Vladimir "Volch" Karachunov Workshop Review

A very rare opportunity befell the Tantra ladies and gentleman this past weekend - the Russian male pole star Vlad Karachunov was smuggled into Canada all the way from St. Petersburg to teach some workshops of his creative style. Here is his performance from  Pole Art 2011 of his to put a face to the name:

Much excitement was built up around his workshops and I signed up for the Advanced/Super Advanced tricks. There was also an intermediate one earlier on during the day, and I really should have signed up for that one as well (if I had a million dollars), as I have a feeling he actually taught tricks in that one that would be useful for performance.

In the Super Advnaced level, we mostly worked with handstands (aka flags if you are a Russian), but a lot of it was technique work in my point of view - very little actual "tricks". Vlad focused on the geometry of various handstand variations. This was very useful to me and made much more sense than the current teaching style at my studio. I am not one who understands terms such as "engage this muscle and this will happen"; I prefer explanations along the lines of "go here, then here, then here". If the trick is broken down into its geometry, it makes more sense to me, as I am used to manipulating my body into various positions. I cannot manipulate my body into a position if I do not know where I am going. Vlad was the perfect instructor to show this as his strength is obviously well developed, so he could hold the trick at it's various transition points without effort. I was talking to some of my pole girls about this after the workshop, and they, on the other hand, found it very difficult to understand, saying that they prefer to know which muscles to engage instead/as well.

A very useful point that I took away from Vlad's workshop is that "the strength will come, but it's the geometry/technique that one needs to train yourself to understand and follow first."

So, all in all, it was a very expensive way for me to get my "Regular Grip" handstand down. A bit of a disappointment really, because I see Vlad's videos and he shows some impressive creative tricks. Would have been a much better use of time and money to have him teach his creative tricks in first person, as opposed to going over handstand alignment.

Vlad showing his performance skills at Tantra Fitness in Vancouver, BC, Canada

Pro Polers need to remember that they should bring their signatures to the workshop. We all have pole instructors that will teach us how to do basics such as handstands, flags, and well known spins. We want to see new things that only you can teach - whether that involves creative combos, or rare tricks/spins, or even awesome transitions!

I had a chance to chat with Vlad after the class (whose English is excellent), and asked him how Canada's level of pole compares, on average, with Russia, or at least St. Petersburg. He said that, of course, Russia's level is much more advanced. He hypothesized that it was due to the diameter of the poles. Most pole studios have 2" diameter poles here (even though competition regulation diameter is 1.5"), while Russian studios have 1.5". He says that the thinner diameter creates a world of difference on how quickly and easily you can learn and progress.

I, on the other hand, hypothesize that it is not only the shoe laces that prevent the dancer from being the best. Being Russian, and hence knowing a bit about the culture's work habits and teaching styles, I speculate that the teaching approach and students' work ethics also contribute a lot to the success of Russian polers. I can only speculate, but I would say that the teaching style is probably a bit more serious, and more structured, with targeted conditioning and a demand for dedication, while the work ethic is also probably more committed and intense. How many times do I come to class at Tantra and watch as people chat away the hour, with empty poles all around them? How many times have I heard from my pole friends, and experienced myself, that the warm ups in some US studios, or the warm ups led by travelling pole stars, are so much more intense and useful than the meek warm ups our studio offers? The excuse for this criticism is always "but it's all just for fun". It seems like fun has become synonymous with slacking off.

Conquering New Frontiers

Remember The Pole Paradox, that angry post I wrote a couple of weeks back, explaining how disappointed I was with the public judging a pole performance before they even got a chance to find out what it is?

Well, I'm happy to announce that with some convenient scheduling changes and a supportive organizing team, my performance was back on!  This was a big deal for me because it meant I'd perform at a non-pole oriented event, to a community that pretty much knows nothing about poling. This was a new frontier!

Of course, as new frontiers usually go, everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. First, the organizers let me know 3 days before the performance that I was back on. I had long since retired the routine and decided not to make the costume. Thankfully, I didn't cancel my arrangements to procure a stand-alone X-Stage! Also, thanks to my overly-obsessive nature when I practice, remembering the routine was easy.

