PoleCon 2012

If you love pole dance/pole fitness, then you at least considered attending Pole Convention 2012.  In it's third year, PoleCon has grown from 500 attendees in DC in 2010 to 800 attendees in Miami in 2011 to over 1,000 attendees in Los Angeles in 2012.  The pole community is growing so quickly.

Rita and I arrived on Thursday, June 21, 2012 in time to attend the Pole Masters Cup.  Bel had arrived the day before as she was participating in X-Pert certification.  We had many Twirly Girls in the house: Yolanda, Diana, Kim, Grace, Shelly, among others.

Friday morning was quiet so we sat by the pool and hung out.  I had every intention of trying to get into Felix Cane's free workshop that afternoon but got distracted and didn't get in line in time.  That evening, we went to Polesque and AERA.  Unfortunately, I missed the cocktail party that welcomed everyone to the convention.

I did get to meet a lot of really awesome Facebook pole celebrities.  Jennifer from PoleSkivvies.  Lulu from America's Got Talent.  Roz The Diva.  John Janda and Stephanie Skyy.  Annette Artman.  Sam Green, pole photographer.  Leen Isabel!  The list goes on...  I mean, I got to drive STEVEN RETCHLESS in my truck.  We ate French fries together!  I got to meet my pole sister from Australia, Kym (who is on an adventure around the world practically)! 

I very excitedly found my published articles in both Issue 5 of Vertical Art and Fitness Magazine (the black cover with Steven Retchless) and Pole Dance International Magazine (blogs with photos coming up soon).  

I had many intentions for the weekend.  I wanted to attend seminars and workshops.  I wanted to shop the vendors and meet people.  But what I ended up doing instead was watching.  I watched every single performance over the weekend.  Including the non-PoleCon shows, I videoed about 100 performances.  Part of me wishes I would have walked around more and experienced the convention.  But a bigger part of me is happy I have been able to provide videos for those who couldn't attend. 

My true goal for the weekend was to have something epic happen.  When Nadia Shariff ran up to me and said, "Hey, I recognize those boobs," I felt like my weekend was complete.  

I was really excited to be interviewed by Suzy Q for her documentary, Pole Life, and by Pole World News.  

Below is a playlist for the Saturday morning solo performances, which included my new friends, Lulu and Roz.  Don't miss Clementine, the granny pole dancer:



Below is a playlist for the Saturday afternoon solo performances, which included our very own Shelly Lamb and good friends of Twirly Girls, Pantera and Natasha Wang:



Saturday night was the big Bad Kitty Fashion Show and Showcase of the Stars.  Not to be missed:  My new friend, Annemarie Davies as Napoleon Dynamite. 



I was sad that Felix Cane didn't perform, but figured that maybe she was under contract with cirque du soleil.  She appears in the Michael Jackson Immortal Tour.  I stopped into the after-party, but was tired and ended up sitting in the hot tub and going to bed instead.  

On Sunday, there was the Bad Kitty Spins and Tricks battle:



Sunday afternoon, the group performances lasted about three hours.  It was a long show, but I saw so many great performances.  I have so many ideas for new moves I want to try and only wish I had created an index of cool moves as we went along so I don't have to watch ten hours of video to remind myself.  Don't miss our Twirly Girls, Shelly Lamb and Grace Garcia!  Our sister studio from Nor. Cal., Poletential, also performed.  Check out Golden Eye for some hot mamas!  After watching Kelly Maglia's Vertical Theater demo, I am definitely trying to figure out how to make a second trip to LA in October so I don't miss it. 



My only complaint has to do with the venue.  We were at the Marriott LAX.  They over-sold the hotel and didn't seem to care (there are so many horror stories to even list them all here).  Their internet was also terrible.  For a place that advertises itself as a convention center, you would think they would have a stronger signal for all of those vendors trying to run credit card sales off of their phones.  Even though it's not PoleCon's fault that the hotel was terrible, I guess I would hope that they wouldn't use them again as I watched the hotel be completely rude and unhelpful to their attendees (although for every employee that irritated me, there was one that was awesome.  I guess 50-50 isn't half bad.  No pun intended.)  ;-)  I imagine that next year's event will be in another part of the country, so the chances of returning to LA (or this venue) are slim to none.  Many of us have been debating where the next convention will be.  Although our crowd selfishly hopes it will be in San Francisco, I imagine it makes sense to move it to the middle of the country somewhere, although maybe not Chicago since the Midwest Pole Competition is in that area.  I'm sure they already know where it will be.  Jessalyn says that it takes 13 months to plan each convention.

