MommaBear started this discussion ·
Wondering where everyone learned pole dancing? Did you take lessons at a studio? Take SV Lessons? Learn from youtube? And, if you had it to do over, would you change where/how your learned? What would be your recommendation to newbies? Hmm, wonder if there is a way to post an official pole poll 😂 ?
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I taught myself,,,mainly off of youtube but I had checked out Vertical Dance website about two years ago. I've also been lucky enough to have had some lessons with Karol, Alethea and Jenyne...and a fun Jam with Amber! Unfortunately, there isn't a "true" pole studio around here....but if there had been I would have done that...it would have saved me tons on injuries. But on the other hand I know most moves inside and out because I had to break them down when I was learning them. 😀
I started using the S Factor book and I remember sitting with it open in my garage trying to read and then do the move, read, do the move...it was not fun! I then purchased Shawn Francis Lee's first dvd (polekat?) and the first S factor dvd. About 4 months in I had the opportunity to visit an S studio in Houston. I had also visited one girl who was teaching in her basement who was written up in the Akron Beacon Journal. Later that summer I think was the first time I got out to a studio on a regular basis, but it was more of us trying to figure out stuff off videos we saw. The owner had Pantera's video and one of the other girls had Vertical Dance. With the exception of learning stuff by visiting forums I cannot say that I have had what I would consider formal training. I know that I have picked up some bad habits and done some damage in ways of pulled muscles. I really miss studio time because it was me forcing myself every week to work on something. I also wish there was a stronger community of pole dancers in Cleveland.
i started with sfactor in april of '07 taking a class once a week 😛 in november of '09, i started taking classes at crunch. at that point, i was literally only able to do (and i can list all my tricks because i really couldn't do much!!): spins right handed only (although i could do very basic firemans on my left), i could do a climb into a basic invert, a caterpillar climb, a chopper from the ground, and a scorpio (inside leg hang). sfactor's emphasis is mostly on transitions, dancing, and floor/wall work and i knew that i wanted to explore pole tricks a little more. from november until about the end of april, i took 2 classes a week at crunch-- whatever pole classes i could attend. i used it mostly as pole time to teach myself tricks that i wanted to work on. taking class 2x a week and focusing on my own progression in pole helped my strength a lot. in april i started teaching at a small studio in manhattan. i have access to pole time whenever i want, and my friends opened up a studio where i drop by for open pole time about once every two weeks just to socialize and have fun poling with friends! now i mostly teach myself. i hop on the pole before i am scheduled to teach class, and take class once every few weeks from kyra and lian at body & pole, mostly for the enjoyment of being taught and warmed up by someone else. i actually really appreciate the journey i've taken. i have no dance training and i think that starting at sfactor helped me with musicality, fluidity of movement, showing emotion in dance, enjoying pole for what it is, not being competitive, and enjoying myself. i think that having a lot of polers around to learn from and have fun with has helped me keep it light and interesting and challenging while also keeping it in perspective. i've never gone to a gym and done free weights or worked out in any way, and i think that having classes to go and keep the social aspect was critical for me to keep my interest and dedication to going to "work out" on the pole.
I have been teaching myself from Veenas lessons. Ive never had any type of dance background or anything, so i struggle make routines. I am actually about to attend my very first beginner pole class, in about 4 hours 🙂 I decided to take beginner lessons on top of Veena's so that i could get a better grasp of the dance aspect of poling. Im VERY Excited!
Im all studio trained. I take my classes at Xpose fitness. Thats where ive learned most of my stuff but I do venture out and try new studios as well. I love having a class b/c I focus on what I need to do. Also its my only break from my kids, if only class was longer than an hour. I also wish I had a pole at home to follow up on what ive learned. Ive been poling for 4yrs but I feel like Im far behind from girls who have been doing it as long as I have. Plus when my husband is working late (most nights), I dont get to work out. So I have to miss out. I just keep thinking I could be USPDF worthy but I dont have the time to pole to get that awesome. I just wish I could pole more often and with others. Im the only one out of my regular friends who poles, all my other poling friends ive met from here and taking class.
I took my first class in March of 2009 at a local studio here, and signed up for their series from there. The studio wasn't all that - I learned some basics, but also missed the boat on some of the safety stuff, which is super important. I figured out that I wasn't going to learn what I wanted to at that studio, but there weren't a lot of other options here! Roxy-Pink was really my teacher more than the studio teacher was - she worked with me during class and at open pole. But I really didn't see myself being able to progress into the tricks that I wanted. We still have some pole play and I love being around her - she's so cool and I always pick up some new stuff! 🫡 Alethea Austin ended up teaching a workshop at the studio, which I got to attend. I was SOOO intimidated, but she was great! As an added bonus, Karol Helms was there and I got to meet her. That was pretty much the luckiest day of my life - Karol became my teacher from there. I get a lesson from her once every month or two - other than that it's a lot of watching youtube, practice, and poring over these forums! The one thing that I wish was a little different was I miss having a studio where you can be with other people. I loved that when I was taking classes and really liked the girls in my class - it was fun. Plus I got used to being around other people! That is a big struggle for me now - I'm so used to practicing on my own that I am a little shy and self-conscious poling with others. I would also love to go back in time and tell myself that even though the tricks wouldn't come overnight, they would come eventually! I started off very hard on myself - now I am loosening up and having fun with it. 😉
I took 1h class then get back home with my pole. The class are almost 2h from home so there's no way i can't spend that kind of money and time on it. The first 2 month i have learn with utube but felt it difficult to know what i should learn firts and sometime wasn't sure about the safety of some move. Since then i got Veena lesson and really love it. I can do it when i want (when boys are not home) and it's explain so well. And so friendly that you don't feel like you have to be perfect from the beginning, it's like having a friend sharing tips. Maybe later i would like to try class with advanced moves or more transition (maybe dance class) but for now i'm quite happy with the way i learn.