On the day of the event, the order of the performers got mixed up, so it was an embarrassing feat trying to drag the stand alone X-Pole out to the middle of the stage while some gypsy dancers distracted the public. Next, came the pole cleaning in the open- which is so loaded with innuendos, that even the most open minded audience can't help but snicker. Finally, when the gear was ready to go, my music wasn't. It took the tech team and me 15 minutes to get my music up! Of course, by then, I was so nervous that my hands were sweating buckets; and on top of that, I forgot to freshen up on the dry hands right before I went on stage.

A handstand combo was my opening move, and I had to develop nearly super human strength in order to hold it. I felt my top hand slipping and I thought "I have to bail." Then, I felt the eyes of a room full of easily impressionable newbie pole audience and panicked: "I can't bail! There is no other option but to hold on!"

On a side note about performing in general, I have noticed that one of the major things that cause me to get more nervous than I should during a performance, is the fact that the music is coming from somewhere around me, as opposed to from my headphones - which is what I do when I practice in the studio. When practicing, I will try to do more routine run throughs with music played from the sound system, to see if I can simulate the performance environment closer.

With music problems and nerves, I hobbled through the rest of my routine. Nevertheless, throughout my performance  I heard, somewhere far away, the polite clapping of an audience that knows nothing about the cheers and hoots that a pole dancing audience emits.

When it was finally over, I ran backstage and was greeted enthusiastically by the other performers, who all piled stage left behind the curtains to watch my routine. They seemed amazed and all expressed immense interest in learning how to pole. Talking to some select people in the audience, no one noticed any mess ups and everyone was impressed. Even the grandmothers and grandfathers of the audience didn't grumble!

It was a big success!

Which brings me to next weekend, my competition at the Taboo Sex Show. The plan of bringing the art of pole, as opposed to the stereotype of pole, to the suburban nay-sayers, still stands!

 Onward to more new frontiers!!!

The Pole Paradox

The Pole Paradox, as I have coined it, is this:

1. Pole has a sexy stereotype
2. Pole performers want to show that Pole is more versatile than that, and work hard to create a variety of artistic atmospheres on the pole
3. But, pole performers are not allowed to perform at more conservative events due to their sexy stereotype
4. So, pole performers are forced to perform only at risque events, even though they show a variety of acts, both sexy and unsexy (much like any other dance form)
5. So, the sexy stereotype is prolonged, and pole performance is not viewed objectively by the general public at all

I have been working on a routine for a local theatre company who was putting on a formal holiday dinner with various artistic performances as entertainment; this morning, I found out my act was cancelled due to the fact that the ticket buyers were consistently complaining to the organizers about my routine, threatening not to come because of the inappropriateness of pole dancing. 

The organizers have seen my routines and have approved their content as suitable for the event, however, the public didn't trust the organizer's decision, and prejudged my talent before finding out anything about what competitive pole dancing is, and who the performer is as well.

It's disappointing and hurtful to be treated with such disrespect and prejudice.

I have a plan though. We have a competition coming up at Taboo Naughty but Nice Show in Vancouver, and I am planning to create a routine in my own style - artistic, acrobatic, and so much more than just sexy or raunchy. If the general conservative public won't let us come to them, then we will have them come to us.

Given that the general public doesn't know and doesn't care what pole can be, the onus is and will always be on the practitioners to change the stereotype view of pole. Thousands upon thousands of suburban parents go to Taboo and then go home and sit on conservative organizing committees of all sorts. But, they won't have their view of pole validated in the way that they expect, because it will be upon us, the members of the competition, to show them what we are capable of! We will literally guerrilla market them at the Taboo sex show and show them that we are not just one sided sex acts!

The Pole Paradox will be eliminated for good...eventually...

What Kind of Pole Student Are You?

Ever since I came out on Facebook about my pole dancing obsession  I've added a whole new group of pole friends that grace me with their pole dancing interests and tid-bits, including (but not limited to) YouTube videos, blogs, and demotivators. I came across this entertaining note from Shimmy - a pole dancer and teacher somewhere in Australia - about the different types of pole students out there. I'd say I'm a healthy mix of 35% The Athlete, 30% Born Again Pole Dancer, 20% The Battler, and 15% Scaredy Cat.