So, while we are waiting to hear when and where PoleCon 2013 will take place, Bel has decided that I must do a Viking Warrior routine next year.  I am extremely nervous and need to start training a little harder to even pretend to be on par with the performers I saw last weekend.  But I also think it could be a lot of fun and I am game to try.  Maybe I should start trying to perform locally so I can lose that whole sweat-over-every-inch-of-my-body thing that happens now when I get nervous.  Doesn't really go well with pole dancing.

If you were at PoleCon, please tell me your high and low lights!  I'd love to hear about what you liked and what you'd change.

Understanding your own limitations

When I saw Lulu's article earlier this week, I immediately sent the photos and videos to Bel and said, "if Lulu is doing these moves, there's no reason I shouldn't be strong enough to do them too!"  It might sound like I'm putting Lulu down, but I'm not.  I already know that being overweight doesn't mean you can't be strong.  But I am always so focused on what I *might* or *should* be able to do in the future when I *hope* to lose a few pounds.  I weigh the same as Lulu, so maybe there is hope that I can stop waiting for the future to get here and just get my ass on the pole and do them now. 

Bel mentioned that Lulu has an extensive background in cheerleading and gymnastics.  Of course that is obvious as you watch her bust out the splits like they are nothing.  I am nowhere near doing the splits.  I don't have the flexibility.  That has nothing to with weight.  That just means I'm not bendy.

Bel also mentioned how she (Bel) used to be able to do pull-ups.  Then she had shoulder surgery and could no longer do them.  She's still strong, but something is "mis-firing" or not connecting.  She brought up all of my surgeries and the scars that zig zag all over my body.  My surgeon had to cut through all kinds of muscles and tissue and nerves.  Perhaps some things will just never connect properly again.  I don't want to use this as an excuse not to keep trying.  But I also want to be realistic and not expect things of myself that I may never be able to do.  I was not a super active kid.  I didn't really take dance classes or gymnastics, so my body doesn't have old muscle memory of back bends and splits to go back to. 

You can read about my plastic surgery adventures HERE.

Let me try to describe my scars to you.  One starts at the inside of my left elbow.  It runs up my inner arm, to my arm pit (with a z carved in to avoid tying my arms down to my sides), then down the side of my body (through the "bra overhang area") to a half-circle under the fold of my left breast.  I have a matching long scar on the right side.  Since I had a breast lift, there is a line from the scar that goes under my breast up the middle to my nipple.  My nipples were removed and sewed back on, giving my breasts the classic lift "smiley face." 

Due to the lower body lift, I have a scar that encircles my entire body -- around my hips.  Then I have a scar that goes from my pubic bone up to between my breasts.  If I wear a low enough cut shirt, you can see the top of that scar.  My surgeon re-arranged my abdominal muscles in that surgery. 

I also had an inner thigh lift, which seems to be my most limiting scar.  It starts in my bikini line at the front and goes down and around to my butt.  It is almost like I'm wearing a pair of scar underwear.  Of course, I have that scar on both the right and left sides.

So that is a lot of scar tissue that could be limiting me.  Maybe just my flexibility, maybe in how my muscles reconnected and now fire.  It took almost two years for me to get the feeling back in my left forearm and I wasn't even cut in that area!  It also took a long time for the feeling in my hips to come back and I still have many "dead spots."  I may never fully know what the issue is.  Keith of Tri-Valley Bodyworks does still keep me walking when my body wants to fail, and has worked extensively on releasing my scars. So I will walk a fine line between working toward the moves I want to do and understanding some may not be available to me.

In the meantime, I will keep setting my pole goals and, if/when I hit roadblocks, I will find ways around them!

