2012/04/27

Friday fun: Pole Dancing is Prohibited

In Taiwan, pole dancing must be a real problem. The sign says "pole dancing is prohibited".

This sign on Swedish trains tries to warn you about the doors closing quickly. But it's not just me who sees a pole dancer instead. Making pictographs is no easy task!


This Chinese sign apparently doesn't actually prohibit pole dancing. I don't know what is forbidden here.

This sign might be fictive but at least it's clear.

Sometimes 10 words say more than one picture

Have a nice weekend and remember to flash your skills only where's it is appropriate!

Poleranking is here, and I am there!

When I started blogging about pole dancing just two months ago I decided to do so in English. I wanted to reach out to all pole dancers around the world and let them know what it's like to practise pole dancing here in Helsinki. To be honest, I did hope that someone would ask my blog to be featured at a popular pole dancing site or something. I mean, if I could even find a pole dancing site that didn't send a strong stripper-vibe. And I did. Or they found me. 


The Poleranking site wasn't even open when they contacted me but I already liked them on Facebook - They are almost always the fastest and often only source for up-to-date information on international pole dancing competitions. I didn't have to think about it for very long, of course I wanted to join the prestigious ranks of Poleranking featured bloggers - along with the likes of Aerial Amy and Michelle Shimmy.

Poleranking.com opens today for those who requested an invite, and on Tuesday, May 1, to anyone who is interested in pole dancing! Poleranking is also giving out five sets of Tracey Simmonds' Comprehensive Guide to Pole Dance DVD-trilogies - I already have them and I can recommend them to anyone who has a pole at home but doesn't have the chance to attend as many lessons as they'd like.  If you got interested, you should watch the Poleranking Facebook-page for info on the contest!

See you there!




2012/04/24

PowerPole-classes with Oona Kivelä


I told you before we're spoiled rotten here in Helsinki. Envy me all you want but I'm still going to tell you about the Powerpole-classes I've attended at Gymi in Kamppi, Helsinki with none other than Oona Kivelä.

I often hear people disregarding a pole dancer's competition success with "oh, but (s)he's a former gymnast/ ballet dancer/ whatever". As if doing other sports was somehow unfair to those contestants who only practise on the pole. Let me give a free piece of advice to all aspiring pole superstars: Do other stuff as well.

In this video you can see how Oona Kivelä trains. Most of it is shot at Gymi Kamppi so you can also see glimpses of the equipment that is available to all Gymi-goers.


I've only had the chance to attend twice so far (thanks Oona for letting me join mid-season!) but I've already realised what a difference some ancillary training can make. Some of the moves in PowerPole are, as the name suggests, pole moves - but not necessarily on the pole. Practising ayeshas on wall bars and hanging in a gemini on a parallel bar makes you pay attention to details in the move that you cannot necessarily see on a pole when you're worrying about grip among other things. We've also practised handstands, headstands and some basic moves on an aerial ring.

I've been way too busy and sweaty to bother with a camera, but take a look a this cool collage from Gymi's gallery.
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I'm so glad Oona and her associate have realised that this stuff shouldn't be only for kids!

Olen käynyt nyt kahdesti Oona Kivelän PowerPole-tunneilla Kampin Gymillä ja voin suositella tunteja lämpimästi oheistreeniksi kaikille tankotanssijoille!

2012/04/20

Friday fun: Pole dancing fails Top10 video

This post shouldn't really be labeled Friday fun at all. This post should be called "Yes, there is a difference between those cheap stripper poles and real pole dancing poles. Watch the video and find out what it is."

What next, aerial hoop on a hula hoop? Curtains used as aerial silks?

...Although I could sympathise with number four. Happens to the best of us. That's why there's no ceiling lamp in my living room.

2012/04/19

Ladies please! Try not to annoy men so much.

I previously wrote about the unavoidable "so you're a stripper?" issue and was happy to conclude that these misconceptions don't seem to be a problem here in Scandinavia. Recently I've read quite a few other pole dancing blogs and it seems that my fellow pole dancers in other parts of the world don't have it so easy. Maybe wearing high heels on the pole has something to do with it, maybe other countries have more skilled striptease artists than Finland, I don't know. One thing I know is that no matter what sport women decide to do, certain type of men always have something to say about it.


"Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry. She entered and completed the race in 1967, five years before women were officially allowed to compete in it. She registered under the gender-neutral ‘K. V. Switzer’. Race official Jock Semple attempted to remove her from the race, and is noted to have shouted, ‘Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers.’ However, Switzer’s boyfriend, who was running with her, shoved Semple aside and sent him flying. The photographs taken of the incident made world headlines.” (source)


Zhang Shan, shown here at the 2005 10th National Games in China, was the first woman to win Olympic Gold in a mixed-gender shooting event, in 1992. Then 24-year-old Shan won Gold in a mixed-gender Skeet shooting event, becoming the first woman ever to win a shooting event that included both men and women. After this, the International Shooting Union made a ruling which barred women from shooting against men. (source) I hardly have to speculate here why this ruling was made.

My point is this: Keep on rocking the poles, ladies! Strippers do it, circus artists do it, you can be both or neither. Some men will never be happy with whatever it is that women decide to do. As for the women who judge you: Ask them to join you for a lesson. You know they'll be hooked.

Tankotanssiblogeja lukiessa olen huomannut, että kaikkialla maailmassa ei olla yhtä suvaitsevaisia tankotanssin suhteen kuin Suomessa. Toisaalta, kivinen on ollut naismaratoonareiden ja kilpa-ampujienkin tie...

2012/04/13

Friday fun: Pole dancing gifs

Could this be the most popular pole dancing gif? Jenyne Butterfly's signature move: The Iguana Walk.

Inverted crusifix drop


Some body waves
            
And last, my favourite one...
Yup, that's Oona K. for you. Have a great weekend!


2012/04/12

Ballet for pole dancers

When I started pole dancing it soon became clear that alignment would be one of my biggest challenges. My fellow pole students immediately learned my name as the teachers kept making remarks "point your toes, Päivi!", "straighten your knees, Päivi!". I suggested they simply write NILKAT!! (Finnish for ankles) on the classroom wall to save them the trouble. While I appreciated quickly being on a first-name basis with the other polers, after a year of pole dancing it started to get a bit old that I just wouldn't learn to point my toes.

Pole4Fit offers a weekly ballet class and even though I thought I might hate it, I still went. And hated it. I despised the piano music and ballet was even harder than I had thought it would be. At that point I had taken dance classes for three years, but ballet technique is a different story altogether. Don't get me wrong, I've always been a ballet lover - as a spectator. I just thought I was doing a terrible crime to the whole discipline of ballet with my futile efforts at it.

I still decided to go back next week, as Miss Maleficent Simona Martini was guest teaching. What a waste of talent, Simona Martini teaching me ballet. When she puts her feet into fifth, it's difficult to tell which one is right and which one is left. Makes it quite challenging for a beginner to follow.

I hated ballet, but I hated the idea of quitting even more, so I kept going back. Even though the teachers at Pole4Fit were super nice, not like the ones you see in ballet movies, I still hated it for about six weeks. In six lessons I learned the very basics: the different positions and the most common terminology in French: Plié, Rond de Jamb, Fondu, Croisé, Grand Battement, Pas de Bourrée... Finally some use for all those French lessons in high school! I learned to tolerate the piano music and ballet lessons became somewhat indifferent to me. I didn't think about it much, I just went every week. There was a stretching class after ballet and ballet was good for warming up.

After six months, in the middle of a ballet class, I suddenly found myself rather enjoying it all. Ballet is structured and disciplined, and I knew what was coming next. I knew the song, I knew the routine, I knew what it should look like. And my interpretation of it was recognisable. Not beautiful, not feather-weight, but recognisable all the same. Ballet had made it's way into my comfort zone.

I've been taking those ballet classes for over a year now. I can honestly say that I love them. In pole class, I even remember to point my toes every now and then, at least as long as I'm doing something that I'm familiar with.


When pole dancers put their strong arms up, it doesn't look like your average ballet class. 
I think we also have more fun than one's supposed to.

I'll share a secret dream with you: I have a pair of pointe shoes waiting in the closet.

Baletin harrastamisesta on hyötyä tankotanssijalle etenkin linjausten kanssa. Kesti kuitenkin puoli vuotta ennenkuin opin pitämään balettitunneista.

2012/04/09

PoleArt 2012 date is set - 25 August 2012

PoleArt has been held annually since 2009, every other year in Helsinki, every other year in Stockholm. The next PoleArt will be held 25 August this year at Göta Lejon in Stockholm.

