3:04 PM
Päivi S.
Could this be the most popular pole dancing gif? Jenyne Butterfly's signature move: The Iguana Walk.
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Inverted crusifix drop
 Some body waves |
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And last, my favourite one...
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Yup, that's Oona K. for you. Have a great weekend!
Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson the Immortal World Tour
Don't miss your change to see breathtaking pole dancing in Helsinki
Steven Retchless's TRIXXX workshop at Vertical Club
The most famous male pole dancer in the world came to Helsinki to teach us his TRIXXX
Anastasia Shukhtorova's workshops at Pole4Fit
The ever-so-lovely Anastasia Shukhtorova held two exclusive workshops at Pole4Fit Helsinki
2012/04/13
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.
Baletin harrastamisesta on hyötyä tankotanssijalle etenkin linjausten kanssa. Kesti kuitenkin puoli vuotta ennenkuin opin pitämään balettitunneista.
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 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.
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| PoleArt's 2012 poster appears to be a Rorschach test. I know all I can see is pole dancers. |
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.
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| 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!
Cirque du Soleilin Michael Jackson the Immortal Tour tulee Helsinkiin marraskuussa. Hanki lippusi nyt, jos et halua missata mm. henkeäsalpaavaa tankotanssia!
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| 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
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| 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...
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| 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...
