September 2014 Blog Hop: Hot for Teacher

You've heard the saying:  "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach."  While I know a ton of amazing pole teachers who can do *and* teach, in my case, that is actually true!  When Bel asked me to become an instructor almost three years ago, I really didn't feel qualified.  I didn't have a background in dance or fitness.  I really had only a very basic understanding of body mechanics.  I had been working out, doing yoga, and paying trainers for almost 18 years, but that still does not make me an expert.  However, I started to shadow Bel (who is a certified fitness expert and is also Xpert certified in pole) and eventually started to teach a beginner pole class. 

Many of my students were also friends and ended up dancing with me for over two years.  We also had new students come through, so I was teaching a mixed level class.  Again, I didn't feel qualified.  A few months ago, we started trying to encourage them to take other classes so that I could get back to basics and teach the beginner levels again.  The plan is for my class to provide a solid foundation so that little baby pole dancers can go on to intermediate and advanced classes with confidence. 

While I miss my regular class and friends terribly, I also really enjoy teaching beginner pole.  I feel like I can actually provide useful information and teach moves. 

I have been frustrated with my pole journey lately.  I recently lost 21 pounds and wanted to start taking more classes so I can grow -- not only so I can be a better pole dancer but so I can be a better instructor.  As seems to happen to me, injuries, time, money, life...it all gets in the way. 

I really do enjoy teaching beginners because I feel like it allows me to continue to be an ambassador for pole.  Each time I teach someone who has never poled before, I feel like I am responsible for helping them see how awesome pole is.  I see Yelp reviews for studios and instructors who are horribly mean and nasty to their students.  That will never be me.  Everyone is welcome in my class.  You won't learn how to Iron-X in my class, but I promise some dancing, sweating, and a lot of laughs. 

Who was your first pole instructor?  Do you still take class with them??  Leave your comments below!

May 2014 Blog Hop: Pole and Social Culture

This month's blog hop is about social culture and pole.  You can read our instructions HERE, but there are so many amazing quotes that Sheena found that I want to paste them in below so you don't miss them:

In the last few years, the popularity of pole dancing has grown in leaps and bounds, not to mention bumps and grinds. via the Huffington Post

What was once a dance that was synonymous with strip clubs, pole art has become an underground community that is finding its way into mainstream dance, fitness, art and culture. via the LA Times

It’s a sport that’s gaining popularity globally as a fitness trend – with ambitions for inclusion in the Olympics – but it still has an image problem. via the Guardian

This wasn’t a disco. It was no country club either. These women — and yes, men, too — have moves that are better than Jagger. The best of the best in the art and sport of pole dancing showed their stuff on Saturday, Day 2 of the third-annual Midwest Pole Dancing Competition and Convention, which drew 400 to 500 people to the Tinley Park Convention Center. via The SunTimes

There are terms a pole-dancing judge just doesn’t use at the World Pole Sports Championships. ”Spatchcock,” for instance. That’s what pole dancers usually call the maneuver Liza Szabo worked into her routine….. the old name wouldn’t do for this venue. Here, her move was officially the “FM10,” and for good reason: The meet’s organizers want to reform pole dancing into a sport respectable enough to go to the Olympics. via The Wall Street Journal

Clad in knee-high leather boots, spandex shorts and a sports bra, Xiao Yan struck a pose two feet off the ground, her head glistening with sweat and her arms straining as she suspended herself from a vertical pole. via The New York Times

Pole dance is a form of performance art, historically associated with strip clubs and dance clubs, which combines dance and acrobatics centered around a vertical pole. via  Wikipedia

These are our statistics

According to United Pole Artist, these are some of our pole dance statistics as of 2012. (we can’t substantiate these numbers at this time, fyi.)

• Number of Pole Dancers in the world:  180,000 (Provided by Bad Kitty Exotic Wear)
• Number of Pole Dancing Studios in the world: 1,200
• Number of Active Pole Dancing Countries: 70
• Number of Pole Dancing Studios in the US: 571 (Updated 5/23/12)
• First Pole Dancing Studio in the World to Open: 1994, by Fawnia Deitrich. 

