self development – Page 5 – Mel Nutter as Baudelaire

Pole Goals

How long is your pole goal list? I would put money on it that it includes “flat splits” and “deadlifts”, but it’s important to set realistic goals as well. And create a plan to be able to work towards them.

A plan will keep you on track, and support your strength and flexibility training so when you do finally reach that goal, you’re less likely to injure yourself.

My pole goals include both strength, flex, technique, and performance goals. Things like straight leg inverts, something I find I get lazy about maintaining because I really just want to get up the pole and do that other amazing trick!

Another one this year was working out what to do with my hands! I have so many videos and photos of a great trick that is spoiled by sloppy lines caused by weird hand shapes.

Planning to work toward these things can be hard. To work on my lines and hand gestures, I’m trying to find a ballet class in the area, hoping it will help me learn how to use my arms more effectively when I’m dancing.

I also had a goal this year to work solidly on my bad side. This is a hard one to keep, but I made a commitment and spent an entire term in the studio focused on my bad side. I let my instructor know and she committed to the pain with me. It was hard work, but it has definitely paid off. I can now hold a comfortable inside and outside leg hang on both sides, as well as brass monkey with both sides. Now when I’m trying more advanced moves, I have a solid starting point and am working on balancing out my strong and weak sides.

As the end of the year approaches, have a think about the pole goals you started with and reflect on what you might need to change in your pole practice to make them happen. Like my extracurricular ballet classes, some might even involve cross training, or conditioning away from the pole.

Happy poling!

Sydney Pole – Pole Changed Me

September 4, 2015 / mel

In a similar exploration of the power of pole, Sydney Pole has put on a Pole Changed Me Challenge, asking for a one minute video of how pole dancing has changed your life.

There have been some humorous commentaries about the size of biceps and willingness to wear shorty-shorty-short-shorts, but underneath this comedy is some truly beautiful messages about the effect that pole dancing can have on your life.

Here is my contribution:

Miss Summer Trick Star

September 1, 2015 / mel

Not quite sure what I’ve got myself in for but I’ve entered Miss Summer Trick Star – a pole dance competition held in Canberra each year.

I’ve entered two other pole comps in the past (PDA Secret Life and Sefton Pole Dance Comp). As much as I love showcase and the space the perform without the pressure of a comp, there are a few useful insights I have gained from throwing myself at the judges.

1) Feedback – Unless you attend more than one studio it’s likely your main audience are always the same people. And in true pole family fashion, they are endlessly supportive, encouraging and complimentary about your pole talents. I don’t make this point to suggest that your pole family are lying to you, but it is sometimes very difficult to find someone who can give you constructive criticism. In a competition scenario, the judges are most likely seeing you dance for the first time, and their feedback can offer valuable insight into areas for improvement or to highlight things that you might not know you were doing so well.

2) Motivation – Training for a competition is hard work. But once you commit, you’re locked in. With enough time to prepare you are more likely to nail that trick you’ve always wanted, or polish that transition. You’ll be more focused and more motivated to succeed.

3) Networking – Once again, unless you train in multiple studios, it is sometimes hard to meet other pole dancers. Your competitors, despite also wanting to win, are generally super friendly, and already love pole as much as you do! They might also be able to teach you a new trick, let you in on the latest grip aid secrets, or let you know of other performance opportunities and workshops coming up.

4) Photos – who doesn’t love professional shots of yourself dancing! Many competitions have a photographer to shoot your routine, and the cost of the shots is often included in the competition fee.

So I’ve got about 10 weeks to prep before the comp. I’ve already chosen my song, now I just need to train some new tricks and get creative with the choreography.

Watch this space!

Feel it, before you try and say it

August 23, 2015 / mel

As much as training for a showcase is fun, or prepping for a comp makes you incredibly motivated to smash your pole goals, sometimes I just like to turn the lights down and dance.

I have a pole playlist on my Spotify account that I return to again and again. A list of songs that I can put on and just flow. Some are fast, hip hop beats, others are slower, melodic, and sometimes instrumental. All of them ring true in someway, and reach a place in me, no matter how many times I hear them.