*Day 3 of 30 day blogging challenge*

Defending My Pole Sister

The other night, an article in the UK was published about one of my pole sisters, LuAyne Brown (aka, Lulu Minicooper Girl -- a US pole dancer).  I saw the link flashing across Facebook on my phone.  I immediately re-posted without reading it.  While I was in a meeting, I saw that a comment was posted under my link.  My friend pointed out how nasty mean the comments on the article were.  When I finally opened the article and read it, I was mortified.
Here's the article (click the link for videos and comments):

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2070728/LuAyne-Barber-252-pound-pole-dancer-Lulu-takes-competitive-circuit.html


Flicking her bright red hair back, she swings up onto the pole, her thighs gripping the metal while the the audience cheers in applause.

At 252 pounds, LuAyne Barber - stage name Lulu - is not your average pole dancer.
But her ample body, a U.S. size 22, does not hold her back from the lifts, spins, slides, stands and grips that define the dance form's athletic routines.

Pole position: LuAyne Barber is 252 pounds but regularly competes on the pole dance competition circuit since taking up the dance form in 2006

Instead, the 5'4" Hanover, Maryland local is perhaps one of the most active in her pole dancing community, regularly competing against the toned, lithe bodies of her peers, since joining the circuit three years ago.


The 26-year-old, who works at a car dealership by day, has been pole dancing for five years, having taken up the unusual hobby in 2006 after having a baby.

As a former competitive cheerleader and dance student, Ms Barber was no stranger to the stage - but she still had to sum up a lot of courage to strip off and take a pole dancing class.

She told Closer magazine: 'I'd always wanted to try it, but I was worried about what people would think. But when I turned up for my first class and everyone was in stilettos and tiny shorts, regardless their different sizes, I felt a lot better.'

Dance fever: The Maryland local works at a car dealership by day but is a confident flesh-baring dancer by night

She recalls how, when younger, she did not eat well - and though she wasn't teased at school, she soon became 'ashamed' of her body.


The 'poling' classes changed her outlook: 'I was instantly hooked. It was the first time I'd felt sexy in years.'

Writing on her site, Team-Lulu.com, the mother-of-two says she balances training on the 8-foot metal poles with her family life. She even has a practice pole installed in her home.


And while Lulu has gained something of a fanbase and has a YouTube channel dedicated to her increasingly ambitious moves, her husband, plumber Will Brown, 29, remains her number one fan.

Mother-of-two: Ms Barber, left, now organises events for the Battle of the Pole Dance Studios

Practice makes perfect: The 26-year-old has a YouTube channel documenting her competition entries

'Will loves my dancing. I've always been curvy. I'm not going to let my weight stop me doing what i love,' she told the magazine.


Wearing a skin-tight leotard and five inch red wedge heels complete with calf ties, the red head is every part the pole dancer - but that doesn't stop her from standing out because of her body shape and size.

Ms Barber told the magazine that dancers have called her fat and that she looks like a 'beached whale.' Her new found pastime saw her weight drop, only to creep back up since the birth of her second child.

Doin' the splits: The dancer has not let her weight, or her PCOS, hold her back

Unperturbed, the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome sufferer has turned her hobby into a charity venture, too, with proceeds from Battle of the Pole Dance Studios she organises helping to raise money towards PCOS research.

The dancer, who is yet to win a title, runs workshops and writes that she 'is not giving up her dream of becoming pro.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2070728/LuAyne-Barber-252-pound-pole-dancer-Lulu-takes-competitive-circuit.html#ixzz1fxtN3bkE

*****

First off, I want to publicly state (again) that I too weigh 252 pounds (well, as of the date this article was released I did...my weight fluctuates every day).  It is really, really difficult to put that number out there.  Sure, I'm six feet tall, so my weight is distributed over a larger surface area, but my body is what Miss Roz The Diva would call "non-traditional."  I'm not a big girl.  I'm not fat.  I'm not ugly.  I'm just non-traditional.  :-) 

I have been very lucky (so far...fingers crossed) that the public response to me (my photos, videos and blog) have been VERY positive.  But I worry every day that I will receive a nasty comment or message and fall apart.  Hopefully I'm strong enough not to let one idiot's comment make me cry or anything, but I really do wish people weren't such assholes sometimes.