Fewer and fewer people raise their eyebrows when I tell them that I pole dance.  To me, that means that pole dance is finally starting to become part of mainstream culture.  A couple of years ago, I asked how long it might take for pole to truly be accepted.  I guessed: "about a generation."  If you think about it, we're over half way there!  The first studio was opened in 1994 -- 20 years ago, but it has really been in the last 8-10 years that studios have started popping up all over the United States.  So, we're well on our way to becoming a staple in pop culture so that no one needs to make fun or call us strippers anymore (not that there's anything wrong with stripping, but you know that person means it as an insult when they say it). 

I have been trying to piece together the history of modern pole dance.  My fourth post on the topic can be read HERE (and you can follow the links back to see posts one through three).  Speaking of strippers...do you think we need to sanitize pole in order for it truly become mainstream?  You can check out that post HERE (and again, follow the links back to other posts that may be relevant).  I think part of the process is allowing men into pole studios.  I know many women feel like they need a safe place (and I think having women-only classes is fine, but women-only studios excludes a ton of people who also want to be able to express themselves through pole dance). 

Pole dance means so much to me.  I am learning to get in touch with my emotions and my body.  I have met so many amazing people, and have had so many awesome opportunities present themselves thanks to pole.  Whether it is ever truly accepted in the mainstream, I do not care.  I will forever be grateful to pole dance for the fun times over the last four and a half years (and look forward to many more to come!).

October Blog Hop 2: The Sanitization of Pole

So last week, I participated in the October blog hop by saying, ooooh yeah I'm all over the "sexy" part of pole.  Woohoo!  Take yer shirt off, show me whatcha got!

Then I started reading other people's posts and leaving comments.

Then I felt like a total hypocrite.

Yes, I support dancers being sexy, I support myself being sexy, [whispers] but only in front of certain audiences.  I don't want my boss to find my Bringing Sexy Back Week video!  Sure, I want to put on my stripper heels and short-shorts, but, you know, not in front of my mom.  

Three years ago, my very conservative mom came to pole class with me.  You can read about that adventure in full HERE.  While she attempts to support me, and seemed to have fun in class, I can tell she is not running to her friends to proudly announce her daughter teaches pole dance (or has been published in print magazines on said subject, even though I think it is pretty effing cool). 

Last November's blog hop also talked about coming out of the pole dance closet, which really is touching upon the same subject.  How safe do you need to feel with someone before you tell them that you pole dance?  With certain people, you need it to sound a little more "clean" than with others.  I "came out" to one of my new bosses almost immediately when I started this job a year ago.  One of my other bosses still has no clue.  In her case, it's not that I don't think she can handle it...she's just a person who shares no personal information about herself so I do the same in return.  I have told a handful of my co-workers.  One co-worker, when I was still fairly new here, pranced by my desk and giggled that she knew my secret.  Apparently the recruiter who got me this job was telling people about my past-time.  I was actually really furious.  I felt like it was no one's business to tell anyone else what I did for fun.  At the same time, I'm supposed to be a loud and proud pole dancer, so who cares if she knows?  Anyone who Googles my name probably doesn't have to search long to find the Viking Warrior. 

Anyway, so the reason I feel like a hypocrite...  Yes, I'm a loud and proud pole dancer.  I don't generally care who knows what I do.  Yet I have two Facebook profiles.  When I first started blogging about pole dance and working with a social media company, I thought maybe this could become a business and I friended a lot of pole dancers on Facebook.  My real life friends and family were getting kind of lost in the shuffle.  I also posted a ton of pole dancing articles and photos.  It made some people uncomfortable.  So, I kicked most of them off my page.  Facebook is for fun.  I don't need to be judged by people who can't handle my pastime.  Then one day I found out my uncle had moved to another state.  No one ever bothered to tell me.  So I started up a second (illegal!!) Facebook profile.  I added family and friends (and some co-workers) who might not appreciate how busy my page is.  I call it my boring profile.  I really don't post a ton on that page, but I do also use it to participate in some HAES and fat acceptance groups.  The funny part is that, after a recent issue in the family, I kicked them all off that page too, so now I have only a few family members on either Facebook profile.  Oh well, at least I don't have to see a bunch of conservative stuff on my feed constantly.  I also realize that Facebook doesn't make real-life relationships.  So if my family had any interest in having a relationship with me, they would make an effort off of Facebook.  They don't (and neither do I), so I imagine I will never see most of these people again.   