Read Shimmy's humorous perspective and find out for yourselves:

I have been teaching pole dance now for a while. I've noticed over the years that there are several distinct categories of pole students. So I have designed this little list of pole student categories, for you to determine what type of pole student you are. Study this guide carefully and make your decision.

Maddie studying hard at the Pole Dance Academy.

The Kamikaze

The Kamikaze strikes fear in a pole teacher's heart. The Kamikaze appears unconcerned by the concept of gravity.  The Kamikaze has no regard to the fundamental rule of pole: that failure to have the pole wedged firmly into some crevice of your body will mean that you will likely plunge to the ground.

The Kamikaze will nod and agree while the teacher gives firm, clear instructions on how to avoid falling off the pole when attempting a new move. Then, once the teacher steps away, the Kamikaze throws herself gleefully and with reckless abandon at the pole, caring not for her own safety nor that of innocent bystanders.

Fortunately, Kamikaze pole students also seem to be blessed with an uncanny knack for somehow managing to save themselves from face-planting at the last minute. And so they live to Kamikaze pole dance another day.

These students are what Public Liability Insurance was invented for.

Tip: Try to avoid giving your teacher a heart attack by always havingat least one arm or leg on the pole at a time.

My artistic interpretation of a Kamikaze.
You will note that she has only one hand on
the pole, and both her legs are nowhere near
the pole. Not recommended. 

The Former Jazz Dancer

The Former Jazz Dancer knows that there is dance magic in mathematics. She loves nothing better than a well-counted routine, where each move falls neatly into an 8 count. If you look closely, you can see her mouth moving ever so slightly as she dances, "ONE, two, three, four, FIVE, six, seven, eight..."

Nothing frustrates the Former Jazz Dancer more than a pole teacher who can't count properly. You can spot the Former Jazz Dancer by the exasperated expression on her face at the end of this conversation with her teacher:

Student: "So do we step on 3, or 5?"
Teacher: "Ummm, I don't know... What did I just do?"
Student: "You stepped on 3."
Teacher: "Ok, 3 then."
Student: "But before that, you stepped on 5."
Teacher: "Right... Well, let's just see what happens this time. Ok class, let's take it from the top!"
Student: "Grrrr"

Tip: If you need to count, count! Dance to your own beat. And if your beat is right, and everyone else's is wrong... who cares! Remember that pole dancers usually aren't classically trained, so be patient with them :-)

Amber Ray
It is thanks to Amber that I now know how to count.
Sometimes. Sort of. 

The Self Taught Pole Dancer

The Self Taught Pole Dancer is the student who began her pole journey at home, in her living room, running between her X-Pole and her laptop. She is a YouTube and Facebook aficionado, and managed to progress to an impressive level all by herself at home, until eventually succumbing to the pull of her local pole studio.

The Self Taught Pole Dancer is a little overwhelmed in class. She calls all the moves by a different name. She uses her left leg when everyone else uses their right leg. She's a little freaked out by the noise and craziness of a pole class with 10 other girls, but she loves it!

Tip: Get to a class at least every now and again if you can - you'll be amazed at how much easier that tricky moves becomes once you've had someone break it down for you.

Shelle, from Melbourne, getting some tips
from her Facebook pole buddies.

The Overly Trusting Student

This student has complete and utter faith in her pole dance teacher. She knows her that her teacher will always be there for her, and will catch her when she falls. But not in the supportive, metaphorical sense. In the literal sense. This student will drop suddenly and without warning, usually out of a painful pole combo, and fully expect to be caught by her teacher.

A good pole teacher will prepare herself for this student by taking off her stripper shoes, getting a mat ready, and adopting a brace position every time the student attempts a painful move.

In Australia, we also call these students Drop Bears.

Tip: Try to give some warning that you are about to drop. Please!

A Drop Bear after attempting a superman
for the first time.

The Prodigy

This pole student is a natural born thriller. She gets every new move on her first or second attempt. She feels no pain, and has no fear. Her teachers are simultaneously awe-struck by her ability, and unerved at how quickly she is catching up to them.

This is the student everyone loves to hate. But don't be a hater - love her! She can't help being awesome, and besides, if you're nice to her, she might give you a few tips about that tricky combo you've been working on ;-)

Tip: Keep on being great - and try to stay humble...

