How to pole dancer
About The Pole Dancer • The Pole Dancer
Hi! My name is Miglena and I created The Pole Dancer, because I want to help you learn more about the “dancing” side of pole dance. Instead of doing trick after trick, I’ll teach you how to move expressively, how to connect moves fluidly and how to create your own unique routines.
THE BACKSTORY
After four years of rhythmic gymnastics as a child back in Bulgaria, my parents strongly suggested I should concentrate on school and my future academic studies. I graduated from school with excellent grades and moved to Germany to study, where I put a lot of work on making my dream of becoming a designer come true – obtaining a loan from the bank, another year of studying abroad, multiple internships and jobs.
The work payed off and I became a successful designer. To counterbalance the negative effects on my body from sitting long hours in front of a computer, I started doing sports again after a 15 year break. I was out of shape and annoyed with myself for having neglecting my body for such a long time.
I also took my first class in modern and contemporary dance and I was surprised how vulnerable and uncomfortable I felt. I was often the “worst” dancer in class. Sometimes I felt silly and ashamed, because I had no dance experience. My acrobatic and flexibility skills from the rhythmic gymnastics were not as helpful as I thought they would be. Still, I felt happy after each dance class and attracted by this new ambition of moving fluidly, I kept improving my dance skills. And I still do (until) today.
Soon I found out about pole dance, after I saw a video of a less known pole dancer. I was so struck with her dance and with the music, that I watched all of her videos about 20 times in two days. I immediately booked my first pole dance class. I could finally put my acrobatic and flexibility skills into action.
THE REALIZATION
I was advancing quickly in the pole classes.
Then I discovered a new pole dance studio with a higher level of teaching – not so much because of the difficulty of the tricks, but because of the learning tasks assigned to the students. The high intensity workout in the beginning of the class helped me build strength and conditioning quicker. Instead of single tricks, we learned combos and routines, which not only brought more joy into my pole practice, but also helped me come up with my own ideas for combos and moves at home.
After I mastered the pole dance fundamentals and started teaching beginners classes, I realized that it was not about getting those tricks, that everyone eventually gets, but about how you get in and out of them. How you put moves together, how you make everything appear fluid and effortless and how you actually turn them into a dance.
In other words: How to express emotions.
This also made me realize, that some great pole dancers, who we admire so much for hypnotizing us with their dance, teach this set of skills in rare, distant workshops, that I can barely attend or afford.
But there is something missing in the huge space of free and paid online tutorials. Something I found to be, for me personally, one of the most important skills in my pole dance toolbox.
THE PROCESS
I decided that I am smart and talented enough to explore the art of pole dancing by myself, additionally to pole classes and workshops.
But to be the best you really have to learn from the best. In an effort to figure out where the best material can be found I started scouring the internet. I subscribed to all social accounts, newsletters, blogs, workshops and online programs of the best dancers in the pole industry, known for their unique style. I enhanced my practice with techniques from different disciplines, dancing styles and movements. I implemented new techniques and exercises into my teaching practice, observing how my students get along.
Soon I was having even more fun copying, paying attention to details, freestyling and experimenting than if I would in a regular class/workshop!
I joined pole communities and I started talking with people about problems and pain points pole dancers have.
I started creating and sharing tutorials, whenever I could help. Some of the things people struggle with come easily to me. And some are common struggles, which motivates me to explore deeper for potential solutions.
As a result, my personal training felt more fluid, my own style evolved, I was able to think less and dance more. I started expressing myself through pole dance, which is my ultimate personal goal – the one I keep working on.
THE POLE DANCER
In this blog I would like to share with you what I am learning in the process.
Here you will find pole flow and combo tutorials for building muscle and motion memory; simple movement techniques and guided (freestyle) exercises, focusing on the fluidity between movements; transitions on and off the floor and the pole; graceful ways of climbing and descents; different styles of choreographies; tips on choreographing and stage presence.
You will learn:
– How to start putting things together
– How to gracefully flow between moves
– How to stop thinking what to do next
– How to make strength movements appear effortless
– How to look pretty without any previous dance experience
– How to create stunning performances
I believe that through these exercises anyone can get the best out of their tricks and start dancing the pole.
– – – – –
If you want to reach out and say hello, share your pole dance process or ask a question, don’t hesitate to contact me.
10 Things I Wish Everyone Knew About Pole Dancing
1.