Last year, I was working with some attorneys on a joint seminar for the local bar association.  We were using Drop Box to share documents.  I was also working on a potential pole council with some other dancers.  We were also using Drop Box.  Oh yes, I Drop Boxed pole documents to the attorneys, and it took me a LONG TIME to figure it out.  I realized one night that I couldn't find my pole documents and eventually figured out what happened.  I quickly moved them into the proper folder, thinking no one would have bothered to look at those documents.  At the next conference call with the attorneys (AND A JUDGE), someone says, so uh what about this pole dancing stuff...  Oh man, the cat is out of the bag.  I explained what I did for fun and they all laughed and we moved on.  That could have seriously gone sideways on me professionally, but they were all very good natured about it.  I felt like this was a sign that pole is becoming more accepted.  

I recently met with a woman who might have a business opportunity for me.  As I was leaving, I mentioned I teach a "dance class."  I froze even as the words left my mouth.  Wait!  I'm not ready to come out to this person yet!  She said, oh yeah I wanted to ask you what kind of dance you teach!  I'm thinking, she must have Googled me, because that question seemed to be in the chamber already.  I didn't hesitate:  I teach pole dance!  I was waiting for the uncomfortable silence, but she said, oh I took some classes in Colorado!  I was so relieved.  Then I was sad that I had to be relieved.  It does make me realize that there is still a stigma attached to the industry, so people make snap judgments.  But it almost made me realize that I don't want to work with people who aren't able to accept me as a whole person.  So I am actually relieved that the subject came up early in our relationship.  

Everyone has to decide for themselves when they are ready for others to know they pole dance.  I don't necessarily think that means that pole needs to be sanitized for the masses.  However, I do believe that as more people accept pole, and it becomes more mainstream, it may sanitize itself in the process. I'm still not sure how I feel about that. 

Are you careful with who you tell about pole dance and do you think it will have to be "sanitized" in order to go mainstream? 

Don't forget, this is a Blog Hop!  Read other blogs on this exact subject HERE.  

September Blog Hop: Beauty, Body & Wellness

I am a little late getting to this month's blog hop.  I went straight from surgery recovery to Las Vegas for Pole Expo and then back to work.  I am having a hard time getting caught up and back on track with how to work and have fun.  Check out other posts on Beauty, Body & Wellness HERE.  

I want to discuss taking care of yourself in general when facing an injury.  I want to discuss weight with Health At Every Size in mind.  I don't want this to become a discussion about weight loss, but I do want to discuss how my body feels right now having been so inactive for the last several months.  

I started my new job in San Francisco last October.  I went from driving in my truck to a job about 25 miles away (up to an hour sitting in traffic) to sitting or standing on a train for 40 minutes with a 7-10 minute walk to the BART station and a 8-12 minute walk to work from the BART station.  Even though I have been pretty active for years, my foot started hurting almost immediately.  It wasn't until January that I actually went to the doctor and found out I have a bone spur in my heel, which was aggravating the plantar fascia and causing pain.  In April, the pain started to become unbearable.  Flash forward to August, when I had surgery to cut the fascia, and now, to September, where I am in the middle of my recovery phase.  Full recovery takes about three months, which will be the first week of November.

My body hurts.  Not always the foot that had surgery (sure, it's sore but it rarely hurts), but the rest of my body hurts from not moving enough.  My opposite hip, knee and foot are in pain.  My lower back hurts.  My mid-back hurts.  All because my body needs more movement.  