The Battler

The Battler is not naturally adept at pole dancing. But she absolutely frickin loves it, and it shows. She is dedicated, hard-working, and though her progress is slow, each hard-won victory is a celebration for her and for her teacher. She has repeated every level at least twice, but she is slowly and steadily getting stronger and more flexible, and is making new discoveries about what she is capable of every day. She may never make it to advanced, but she is going to work as hard as she can to be the very best damn pole dancer she can be.

I'm going to put it out there and nominate the Battler as one of my favourite types of student. Go girl!

Tip: Keep at it!!

The Battler at the top of one of the many
hills she has conquered.
Note her expression of grim determination
(it was meant to be a smile but I'm not
a great drawer)

The "I Can't" Student

This student is firmly convinced that there is something fundamentally different about her body, and believes that the difference makes her physically incapable of certain moves. This belief usually stems from an off-hand comment some doctor or physio made to her a few years ago, which the I Can't Student has taken to heart as gospel. Something like "you know, your hip flexors are tighter than most peoples." As a result, the I Can't Student refuses to accept that anything can be done to change her destiny as the Girl With The Tight Hip Flexors.

As her teacher approaches her, the I Can't Student will grip the pole and say firmly, "I can't do this move." Even if she hasn't even tried it yet. However, with gentle and patient persuasion, the I Can't Student can usually be convinced that she should try at least to refrain from saying "I can't do this move," in favour of saying, "I can't do this move... YET."

Tip: Stay positive - don't create limitations for yourself :-)

The Scaredy Cat

The Scaredy Cat is a variation of the Can't Student. The Scaredy Cat refuses to try a new move until she has watched every single other student in the class attempt it and survive it, without plunging to their death. The Scaredy Cat requires a lot of convincing, cajoling, coaxing and bribing from her teacher in order to get her up the pole. Even then, she does it unwilling, with big, fearful eyes.

It is a mystery to everyone why the Scaredy Cat loves pole so much when she seems to spend the entire class in abject terror of her impending doom. But she's there every week, ready to be frightened up the pole again.

Tip: Have the firemen on speed dial. They're excellent at getting frightened pussycats out of trees, and they know their way around a pole as well ;-)

The Scaredy Cat's worst fears coming true.  

The Athlete

The Athlete is the student who has played every sport under the sun. She is strong, flexible, fast, and coordinated. But she cannot for the life of her point her toes, extend her limbs, arch her back or stick her boobs out. She is a little baffled to discover that pole dance may be the one thing she is not a natural at.

You can spot the Athlete because she arrives at her first class wearing trainers and knee-length running shorts. She says couldn't possibly pole dance in heels because she can't even walk in them, let alone dance. In fact, she's not even sure whether she owns a pair.

Tip: Practice working on your sexy at home in front of a mirror when no one is watching.
  

The Good Girl Gone Bad

This is the student who keeps her pole habit a secret from everyone she knows. She can hardly believe she dared to enrol in pole. She's the quiet one up the back, and is too shy to talk to anyone. She arrives to the studio dressed neatly in a twin set and skirt, and then changes into the cheekiest hot pants in class.

You can tell a Good Girl Gone Bad by the fact that she keeps giggling to herself in class and muttering under her breath "I can't believe I'm actually doing this!" She's a lady on the street and a freak on the pole.

Tip: Keep it up - I love it!

Miss Bunni Lambada. The sweetest pole siren you
ever did meet.

The Desperate Housewife

The Desperate Housewife is the happily married yummy mummy who is as devoted to pole dance as she is to her husband and children. That is, of course, until her husband and children try to come between her and her beloved pole. Unfortunately, husbands and children are usually horrified by the fact that their wife and mum is a pole dancer. But they quickly learn not to say anything about it, because when the Desperate Housewife feels threatened, things at home take a turn for the worse. 

Remember, pole husbands: happy wife, happy life.

Tip: Don't show off your pole tricks at your kids' birthday parties. 

The lovely Yvette doing some housework before pole class.