Anyway, back to Lulu.  The article was nice enough.  But the comments that followed by readers were terrible.  I'm not even going to repeat any of them.  You can read them on the website if you are so inclined.

What is it about the anonymity of the internet that makes people think its acceptable to say such vile and mean things?  Would you say those things to her face?  If you didn't want to see photos that would be "offensive" to you, why did you click the link entitled "252 pound pole dancer..."?  You don't lift yourself up by tearing someone else down, so what is the incentive to be mean?

I saw a great quote on Facebook the other day (before this article was even released) and it made me start thinking about positivity:  "Blowing out another's candle will not make yours burn brighter."  [author unknown.]

What a powerful statement.

When I named myself the "pole dance ambassador" for Northern California, I did it because I feel like ambassadors are supposed to bring people together.  I know there is drama between studios, dancers, instructors, studio owners/students, etc.  It is everywhere.  Read the article about Pole Bashing from Pole2Pole HERE.  The pole industry as a whole is already at a "disadvantage" since the rest of the world looks down upon us.  We don't need to tear each other up too.  You can also read PoleSkivvies' article about a student stealing your ideas and opening their own studio HERE.  You can't stop them so just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and take the higher road.

When I started going around to different studios and doing my Poletry in Motion blog posts, I decided up front that I would focus on the positive aspects of my visit.  I mean, so far it's been easy because I haven't had any bad experiences.  It doesn't mean I might not encounter it someday and, if it does, I'll decide how to deal with it then.  But for the most part, I want to focus on the fun I had.  Have I witnessed some drama or heard gossip?  Sure.  Would I repeat it to anyone else?  Hell no.  I also want studio owners to feel like I am a welcome guest in class, and not the snake reporter trying to reveal the dirty secrets of their studio.

Also, when I go to performances, I am not a judge.  I am not there to critique.  I am there to have fun and enjoy an awesome performance.  There is no reason for me to then write a blog piece about messed up moves.  Hell, I can't do 90% of the moves most performers are pulling off, so I choose to write positively about each performance. We are our own worst critics and I bet those performers are harder on themselves than I could ever be.  And I also bet I didn't notice half of their "mess ups."  My self esteem gains nothing by cutting someone else down.  Plus, it actually feels nice to say nice things about people and make them smile.  So why not do that? 

So back to Lulu again.  I give her so many, many props for putting herself and her weight and her issues out there.  Weight is just a number but it is sometimes hard to reveal.  I recently decided to start publishing myself.  Sadly, I did it to hopefully "shame" myself into losing weight.  It hasn't worked so far.  I'm still plugging along though.  Pilates.  Yoga.  Pole.  Silks.  Still need to do more cardio.  But I'm taking this day by day.  My ultimate goal weight is still 200 pounds.  But for now, I'm only focusing on five pounds at a time.  I am trying not to obsess on it because if I don't get back there, I don't want to feel like a failure.  I want to be healthy and strong and whatever number shows up on the scale, I am trying to be okay with that.  Due to the gastric bypass, I get blood tests every year.  As long as those numbers keep saying I'm okay, then I'm okay!


I am not here to say I am a perfect person and never get caught up in negativity or gossip or bullshit.  There are many people who would love to come tell you about what an asshole I am.  But my first inclination is to give everyone a chance.  However if YOU are bogged down in negativity and are constantly talking shit about EVERYONE you know, I get to a point of realizing I can't keep a relationship with you going.  So I drop "friends" like that.  It doesn't mean I don't miss some parts of the friendship.  But I can't spend my life surrounded by people who bring me down when there are a lot of amazing people in my life who deserve my full attention. 

Sure I don't like everyone I meet, but I am not a fake person.  What you see is what you get.  And I just happen to believe that you don't need to fail in order for me to succeed.  So I will continue to choose to post as positively as I can.  And if you catch me falling into the gutter, feel free to call me out.  :-)

Spotlight on Lulu!!

