Fonji is the new Spatchcock

Today I wrote about California Pole Dance Championship's fifth annual competition, which was held a little over a week ago.  I realized as I was watching that I was witnessing the bar being raised to a ridiculous level in competitive pole dancing. 

I attended CPDC in 2011.  It was the first major live pole performance I had ever attended.  I was still fairly new to pole dance and was star-struck at every turn.  I had seen routines on YouTube and had pretty much pegged the Spatchcock as THE finishing move.  If you had the flexibility, the Spatchcock would show up at some point in your routine, generally at the end.  I feel like there are few graceful ways to get out of that move anyway so "the end" works.  Another "must-have" was the Jade Split.  I believe named for Jamilla Deville, this is the beautiful split while you're upside down on the pole, which shows you have no nerve endings left in your hip and tons of flexibility.   

This is about as advanced as I get

Enter the Fonji.  I first saw Natasha Wang do the Fonji through a Facebook video about two years ago (although a YouTube video shows her learning it from Timber and Steve about a year prior to that).  If you don't know what the Fonji is, HERE is a video of Natasha doing the Fonji to reverse Fonji combo.  Primarily a circus or Chinese pole move, advanced moves like the Fonji are quickly spreading into competitive pole routines.  You can see Skittles' tutorial on the Fonji HERE.  Although she believes the move is not as difficult or dangerous as it looks, I still consider it an advanced move. 

So imagine my surprise at the competition last week to find FOUR of the eleven competitors in CPDC's Neo category attempted the Fonji!  These are the amateur competitors!  Sure, they have to dance very well to get to this level of competition, but they are still not at Pro level.  And many did not finish the move cleanly, which means they are in danger of injuring themselves.  What is going on here?  

Where is competitive pole going?  So many competitors aren't just pole dancing.  They are taking contortion and acrobatic classes.  They are adding in Chinese pole and circus tricks.  Why bother with a simple (but beautiful) Allegra when you can do a drop from 20 feet up? 

Although I was impressed with the athleticism of all of the competitors, I was extremely happy that the winning routines were well-rounded with tricks AND spins.  And also happy that many had an interesting story to tell, rather than "just" being a dance.  I know I'm not one to judge since I can't do ANY of those high-level moves.  I just hope that competitors are not risking their safety and the integrity of their routines for the cheap thrill of a trick that has not yet been perfected.  

I am curious to hear what everyone else thinks about this subject.  Where do you think competitive pole dancing is headed?  Are there tricks that used to be common place that you aren't seeing anymore?  Which tricks do you think need to go and which do you wish would come back? 

California Pole Dance Championship - 2013

The fifth annual California Pole Dance Championship was held in Los Angeles, California on November 3, 2013.

As I was down in LA for Comikaze, I decided to extend my stay for one night and go to the competition. 

The competition was slated to be held at Circus Hollywood.  Literally one day before the competition, I started seeing posts on Facebook that the venue had changed (to Arena Hollywood, which is in the same parking lot at least).  Also the time was moved up by an hour and a half or so, which bummed me out since I was supposed to go watch a panel on women and size diversity at Comikaze.  I was also disappointed because I never got an e-mail announcing the time change.  If I hadn't noticed the posts on Facebook, I would never have known.  I found out later, that was because I was not on "the list."  Luckily, I was able to show the door the receipt for my $99 ticket and my reserved seat had been left empty, so there was no harm, no foul.  

My shirt from Poleitical Clothing

It was great to run into Leen Isabel and Danielle of Poleitical Clothing, two of the vendors with tables.  I know there were a couple of other vendors there but I didn't have a chance to stop by the tables.  There was also a photobooth there.  They were asking us to pose with stickers from United Pole Artists, so I hope the photos will be published on their website at some point. 