I am a compulsive eater.  When I am stressed out, sad, bored, tired, or whatever, I use food as a soothing mechanism.  I have used activity for most of my life to counter-act the overeating.  I had gained some weight a few years back but had maintained a fairly stable weight for at least the past two and a half years.  Removing activity from my life puts me in danger of gaining weight.  I don't want to act like gaining weight is the worst thing that can happen to a person but, for myself, I am not comfortable at this weight and would not like to be any more uncomfortable  Pole dancing is one of the activities I use to keep myself at a comfortable weight.  

Pole dancing is a sport that puts many of us at high risk for injury.  We put a lot of stress on our wrists, arms and shoulders.  Some of us go upside down and are at risk of falling on our heads.  We can pull muscles and throw out our backs.  We smack our legs.  We pinch our inner arms.  We get bruises.  And sometimes when we get injured, we just keep going.  No pain, no gain.  That's what we are told.

That isn't always the best way to deal with an injury.  I was not really able to dance toward the end, but I taught my class right up until surgery.  I don't know if that was the best decision, but I did what I felt I needed to do.  Post-surgery, however, I have tried to be kinder to myself.  Recovery is a very important part of growing and becoming stronger.  

The first two weeks post-surgery, I was on crutches and I sat in my chair and rested, just like the doctor ordered.  I could do some leg lifts and would stretch from the chair, but I did not push any limits.  After I was released to swim, I got in the pool.  I could also do a few more yoga poses and foam rolling on the floor.  At Pole Expo in Vegas, I wasn't technically released to do pole, so I canceled my pole workshop but did sign up for non-pole workshops:  belly dance, exotic fire dance and SWAG with Roz.  They were all a really good introduction back into the world of dance and exercise.

I have recently been released to ride a bike.  I am going to start spin classes next week and am hoping to start yoga in October.  I also plan to return to teaching pole in October.  We have a showcase at the end of October called Trick or Twirl, but I will not be performing.  I don't want to push it.  I have another doctor's appointment at the end of September and hope to be released to hike a little.  Once I am released to jog, I want to start signing up for 5k's again.  I felt like doing races gave me a goal to work towards.

So, if you are facing an injury, even though I know you will be eager to get back to pole as soon as possible, take time to allow your body to heal properly.  In the long run, it will make you a stronger poler and hopefully help you avoid re-injuring yourself. 

Be well, my pole family!  I miss you all and hope to be back very soon!

August Blog Hop: Pole Dance and Social Media

This month's blog hop is about pole dance and social media.  This is a very popular subject!  If you want to check out other posts in the blog hop, click HERE.  

I almost can't remember a time before Facebook (*cough, cough* Friendster and MySpace, although I really feel like the pole dance explosion happened after Facebook became THE social media site).  What an amazing tool to help me meet people around the world I never would have had the opportunity to meet in the not so distant past.  My very first memories linking pole dance and social media were finding the blogs of Heather Yesko and Jennifer of Pole Skivvies.  They both lived on the East Coast, but I "met" my first pole sisters very early after I started my pole adventures in 2009.  


Flash forward a few years and I interact on a daily basis with amazing pole dancers all over the world and feel like I know some of them very personally even though I've only met them once (or not at all).  Without blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and the myriad of other social media outlets, I know I wouldn't be as in touch with my extended pole family.

Mina and Nadia

Even the subset of the Pole Dancing Bloggers has taken on its own form and we now have our very own social media sites.  Just for us bloggers!  Find us on Facebook.  Follow us on Twitter.  Join us on Instagram.  This month, we started a weekly photo challenge, so please feel free to participate!  The group was spearheaded by my beautiful pole sisters, Sheena in New York and Valentina in Italy, and I am very excited to be part of another group of amazing polers who are working hard to promote the pole industry.  I actually have an assignment for the PDB and need to get off my sorry injured butt and start pulling together my part.  :-)

I'm sure I have posted this many times in the past, but if you are trying to find me on social media sites, here are my links:

https://www.facebook.com/TwirlyGirlConfessions

http://www.twitter.com/lolorashel

http://www.instagram.com/lolorashel 
(sorry, there are a lot of selfies, bruises and cats...I really can't help myself)

 

Cosplay with the beautiful Leen Isabel

Other important links (for me) are pages I manage on Facebook and would love for people to join if you're interested.