Most pole dancers, regardless of age, are in the best shape of their lives.
Pole dancing is a full-body workout. It is resistance training and cardio in one, and flexibility is improved as well. Pole dancers perform acrobatic tricks either suspending their weight or propelling it around a metal pole. The simple act of climbing a pole is an incredible display of strength. It is no surprise, then, that most pole dancers insist they have never looked or felt better.
Natasha Wang, a world champion pole dancer, didn’t even start the exercise until age 29. Greta Pontarelli is a champion pole dancer at age 63—and she only began a few years ago!
2.
There are many different types of pole dancing.
Pole dancing is extremely versatile. There are three main branches: sport, art, and sexy:
- In sport, you have the serious athletes performing difficult tricks and displaying unfathomable muscular strength.
(Some have even petitioned for pole to become an Olympic event!) - Then there are also those who embrace the artistic side pole has to offer. The simplicity of a vertical apparatus like the pole is appealing in that there is no shortage of creativity—so many stories can be told. Many pole dancers perform barefoot and have been known to incorporate modern dance, props and costumes into their routines.
- Finally the sexy side of pole is still practiced by many. These dancers usually wear heels and favor more sensual, erotic movement.
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Although there is some debate within the community about which direction pole is heading, all three forms flourish, and many pole dancers enjoy all styles. There is something for everyone!
3.
You need your skin exposed to grip the pole.
Pole dancers must have their legs, arms and stomachs exposed to safely grip the pole.
There are some grounded spins, poses, and floor work that can be performed while wearing pants, but in order to perform more advanced moves, we must have the proper amount of skin exposure.
At first, the idea of working out in a sports bra and tiny shorts may seem intimidating. But most new pole dancers quickly discover they are having too much fun to worry about what they look like. Their focus shifts instead to what they can accomplish—a freeing notion, really, that can help build confidence.
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4.
It can be dangerous without proper training.
Although pole dancing is fun, it is a serious athletic endeavor that should not be taken lightly. Some people do not realize how challenging pole can be on a first attempt (re: every muscle in my body ached for days). In addition to bruises, pole dancers can experience shoulder or back pain with improper technique or overtraining.
You should always learn from a certified instructor. If training from home, take time properly installing your home pole according to manufacturer instructions and vetting a reputable online learning platform. If you're too eager to flip upside down, it can be especially dangerous and can lead to injury.
That said, I encourage everyone interested in pole dancing to go through gradually progressive training with a professional.
5.
Men can (and do!) pole dance.
The number of men pole dancing continues to grow every year. There are men’s divisions in competitions now, and I see more men joining classes I take or teach than ever before.
Men’s natural inclination toward upper body strength makes them ideal candidates for the sport. There are many ancient forms of pole dancing such as Mallakhamb, a traditional Indian sport where the practitioner performs yoga postures on a wooden pole—and has actually been performed exclusively by men throughout history.
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6.
“Not having upper body strength” is not an excuse to avoid it.
I understand that you may be nervous to try pole dancing. Maybe you don’t feel you are at your ideal weight, or you think you have no rhythm, or you think you're too old. But I encourage you to stop creating roadblocks for yourself. The best way to get better at something is to work on it! Every athletic journey requires a first courageous step. You'll grow over time as you build skills, strength and body awareness. Overcoming feats is part of what's so inspiring and empowering about pole.
Whether you’re uncoordinated and can’t lift your own body weight or you're an athlete with gymnastic capabilities, there is always a new trick or transition to learn with pole dancing. The process of growth never ends, and the possibilities can be as creative as your imagination allows them to be.
7.
It’s not always so sexy.
Pole dancing is not always as overtly sexual as people may believe. The process of training is often full of awkward and unglamorous moments. Many of us end up with bruises, burns, and scrapes from trying new moves. And although we may wear sports bras and tiny shorts when performing, most dancers opt for comfort over fashion in between training sessions.
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8.
But it can be very sexy.
The seductive allure of pole dancing still remains steadfast. There was a period of time when pole dancing first became mainstream where many pole dancers sought to distance its association with strip clubs. They felt this link delegitimized efforts to be taken seriously. The community has since evolved to understand this denial as a form of appropriation and recognizes with respect the roots this art form holds in exotic dance.
While many styles of dance and movement currently inspire modern pole dancing, the kind we practice today would not exist without strippers. Many of the first informal pole dancing classes in the US took place in strip clubs and many of the first pole studios in the US were founded by strippers who became small business owners and entrepreneurs.