The Circus nightclub is a much larger venue than Arena.  I felt like the tables were really squashed together in order to get the same number of people into Arena.  The stage was also smaller and there was no awesome sparkly background.  At the same time, watching an event of this magnitude in a smaller venue is kind of cool and makes everyone feel like they have a front row seat.  It appears that the venue was at fault for over-booking.  CPDC was forced to start earlier and literally the minute the show was over, the lights went on and everyone was told to go home so they could set up for the next event.  Considering how many events Anjel has now done with this club, you would think they would have a little more respect for her.  I seriously hope she was given a large refund for this mistake.  Despite all of this, the club was packed and the show went on!  I saw Nadia Sharif (last year's winner) working her booty off as she hustled around the club keeping everything on schedule. 

There was no video allowed at this event so I haven't been able to go back and re-watch performances to give a better reaction.  If you are interested in watching performances, I believe United Pole Artists and MFEO.tv are offering them for 99 cents.  Therefore, I am commenting on this contest only by memory and notes.  My phone also didn't take many great photos because the lighting was whiting everything out. 

Judging this competition: Natasha Wang, Mina Mortezaie, Amy Guion, Flying Laura Martin, Kelly Maglia and Josiah "BadAzz" Grant.   BadAzz started the show off with a reprise of his winning Midwest Prince routine.  And Flying Laura closed the show in the only way she knows how -- with her bad ass flying tricks and spins. 

Neo Division

Neo (amateur) category included: Drusilla Ray, Nancy Ly, Uyen Hoang (took third place in amateur division in 2012), Moana Moon, Tehera Nesfield, Jhasmynne Hider, Candi Vastlik, Venus Manuel, Adrienne Strauss, Heather West and Margarita Evans.  

Dru

First off, let me start by saying holy f*cking $hit.  The Neo category was off the hook, and these performers could hardly be called amateur.  I counted at least four performers out of eleven attempting a Fonji.  THESE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AMATEURS.  I was caught between being ridiculously impressed and slightly frustrated that these are supposed to be the non-professional competitors.  They completely raised the bar for competitions in the pole community.  I still remember when I saw Natasha Wang do a Fonji for the first time and I was like, that is some voodoo magic and I can't believe I just saw her flip on the pole like that!  But that's Natasha-Freaking-Wang.  Now the "beginners" are doing it??  Let me also say that, despite this being a competition, it seemed like some were willing to sacrifice fluidity for the shock of a crazy trick.  There was a lot of slipping out of moves in both categories, which I realize you can't always control, and must be insanely frustrating for the competitors, especially at this level.  But at this level, I did have high expectations for quality routines.  I would like to see cleaner routines, and less dramatic tricks for a more well-rounded performance.  If you are starting with a Fonji, where do you go from there??  I guess maybe a Death Lay into Fonji into Spatchcock, then just dance off stage because no one can beat that with a stick and you win!

Indeed, I felt like the winners did put on well-rounded, and often emotional performances.  Margarita took first (with her cooking-themed routine, which I saw showcased at Pole Expo in Las Vegas; she was also crowned Champion in Level 3/Senior at Pacific Pole Championship earlier this year).   Venus (one of my personal favorite people in general) took second with her very, very emotional routine.  She also won People's Choice Award from Mighty Grip and X-Pole.  Moana placed third.  She also had a very beautiful routine. 

Pro Division

Pro category include: Shelly Lamb, Brandon Rosario, Sasja Lee, Brynn Route, Lily Huang (took first in amateur division in 2012), Stacey Craven (took second place in amateur division in 2012), Drea Roers, Crystal Gibson, Amanda Rose and Katherine Voorhees (not listed on the program).  Side note:  To see other past winners, click HERE. 

First off, little Amanda Rose sailed on to the pole competition circuit only this year after turning 18.  Keep an eye on her.  She has big things coming.  I believe adding Brandon to the pro line-up is the first step in adding a men's division to future CPDC competitions.  I was also slightly saddened that only one Northern California poler made it into the entire competition.  Congratulations to Shelly Lamb for representing all of Nor Cal.