Nor Cal Pole Posse...I try to keep Northern California studios and events posted on this page:  https://www.facebook.com/NorCalPolePosse

Twirl for a Cause...our fundraising pole dance page for events around the Bay Area:  https://www.facebook.com/TwirlForACause

As most of you know, I post about many topics, not just pole dancing.  But I try to tag things appropriately so you don't waste time reading anything you might not be interested in.  I feel like without the power of social media behind me, how else could I turn a simple legal secretary into a fiery pole dancing Viking Warrior?  Before the invention of Facebook fan pages, where it was suddenly okay to toot your own horn, I may have been committed into an insane asylum for telling people I had a Viking alter ego.  

Miss you, Cupkates Truck!

Without social media, I also wouldn't have access to so many fat/size acceptance groups to help build my confidence and self-esteem (and now to my new cosplay/Chunky Girl Comics friends!).  I wouldn't have so much support to help me realize that I am fabulous no matter what I weigh and that I shouldn't wait to lose weight to do all the things I want to do, whether its on the pole or in regular life.  I started using the hashtag (another social media invention) #myfatwashere to track the fun stuff I could do even though I'm not society's "normal" body type.  And without social media, how would I share my cupcake obsession?!

Kate of Pole Etak

I feel like social media is essential to the health of the pole industry.  Even when I can't make it to events, I love seeing photos and watching videos posted by others.  So social media keeps me connected.  I also feel like seeing others working on their moves motivates me to work on mine.  Part of why I was so eager to hurry and have surgery on my foot was so that I could heal and get back to pole dancing the way I used to.  


How do YOU feel like social media affects the pole industry?  What changes would you make, if any, to how we all interact with each other?

BadAzz

Jill Anne

Nadia n my boobs

SeanMichael

Pole Dancing Bloggers -- Weekly Photo Challenge #poleblogphoto

I have made it through!  Five days post-surgery...and I already want to pull my hair out.  I can't participate, but I did want to make sure everyone was aware that the Pole Dancing Bloggers have started putting out a photo challenge and I would love for everyone to submit their photos.  

Follow the PDS on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PDBloggers

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/pdbloggers

Instagram:  http://instagram.com/pdbloggers

Even if you don't follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, use the hashtag on public photos to participate: #‎poleblogphoto‬

 Here are August's challenges:

Here are some rules/suggestions by our fearless leader, SLY:


PDBA presents the AUGUST POLE PHOTO A WEEK CHALLENGE

The Pole Dancing Bloggers Association has just launched a fun, new social challenge for the Pole Dance & Fitness community. Let’s all do a twirl or maybe a booty pop for the “Pole Photo A Week Challenge” created by the PDBA.

PDBA INTRODUCTION
For those of you who don’t know, the Pole Dancing Bloggers Association (PDBA) is a community for pole artists to share, connect, create and report engaging content about the ever growing and evolving world of pole dance. The group exists to encourage community by sharing resources, prompting dialogue and establishing contacts within our field. Currently the PDBA consist of over 100+ pole dance/fitness bloggers who create fun, sizzling content on a consistent basis while sharing their personal journeys.

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE
Each month the PDBA will release a series of 4 -5 challenges that are to be completed by the Saturday of that week.

HOW TO PLAY

• Take a look at the August photo a week challenge list.
• Take a photo according to whatever the prompt is.
• Once you’ve taken the photo, SHARE IT. (See below for sharing techniques.)
• Connect with others by viewing their photos too. Browse through them on social media platforms by searching the #poleblogphoto hashtag. Check out our facebook page too.

