What does it mean to craft a pole performance? For me, the task involves working backwards. In my head, I can visualize the outcome – the outfit, the audience, the flow of the tricks, transitions and spins. Feeling the music and connecting to the beat is a goal (in addition to accomplishing hard tricks successfully).
In my 4 year pole journey thus far, I’ve performed in three showcases at my home studio. I vividly recall the hours of practice just to nail an outside leg hang for my first performance.
For my upcoming 4th performance, I’m finding the planning a bit more challenging for several reasons.
First, now that I’ve been poling awhile, the number of tricks, spins and transitions that I have learned has increased. Therefore, the options are greater making the selection process harder.
Second, the tricks tend to be harder and require more time to feel comfortable doing them.
Third, for this particular show, I will be performing on a stage pole, something that presents its own challenges. The floor space is limited and the pole shifts with weight at the top.
Despite these challenges, having the opportunity to perform gives me an exciting goal to work toward. The feeling of accomplishment after my prior three performances is a high almost impossible to replicate.
Time to wrap up this post as I need to hop on my pole to solidify my routine. Stay tuned for more updates on this pole performance journey.
Poles & Places 