[Kristina Lloyd | PWN]
“Okay, first things first. Do your splits.”
Coach Vicki Rackley Neuman orders competitive pole dancer Lauren Manzano down to the floor. We’ve just been whisked thru the back doors into our rehearsal space at Pink Pole Party in Burbank, CA and Vicki wastes no time in getting straight into training mode, a trait she is proud of. Timekeeping is of utmost importance to her, and there are things to be accomplished in each training session, there’s “no messing around.”
On the floor, Vicki quickly manipulates Lauren’s body into ever-more challenging split stretches, working to increase her split to 180 degrees for some of the more difficult tricks planned for Lauren’s routine for PSO Nationals in August 2015, just a few weeks away. Vicki encourages Lauren to go farther and deeper into her stretch, she whispers for her to breathe. Lauren concentrates and pushes herself. Later, Vicki diagnoses Lauren’s body as having no physical limitations to achieving her split other than lack of practice.
“Repetition wakes up awareness,” says Vicki, whose goal in starting DANCE INTEGRATIONS in 2011 was to integrate the kinesthetic awareness and emotion that dancers have into more disciplines, because she believes this to be beneficial to all walks of life. “There’s nothing you can do that dance will not make you better at,” she says. “Dance translates into everything.”
As a professional Level 10 national gymnastics judge, Vicki has a keen discerning eye, using this technical expertise to help prepare competitors and performers find their best performance. “It’s beneficial for all dancers, gymnasts, singers, actors, and pole artists to have that objective eye.” She works in all styles of music and choreography, including theatrical movement.
Her particular expertise is in performance enhancement. “Viagra for movement,” she says, laughing. “Performers need a coach,” she continues. “They can only feel their performance. They need a third eye to help them to do it more correctly. And to push them to do it again and again.”
When Lauren starts to work her routine on the pole, Vicki makes her repeat her opening trick several times, commanding her to keep her legs straight. “Put your mind where it needs to go right now. It’s a competition. Hit it like a pro, Lauren.” Lauren takes a breath and works her jackknife from the floor for the 10th time.
In the trick, Vicki touches her knees, her feet, her wrists, reminding Lauren to strive toward perfection in length and precision and the spacial relationship best suited for the competition she is preparing for. She steps in close and talks to Lauren about the competition mindset, which Vicki knows all about. Lauren drops to the ground, and wipes her hands to have another go at it.
As a girl, Vicki was an Arizona state champion gymnast, and later she turned her love of acrobatics into high school cheerleading, and began her unofficial choreography career creating routines for the pom squad. When faced with the decision to continue into college cheerleading or take the opportunity for a dance degree, Vicki chose the latter, and that cemented her career.
While in college, the gym where she practiced gymnastics offered her a job as a choreographer for the kids dance program, she realized how important choreography was. “Choreographers are completely underrated,” she says, and says the process is what is important. She then began experimenting with different types of dance applications and taking risks in expanding the boundaries of what was possible, even conducting ballet classes on the balance beam.
Later a professional ballerina, she was instrumental in starting the premiere Los Angeles dance company, the Los Angeles Ballet, and remains on the board today.
Her journey into pole started about 9 years ago when she started taking classes at Sheila Kelley S Factor and found a personal joy in the unique expression. But she has found resistance within the gymnastics community toward pole. “They think pole is a joke, but I don’t care because I love it.”
But she stresses that the competitive world of pole is not regulated and needs respect. “The judges are not professionals,” she says, and she feels strongly that unless there are paid professional judges and a formal structure in place for judging, the sport cannot be taken seriously nor be considered for the Olympics.
“There is a new pole artistry coming out of the Slavic countries in girls with dance backgrounds,” she says. She stresses the artistic side of it. “We need to make a bigger deal of the artistry of the pole.”
On the pole, Lauren finally nails her superman death drop into reverse jackknife after several attempts to make it to Vicki’s specifications, and she breaks into applause. “Good! Love it, love it, and love it. That’s exactly what you need to be doing every time, Lauren!”
Beaming at the praise, Lauren takes a short water break, her eyes twinkling. “A tough coach is the best tool in your arsenal if you’re competing,” she says. Back on the floor, Vicki claps her hands and Lauren snaps into action.
“Now onto the spinning pole!” And back to work they go.
All photos by Kristina Lloyd
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