The Motor Skills Challenged Student

This student is not the boss of her own body. In fact, it seems that her body has a mind of its own, and she has little to no control over what her body will do next. In her brain, she understands that she needs to hook her right leg around the pole, but something happens to the brain signals as they travel from her head to her leg, and she ends up grasping desperately at the pole with her left arm instead.  She is capable of unintentionally tying herself into such complex knots around the pole that she needs someone to help unravel her.

The Motor Skills Challenged Student is often unable to distinguish left from right. To overcome this difficulty, the teacher might consider writing a big 'R' and 'L' on the Motor Skills Challenged Student's hands (careful not to let her do it herself, or, if she does, make sure you check that she got it the right way around).

This student also has difficulty working out which way is forwards and backwards, up and down, and inside and outside. In my experience, the best way to help the Motor Skills Challenged Student is to physically manipulate her into the desired position, and then tell her to try to memorise how the position feels. A plus side can be that sometimes in her confusion the Motor Skills Challenged Student will accidentally create a new and interesting combo - and a good teacher will pay close attention to what this student is doing, because the Motor Skills Challenged Student is unlikely to be able to replicate it once she's disentangled herself from the pole.

Tip: You'll get there! It will get easier as your muscle memory develops :-)

Nothing to be ashamed of. The old right from left
can be a bit tricky when you're upside down. 

The Born Again Pole Dancer (aka the Evangelist)

The Born Again Pole Dancer considers the date of her first pole class to be the anniversary of when life really began for her. She now devotes her life to two main tasks: as much pole training as she can possibly fit in, and preaching the benefits of pole worship to everyone she comes across. She cannot imagine life without pole, and she now wonders what on earth she did with her time (and money) before she discovered pole.

Pole is not just a hobby for the Born Again Pole Dancer. Pole is a way of life.

Tip: As a Born Again Pole Dancer myself, I try really hard to not talk about pole too much to my non-pole friends. But it's hard. Really hard. That's kind of why I started this blog ;-)

I love you pole and I will never let you go. 

The Boys...

Of course, I know that an increasing number of men are getting involved in pole. This blog is obviously directed towards the majority, but boys, so you don't feel left out, here is a quick shout out to some of my wonderful male students, who fit into these categories.

The "I'm so gay I can barely function and pole dance is a natural expression of that" Student

A common feature at most pole studios. Characteristics of this student:

• wears 8 inch stripper heels to class even though he is already 6 feet tall and as a result can only climb once before hitting his head on the ceiling;
• goes into paroxysms of pleasure at the sight of sequin hot pants; 
• is not shy about telling his female classmates that he thinks he looks better in sequin hot pants than they do; and
• is the fiercest performer at the studio amateur night, where one performance contains at least 8 costume changes, glitter, LED lights, special effects, and a megamix of 5 different Top 50 pop singles.

The fabulous Candy Cane doing his thing.

The "I may be gay, but nonetheless I do not want to dance like a girl"Student

This student loves his pole, but feels silly when it comes to routine time. He does not wish to booty pop and body roll. So he stands aside, a little awkwardly, and waits for the silliness of floor work to end so that he can get back to what he likes best: pole tricks. 

The "I'm straight, but I'm here to learn pole, not to perve!!" Student 

Studio owners need to be careful of this breed of pole student. You really need to suss out their intentions. All jokes aside, a pole studio is primarily a place where women go to work out and feel good about themselves, and to have fun while doing so. The straight male student who is permitted to participate in classes has a special place of trust, and should be careful not to jeopardise that! Some studios don't allow male students at all, for this very reason. 

At the Pole Dance Academy, we have one straight male student, Benji. He loves the pole. And his pole dancing girlfriend Pepper, a teacher at Pole Dance Academy. And every single girl in the studio has a mega crush on him! There are definitely some perks to being the only straight male in a pole student... 

Benji. We all have to be careful to make sure we don't
end up sexually harassing him in pole class. 

The Chinese Pole Artist 

The Chinese Pole Artist has probably only recently discovered the pole dance community, and is a little bemused but pleased to discover that there is a little micro-cosmos jam-packed with women who genuinely understand and are impressed by his particular skill set. 