I first saw some photos of Lulu on Facebook and I was so impressed with her strength on the pole.  So welcome Lulu as our latest pole sister! What is your fitness routine (on and off the pole)?   Right now I’m training for Ms. Xpose 2012.  With being a mom, my schedule gets pretty hectic even before adding the training.  I make sure I’m flexible with my days to accommodate my needs on being a parent.  For off the pole I do a lot of push ups and crunches.  Those are my go to exercises to build up the strength I need to pull off tricks.  I try to at least do push ups every morning when I wait for the water for my shower to warm up.  Pole-Wise I attend pole class once a week and whatever we work on in class I work on in my Pole Cave once a week as well.  Now with training coming into the mix, I work on a routine a few times that night I’m in the pole cave.  Once I’m done, I work on a freestyle routine.  Freestyling is one of my weaker points so it gives me a good way to work on my weakness and get my mind the routine for a short period of time. What kind of diet do you follow? Last year I discovered Eating Clean.  I starting following it and I noticed a difference in how I felt overall.  This year I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and the doctor had told me that diet and exercise will ease a lot of my symptoms that I have.  I’ve started to work on clean more than I used to.   With competition training my husband is the nutritionist nazi. He has taken cookies from me and reminded me there is a competition coming up. Do you have a dance background? I’ve been dancing my whole life, even before I took class.  I started with cheerleading, that came with dance and tumbling.  I am a former National Cheerleaders Association All-Star Cheerleader.  That came with dance, stunts and tumbling.  As I got older I took more former dance classes in High School.  I stopped dancing after giving birth to my daughter in 2004.  Do you compete (pole fitness or any other kind of fitness competitions)? I've competed in the local competitions but I have auditioned for bigger competitions.  I’ve competed in Ms Xpose Fitness Preliminary round in 2008,2010 and 2011.  I am determined to win, so that’s why I keep trying!  I keep falling off the horse but I saddle back up and keep going!  Do you teach pole classes?  If so, where? Teaching is a one of my dreams, next to owning and running my own studio.  I made a personal promise to myself that I would win a competition before I decided to branch out and start teaching.  I like to have some credentials next to my name when it comes to someone who wants to learn pole from me. Do you have a preference? "pole fitness" or "pole dancing" For me, I’m a pole dancing kind of gal.  You’ve got to fill in the times you’re not on the pole. But I am a fan of both of them. What do you think about the stripper vs. pole fitness debate? I respect strippers, it takes some serious guts to stand in a room with a bunch of horny-ish men and get naked.  That’s something you’d never see me doing. I also attend a studio whose mission statement is about finding yourself through the art of exotic dance, I see more of the stripper side than pole fitness.  But you aren’t going to see any stripper do a jade in the club for tips.   What is your favorite product to help you stick to the pole?  I’m a big fan of Itac.  I use it when I’m in my Pole Cave, but when I’m in the studio where I take classes I use shaving cream.   The studio poles are brass and my home pole is chrome.  How do you deal with the dry skin on pole days (and on off-pole days)? I have naturally oily skin - I say I could fry an egg off my face.  The only lotion I use is face moisturiser, I don’t touch lotion beyond that.  Where do you like to buy your pole clothes? My favorite set is from Bad Kitty's Pole Fit Line.  I have the spider back bra and the Brazil shorts.  I love them so much that I could actually sleep in them. The go to shorts I wear are the Soffe cheer shorts.  You can get them in any color of the rainbow and they can be bought anywhere. My newest ones are zebra print.  Do you like to dance in heels or barefoot? I like both.  It really depends on the song.  You just know it when you hear the song.  I’m 5'4 so I find any excuse to look taller! What is your favorite thing about dancing on the pole? I feel like myself.  Pole is my happy place, it’s the one place I can go and be Lulu and not have to worry about anything else at the moment.   What is your favorite song to dance to (at this moment)? I won’t reveal what my competition music is but right now there are a few songs I’m really feeling. Black Coffee by Everlast and Shakin Hands by Nickelback.  Normally after I’ve danced to a song, I really don’t want to listen to it for awhile.  Those 2, I could hear over and over and still create new combos. What else would you like people to know about you or your studio(s)? That I have big dreams and I don't give up on them. I'm also an event organizer.  I run the annual charity events - Battle of the Pole Dance Studios.   I am beyond the moon excited to be running this event again.   You can check out my event at www.battlepole.com and my personal site www.team-lulu.com.