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Before I tried pole fitness in 2013 I had never worked out or taken dance lessons. I was clumsy. I had no flow. Being in orchestra for most of my school days taught me how to find a beat, but I couldn’t count it and definitely couldn’t move to it. So when I signed up for my first studio showcase in September of 2014 I was excited, but also terrified. Putting together a routine was daunting. I had never choreographed anything before and had no clue what I was doing. Now I put together routines for classes I teach, as well as for performances. So here are my tips for first time performers:
 
Pick Music that Moves You
Pick a song that moves you emotional and/or physically. If a song inspires your imagination and/or makes your body itch to start moving then it’s going to be that much easier to put moves to music.
 
Print out Your Lyrics and Find a Pencil
The first thing I do after picking out a song is pull the lyrics from online. I then space them apart to leave myself room to write. Don’t write in ink as it’ll lock you into movements; use a pencil and have an eraser handy as you experiment and work.
 
Freestyle and Record
The second thing I do is get to the studio, warm-up, get in the right frame of mind and then start dancing! I set my phone to record and freestyle a few run throughs of my song. This isn’t about being perfect or executing my newest trick, it’s about moving with the music and seeing what comes naturally. I then watch the videos and focus on the movements/flow I liked, write those down, and use them as inspiration and a launching pad for the rest of the routine.
 
List your Favorite Moves/Tricks
I list out 3-4 favorite moves that I feel confident in, and one move I’m close to perfecting that I’d love to show off. Next question is do I want to do them on static or spin? I then listen through my music and see if these moves seem to match well with certain parts – lyric-wise or with the ebb and flow of the music. I write those down (in pencil) near the lyrics and use them as a guide to start piecing together my flow, adding in and attaching them to the movements from my freestyle practice. These two steps alone usually get me a good chunk of the way through choreographing my routines.
 
Find Some Inspiration online!
On Instagram, look up a move you want to incorporate to see interesting variations as well as unique entrances and exits. Pop onto YouTube and search the name of your song, look at non-pole dance routines for inspiration on floor work and transitions you can incorporate into your piece. Also on YouTube (or Vimeo), search for dance performances/tutorials in the style you want to dance in (lyrical, exotic, contemporary, country, etc.). If going for a more lyrical or contemporary piece, consider performances and tutorials by kids as they’re usually beginner to mid-beginner level and easy to pick up/learn. *Note: you should NOT be stealing and plagiarizing someone else’s routine. Take what you see and make it your own
 
Slow it Down!
A common performance mistake for first timers is they speed through their moves way too fast – meaning you have to choreograph that much more movement! Slow down your combos, pause and hold beautiful shapes, take a moment to show off a limb. Plan on holding poses for 4 seconds (or more) and spin poses for at least a whole rotation. The more you take your time, the less moves you need to fill in the space, and the more time the audience can appreciate those tricks you worked so hard on.
 
Don’t be Afraid to Leave Some Blank Spaces
In the beginning I liked to have every second of my song accounted for. Now I leave an extra few seconds scattered here and there, especially right after a difficult pose/combo. This leaves some wiggle-room if something goes awry.
 
Try Some New Classes
Are you stuck in a rut and can’t figure out what to do next? Try a new class... it’ll knock you out of your comfort zone and get those create juices flowing. Plus you may find a new move/combo that you like. So give Liquid Motion, Spin Pole, Flex, Barre, Chair, Low Flow, Pole Flow, or even Pole Conditioning a try!
 
If it’s Not Working, Don’t Fight It
Sometimes a song or move just isn’t working. No matter how much you love a song or want to show off a pose it may just not work with what you’re putting together. Don’t fight it, scrap it. There is always next time. <3
 
When All Else Fails Get Some Help
There is nothing wrong for asking people’s opinion and help. Your classmates may have a favorite combo/move that you do that you didn’t think of. Your teacher will have suggestions on unique ways in and/or out of a move. Studio Phoenix also offers private lessons with choreography. :D

​Good luck!

​Pole Dancing has taken the world by storm as a fun workout that combines strength, cardio, and fun! If you’re on the fence about trying your first class (we were all nervous our first time, too!), here are 10 reasons why you should give Pole Dance a try.
 
10. It’s great cross-training for other sports/dance.
While most sports focus on lower body strength, Pole Dancing focuses a significant amount on upper body strength. While this doesn’t come naturally to most women, we use conditioning and exercise to increase your strength each week. Combining strength and cardio, pole is a great alternative exercise format! For our dancers, pole gives you the opportunity to try your favorite dance style (hip hop, ballet, Latin), using the pole as a prop! Or you can learn new styles of dance in our classes like Poleography, Chair Dance, and Low Flow. 

