What to expect from your first lesson

Questions that often pops up on the poledance reddit and fb-groups are about preparing for your first lesson, what to expect, what to wear, what you will learn, etc. So I thought I would answer some of the usual questions here on the blog (:

"What should I wear?" and "do I HAVE to wear teeny tiny shorts, stripper-heels and whatnot?"

In order to stick to the pole you need bare skin. This is the poles rule, not mine.
Different studios have different clothing-rules though so I recommend you ask your studio what they think you should wear. Personally I'd recommend shorts, sports-bra and a t-shirt, a sweater and a pair of pants or leggings for warm-up. I really encourage beginners to start off in shorts because a lot of beginner-moves and spins require / is easier with bare legs, but if you're not comfortable with it no professional studio is gonna force you to show up half naked.
Also, I recommend beginners start off barefoot. Heels are for the more advanced girls.

"I am a plus-size, can I still poledance?"

Yes, yes and a hundred times yes!

"Do I have to strip / will we learn stripping?"

No, you don't have to strip, and no, you don't learn stripping at pole-classes. Poledancing is not stripping, and therefore you will not learn that at pole-class.

"What if the other girls look at me?"

Trust me, they won't. The other girls will be so caught up in their own thing that looking at you will be the last thing on their mind. And if they do, they're probably just admiring, or trying to figure out what to do.

"I saw a really cool video on youtube, will we learn that?"

I don't know what you saw, but you'll probably not learn it in your intro-class. I've heard people say that pole-class wasn't fun because all they learned was two to four spins and some floorwork, and it was nothing like they imagined (like what they saw on youtube). Just hang in there! Rome wasn't built on one day, and the same goes for those skills needed to do whatever crazy performance you saw on youtube. Just keep at it, it's important to get those beginner-moves down before the craziness starts, but it will take some time.



"Don't you have to be super-strong to poledance?"

I'd like to quote Nicole The Pole here, poledance is not easy, but it's easy to learn. Nobody's got the muscles needed to shoulder-mount on their first class, people rarely got the muscles to do a single pull-up at their first lesson. At the beginner-classes you start off with hanging from the pole. No pulling yourself up, just hanging by your arms. These are the basic spins, spins where the only thing your muscles will have to do is holding on. And you can do that!

"What if I fall?" and "what if I hit the floor?"

The fear of falling during beginner-spins is something psychological you just have to work on. You just gotta face the fear and believe that if you fall, you won't die. You won't injure yourself, it might be a little painful, but that's it.
When it comes to more advanced and dangerous moves like inverts we take precautions like using crash-mats, having a spotter and planning safety-exits. But that comes later.

"Do I have to be sexy / do sexy stuff?"

No, you don't have to feel (be) sexy and you don't need to do anything you're not comfortable with. And if you like the sexy-thing, that's up to you! Everyone has their own style, some like it sexy, some like it classy, some like it to be mostly acrobatics... and I think it's great that everyone is different and has their own unique style, how boring wouldn't it be if we all danced the same way?

"Does it hurt to poledance?" and "will I get bruises?"

Yes and yes. The pole is made from hard steel which you hang off from your skin. You will squeeze your flesh and bones hard against the pole to keep yourself from falling. But luckily the pain is temporary. After your second lesson with climbing it will already get easier and much less painful. Bruises vary from person to person, some get a lot and big ones, some get a few and small ones. But it's all temporary, and when your body has adapted to a move it will stop bruising and hurting (:

"Do I have to perform or compete?"

No (: You may use your new skill to do whatever you like. Maybe you want to compete or perform, or maybe you want to become an instructor and even start your own studio. Or you just like to do it at home or at your studio, for yourself, for the fun of it. It's all up to you!

"Will I get bulky?"

Over time you will get some broad shoulders, big muscles on your arms and back and a toned stomach, but this is after years and years of training! But ultimately yes, poledance is a sport that is almost entirely founded on strength and to get better you will have to get muscles.

"What will we learn at beginner-classes?"

This vary from studio to studio, and I haven't gone to classes myself. But from what I have seen on the internet you'll probably be introduced to some spins like the fireman and the front-hook spin, you'll probably learn how to climb and how to sit and various floor-work moves. (Links to youtube tutorials)

"What if people judge me as a stripper / slut / whore etc?"

Sadly, haters gonna hate and people are gonna judge. That's just a risk you're gonna have to take.

I hope that cleared up some of the questions you might have had, and if there's anything else don't be afraid to ask in the comment section (:

My top 5

Lately, I've been tired and uninspired.
It happens every time I'm forced to take a break. First it was injury, and right after that I went on vacation, and came straight home to work-work-work. I feel like work really drains my energy down to zero, which is frustrating. How can I get better if I never have the energy to practice?

Luckily, these five videos always seem to help me out. Let me give you my top 5 list of youtube-videos that always gives me inspiration, ambition and a smile on my face!

no. 1 - Jenyne Butterfly at PolePressure 2011

This must be my favourite of all time. Gives me goosebumps all over my body. I love it from 00:00 to the end. The start, were she dances happy, free, seems even a bit clumsy, is perfect. You can see she is really having fun up there, embracing the moment and enjoying the dance. She then proceeds to the most hardcore tricks, all in pace with the music. Love it!

no. 2 - Anastasia Sokolova at Ukraine Got Talent

What I love most about this is how she managed to be herself, sexy girl, sexy costume, sexy dance to rock n' roll, and still managed to show the world her true talent. Sadly, as mesmerizing a girls sexuality may be, many people are also blinded by it, and aren't able to move their focus from her appearance to what she is really trying to show.
I love her style, it sexy, raw and powerful, but don't let it fool you! She's also strong, flexible and a talented dancer. Keep at it!