BadAzz

After such a shocking Neo Division, I wasn't really sure what to expect with the Pros.  Will they dangle from the ceiling and do a death drop while twirling a baton of fire?  Will they have back-up dancers and sing while they pole?  I really didn't know where the Pros could go after what we had already witnessed.  What I believe we ended up getting are the well-rounded, story-driven routines that won for those in Neo Division.  There was, in fact, only one Spatchcock that I counted.  And I believe I stopped counting Fonji's, so I couldn't even tell you if any of the Pros did one!  I will be writing a post after this one about how Fonji is the new Spatchcock (just my personal commentary on where the future of competitive pole might be headed), so check it out. 

Sasja Lee (another one of my favorite people in general) took first place.  She also won Most Athletic.  Amanda Rose took second place with her energetic routine.  She also won Most Artistic and Most Entertaining.  Brynn Route took third, and also won Most Flexible.  Crystal Gibson (another of my favorites) won X-Pole and Glitter Heel's Miss Congeniality award. 

All-in-all, despite the last-minute monkey wrench, this was another fun pole event.  I am really glad I stuck around to watch and thank you to Nadia and Anjel for a great event!

Do you agree with my assessment of the performances?  If you watched any of them, let me know what you thought! 

April Blog Hop: Twirly Girls at Pacific Pole Championship

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. 

How much does it cost to put on a pole show?

...or competition or showcase...

I want to start this post by saying, not much unlike my post about running a pole studio, I don't have the answer.  I just want to start the discussion... 

I recently saw Aerial Amy post on Facebook about her Flight Club showcase.  It sounds like perhaps people are giving her a hard time for potentially profiting from the shows (although it sounds like she has not turned a profit).  First off, there is nothing wrong with making a profit off the shows, considering the amount of hard work that goes into putting one on.  However, just having been on the outskirts of some shows and competitions, I imagine that what most of the people putting on these shows are getting is the satisfaction of knowing they put on an excellent show.  If someone is putting their blood, sweat and tears into putting on an entertainment show, why should they feel bad if they are making a profit?  And how terrible should the haters feel to find out they are usually doing it for the love of their art.

I certainly have grumbled at $100+ tickets to see a pole show (I'm not going to stand the whole show -- sorry).  I try to remember how much work goes into a show.  I saw a lot of the stuff that went down behind the scenes at Pole Show LA in 2012 (which was moved into a different venue for 2013).  I really got an inside look at the end-preparations of the showcase at Pole Expo in Vegas last September.  It was eye-opening.  Money aside, the amount of time and effort was so impressive.  How much do you think it costs to put on a pole show?

First you need a venue.  Even if you think you're going to have a sell-out crowd, someone needs to front a deposit.  And each venue will have different requirements, but all will require some kind of liability insurance.  Some may even require you to hire security (or pay extra for theirs).  Does the vendor offer ticketing options or do you need to set up with a company like Brown Paper Tickets, which will add fees to your ticket prices (although a much lower fee than places like Ticketmaster)?

Then what?  Is this a competition (in which you may have charged your competitors a fee already)?  A show (where you may be paying some of your performers)?  A showcase (where many of your performers may be dancing for free)?  I don't have a lot of experience with this, but I do remember a world famous pole dancer coming to Twirly Girls for workshops.  She charged $250 to do a one-song performance and meet and greet.  I imagine if you are able to schedule some workshops, some of the more famous pole dancers may do your show for free, but paying your more famous dancers may be a cost to consider. 

I imagine the next biggest expense is rigging and poles.  If you aren't being sponsored by a big pole company, you may have to front that cost yourself.  And if you don't want to put your performers on stage poles, you are looking at professional rigging.  Again, I have never had to purchase it myself, but I understand a weekend of rigging can cost $6,000, or more. 

If you are offering more of a convention or event with vendors, perhaps the fees from vendors will off-set some of your costs, but you need to make sure you have a good retail set-up.  Otherwise, it will not encourage them to return the next year.  Putting them in a dark, back corner and not letting your patrons know there is a room for shopping will hurt you and your vendors. 

Advertising and marketing are next.  Sure, Facebook is great, but you have to decide if you want to spend the time and money on paid ads.  Participants should invite friends but I think many feel that the promoter is in charge of filling the seats. 