However, the Chinese Pole Artist is not 100% certain that his artistic integrity as a circus performer will not be compromised by mingling with pole dancers. For this reason, the Chinese Pole Artist may be a little reticent at first about dipping his toe into the crazy waters of the pole dance world, but as they seem to keep coming back for more, we can only assume that they find it at least a little bit fun ;-)

Chinese pole artist, Duncan West, contemplating how
on earth he wound up onstage at a pole dance
competition. 

 

 

CPFA Championships 2012

Hallelujah!

The first Canadian Pole Fitness Association Championships took place on Saturday, October 13 at The Edgewater Casino. I dragged my boyfriend and girlfriend to the show with the enthusiasm of an over-excited infomercial advertiser. Although I cannot speak for how the show went for the athletes back stage, I can give an account of the night from a spectator's perspective.

The performances themselves were spectacular! I highly suggest viewing them all to truly appreciate how much hard work and determination the competitors put into their passion. I didn't see the Amateur division, but did watch the Semi-Pros and Pros. One memorable performance for me was from Semi-Pro Liona, I believe from Quebec, who did a very entertaining number to one of my favorite artists Parov Stelar. She placed third in her division.

Another performance that I enjoyed was from Semi-Pro Tara (I don't remember where she is from, but definitely not from BC). Her performance was very lyrical and you could tell that she used to be an extraordinary dancer - my guess would be ballet as her legs look stunning, and she moves with the kind of ease that I've only seen at ballet performances. In my opinion, I would not have put her up against the Semi-Pros, but rather would have put her in the Pro division. She was heads above all the Semi Pro competitors.

Of course, I cannot go without the mention of our very own Veronica - an instructor and student at our studio, who won the Pro division with her stupefying and nothing short of amazing performance, and who now gets a ticket to Zurich, Switzerland to compete in the World's and proudly represent Canada. The entire room was on the edge of their seats when she was on stage, and the cheers didn't stop. Her routine was fast paced, complicated, and enthralling. She placed second at the provincial championships in BC due to a spin vs static pole mishap, but got through to the nationals as a wild card competitor and blew everyone away, making the most of her valuable second chance. Veronica is an inspiration to all of us and one of the main reasons we love the sport of pole with our hearts and souls. For competition reasons, there is no video of her routine at the moment, but once she has competed at World's, I will make sure to post it so that her inspiration can be shared. Veronica is currently training hard for her big chance, and is trying to overcome such challenges as non-standardized, unknown materials that will be used for the poles at the World's, as well as the fact that her preliminaries do not allow spectators, and hence will not allow her to feed off the cheers and put extra pressure on her due to the silence of the room.

Being the picky perfectionist that I am, I do have to say that, although the performances were all of top notch quality, watching a competition for the second time made me notice more technicalities in the performers. The videos that are posted above hide a lot, and generally make the competitors look much better. Watching the BC pole provincials, I was amazed from the first minute, and thought that everyone was doing so great. The stars were out of the eyes by the Nationals, and I could better see various mistakes, mishaps, and slips, but only due to the fact that I am immersed in the sport, and am sure that to a layman, none of the little imperfections would have been noticeable at all.

The show was at a Casino this year; last year, it was at the Vogue Theater  Although the venue was better suited in the fact that it was the right size for the size of the crowd, as well as the fact that it served alcohol to add to the entertainment factor, I still liked the image that comes with holding the championships at a theater much more. All things considered, it was a good compromise.

The poles were provided by X-Pole, as per usual. By now my opinion of X-Pole is probably common knowledge. The poles looked solid and were attached to the stage rigging at the top. The pole cleaners were none other than our own studio's students, and looked like they were doing a great and thorough job of keeping the poles pristine between all the performances.  I did notice that the competitors were slipping more on the spin pole, but that may have been to the nature of the pole, as well as to the rumors that X-pole competition spin poles have a crazy fast spin. As a side note, I think it is a good idea to have more than 2 pole cleaners and have them clean in shifts throughout the night. I saw some pictures of their poor ankles after the show, and they were blistered and pole burned after climbing up and down the poles 60+ times during the night.

