Liberation From The Corner, How To Stop Hiding

By Patricia Buck

Reposted With Permission From Sheila Kelley S Factor

There are times when to be a women can feel restrictive, oppressive: don’t wear that, don’t say that, don’t be provocative, don’t be flirtatious, don’t be too loud, don’t be too powerful, don’t be too free, don’t be too emotional, don’t be too liberated.  In short: don’t lay unapologetic claim to all that you are.  Where are the voices of encouragement, of support?  Where is the space that says there is no such thing as too much emotion?  Where is the place that says give me the worst; I can take it, I can hold it, I can reflect it back and reveal that even your darkness is infinitely beautiful and glorious?

When I walked into S Factor five years ago, I was lost, bereft and seeking.  I’d just come out a controlling and somewhat verbally abusive relationship with a man who said he wanted to marry me.  He had written a Jane Austin style letter to my father expressing his intentions.  It felt wildly romantic to me.  So romantic, that I turned a blind eye to everything that was wrong in the relationship.  When he ended the relationship it felt as if I was losing my last chance at marriage and children.   I was approaching forty and could feel my uterus exploding, expiring, imploding.  It was in fact this belief in scarcity that kept me in such an unhealthy situation—I didn’t believe I had any other options.  This was my last shot.  It is a singularly isolating experience to be single and childless and constantly confronted by the marriages and subsequent pregnancies of all of your friends and colleagues.  You become very intimate friends with envy.

And so, I went to an intro class with a friend. Mostly I was seeking a connection with my own sensuality.  I didn’t feel attractive or sexy.  I didn’t feel worthy.  I wanted to find that feeling and self-confidence.  I wanted to reconnect. With myself.  In the early days I remember the awkwardness and self-consciousness of not wanting to touch my own stomach.  I hate my stomach.  And then I realized, if I hate my stomach and I can’t touch my stomach why would anyone else want to?  I had to learn to love my body.

That’s when the journey really begins.

I’ve had so many profound experiences of being seen, held, and supported by this community of women.  It’s quite a transcendent experience to wordlessly lay yourself bare. To wordlessly say: I am deeply sad, I have unspeakable shame, I am angry, I am confused, I am losing faith, I’m not comfortable in my own body.

You communicate without words and yet you are heard.

And the resonance of feeling and experience reverberates.  And you are not alone.  It is magical, mystical and holy.

The women who bear witness to your story, your journey come to know the most intimate, vulnerable, and authentic you.  How often do we tell the people in our lives that we are fine, when we are far from fine?  The sacredness of this experience is the permission to remove that wall of politeness and conformity to social norms. This has been particularly liberating for me as I have a tendency to economize my speech—saying as little as possible lest I give away some awful truth: the awful weakness of admitting I am not fine.  I don’t have it all together.  Some days I’m just hanging by a thread.

I’ve been in traditional therapy, and movement therapy feels like a whole other level of truth.  It feels like you can’t hide.  What you might omit or gloss over in talk therapy cannot be done in movement therapy. Your body doesn’t lie.  I once had a teacher say to me, “You say you want to be seen, you say you feel invisible, but you’re always dancing in corner.  Get out of the corner.”  What I’ve been privileged to experience through this work is a deeper knowledge of self.  What an amazing gift that is.

As I continue to grow and evolve in this movement I sometimes cast back to the woman I was at the beginning of this journey.  I am not where I would like to be; but, I am moving, I am striving, I am reaching.  The teacher who told me to get out of the corner recently told me to focus on my breastbone.  “Your heart is opening,” she said.

The post Liberation From The Corner, How To Stop Hiding appeared first on Pole World News.

Does Your Body Naturally Give or Receive?

By Lisa Faulkner

Reposted With Permission By Sheila Kelley S Factor

In September I danced under the full moon eclipse with friends near and far. It was magical, mystical, star-filled, red-moon-glow, beach dancing bliss.

Afterwards, those of us on Ocean Beach in San Francisco climbed the sand dune in the dark. I wore a backpack. A duffle bag hung from one shoulder. Two damp blankets and a towel were draped over my right arm. Sand clung to them like metallic flakes drawn to a magnet.

Next time I’d leave them in the duffle bag because no one used them. Though someone did borrow the extra headphones.

As I trudged up the steepest part of the hill, my breathing became heavy and I stumbled twice near the top, falling to my knees.