How about music licensing?  Any public performance of popular music will require a music license. 

Also, if you are going to live-stream the event, who do you use and do you have ANY idea the amount of work that goes into setting up live-stream cameras?  I helped with the set up and tear down at Pole Expo and, holy $hit!  They laid miles of cable for multiple cameras.  It was quite a job. 

Sure, vendors and sponsors may off-set some costs, but I don't know that we are at a point where most of these events are making anyone rich.  Did I miss any obvious costs?  I would really, really love to hear from some people who have put an event on.  You can post anonymously if you'd like.  What advice do you have for those who want to put on a pole show?!

PoleArt 2012 is this month!

Earlier this year, I talked to the creators of PoleArt, a pole competition and showcase that switches between Sweden and Finland.  This year, the 4th annual event is in Sweden.  I wanted to publish the list of competitors!

Female Competitive Category

    Anastasia Skukhtorova, Russia
    Laurence Hilsum, France
    Maria Luz Escalante, Argentina
    Natalia Egorova, Russia
    Natasha Wang, USA
    Oona Kivelä, Finland
    Phoenix Kazree, USA
    Polina Volchek, USA
    Rafaela Montanaro, Brazil
    Tracey Simmonds, South Africa

Male Competitive Category

    Evgeny Greshilov, Russia
    Patryk Rybarski, Poland
    Saulo Sarmiento, France
    Steven Retchless, USA
    Wilson Alexander Meija, Colombia

Showcase

    Ekaterina Romanova, Russia
    Intellego Pole Company, Sweden
    Michelle Stanek, USA
    Pole Dance Theatre "TRASH"

Guest Performance

    Jenyne Butterfly, USA

What an AMAZING show this is going to be!  I really wish I had the funds and time off to attend.  How about any of you...are you going?? 

Pole Competitions, Showcases and Conventions for 2012

I am on the hunt for pole events all over the globe.  I know I am missing a lot of events from the UK and other areas of the world.  I would like to ask for your help!  Please check out my Google doc (live link below plus I have pasted the events I have as of today into this blog), and then leave a comment with a link to YOUR event so I can update my list.

Thanks!!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WDkiRUv-6eskzU2aWAf6edjvwySwO_yG7PNU-wci9WM/edit