There were still a couple of shortfalls that took away from the show. One was the lighting. It was just regular fluorescent lighting and made the performers look very stark. My guess is that it was like that on purpose, so the judges could see every mistake and judge accordingly. The other factor that I did not like at the provincials, and do not like at the nationals, is the costumes. Only about 5% of the performers had costumes that looked professional and clean; most of the girls do their own costumes and make up, and in all reality, they simply don't look very good. It is a step up to have costumes and make up that are finished and performance quality, and not everyone can do it. I have always been considered the crafty type, and even my costume and make up for my performance at the provincials looked amateur (in a bad sense of the word).  Furthermore, there are tricks with costumes that can cover up crooked arms and legs, which causes unfair judging and unequal competitor advantages. In my opinion, the sport needs to regulate costumes more, or get rid of them all together and provide uniforms to the competitors as souvenirs.

All in all, the first Canadian Pole Fitness Association championships were a hit and a blast!

Estee Zakar Workshop Review (or She's All Legs)

Last week, after the unforgettable experience of the First Annual BC Pole Fitness Association Championships, I had the opportunity to take two workshops with the ever so fit Estee Zakar. Here's a video of her at the Midwest Pole Competition this year:

As swept away as I was by Jenyne Butterfly's mesmerizing perfection, and as inspired as I was by Marion Crampe's passionate energy, Estee's workshops left me with something to be desired.

Estee reminds me of a personal trainer: a stocky build exuding solid power, she handles the pole with strength and agility. Jenyne and Marion seemed to float on the pole, but Estee almost attacks it.  Although it is always refreshing to get pole instructions from a professional, accomplished, pole athlete, the tricks that Estee chose to teach at her workshops are regularly taught at our studio in the higher level classes. What made Jenyne's and Marion's workshops so exciting was that they brought some of their originality, a twist on an old spin or handstand. Aside from a couple creative transitions, all the tricks Estee taught have already been introduced to us, although we were still working on perfecting them. But, as the old Russian saying goes: repetition is the mother of learning.

Estee puts a lot of emphasis on training your quads/hamstrings/legs; 45 minutes of the hour and a half workshop, we basically were in personal trainer mode - doing plyometrics and pushups like there's no tomorrow. Now that I am at a competitive level, I can completely understand why leg strength is so important to pole.

I'm no physio therapist or "muscle expert" at any rate, but this is what I have been noticing from personal experience. Although my upper body strength developed first on the pole, my leg and back strength has been lagging, mostly due to the fact that these muscle groups are more needed and used in the more advanced moves. It is not surprising that I am only now feeling a definite deficit of leg power. With the help of Estee's ability to kick our butt, as well as my drive to make my 92 cm legs easier to haul up and down the pole, I have the following routine that I do 3-4 times a week to start developing my leg and back muscles (keep in mind that whenever you flail your legs around, a lot of your back muscles become active in order to lift and kick).

When doing the below conditioning, it is important to keep your active leg knee locked and toes pointed. The non-active leg needs to be straight. Really engage the quad.

1. At the pole, perform dancer's leg warm ups: kicking+pulsing+hodling to the front/side/back; take a break only in between changing kick directions, not exercise types. I start with 10, and work my way up as I progress. Do these off the pole to work more on core strength and balance.
2. On a mat, do alternating lunge jumps on the spot, followed by bending forward, putting hands on ground, and moving the back leg forward/back, followed by lunge pulses on same leg. I start with sets of 15. Repeat with alternate leg. This should also be done in succession, to get maximum burn.
3. On the pole, do "Cheerleader Kicks": jumping Russian splits with the help of the pole for maximum height. I start with sets of 10.
4. On the pole, do plie squats. Play around with going on tippy toes (and/or one tippy toe), to make it harder. Do these off the pole to work more on core strength and balance. I start with sets of 20.
5. On the mat, sit in a pike with legs about shoulder width apart. Place both hands on both sides of one quad, making sure back is straight and not leaning back (if leaning back, working more on abs than hip flexers). Raise your leg in a pulsing motion, then, in succession, draw circles with the leg, then hold. I start with sets of 10.

If you are feeling a searing burn in your legs, you are doing it right. If not, raise your legs higher, and do more reps!

The other muscle group that Estee emphasized was the lats, as they are important in being able to isolate the legs from the back, and make tricks such as handstands look more polished.