As I struggled to get up, two of my companions offered to help, but I declined, “No, thanks, I’m okay.”

As we reached our cars, I asked if anyone needed a ride. One of the ladies had taken public transit into the city; she didn’t live far from me, so I drove her home.

Shadow Is Showing

The next day, I read an article about the eclipse to help process the intense energy. Parts of it flashed at me as if written in neon.

 “….we’ve been called on to let go of our old behavior patterns of reacting to situations with anger, domination and aggression, as well as our need to ‘go it alone’….

Usually, full Moons help us become aware of something within us, some feeling or belief that we keep hidden. At a lunar eclipse, these feelings and beliefs come out unconsciously. You could say, our shadow is showing. So look for your Shadow turning up this weekend, and instead of pushing it back into the Unconscious, embrace it, name it and allow it into your life.” ~ Cathy Pagano

Our Shadow is a trait or characteristic—often a strength—in extreme, causing an imbalance.

For example, my persistence used to get me in trouble with stubbornness until I developed flexibility.

My independence gives me trust in myself; it enables me to do things alone that others often won’t, like travel and dance on the beach. But it’s hurting me too.

How could I expect to receive abundant gifts from the universe, if I couldn’t receive help carrying towels up a hill?

I needed to cultivate receptivity. I vowed to experiment with saying yes to offers of help.

My first opportunity came a few days later.

That Friday I led a campfire chat before a clothing exchange and pure dance at S Factor San Francisco. A friend offered to bring snacks. My instinctive reply “No, thank…” Remembering my experiment instead I said, “Yes, that’s a great idea!” And it was. All the food was consumed during our 3.5 hours together.

That night I danced to I Want You to Want Me by Chase Holfelder, a song that felt like a prayer to receive. While dancing, I felt like a flower revealing her tender center to absorb more sunlight into her soul. It felt exquisite, and oh so vulnerable. My entire body trembled after.

Perhaps this is why asking and receiving is so uncomfortable for many of us. Receptivity requires an open and vulnerable heart.

Receivers Give and Givers Receive

Receptivity is also a gift to the giver.

Giving makes us feel valued. It increases our joy and feelings of connectedness. In whole-hearted voluntary exchanges, both parties simultaneously give and receive.

Consider our beloved S Factor classes. Each dancer shares her story through movement, emotion, strength, and vulnerability. As witnesses we hold space with our attention, cheers, applause and bodies. We all give and receive during every dance.

One of my favorite examples of this reciprocity of exchange is the Miami ‘couch surfing’ story Amanda Palmer shares in The Art of Asking Ted Talk (at 4:51) and book (on pages 159-160). I won’t spoil it for you by sharing the details so you can hear it from her directly.

What Feels Most Natural to You?

Giving? Receiving? Balance between both? Reflect on your experience during Bliss Miss week in October for clues. I danced to My Wish by Rascal Flats. And made my chair sitter’s heart explode (her words). While I actively showered her with love, I also enriched my understanding of what it means to write and offer workshops to an audience of one, rather than trying meet everyone’s needs, something we hear again and again.

The more I say, “Yes, thank you” and think of ways I want to receive help, the more magic the universe brings. For example, I recently convened a women’s circle called Blood Moon Goddesses, inspired by our experience dancing with the eclipse. Our purpose is to help each other make our dreams a reality. The day after we met and shared details of our dreams, a book (powerful mentors for me) crossed my path. The first chapter removed an obstacle that’s been blocking me.

My body is more comfortable giving than receiving. This is evident in a self-portrait I created with one hand giving and the other receiving. The photo shows how natural and happy my right hand is and how awkward my left one feels.

Still I’ve made progress. It’s like when you first learn a new pole trick. With practice it feels normal and shows up spontaneously in dances.

Before my last class I had no song. I wanted another ‘receiving’ one. I was surprised by a virtual hug from a retreat sister with a story and a song I’d never heard—Scars to Your Beautiful. I listened to it and got chills when I saw it was by Alessia Cara. The night before my husband forwarded me an article recommending six new albums with his annotation, “The 6^th one sounds S’able.” That album was Know-It-All by Alessia Cara, which includes this song. At first I thought I’d dance to Scars; it’s gorgeous. Another song from the album grabbed by body and heart and wouldn’t let go. When my teacher used her ‘rivers’ playlist, I knew Stone was my song.