Last night I taped my freestyle, but didn’t really have any expectations that I’d be able to share anything from it worthwhile.

But then I really surprised myself.

Watching back, I saw a fluidity and grace that is often missing from my choreographed routines. A flow and sense of movement that comes from just being with the song.

There were no big tricks, I don’t even think I inverted. Just spins and floorwork that became amazingly cathartic and gave insight into how emotions could be represented in my dancing.

The pressures of a competition or performance night can shroud the flow and grace that comes from just moving and dancing.

Perhaps a way to overcome this is to freestyle to a piece of music for a while before laying down the chorey. To feel it before you try and say it.

Something to ponder.

What Pole Gave Me

August 2, 2015 / mel

One of my pole instructors started a hashtag, promoting an honest and heartfelt space to share your pole journey – #whatpolegaveme

This was my contribution with a few photo memories of some powerful pole moments from the last four years.

“Four years ago I stepped into the studio at Art of Pole. Pretty ghetto, no foyer just a room with brass 50s, floor to ceiling mirrors and poster sized photos of some fierce women flying through the sky on a pole. What was I doing here? It was a far cry from the blissed out yoga space of my previous obsession but something deep inside of me wanted to stay.

It’s such a cliche but it’s try, pole has given me confidence. A fearlessess to be myself and say “hell yeah I can!” I am still on a journey out of my shy little box but pole has opened the lid!

It’s a space to be creative and try something new, be accepted for being a bit outside the box and be pushed to make whatever it is the best it can be. To make me the best me i can be.

Pole has also taught me about being a woman! How to own my body and move and dance to how I feel.

And on a lighter note, pole has also given me a reason to shave my legs in winter and walk around with no pants! Best ever!”

Check out the #whatpolegaveme to read some inspiring stories from Aussie pole dancers. You may need a box of tissues for some.

Showcase!

June 7, 2015 / mel

Four years ago (when this photo was taken!) when I walked into Art of Pole studios on Parramatta Rd, I would have never anticipated pole dancing would have affected me the way it has. I didn’t even know who Jamilla Deville was, but as soon as I saw her spinning and twirling with such grace and strength, I felt it shake something up inside of me.

Despite the Art of Pole studios being rather small – a single room, 50mm static brass poles, wooden floors, and an outdoor toilet! – Jamilla and her team were keen to run studio showcase events. They valued the idea of offering students a safe and supportive place to dance.

This ethos has been threaded through the studio as it has changed locations and changed hands. The owners, teachers, and students all recognising that showcase is a chance to foster aspiring dancers and offer a space for performance that is not a competition or paid gig. It’s a space for you to get up on stage, dance your way, to your music, in your style.

Daunting? Yes!

Hard work? Yes!

Worth it! Hell YES!

My first showcase was at the Vanguard Theatre in Sydney’s Inner West. I danced to Numb by Portishead, and my biggest trick was an Ankle Grab (AKA Bat). Could I have placed in a comp with that routine? No way! But in the showcase environment, it was more than welcome, a sign of the studio’s acceptance and interest in hearing a new voice.

I’ve clocked up over fifteen solos since, all performed in the container of security and support that is my studio. I now have many more tricks than a straddle to an ankle grab, but the essence of that dance is still woven into my new routines. In that first performance I learned about choreography, interpreting music, conveying messages with my body, stage presence, facial expressions, costume, hair, make up … the list goes on! And the stage, lighting, backstage energy, sense of community, I was hooked!

A fortnight ago was our most recent showcase at Sydney Pole. I was invited to dance as part of a small group in what was aptly named the “Proposal Dance”. A friend surprised her pole dancing partner with a “Will You Marry Me” dance! We choreographed a short routine and then brought Kat on stage for her surprise. It was magic! And it highlights the whole showcase concept – it’s about community, acceptance, support, and openness.

My pole journey started with a showcase performance. Every time I get on stage I learn something more about myself, and more about dancing. I am so grateful for the studios who offer this as part of their program and highly recommend you get yourself into one! Or at least come along to watch at Sydney Pole sometime, I’m sure you’ll get hooked too!

Oh, and yes, she said “yes!”

Mel Nutter as Baudelaire

Aerialist

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Tagself development