Pole Competitions, Showcases and Conventions ~ 2012

Name	Type	Date(s)	Date to Submit	Location	Website
National Aerial Pole Art	Competition	February 25, 2012		Las Vegas	http://aerialpoleart.com/NAPA/NAPA.html
International Pole Championship (IPDFA)	Competition	March 15, 2012		Worldwide (Hong Kong in 2012)	http://polechampionship.com/
Australian Pole Fitness Championships	Competition	April 22, 2012		Melbourne	http://australianpolefitnesschampionships.com.au/
Pacific Pole Championships	Competition	May 19, 2012		Los Angeles, CA	http://www.pacificpolechampionships.com/
Pole Convention	Convention/ Showcase	June 21-24, 2012		Varies in US (Los Angeles, CA in 2012)	http://www.poleconvention.com/
International Pole Masters Cup	Competition	June 21, 2012		Hollywood, CA	http://www.poledancemasters.com/Pole_Dance_Masters/IPM.html
Polesque	Competition	June 22, 2012 (twice a year)		Varies (Los Angeles in June 2012)	https://www.facebook.com/pages/Polesque/215903832386
Alberta Pole Fitness Championships	Competition	July 13, 2012		Calgary, Alberta, Canada	http://www.albertapolefitnesschampionships.com/
Kelly Yvonne’s Hide and Seek - a Pole Dance Speakeasy	Show	July 19, 2012 (plays monthly with some exceptions)		Los Angeles, CA	http://girlnextdoorshow.com/dance_news/hideandseek/
World Pole Sports Championships (IPSF)	Competition	July 19-20, 2012		London in 2012	http://polesports.org/
Head Over Heels 2012 Pole Dance Competition & Shopping Expo (Round 1)	Competition/ Convention	August 4, 2012		Raleigh, NC	http://poledancenc.wix.com/headoverheels
Kelly Yvonne’s Girl Next Door – a Pole Dance Soirée	Show	August 5, 2012 (plays monthly with some exceptions)		Los Angeles, CA	http://girlnextdoorshow.com/
Air Show	Show	August 10, 2012 (twice a year)		Redwood City, CA	www.poletential.com
New Jersey Pole Dancing Exhibition	Show	August 19, 2012		Princeton, NJ	www.newjerseypoledancing.com
The Great Midwest Competition & Convention 2012	Competition/ Convention	August 24-26, 2012		Tinley Park, IL	http://www.midwestpoledancing.com/
The North American Pole Dance Championship (as part of Midwest)	Competition/ Convention	August 24-26, 2012		Tinley Park, IL	http://www.midwestpoledancing.com/
Dangerous Curves (plus-sized pole dance competition)	Competition	August 25, 2012		Brooklyn, NY	http://thedivapresentsdangerouscurves.eventbrite.com/
Pole Art	Competition/ Showcase	August 25, 2012		Sweden and Finland (Stockholm in 2012)	http://www.poleart.org/
Pole Expo	Convention	September 6-9, 2012		Las Vegas, NV	http://www.poleexpo.com/index.html#.UBbJW6AVkdU
Atlantic Pole Fitness Championships	Competition	September 7, 2012	August 1, 2012	Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada	http://canadianpolefitnessassociation.com/august-19-2012/
Quebec Pole Fitness Championships	Competition	September 13, 2012		East Montreal, Quebec, Canada	http://canadianpolefitnessassociation.com/championnat-canadien-de-pole-fitness/
International Pole Camp (Pole Junkies)	Convention/ Camp	September 13-16, 2012		Calgary, Alberta, Canada	http://www.internationalpolecamp.com/
SuperShag Pole Fitness Invitational & Championships	Competition	September 14-15, 2012		Boston, MA	http://www.spfchampionships.com/
British Columbia Pole Fitness Championships	Competition	September 15, 2012		Campbell River, BC, Canada	http://canadianpolefitnessassociation.com/british-columbia-pole-fitness-championships/
Alberta Pole Dance Championships	Competition	September 21, 2012	August 1, 2012	Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada	http://canadianpolefitnessassociation.com/alberta-pole-dance-championships/
The International Pole and Aerial Arts Convention	Convention	September 21-23, 2012		London	http://www.ipaac.co.uk/
US Pole Dance Championships (USPDF)	Competition	September 29, 2012		New York	http://uspoledance.com/
Ontario Pole Fitness Championships	Competition	September 29, 2012		Ottawa, Ontario, Canada	http://cherryblossomstudio.ca/opfc/
Miss Texas Pole Star	Competition/ Convention	October 5-6, 2012		Dallas, TX	http://www.misstexaspolestar.com/
California Pole Dance Championship	Competition	October 7, 2012	August 19, 2012	Hollywood, CA	http://www.poledancechampion.com/PoleDanceChampion/Home.html
APFC (APFA)	Competition	October 12, 2012		New York	http://www.americanpolefitness.com/championship/
Kelly Maglia’s Vertical Theater Presents Once Upon A Pole	Show	October 12-14, 2012		Los Angeles, CA	https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Maglia-Vertical-Theatre/357148110883
Canadian Pole Fitness Championships	Competition	October 13, 2012		Vancouver, BC, Canada	http://canadianpolefitnessassociation.com/september-15th-2012/
Florida Pole & Aerial Arts Showcase	Showcase	October 14, 2012		Orlando, FL	www.FloridaPoleShowcase.com
II Pole World Cup	Competition	November 2-4, 2012		Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	http://www.poleworldcup.com.br/ingles.html
Miss Pole Dance Australia	Competition	November 10, 2012		Sydney, Australia	http://www.misspoledanceaustralia.com.au/home.php