Of Bruises and Poles...

To prepare for my first Pole Dance class, I tried to search Youtube videos for basic pole moves. I saw very agile girls climb up the pole, twist their bodies around it, turn upside down and slide out of the pole with grace. I got intimidated. I thought "How the hell am I gonna do that?" I'm puny.

So you must imagine how scared I was during my first class. The first 10 minutes were spent stretching. A lot of the stretching techniques are similar to what we do in Bikram Yoga, so those I did well. Afterwards, we did the lumbar bends on the pole: hold on to the pole with 1/both hands and stretch the body to the sides, to the front or backwards. Ok. So far, so good..

And then teacher Jeremy (yes, my teacher is a guy!) instructed us to do the basic pole spin. You hold on to the pole, walk a few steps for bwelo and then lift your body up, wrap the legs around the pole and continue to spin around it.

Umm. Right.

I know there were other first-timers in the studio at that time. But I didn't want to be the only person who can't do it! So together with my friend Nat, I tried. We needed to! However awkward it felt and looked, we were able to do at least half a spin successfully, with both feet wrapped around the pole! Yey! I eventually completed a full spin after another class, but not without comments from the teacher: open legs more, push body away from the pole and hold the grip longer. Sure.

Anyway, the worst part came after. We needed to climb the pole using only your arms, core, and legs. Use your arms to pull your body up, use your core to support your weight, and use your legs to help push the body. They taught us how to do it, step-by-step, and the proper technique. We were supposed to climb at least 2 pushes upwards. Nat was able to do it, and I observed how she does, even badgered her for tips and techniques of her own. Unfortunately, I can't. I really can't. =( The most I can do is climb up 1 1/2 pushes. But that's it. Boo!!

This is also where I got my first-ever pole dance bruise! It was on my left foot, near the big toe. I think I got it because every time I attempt to climb up, I always unconsciously bang my foot against the pole. So not graceful! The bruises I got on my right arm and on my thigh are I think worth it though. I know I use these parts most of the time in all the pole exercises.

But no. I've learned quickly that the quantity of bruises one has because of pole, is not proportionate to the skill/level she has. Haha, oh well!

My first attempt at climbing the pole and doing a basic pole sit..



and my first ever bruise (from pole, that is). more to come..!

As soon as I get up the pole however, I think I execute my pole sits quite well, thank you very much. I just press my thighs against the pole as hard as I can, to make sure that I sustain the grip on the pole for as long as possible. In fact, I was able to do a lot of different sitting positions after only 2 days of classes! =)

Me, a little higher in the pole after a couple of classes.. =)

1 hand grip..

Tada! No hands!!!

So anyway. I still have a couple more sessions coming up. So far, I've enjoyed my classes tremendously. I might not do this regularly in the future, but I will definitely come back once in awhile. My new personal target: do inverts..


..to hell with bruises! =)



when: June 9, 2011

where: Dance Movement Studio, Makati