EEEK! I booked my first pole class!
So you have decided to start pole dancing! You have signed up for your beginners course and you are now fretting over what to wear and feeling nervous and self-conscious. Your inner critic is shouting at you, “what are you thinking!!"
Well done! The biggest hurdle is over. As you can see from the pictures below of Amanda, Leisha, Sarah and Adrian, even the Pole Dance Academy instructors had to start somewhere! The progress you will make over the coming months will astound you.
When you turn up to your first class, don’t worry, it is entirely natural to feel a little awkward and self conscious. I think everyone does the first time. But if you have found a friendly and supportive studio to start your pole journey (like Pole Dance Academy), I can guarantee that you will be hooked.
What to wear?
Firstly, deciding what to wear! Now, you do not have to wear a skimpy bikini, but you will find out pretty quickly that in order to even execute some of the simplest moves on the pole, slippery fabric on a metal pole will just mean a fast trip to the floor. I recommend tighter fit shorts which are or can be rolled up above the knee and a fitting T-shirt or singlet ideal for newbies. If you're looking for some great pole wear, head to www.shimmyandsparkle.com.
But I'm not very coordinated!
Secondly, if everything feels foreign to your brain and your body, that is entirely natural too. Pole dancing is not like riding a bike! There is an entire new way of moving, climbing, spinning and moving your body around a pole. The first time you do it, your brain will be screaming “whhaaaattt!!” and your body will probably just refuse to do some things that your brain is trying to ask it to do.
If you are anything like me, it takes a little while for instructions to sink in to your brain, and then for the brain to tell the body part the instruction is directed towards. So while in class you may feel extremely clumsy while swearing internally for even putting yourself in this embarrassing situation, the next time you come back (and you MUST go back, even if you are doubting yourself at this point) you will find that with a bit of processing time your body and brain have behind the scenes put two and two together, and voila, you are spinning away, twisty-grip turning and body rolling like Beyonce!
How many classes should I do?
Thirdly, try to do a complementary class or activity once a week to help you enjoy your pole journey. Especially as a beginner, adding a stretch and flexibility class will expedite your progress as you will be priming your body for the moves required in your tricks and routine class.
At Pole Dance Academy in Sydney, we offer courses specifically for new pole dancers to help with dace skills (Intro to Pole Choreo) and flexibility development (Intro to Stretch & Flex). Mastering the spins, body rolls, turns and floor work that is incorporated into the routines might look easy but sometimes takes a little bit more time to break the moves down than is allowed for in a normal pole class!
When I started pole about 6 years ago, I was totally hooked and it didn’t take me long to start adding more classes, especially as it gets a whole lot cheaper to add more classes at the same studio. At Pole Dance Academy, the second course is a whole 50% cheaper than the first one, and the discounts get bigger the more classes you do.
Ditch your gym membership
Students often ask me about going to the gym and doing cross fit or weights. They are definitely going to help with strength and endurance. But so is doing more pole. So it really depends what your desired outcome is. Is it to become a stronger, smoother better pole dancer or to lose weight, get toned and build a muscly physique. If it is both, I recommend doing MORE POLE! You will get more satisfaction more quickly!!
So whatever you do, give it a go! There is really no activity quite like it to offer not only core strength building, upper body muscles, cardio fitness, flexibility and all the while dancing to the coolest music, with a group of great new supportive friends! Oh and if you like high heeled shoes who else can boast that their “training shoes” are 6-7 or 8 inches and sparkly??
At Pole Dance Academy, our new term begins every 8 weeks, with our next term starting 11 March 2019. We have loads of beginner courses in the 3 studios Bondi Junction, Crows Nest and Alexandria. Go to the website at www.poledanceacademy.com.au to find out more!
If you have any questions, just send us an email at info@poledanceacademy.com.au.
The PDA team xx