no. 3 - DirdyBirdy to Wicked Games by The Weeknd

This is the first video I fell in love with. Simple, graceful and also, it's improvised! I love that there are no big, scary, advanced super-flexy-so-painful--that-youregonnadie moves, but it's most about the execution of the moves, the movement itself, and, of course, pointing your toes!

no. 4 - Emma Haslam at Britain's Got Talent

You can't NOT love this video, it's impossible! Also, most of us have heard it before "I can't poledance, I don't have the body to do it". Yes you fucking do, you have a body don't you?! If she can do it, can't you? I mean, she's gotta weigh like the twice of me, and she can do an elbow-grip ayesha?!! Everything is possible if you work hard enough to get it!
The cherry on top - she also has the confidence to put herself out there, in minimal clothing, on a "stripper-pole", in our body-fixated world. Respect!

no. 5 - Yeva Shiyanova to Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

No, it's not poledancing, but you would love to do floorwork like this, wouldn't you? Yeah, I thought so too.
I can be sexy.... as long as there is silly laughter afterwards... I really lack confidence in this department of poledance. I just.... can't. It feels awkward, unnatural and silly, I have huge issues with taking my sexuality seriously. What to do? Work on it. A lot. Fake it till you make it. This video is my ultimate goal. Letting go, be dramatic, be sexy. I'm probably never gonna turn out a twerking-goddess, but a little bit of this wouldn't be too bad.

So, who did I leave out? Who's your favourite dancers, videos, your sources of inspiration and ambition?

Keeping track of my progress

If there's one thing I think is super important when poledancing, it's keeping track of your progress. I have this blog, I have a pole-diary, I try as hard as I can to take photos and record videos, and the last part has been particularly hard. As I said before, I've lost the screw that connects my SLR-camera to my tripod, and I just can't find a place to buy single screws... Looks like I have to buy a new tripod then.

And I really want to be more active on Instagram. The girl that inspired me to try poledance posts videos of herself regularly on IG, and I really want to do it too. But on the other hand I'm to lazy to bother with getting my phone balanced up on books n' stuff. Sooooo here's my new toy!

It wasn't expensive at all, 300nok (norwegian kroner) or about 50usd. And it's pretty handy, for those of you who aren't familiar with tripods and camera equipment a GorillaPod has bendy "legs", so I can wrap the tripod around lamps, doorknobs, trees, maybe even up on the pole etc. So now I'm hopefully gonna get better on posting videos and pictures, both here and on Instagram. My IG account is @liandcats, and if you want me to check your out you can just leave your account in the comment-section (:

Self taught poledance - my tips and tricks

The huge difference I see between people who attend classes at studios and myself is that.... my progress is oh so slow.

There are a lot of differences between us. They have a instructor. The students have each other. They have spotters. They have professional equipment. They have a community. They have schedules. They push each other to keep on going. They share tips and tricks with one another. They have fun together. They learn to pole properly from the beginning. While people like me. We are mostly on our own.

Picture borrowed from cherryblossomstudio.ca

I take some pride in the fact that I am self taught though, but at times it gets really tough. These are my few tips to make poleing at home easier for you who are doing it, or are considering it.

1. Never EVER give up! I was so close to giving up myself, but it's possible to push past the hard times. If you're feeling down, frustrated and discouraged, take a break and come back stronger.

2. Try your best to schedule your practices, or keep track of how many days it's been since your last swing on the pole. The biggest mistake is to give up to laziness and/or forgetting about it.

3. Always take the right precautions, especially if you're practicing alone. Get a real, safe, good pole for poledancing and polefitness (I recommend X-Pole), and be sure to set them up properly. Buy a safety-mat or use mattresses or lots of pillows when doing new inverted or dangerous moves. Get a friend or family member to spot you. Plan a safety-exit for every new move.

4. Keep your motivation up. Listen to music while picturing yourself poledancing, doing all the tricks and moves you one day will be able to. Watch videos on youtube. Keep up with the community on the internet. Talk pole with your friends, even if they don't pole. Look for nice, sexy polewear to buy online. Follow awesome poledancers on instagram and facebook. Try to always stay inspired and motivated, it keeps you going!

5. Take pride in being self taught. I especially like that I'm probably the only one in my town who's practicing poledance. Maybe I'll start my own studio one day.

6. If you feel lonely and want to share your passion with someone, get a friend to come over for a try. Ask on facebook if someone wants to learn poledancing. Ask on reddit/r/poledancing or another pole-forum if someone wants to be internet-pole-pals.

7. There are lot's of online lessons and dvd's to purchase to help you on your journey, and if you're having trouble with a move, don't forget to google or youtube it. You might be lucky and someone has made a free tutorial on that move.

8. Watch and learn. If you see a choreography or move that you like really well, break it down into parts, analyze it and try to do the same. How is she holding her hands, and which foot did he hook around the pole? Then, you try and do it!

9. Keep track of your progress. Take pictures, record videos, keep a diary or blog where you write about your accomplishments, new combos and moves, a song you're hooked on etc. This one is GOLD!

This is how deep I can get into the splits, will be fun to look at when I get into them

10. Accept the fact that you're by yourself, and therefore your progress might be slower than the ones who are attending lessons at studios. But don't let it bring you down, instead of comparing yourself and your progress to everyone else, compare you with yourself. Think about all the things you have accomplished, the progress you've made, and remember - you did it on your own!

Lot's of love<3