WHERE TO PLAY

• Instagram: Upload your photo. Add a caption like “Week 1 – Favorite Pole Move. I love the fireman!” and then add the hashtag #poleblogphoto.
• Facebook: Upload your photo onto the Pole Dancing Bloggers facebook page and add the hashtag #PoleBlogPhoto.
• Flickr: Upload your photo, by using the app or the website. Remember, use the hashtag #PoleBlogPhoto.
• Twitter: Upload your photo on twitter and share it using the hastag #PoleBlogPhoto.

THE PROMPTS
Right click the list above and save it to your desktop or take a screenshot and save it to your phone. You can even print it, if you want. You can also reference the list by visiting this blog post and visiting our facebook page.

There are no rules when it comes to our photo a week challenge. Everything is up for interpretation as you see fit. Get creative. Have fun! For those who need suggestions, check out below.

• Aug 4 – 10 | YOUR FAVORITE POLE MOVE. Take a photo of your favorite pole move. This could be any and everything. It could be an invert, a trick, a pose, a spin….anything!
• Aug 11 – 17 |HAIR. Hair flips. Hair toss. Sexy hair. Hide behind your hair. Updo. How does your hair react to the pole?
• Aug 18 – 24 |BLACK AND WHITE. We want to see a black and white photo that incorporates pole dance and fitness. This is wide open to interpretation to encompass ANYTHING.
• Aug 25 – 31 | POLE BAG. What’s in your pole bag. Show us a snapshot. Or maybe only one item. Or maybe show us your bedazzled bag itself.

FAQ –
Can I use photos I’ve taken before? You could but where’s the fun in that. This challenge is about trying some new things. So if possible, use the entire week to get the best photo that you can for the challenge. That professional photo shoot you did last year generated great photos, but it’s probably not the best option for the challenge. We want NEW STUFF!

I’m not a photographer. This is too hard. I don’t know what to do. Okay. Breathe. And if this brings on panic attacks, it’s okay. Maybe don’t participate. But if you’re up for the challenge, here are a few tips.

1. Download a self timer app such as TimerCam. It’s free. This will help with your selfies when you don’t have a pole partner to take the picture for you. If you’re using a DSLR camera, remotes help as well.
2. Consider your angles. While a crossknee layback looks the same on the pole for most dancers, try getting creative with the angle in which you take the picture. What if the camera is directly below or above you? Is that even possible? What would your photo look like then? 
3. Consider your composition. What if instead of you being in the center of the photo you were at the bottom on the right? What does that do to your photo? 
4. Consider emotions. We want your photos but we also want story, emotions and expressions. So when you’re doing your invert or your crawl or whatever the prompt may be, how can you capture personality, individuality and your own expression into the photo? 
5. TRIPODS HELP!
6. Steer clear of flash. Its usually so unflattering and leaves most people looking overexposed and blown out. 

What if my photo is late? What if I skip a week? Its okay. There are no penalties.

I don’t like the prompt. I can’t do the prompt. Why did you pick that horrible prompt? Remember that the prompts are up to interpretation. If you can’t do a certain move, maybe capture someone else doing the prompt…with their consent. Or maybe your cat is the subject in the “pole pose” photo prompt? It’s also true that you won’t resonate with every prompt. Skip it. Or do the opposite. Or try it anyway. It’s all up to you. It’s just for fun!

I don’t have access to a pole studio this week. I don’t have a pole at home. I want to participate and you’re making it difficult. WAAAAA! We considered this when creating the prompts. That’s why each week, you’ll find that there’s usually only one POLE INTENSIVE prompt and the rest can be done any and everywhere! See, we planned ahead! We’re taking care of you. Also, maybe go to the park and take the pole photo there. Or on the train? Get creative. Try something new.

I have a suggestion that I want you to use for a future prompt. COOL! We love ideas. We keep a list going of prompts. To date we have over 60+ ideas we’re going to be throwing at you. But we want your thoughts too. Send us your ideas and we’ll add them to our list. YAY!!!!!