lotion; you can’t use it immediately before poling, you do need to apply a couple of hours out, but it doesn’t leave you greasy or slippery.

What is your favorite product to help you stick to the pole? 

Dry Hands!  I get really sweaty hands and this is what works for me.  I even put a bit on inner thighs & other key grip points on my legs to keep the slipperiness at bay!

Sometimes if I am on a brass pole I will use a bit of shaving foam on my legs for just a little ‘tack’.

Where do you buy your pole clothes? 

All over the place.  At the moment loving Cotton On (Aussie chain store) yoga shorts – they are the exact right length for pole and are high enough in the waist that I don’t end up flashing!  I also really like 007 Heaven skorts – so cute!

What is your favorite song to dance to right now? 

I don’t have a particular favourite; if I’m just mucking around at home, I just whack the iPod on shuffle and see what comes out.

How do you feel like pole has improved or changed your life? 

I am far more confident in myself and my body – if two years ago someone had said that I would be OK with getting up on stage in front of a couple of hundred people in my bra & undies, I would have laughed at them! 

My fitness is the best it’s been in my entire life – it’s very true what they say about finding exercise that you to do!  I can hang upside down from one leg – for someone that has never in their lives been sporty or particularly fit, that’s really cool!

AND… Pole also keeps me sane.  My job can be pretty high pressure and high stress; when I am in class my mind is on what I am doing and that’s it.  Any work or other nonsense just doesn’t have a place in my head for that hour.  Without pole I wouldn’t be nearly as happy as I am!

*Day 27 of 30 day blogging challenge*