This is enough to get myself, and anyone, started, but as Estee recommended, your body needs to be surprised with new exercises, to have a more well rounded development. Soon enough, I'll be back on YouTube, hunting for quad exercises and dancer's warm ups.

On a final note, The Canadian Pole Fitness Championships are this Saturday, Oct 13 at The Edgewater Casino. I'll be there cheering on the many Tantra athletes that made it, as well as getting inspired by the amazing pick of talent this year! I may have a bias, but this will be by far the best public event of the year in Vancouver! And of course, stay tuned for a review!

Itty Bitty BC Pole Athletes Committee?

Some of my studio members and I were talking about how beneficial it would be to create a BC Pole Athletes Committee - BC PAC. From my first competition experience in BC/Canada, it is clear that the organizers need a lot more help and information about organizing a safe and inviting competition. Here are some constructive criticisms, which are a bit scary, as they mostly cover basics such as safety and scheduling.

• Providing the appropriate equipment: it is clear that money is a factor in trying to get the right equipment up for a competition, but that just means the organizers and athletes need to work that much harder to ensure they get stable poles, not stand alones. Financial planning, greater sponsor support, and fundraisers are all plausible ways of raising enough funds to get proper poles. Also, a venue that is large, but has maximum 12-13 foot ceilings, can accommodate the more affordable tension poles. STAND ALONE POLES ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR COMPETITION.

• Pole safety: the pole cleaners need to know what they are doing. The poles should be cleaned with an isopropyl alcohol + water solution, by using a spray bottle to "hose down" the pole, and then a clean cloth to wipe off the excess solution, oils, and grip. Pole cleaner body contact with the pole needs to be limited post clean/grip. Grip needs to be applied to the pole in a thin film and a "pawing" motion, not a quick "slide". If the pole cleaner is not tall enough to reach the top of the pole from the ground, the cleaning and "gripping" of it needs to be done in sections. The stage area needs to be flat and free of obstructions such as "x-stages" and "stabilization legs".

• Create a clear schedule and work hard to stick to it: Upper divisions deserve the courtesy to have an estimated time as to when they will be competing/performing. They should not have to sit in the uncomfortable green room and wait for 20 competitors of lower divisions before them to finish. Also, the competition itself NEEDS TO START ON TIME. If there is a schedule change, the competitors need to know as soon as possible so they can adapt.

• Appropriate venue temperature: The temperature was nice and cool in the venue, but some venues do not have air conditioning and cause competitors to sweat and slip.

• Respect the competitors: We respect each other and everything the organizers do for us, but as the ones who are immersed in the sport, especially such a new sport with little standards, 99% of the time we have viable and important suggestions that mostly apply to our own safety, and the organizers should make an effort to be professional in understanding our requests, as well as accommodating. Also, don't have the competitors buy their own tickets, come on, that's just in poor taste. Without competitors, there is no show. If you are hard up for funding, increase the application rate.

• Provide results of all the competitors to everyone who competed: We are doing this to learn, and we can't learn if we can't compare what it takes to be 7th, versus what it takes to be 3rd, versus what it takes to be 1st. The most valuable part of this is the experience and feedback, not the sparkly costumes, or the promotions, or the awards.

• Appropriate practice facilities/preparation opportunities: The ideal thing would have been to do a dress rehearsal the night before. Let the competitors get used to the stage and figure out their footing. If that is not plausible, provide practice facilities that mimic the staging, and give competitors lots of notice on stage environment, which should be accurate. These competitive routines are not ad hoc stripper dances that are made up on the spot; they require careful planning and due diligence.

• Be clear and concise in communications: Put in preliminary work on the rules. standards, and judging criteria, as well as the stage environment and any requests you have of the competitors. Send one or two emails, communicating all this, or better yet, make it available online. Also, there are plenty of competition organization examples on the net of past pole competitions, that can be used as reference.

• Get your details straight: The host of the BCPFA championships didn't know the date of the Nationals - which is October 13 in Vancouver at The Edgewater Casino. How does a detail like that get forgotten? What is the main purpose of the organizers of this event???

As someone who competed in track-&-field for ten years, I can consider myself a bit of an expert in how to make the athletes feel comfortable and help them perform their best. It would be great if we could all work together to improve pole and put it on the respectful world stage, where it deserves to be!