It’s only now, while writing about this moment I see the whole picture. I received the gift of the song immediately and instinctively. I said yes before no. Then I relied on my creativity and independence. And I flowed with the magic and synchronicity of my class.

Whether you and your body prefer giving or receiving, practice both. They get easier and become more natural. Ultimately, they both come from love.

I’m heading out the door to another Friday pure dance class. I think I’ll dance to Stars by Alessia Cara. I’ll probably cry.

….An uphill climb

Fighting what the heart, really wants to do

See I need you

And sometimes we need to

Shed our facade and be just who we are

All broken and torn, then we could be stars

Oh we could be stars

We could be stars….

The post Does Your Body Naturally Give or Receive? appeared first on Pole World News.

Transgender in the pole community

By Kate E. Gaga, PSO amateur competitor

The new language in Pole Sport Organization’s rules for competition confirms what I already know about the pole world – that we are, and should continue to be, a community that values inclusion and understands the importance of affirming and including identities that are often marginalized in society. I hope that all polers, regardless of gender identity, will feel welcomed and valued as an important part of the pole world.

It is also important to think about what inclusion looks like at our home studios and local pole communities. How do we create spaces where all genders feel welcome and safe? There a lot of ways we can make our spaces open and inclusive to all who want to try pole – one great firststep can be to think about the language we use!

Inclusive Language Ideas for Instructors, Studio Owners, and Pole Students

• How do you refer to groups? “Ladies” really gets at me. I know not everyone in my pole classes identifies as female or male (I also don’t), and it sounds so darn patronizing!

Here are some of the words and phrases we use at my home studio to refer to groups of people – choose ones that are appropriate for your group and speaking style!

• Hello lovely humans!
• Alright, dancers, please move to your starting poles
• Hey folks!
• What’s up, peeps?
• What a great group of polers!
• Nice work, friends!
• How are y’all feeling about the routine today?

Of course, if you know for 100% that everyone in your group identifies as female, there isn’t anything inherently wrong with saying “ladies”. It’s just about being as inclusive as you can be, helping any student feel welcome.

Safe spaces

Sometimes pole classes can be listed as “Women Only” spaces. This is a great way to create a safe space for women. Does your studio affirmatively include transgender women in these women-only spaces? How do you/could you communicate this? How do you make it a safe space?

Pronouns of choice

Try to use student’s first names! Sometimes we may not know if someone uses “he”, “she” “they”, or other pronouns. Using first names is a great way to avoid mis-gendering someone, and also lets your students know that you’ve taken the time to learn their name.

While these things may seem small, they can be very meaningful to people who enter your pole world, unsure if their gender identity will be welcomed. We have a lot of power to make these spaces safe!

PSO’s Stance

You can check out PSO’s language below that they added in December 2016:

In order to continue our mission of inclusion, it’s become necessary to clarify our policy on transgender competitors. We have consulted with several individuals as well as reviewing NCAA rules and Olympic rules in order to come up with a policy that respects all participants.

For professional level competitors who identify as transgender:  One year living as the gender you identify as, including average gender testosterone levels. Documentation may be required to confirm current status on a case-by-case basis. If documentation is requested, all information can be sent to info@polesportorganization.com for confidential review. Any inquiries, questions or comments by competitors will also be kept confidential. Medical documentation of average target gender testosterone levels for our purposes are approximately 270-1,070 ng/dL for men and approximately 15-70 ng/dL for women.

For amateur level (levels 1-4 pole, levels 1-2 lyra, all levels flow tools) competitors: Competitors may enter as the gender they most identify with and are currently living as. Any inquiries, questions or comments by competitors will also be kept confidential.

About the author

Kate E. Gaga is a Boise, Idaho based transgender genderqueer person who works in higher education social justice programming by day, and is a pole dancer, pole instructor, and burlesque artist by night. Kate uses they/them/their pronouns.

The post Transgender in the pole community appeared first on Pole Sport Organization.

