Next Extend Yourself Training:
May 5 & 6 – Two-Day Intensive at Studio Exclusive, Chatswood, Sydney, Australia – enquiries here
I have judged countless competitions, each with their own flavour, style and requirements; and while I always score according to the categories I have on the sheet or the screen in front of me, the artist (and the human) in me is waiting for the dancer who will step out on stage and give us Connection. And many times no such dancer appears. Tricks, floorwork, aerial combinations … yes, I love them. But where is the dancer? Not present. They are mentally preoccupied with the next piece of choreography; immersed in concern for the next trick. They are not present; they’re not with their audience.
That might serve the purpose for a purely technical event, but it reduces the sum total of all of the magic of pole to basic gymnastics. You and I both know there’s a LOT more behind our art form than that.
Perhaps with what is now such a strong emphasis on competing, too often the only aspect of pole given attention is the movement itself and the superficial, textbook perfection of how it’s supposed to look, complete with superstar smile, pointed toes and a hair flick. I guess it’s just the easiest way to measure what we do on stage. Oversplits and fonji flips are incredible to look at, but the reason this industry sprang from taboo to globally celebrated in ten years is not that it’s just another Gymnastics event. Look a little deeper and it’s obvious that what rocks our socks off is the ability of pole to bring out the essence of the performer: Sensuality. Emotion. Presence.
EXTEND YOURSELF: PROFESSIONAL POLE TRAINING
There’s movement, and then there’s your presence within it. I’m here to bring life to that. To the captivating, compelling, and mesmerizing power of pole, or rather, of you when you pole dance.
I know you want to feel the real connection between you and your choreography. I know you want to bring You to the stage, because until you do your movements may be super flexy, they may be feats of strength, they may even flow seemingly effortlessly, but they will still be hollow and disconnected. And also because when you DO bring You to the stage, magic happens. The magic of performance is in the essence that can touch an audience of thousands and that gives you as the performer a sense of invincibility, of being bigger than your old limitations, of being purely in that moment, of being present and connected with your entire audience at once. There’s nothing like it.
Photo Courtesy Lynda Allen Photography
I know this because I am a performer too. Since my roots in pole fifteen years ago, I’ve grown from an unsure novice to a confident, creative performer and I’ve realized where my joy lies. I love the magic of connection. I love being an athlete and an artist and at the same time, living the connection I have with myself, my students and my audience. In September 2013 at Pole Expo here in Las Vegas, I performed a show that was one of the most connected I’ve ever delivered. Friends in the audience told me afterwards how powerfully they “felt” that show, and I came off stage crying at the end, on a kind of high, having channeled to the Rain Nightclub audience the emotion and the intention I had always intended for it. I felt that somehow I had literally reached to every person there – and the audience numbered close to 1000. That’s connection. It feeds everyone: the audience and the performer. That emotional connection also fed my physical performance. I managed some of the biggest extensions I’ve ever dared to do on stage that night. My Russian Split was performed high on the pole, and with all of that energy, despite the height, I held nothing back. The split that resulted was perfectly horizontal. Being present in that moment gave me the energy and daring to give myself completely to that show in every sense. The reward was beyond words and the high is with me to this day.
I want that for you too. A strong and flexible body is a wonderful thing but it’s not everything when the person inside is playing small and invisible. I invite you to reach beyond the achievements you’ve already made in choosing to pole, and find the performer in you who is unabashed, unafraid, and ready to shine. The world out here is waiting for you!
Contact me to enquire and to apply. Only four places are available in this five-day training.
Next Extend Yourself Training:
May 5 & 6 – Two-Day Intensive at Studio Exclusive, Chatswood, Sydney, Australia
June 15-19, Shine Alternative Fitness, Las Vegas
* Pole Conditioning, including warm up & cool down techniques and various methods for improving strength, control, flexibility, stamina & quality of movement.
* Pole Training
* Stage Presence
* Recovery – caring for your athlete’s body.
* Performance Creation
Extend Yourself is all about valuing the athlete & artist in you.
Come ready to dance, to fly, and to bring out the most magnificent version of yourself.
Contact me to apply!