9. Dance helps improve brain function.
Dance has been scientifically proven to improve cognitive function, and even assist in preventing Alzheimer’s Disease. This article from Psychology Today discusses how not only the physical act of dance improves your brain, but even visualizing your dance steps as a practice method can improve your muscle memory. Dance helps with gross and fine motor skills, decision making, creativity, balance, and mood. (Source. Image from Pinterest)

8. Pole Dance is accessible to everyone.
Pole Dance appeals to a wide variety of people! Among our students, we have doctors (of both the PhD and MD persuasion), entrepreneurs, exotic dancers, students, engineers, ministers, and more. Studio Phoenix’s current students range from ages 18 to their upper 60’s, but there are even pole dancers in their 90’s throughout the world. You don’t have to be young, be a dancer, or be athletic to start… most of us come in with no athletic ability. Our studio environment is warm and friendly (no mean girl behavior here!), and all women are welcome. 

7. You can try something new.
With busy work and/or family schedules, we often get stuck in a rut. We drive the same route to work, stop at the same restaurants for take-out, and watch the same TV shows to unwind. How often do you try something new? Not only does a new activity get us outside our comfort zones, but it helps our brains create new neural pathways for learning. Each week you’ll learn new moves that challenge you, and help you grow stronger.

6. It will improve your strength and grace.
Dance has the dual benefit of improving strength and grace. Know that most of us come in the door with neither! Take it from someone who often bumps into walls, or smacks limbs on things… you don’t have to be graceful on the ground to be graceful in the air! Most of us don’t come from dance backgrounds, and we don’t expect you to come in the door looking like a pro. But each week as you practice, you’ll find yourself growing stronger, and moving more gracefully. With the expertise of your instructors, and the encouragement of your classmates, you'll find yourself improving each week! 

5. Dance can help improve your health.
As mentioned above, dance helps with brain function and balance, but it also helps improve your general physical health. As you dance, your heart rate increases, bringing more oxygen to your tissues. As you do conditioning moves, your muscles get stronger. We’ve seen many of our students reach healthier weights (which is slimmer for some, and larger for others), due to increasing muscle mass in their bodies. For some of our students, dance helps improve depression and anxiety. For those with muscle/joint/pain conditions (myself included… I have Fibromyalgia), moving helps keep our bodies from “freezing up” and being in pain. When I first started Pole Dance, I was in the process of applying for disability, because I couldn’t walk most days. I was determined to not spend the rest of my life in bed, wracked with pain, so I gave the class a try as a last-ditch effort to save my health. Pole Dance has improved my quality of life to the point that I can teach several classes and parties a week, as well as coaching cheerleading. 

4. You’ll have fun.
Work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, repeat. Being an adult is not always fun. When’s the last time you did something new that allowed you to play? From spins to hair whips, to sexy shoes and great music, pole dancing is just plain FUN! You’ll feel like a kid at the park again, flying through the air with a smile on your face! As you make friends with your classmates, you'll find yourself laughing with them, and cheering them on each class. From Theme Weeks ("on Wednesdays, we wear PINK"), to hanging out after class, you'll build relationships with your Pole Sisters. 

3. Pole Dance allows you to get some
​“me-time.”
For many of us, we carry the weight of work, relationships, exercise, diet, kids, hobbies… and don’t take the time to do something for ourselves. Pole Dance class is 60 minutes where you’re no one’s wife, mom, employee, daughter… you’re just a woman. You can focus 100% on your dancing, without the distractions of life. And our studio is a safe place to have fun and be sexy without judgment. 

2. You’ll feel sexy.
When’s the last time you did a hairwhip? Maybe never? How about shimmying your hips to a song that moved you? Wearing an outfit or heels that made you feel beautiful? There’s something to be said for tapping into our feminine sides as women. There’s often a stigma surrounding sexuality… especially as women. Your skirt should be shorter than this, but not TOO short. Look pretty, but not that pretty. Fit this exact mold for body type. You won’t find any of these restrictions in Pole Dance class. We have all different body types and ages in our classes, and all different abilities. We teach you how to move your body, and embrace the differences that make your movement unique. And most importantly, you can do it without judgment. The relaxed and encouraging atmosphere of a Pole Dance class allows you to explore sides of yourself you may not have before. You’ll leave class with a smile on your lips, and a shimmy in your hips. 

1. You’ll gain confidence.
There’s something about Pole Dance that inspires self-confidence in all of us. Each class you’ll be conquering new moves, learning to appreciate how strong your body is (no matter what it looks like), and hearing what a strong, beautiful woman you are from your instructor and classmates. As an instructor, I love watching some of our new baby polers walk in shy and unsure, and then watching them leave their first session with a sassy sway in their walk and heads held high. Pole Dance is empowering!
 