9.
The community is very tight-knit.
Because what we do is still considered taboo by many, there is a unique closeness that bonds us together. There are pole dancers of all professions, ethnicities, religions, cultures, sizes, and ages. I have friends all over the world because of pole dancing, and I have friends who have been able to travel the world because of it.
We support each other through learning new moves. We share each other’s videos, and we watch each other perform. This shared interest bonds us with a special understanding, just like any other team sport.
10.
Pole dancing can be emotionally healing.
This is one of the biggest reasons I've stuck with pole dancing as long as I have. The physical benefits are great, but the feeling you get from mastering a move or expressing a particular emotion is indescribable. For example, when I am able to assist a student without any fitness background in their first pole climb, it is an honor to witness their feeling of accomplishment and resulting boost in self-confidence.
You can dance out any emotion in class, whether joyful, angry, or sad. The combination of athletic skill and artistic influence makes it unique to any other form of dance or sport. To me, it is both dance and sport woven together into one beautiful, athletic art form.
What is Pole Dance and how to start dancing
Pole Dance is a harmonious dance performed on a metal pole (pylon). It combines elements of acrobatics, choreography and gymnastics. This direction does not need strong physical training, all the required skills and abilities are given during constant training.
It is often confused with striptease and pole dancing, but in reality there is nothing in common between them.
Greetings, dear readers. If you are here, then you have the opportunity right now to learn about such a dance as Pole Dance. Classes on the pylon attract modern girls and women, draw them in and fall in love with themselves. The multifaceted Pole Dance gives meaning and fulfillment over time, a thirst for achieving new goals. It gives fans more and more opportunities to develop themselves, to be more attractive and stronger.
What is Pole Dance?
In pole dance, a pole or pylon serves as the main working element, a sports equipment on which various tricks are performed. In striptease, a metal pole is a decorative detail, the stripper dances next to it, doing simple dance moves - no complicated tricks are performed here.
Pole Dance is a physically difficult pole dance that can be safely attributed to a power sport. Young girls, women of different ages and even children can do it.
By the way, men can also practice on the pylon, perform power elements of increased complexity.
Standard Pole Training
As a rule, Pole Dance classes for beginners begin with a warm-up to prevent sprains and all sorts of injuries. A good start makes pole training safe and effective, prepares the ligaments and muscles for loads and twists. Then it is allowed to start performing simple elements of the dance. When the body is well warmed up, stretching is done (static and dynamic).
Flexibility is important for performing the main number of elements on the pole, so stretching is in every workout, after warming up and at the end of the session. A force load is placed on the prepared body. A lot of energy is wasted here. To perform heavy tricks in pole dance, the use of a mat is provided. After a power load, the trainer does stretching and a hitch.
Tips for pole dance beginners
Pylons for training are dynamic, which are spinning, and static.
There is an erroneous opinion that it is better for beginners to practice on a spinning pylon. Beginning dancers are advised to start doing dance elements on a static pole. It may be more difficult, but it’s faster to make progress, get stronger and develop a muscular corset. The issue of choosing clothes for pole dance for practicing on the pylon is also of interest to beginners. Everything is pretty simple here. For the first workout, you don’t need high-heeled shoes and expensive uniforms. Initially, a t-shirt, shorts and socks are enough.
In the future, you can decide for yourself what you want to wear for training in Pole Dance. For the first lesson, it is not at all necessary to bring magnesia (liquid chalk to improve grip with the pole) or gloves. Just try to come to the lessons for beginners and in practice understand whether special tools are needed or not. When hands are held tight without anything, gloves and magnesia are not needed. In addition, the coach will tell you what would be the best option in a particular case.
A big problem for beginners is bruising. Without them, the first workouts are unlikely to do. It will take some time to put up with them. To alleviate the condition and quickly improve the appearance of the body, you can use special ointments, such as lifeguard 911, troxevasin, badyaga. Time and patience will help in the fight against bruises.
IMPORTANT! Before starting pole lessons, it is important to check your health condition. There are a number of diseases, due to which the doctor may prevent you from training. That is, you need to consult a specialist, especially if you already have any health problems.
Varieties of Pole Dance
Today there are three main directions of Pole Dance:
- Exotic. Here, the emphasis is on strength elements in a percentage ratio of approximately 70 to 30. In addition, the bulk of the dance movements are performed on the floor. This kind of pole dance is characterized by plasticity and eroticism. At the same time, there is no undressing in the exotic.
