For April's Blog Hop, we are talking about pole competitions. There sure are enough of them around. Thanks to the "new" day job,
I haven't even updated my list in awhile, which was quickly reaching 10+ pages for only a couple of years worth of events.
In March, three+ beloved Twirly Girls participated in the Pacific Pole Championships down in Los Angeles, California. As I have been asked by Vertical Art and Fitness to write about the event, I want to keep this post fairly simple.
I do have some opinions about competitions in general, safety, timing, judging, etc....but feel as an "ambassador," I should probably keep some of the more negative opinions to myself. There have been some discussions on Facebook about fair judging. I feel like I am not on a level to comment officially, although I do feel like changes should probably be made, especially after speaking to several judges from various competitions over the last year.
Anyway, back to my lovelies from
Twirly Girls. PPC spanned two days this year. Our girl, Alyssa, was participating for the very first time. She was in the category of Championship -- Level 2 -- Junior. She competed on Friday.
First, to define the competition category, here it is straight from
PPC's website:
The Championship Event: This event is for those dancers wishing to compete with a traditional technical competitive program. Designed to offer competitors the type of experience found at the other major pole competitions, the focus will be on the dancer’s technique, flexibility, artistry and difficulty of tricks.
Level 2 (Intermediate): This is the appropriate level for intermediate dancers who have the ability to invert safely. In addition to the skills permitted in Level 1, dancers may invert on the pole (hips higher than head), however dancers must maintain three points of contact with the pole while inverted.
Juniors: between the ages of 18-24 on or before the date of the event.
Alyssa took FIRST! FIRST PLACE! This was her very first competition and we are SO proud of her. Check out her performance
HERE. Alyssa received a very sweet compliment from Kelly Yvonne of the Choreography House when she came off stage. Unfortunately, we were watching
United Pole Artists Facebook page, so we got the results as another performer (in another category) was competiting. Sorry about the silent cheers and the jumping in our seats!!
Diana was next to compete, but not until Saturday. Diana competed in PPC last year, so this was her second time participating in this event. Diana competed in the Entertainment -- Level 3 -- Junior/Senior division.
The Entertainment Event: This event is focused less on the difficulty of the tricks executed and more on the dancer’s ability to interpret a piece of music to provide a comical or upbeat performance.
Level 3 (Advanced): This is the appropriate level for the more advanced pole dancer who can invert and perform movements such as handsprings or ayashas safely and securely. Dancers at this level may perform any tricks and any inversions.
Seniors: between the ages of 25-39 on or before the date of the event.
Diana did not place in the top three but she did really well, especially after the line-up was changed at the last minute and the person who performed right before her was another person named Diana who also did a zombie-themed routine. Seriously?! How does THAT happen?? That would have totally ruined my day but Diana came out and still rocked it. Check out our Diana's performance
HERE.
Last up from the Twirly Tribe was Sean Michael. (Side note: I love this boy. I take Sean Michael's class at Twirly Girls on Saturdays. If you are in the area and looking for a good class, give it a try.) Sean Michael competed Saturday evening. He was in the Championship -- Level 3 -- Male division. There were only two competitors in this division. Their scores were separated by two-tenths of a point. Sean Michael, unfortunately, placed second. I felt like the winner had a very "safe" routine. Sean Michael's routine was strong, original and fun to watch. Check it out
HERE.
I absolutely must give an honorable mention to Twirly Girls friends Kate Cotruvo (Club Etak) and Tiffany Rose Mockler (Poletential). We love our
Nor Cal Pole Posse. They both did a great job at the competition! You can see Kate's competition routines below:
Kate Entertainment Level 3
Kate Championship Level 3
Congrats to all competitors. By my count, almost 150 people competed that weekend. I saw a lot of slippery poles and I give props to those who put themselves out there and do this!
Don't forget, this is a blog hop! If you want to read other bloggers' takes on pole competitions, click
HERE.
While I will not be performing at this event, I will be there as an usher and to support Kate in her latest adventure! Many of my friends are performing in this show. I am so excited, I could almost pee my pants! I'll control myself though. I don't want to make a mess here at the day job. 