What reason spoke most strongly to you? If you’re already a pole dancer, what reasons made you decide to join, and what has kept you dancing?
We’d love to hear from you!
 
Ready to try Pole Dance class for yourself? See our schedule and register for a Pole Fundamentals class here.
See you in class! 

By Jenni O'Connor

“Just come keep me company… I’ll pay for your entry.” These were the words my friend used to convince me to join her at a Pole Dancing class. It was 2010, and I was 32, obese, and applying for Disability for my Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The severe pain, fatigue, and depression did not allow me to work a full-time job.
 
On an average day, I feel like you do when you have the flu… achy, exhausted, and my brain is a little fuzzy. On a bad day, I literally can’t walk. My husband carries me, or I use a wheelchair. I lack the fine motor skills to pick up a pill, and the strength to hold something “heavy” like a water glass. Constructing a simple sentence takes major effort, and my words slur as if I’m drunk. Sometimes the pain is so overwhelming, my body just trembles, as if it doesn’t know quite how to process it. There’s currently no cure for Fibromyalgia/CFS, and the knowledge that the rest of my life would look like this caused me to entertain suicidal ideations. My beautiful daughters, and knowing how much my death would hurt them, were the only things that kept me from ever following through. I was painfully shy, and had no self-confidence. Photos show me turning away from the camera, or hunched over in a subconscious effort to hide myself and my “flaws” from the world.
​
(Photo caption: Left: Before pole dancing. Right: at a Pole Dance Showcase I performed in)
​
This was the condition I was in when my friend asked me to join her for class. I had seen a few celebrities take pole dancing for fitness, and was curious. But in my mind, it wasn’t for me. I was very conservative, and definitely not what I considered to be sexy. I went to “do her a favor,” and wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into!
 
In our first class, the instructor used supportive and encouraging words that made me realize how little I valued myself. I quickly realized how much confidence the experienced students at the studio had, and how much I was lacking. I knew I needed this class… physically and emotionally. What finally sold me was watching a certain upper level student dance. She wasn’t an overly athletic 20-year-old. She looked like me. And she could flip her body upside-down and hold it in mid-air. She rocked a tiny pair of booty shorts, with no self-consciousness about rolls or cellulite. She was so strong and confident… I wanted that for myself. And so my pole journey began. Not only did I take weekly classes, but I also got courageous enough to perform… both in showcases, and in pole dance competitions. I started to see my body changing, and my pain levels decreasing.
 
As I grew in strength and confidence, I realized I wanted to share this experience with other women. After a bad experience with my second studio, I realized I not only wanted to teach, but wanted to open my own studio. I even chose the name and bought the website, believing that this dream would happen for me. I named it Studio Phoenix, after the mythical creature that rises from the ashes in rebirth. I returned to my original studio (with the owner’s knowledge that I wanted to eventually open my own), became certified to teach pole dancing, and started teaching for them. A series of events transpired that resulted in Studio Phoenix opening in October 2013.  With the help of my amazing staff of 15 (at this writing), we have grown quickly. I teach several hours of pole dance classes a week, as well as floorwork classes, aerial yoga, and parties. It’s a level of physical activity I never thought I could accomplish. Having experience in working through a pain disorder gives me the unique perspective to compassionately and safely teach my students who also live with pain.
 
Through pole dancing, I’ve been able to improve my health and strength to the point that (with my doctors’ blessings) I no longer need daily prescription pain medications, anti-depressants, or sleep medications. I primarily treat my symptoms with nutrition, exercise, and natural methods (with the occasional assistance of prescription medication). While I still deal with depression and anxiety, I am no longer suicidal. And while I am still curvy, pole dancing has taught me to value my body for its strength, and not focus on the “imperfections.” While pain conditions can cause us to resent our bodies, or see them as the enemy, pole dance helps train me to work with mine.
 
I’ve learned to love myself. Most importantly to me, I’m able to pass this along to other women. To help them see their value, and show them they’re capable of things they never imagined. To show them you don’t have to fit a certain stereotype to be a strong, beautiful woman. I can use my weaknesses to inspire others to overcome.
 
I still have Fibromyalgia/CFS. As I said, there’s currently no cure. On my bad days I can’t walk, and I work on my business from bed. But on my good days, I can suspend my body upside-down on a pole using just my arms. I can soar through the air gracefully in a beautiful spin. And that’s the balance of life with a pain disorder. Some days I can’t walk… but some days, I can fly.