PoleArt's 2012 poster appears to be a Rorschach test. I know all I can see is pole dancers.
PoleArt has always emphasised the artistic side and expressiveness of pole dancing. New ideas are welcomed and showcases are awaited as eagerly as the actual competition.

Last year, Heidi Coker used stretchy, red ribbons in a creative way

Swedish Intellego Pole Company's showcase was the most captivating group performance I've seen so far
                                 

Hopefully, this year we will get to see something new from each performer. Not necessarily new tricks, that's not what PoleArt is about, but new interpretations, new styles, new music, new costumes.

PoleArt pidetään tänä vuonna Tukholmassa, 25. elokuuta Göta Lejon -teatterissa. Toivottavasti saamme tänä vuonna nähdä jotain uutta jokaiselta osallistujalta!

2012/04/06

Friday fun: Pole dancing robots

Last year Tobit Software had two real, human dancers at their stand at CeBIT. After becoming more acquainted with the world's biggest high-tech fair's visitor profile they decided to hire pole dancing robots instead. These girls don't come cheap though, it apparently costs $40 000 to hire them for an event. Don't expect any tricks or even climbing, I guess metal to metal doesn't provide enough grip. There is one thing these babies can do that Jenyne Butterfly can't: They can keep an eye on the visitors while strutting their stuff, as they apparently have cameras for heads... Handy, but still a tad expensive. If you're not short on cash, contact Giles Walker and never pole alone again.

Tobit Software's stand at CeBIT 2012 featured pole dancing robots.

Giles Walker's promotional video

2012/04/05

The Pole Dancing Bunny wishes you a Happy Easter!

It's Easter! Four days OFF, nothing to do but pole dance! Follow the white rabbit! 

Hauskaa pääsiäistä!

2012/04/04

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson the Immortal World Tour is coming to Helsinki

Cirque du Soleil is known for breathtaking, contemporary shows that go beyond circus. Michael Jackson the Immortal World Tour will come to Helsinki in just six months' time, with three shows instead of the originally planned two. The dates to save are 5 and 6 November, but no need to save them unless you get your tickets now - they will be sold out. Felix Cane has been the pole dancer extraordinaire at Cirque du Soleil's MJ tour, but she was replaced by Anna Melnikova after Felix's accident. Let's hope Felix will be back by the time the show arrives in Helsinki!

Felix Cane climbing up the pole at Cirque du Soleil. Felix sure knows if it's dangerous.


Cirque du Soleilin Michael Jackson the Immortal Tour tulee Helsinkiin marraskuussa. Hanki lippusi nyt, jos et halua missata mm. henkeäsalpaavaa tankotanssia!

2012/04/01

Aerial Hoop @Pole4Fit Helsinki

Major difference between pole dancing and aerial hoop: In the latter you don't want to expose your skin.

Pole4Fit offers aerial hoop classes once a week, and since I'm a member there, I can attend them with no extra charge. I'd been wanting to try it for ages, but I thought it's always the same people there and they don't want a newbie like me holding them back. Aerial hoop classes are right after one of my favourite pole classes, and a week ago someone suggested that next time I stay for aerial hoop as well "so that you can write about it in your blog!" How could I resist that?

Aerial hoop, also known as lyra, aerial ring and cerceau, resembles a hula hoop in size and hangs freely from the ceiling connected at one or two points of the ring. Pole4Fit's rings have a double tab configuration, which makes them a bit more steady and hence easier for beginners, like me. Aerial hoop is a circus sport and doesn't really have anything to do with pole dancing, but nevertheless I found many similarities. To a pole dancer inverting comes naturally, we are used to being upside-down and have the required strength to pull ourselves up. For the first time in my life I didn't totally suck at a new sport. You should see my bruises, though. Three days later the backs of my knees and my lower back are still sore. I don't think I'll be ready to go back next week, but maybe the week after that...

No matter how hard I tried I couldn't straighten my arms. I'll get back to my bridge stretches...

                                   
Finnish circus artist Jerina Hintikka on Aerial Hoop. Check out what happens at 4:40->

Pole4Fit Helsingissä tarjoaa myös rengastrapetsitunteja. Tankotanssiharrastuksesta oli selvästi hyötyä renkaalla, mutta komeat mustelmat siitä sai...

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