- Art. The direction is characterized by a harmonious combination of power elements and choreography. The emphasis is on the technique of performance, the quality of tricks, and the outfit of the performer. The classical understanding of the direction is pole dance as an art.
- Sport/Fitness. The most difficult variety of Pole Dance. In the performance of the pole dance, approximately 70% of the complexity and quality is given.
Why should everyone try the pole?
Paul Dance makes you constantly work on yourself, your body, hone your own skills, fight fear and pain. This can hardly be called a disadvantage of this type of dance, since there is a goal, work and victories.
In training, music and movements allow you to relax, relieve negativity and nervous tension. On the pylon you become more graceful, stronger and more flexible, and also much more confident in yourself. Pole Dance is the art of controlling your own body, which always needs care and love.
This is lightness and endurance, a slender figure, which you get as a reward for perseverance and work in training. By the way, the successful half-dancer Anna Eliseeva agrees with this.
Pole sport is a combination of useful and pleasant. This projectile serves as a simulator that allows you to keep your body in good shape, lose weight, and build muscle strength. In the process of training, the body receives a great physical load on the main muscle groups, especially on the back, arms and abs. Pole dancers work within their own limits, their muscles develop rapidly, and the body tightens and becomes attractive.
When practicing on the pole, the joints and ligaments become healthy and flexible, since in Paul Dance the main part of the elements is based on acrobatics that require great effort and fantastic flexibility. Thanks to this feature, this type of dance can even be compared with ballet.
What is attractive about pole dance is that the dance gives a thrill to the audience and the performer, based on various elements of acrobatics.
Amazing tricks on the pylon for the most part are the meaning of this direction, they are the subject of admiration and envy. To perform them, you need to develop balance and coordination, strength and flexibility. Having mastered a new trick over and over again, you can congratulate yourself on the victory over pain and fears.
Pole dancing, striptease - how to dance; man pole dance | Irsiti.Ru
Yuri Proshin from Arkhangelsk chose a pole instead of a barbell - in such an atypical way for men, he decided to keep fit. Acrobatics really requires stamina and agility. And let for the uninitiated, everything looks like a striptease - in fact, these are hard workouts in which all muscle groups are involved. Although without huge heels - nowhere.
Pole dance is a type of dance that uses one or two poles. The performance combines elements of choreography, gymnastics, and acrobatics. Often mistakenly confused with striptease.
Of course, you could go to the gym for strong muscles, but for the creative personality of Yuri Proshin - he works as an actor in the drama theater - it seemed too boring.
- The main difference from the pieces of iron is that you cannot choose the weight here. You are still working with your weight. Well, you can't get away from him. You have to lift yourself up, just in different positions.
All muscles are involved in pole dance. After a month of training, Yuri felt the result. So he was drawn into pole acrobatics. For the ninth month he has been training surrounded by girls. For Arkhangelsk, a man in such classes is a rarity, which is also confirmed by Nadezhda Istomina, head of the Soul Club studio:
- When Yura wrote, I remember sending this message to all my coaches: “Look, a boy wrote to us!” But I so wanted him to try himself, because for other cities it is normal that a man dances on a pole.
The coach gives Yuri a more difficult load. It is easier for men to perform the power elements of the dance. The main profession prepared Yuri for pole dance. As we have already said, he is a drama theater actor:
— And it helped me a lot that I had also encountered acrobatics before, and it seems that I have no problems with a sense of balance.
I know how to fall safely, it also helped a lot. I’ll tell you a secret: in order to fall safely, you need to quickly lie down, says Yuri Proshin.
The actor has always loved the language of movement and dancing, but 20 cm high heels became a test...
— I thought: my God, how high. In fact, dance shoes, they are specially designed for this, and it is very comfortable to stand and walk on them. And there are elements that are really easier and safer to do in strips than just with a bare leg.
Hobbies are not the most common in male circles, but Yuri Proshin is not afraid of a wave of hate. Relatives accept all his hobbies.
- Friends support, mother supports, but does not understand why strips. At work, they got used to me that I was constantly doing something incomprehensible. So, they giggle, but in a kind way.
Earlier we told the story of hairdresser Nadezhda Semyonova, who, at the age of 57, also decided to master pole acrobatics.