Natale tante idee regalo per le poler dancer

Come ogni anno vado in giro sulla rete per trovare le cose più carine da regalare ad una pole dancer tra cui ci sono diverse cose che vorrei io. Se avete un’amica che fa pole dance, una fidanzata, una zia o una collega in questa lista troverete tantissime cose a partire dagli accessori ai gadget.   […]

2016 Season Updates

At the end of each season, we do a review of the year, and see what worked, and what we could improve. Here’s our list of new happenings for 2016:

OPTIONAL LEVEL EVALUATION RESOURCE

For the competitor, one of the main challenges with the registration process is deciding which level to enter. While mandatory level testing is not something that we want to require at this time, an optional level evaluation is a service that we would like to begin offering, along with recognition of leveling up. It should be cool to be at a higher level!  

You can read more about the optional level testing resource here.

To cover the cost of testing and recognition, a $19 fee per test will be assessed. The fee goes towards paying the pros who will evaluate you, the pin and certificate per level, and updating our website and newsletter with the level ups. We will also be including our new Competitor Training Manual, to those who submit for evaluation.

You can purchase the level evaluation here.

We would like to give special thanks to Ruby Red as the model for the demo videos, and Renee Wu for filming. Thanks also to guinea pigs: Caitlin Marco, Dana Carina, Lauren Manzano, Melissa Hyde, Rage Monster, and Reamey Belski, who all took the beta test to help us work out the kinks.

COMPETITOR TRAINING MANUAL

This manual was born out of the need to address the challenges that pole dance competitors face when they are training for competition. We have studied the habits of competitors from all areas of the United States, and we see the following as major issues that competitors face, in both the amateuer and the professional realm:

• Overtraining, injury and burnout
• Lack of support from the home studio, or lack of effective training methods available at the home studio
• A sense of being overwhelmed by the task at hand
• Lack of knowledge about routine building

This manual attempts to address each of these issues. If we are successful, we want each competitor to feel:

• She or he worked very hard physically, but without injury or repetitive stress issues.
• There was a logical program of training to follow.
• Preparation for competition was challenging, but a task that she or he could complete successfully.
• Confident that she or he can put together a routine.

The training manual is included in the optional level evaluation fee of $19, and will be emailed at the time of purchase. The manual will be updated on a yearly basis. Contributors and editors of this manual include Seanmichael Rau, Amy Guion, Amy Rosvally, Katerina Paskaris, Rikki Little, and Tristabel Akila. Pro tips are by Seanmichael Rau, Shaina Cruea, and Maggie Ann.

JUDGES EXAM

Trained judges are the next step in improving our judging system.

A preliminary version of the judge exam is now available. The exam is free to anyone who wishes to take it! You can take the exam at this link. The exam is 60 multiple choice questions about PSO rules, levels, and ethics. Coming soon, it will also include videos to be evaluated. Taking a course and passing the exam will eventually be required to be a PSO judge. For now, have fun learning, take the test, and get a certificate of completion if you pass.

https://www.onlineexambuilder.com/pso-judging-exam/exam-51420

The judge exam will be helpful to those who are planning to judge at a PSO event, and also to those who are training themselves or others for a PSO competition. Knowing the rules and how the judges are scoring a performance is a great way to improve your own routines.

We would LOVE feedback on this program, as it’s in the very beginning stages. You can email us with suggestions at info@polesportorganization.com.

LYRA RESTRUCTURE

We would like to welcome Caty Mae as our 2016 Lyra Program Director. As director, Caty is our specialist on all things lyra, as is the advocate for lyra artists in PSO events. She has reviewed our rules and setup from last year, and has recommended several changes to the program that we will be implementing. If you are interested in learning more about Caty, booking her for workshops, or would like to contact her about the PSO lyra program, you can find that information here.

Lyra competition will be available at Pacific, Central, and Nationals, with fall artistic shows TBA. There will be a 36” hoop available to all competitors that will not have a tab or taco (one smooth circle). The spanset will be choked directly onto the lyra.

Our new level structure:

• Level 1: This is the appropriate level for the beginner/intermediate lyra artist. Competitors may not be teaching lyra nor performing lyra for compensation.
  • Planches are not allowed. A “planche” is defined as a hold where the body is held parallel to the floor, with contact points of the hands on the bar only.
  • Backward dynamic movement is not allowed (ex. rolls, elbow circles). Beats are fine.
  • Drops between the bars are not allowed. “Drops” means a complete release of weight from the top bar and catch on the bottom bar.
  • A mat must be used underneath the lyra during performance.

• Level 2: This is the appropriate level for the intermediate/advanced lyra artist.
  • All moves are allowed, except for safety violations, including not hanging from the truss.
  • Competitors at this level may be from anywhere in the world.
  • A mat must be used underneath the lyra during performance.

• Professional: This is the appropriate level for the advanced lyra artist.
  • All moves are allowed, except for safety violations, including not hanging from the truss.
  • Competitors in the professional level must be a citizen or resident of the country where the competition is taking place, as we have cash prizes at the National level.
  • The top 3 competitors at regionals will move on to the U.S. National Pole & Aerial Championships.

FLOW ARTS COMPETITION

Registrations are now open for Pacific Pole & Aerial in the disciplines of Hoop Flow, Staff Flow, and Poi Flow, together known as the Flow Arts. We are trying this out as an experimental discipline with a limited number of competitors to see if you like it!

Judges will include Samantha Taylor of Rawktails, Lester Mooney of Fire Groove, and Jeweliette Luminess of Bombshell Fire Entertainment.

Here are the Rules for Flow Tools.

Not ready to compete yet in Flow Arts? You can also catch some free demos and try out flow tools for yourself at PPC.

SWITZERLAND

We’re going to Switzerland! Pole Sport Organization Competition, European Edition, will be on May 7 in Zurich. Our local coordinating committee for the event is Gravity Arts. We are doing just a one day show, and are about half way sold out for competitor spots at this time. More information, including competitor registration, is at www.polesportorganization.com/events/europecompete

ARTISTIC PROFESSIONAL FINALS

In the spirit of separating the Artistic Professional division more clearly from the Championship Professional division, Artistic Professional finalists in the 2016 U.S. National Pole Championships can have people as props or backup dancers onstage for Nationals with approval. Concepts, ideas, and additional props that have to be moved by stage hands, can be discussed and cleared with Amy at amy@polesportorganization.com. As we get closer to the event, Amy will be reaching out with deadlines for submissions of additional materials, dancer names, etc.

In the spirit of keeping the Artistic Professional finals judged based on the actual finalist’s performance and not the individual skills of back up dancers, any additional person on stage may not touch or make physical contact with the finalist.

TRANSFER INFORMATION

We’ve been looking for a balance between keeping our registration management under control, and honoring the fact that hey, sh*it happens, and sometimes you need to drop out. We’re going to try this policy for 2016 and see how it goes. If you are a competitor wanting to transfer a 2016 registration and had previously been denied, please email us again and we can make the change for you now.

If you are signed up for a competition as a performer, and wish to transfer your registration to another person, you may do so up until we close registration for the competition. You must email us with the following information for the person you are transferring to, before the close of registration:

• Stage name of new competitor
• Email address of new competitor
• Studio affiliation (if any) of new competitor
• Event, level and age group of new competitor

Restrictions:

• Transfers must be to the same section, for example lyra professional competitors may only transfer to other lyra professionals, and pole amateurs may only transfer to other pole amateurs. Transfers between sections are not allowed.
• Transfers are only for the same competition, for example, you could not transfer your registration for Central to a registration for Southern.
• Transfer requests must be emailed BEFORE the close of registration. Many times, this is far in advance of posted deadlines, because we sell out! We are unable to honor requests sent after closing.
• If you are getting paid for your registration spot by the person you are transferring to, we are not responsible for making that happen, and are not liable if that transfer person defaults on their payment to you.

TRANSGENDER INFORMATION

In order to continue our mission of inclusion, it’s become necessary to clarify our policy on transgender competitors. We have consulted with several individuals as well as reviewing NCAA rules and Olympic rules in order to come up with a policy that respects all participants.

For professional level competitors who identify as transgender:  One year living as the gender you identify as, including average gender testosterone levels. Documentation may be required to confirm current status on a case-by-case basis. If documentation is requested, all information can be sent to info@polesportorganization.com for confidential review. Any inquiries, questions or comments by competitors will also be kept confidential. Medical documentation of average target gender testosterone levels for our purposes are approximately 270-1,070 ng/dL for men and approximately 15-70 ng/dL for women.

For amateur level (levels 1-4 pole, levels 1-2 lyra, all levels flow tools) competitors: Competitors may enter as the gender they most identify with and are currently living as. Any inquiries, questions or comments by competitors will also be kept confidential.

Happy 2016, and we hope to see you at a show soon!

The post 2016 Season Updates appeared first on Pole Sport Organization.

5 accessori che non devono mancare nella tua pole room!

Care home polers, Natale si avvicina ed è il momento di pensare ai regali. Perché quindi non regalarvi qualcosa di utile per vivere meglio la vostra passione? Ecco la lista degli oggetti che non dovrebbero mancare nella vostra stanzetta-palo. Vi saranno utili per migliorare la vostra esperienza di allenamento. Materassini Avere dei materassini da yoga […]

8 MUST-DOs Before Your Next Pole Competition

Competing in the new year? Whether your competition is next month or 10 months from now it’s never too early to get the most out of your pre-competition training. Just don’t miss out on simple changes or additions to your routine that might take your competition piece to new heights. So let’s dive into our 8 “MUST-DOs” for competition prep:

1. Start your conditioning early

Signed up to compete? Pretty sure you are going to competition? Thinking about maybe, sometime competing? Well, start your conditioning now! Make your pre-comp life easy by starting your conditioning (including strength building, flexibility training, cross training) early on. First off you will see the most benefits by slowly building your additional conditioning exercises into your routine, allowing yourself to gradually increase its intensity. Second, it will make the additional pole work you take on in pre-comp mode easier to tackle. That jade split will be a whole lot comfier when you already have your over-split perfected.

USNPC 2013

2. Don’t forget to freestyle
It can be tempting to schedule your pole practices down to the last second, filling every moment with specific tricks and combos you need to work on for the competition. So making space for freestyling can feel like a waste of time, but it isn’t! Freestyling is where the magic happens. Allowing yourself time to just enjoy your competition music and not stress about what you SHOULD be doing frees you to discover new and interesting movement AND rediscover old combos and tricks you may have forgotten. Just make should you are recording that way you can be in the moment when you are freestyling.

3. Video early and often
As a general rule, polers tend to be perfectionists, which often means we don’t want to start recording ourselves until we have our moves down pat. Unfortunately, there are a lot of missed opportunities in waiting till the last moment to video your training sessions. By recording early and often, you get to see your performance for the audience’s point of view from the get go. You’ll learn that while you might feel like you are over-emoting, your movements don’t actually come across as big as the feel. And of course, video is a great training tool to use in correcting form and technique.

4. Angle your tricks
Part of what sets the pros apart from the amateur polers is their skill in angling each trick and each big moment towards the audience and judges. They know not to waste all the work they did on nailing an Iron X by accidentally ending up with their body angled towards the back of the stage. Confidently knowing you will end up on the side of the pole you want to takes practice and muscle memory. Start early and use your video recorder as the audience so you can perfect your pose with certainty!

CPC2014-Brittin Wagner

5. Schedule breaks
Along with being perfectionists, polers are also known for their intensity in training. We just love pole so much we want to do it 24/7! The unfortunate fact of the matter is that that just isn’t the safest way to go about it. By pushing yourself to pole when your pole is telling you to take a break, you are setting yourself up for more long-term fatigue and even injury. Also have you ever noticed that when you take a few days or even a week off of pole after intense training and then return, you are stronger than ever?! It’s awesome! So schedule breaks into your training schedule and really listen to your body when it tells you, you need to slow down.

APC2014-Pam Vettleson

6. Get your costume early and practice in it
No, this is not just an excuse to dance around in sparkles, but it is a perk of this “must do”! Costumes and props create unique challenges in pole performances and you do not want to have one of those challenges pop up mid-competition. Do your best to prevent possible disaster by practicing in costume and with props as early and as often as possible – even use similar props or style pole wear to recreate the experience if you don’t have the real thing in yet. Most likely everything will go as planned on the day of, but if not you are prepared to deal with the worst.

7. Make healthy changes
Get enough sleep – that means to leave parties early or set your DVR to record if you have to. Cut down or completely out unhealthy eating habits. Up the fruit and veggie, decrease the take-out. Drink lots of water. Eat more protein. Remember you are training more than ever so you need to support your body’s increased activity. You already know to do these things, you just need to actually do them!

8. Keep your partner, family, and friends in the loop
Training for a pole competition can be a solitary, even lonely experience, one that our non-pole partners don’t quite understand. You willingly put yourself into a very intense and stressful situation and others may not know the right way to support you through the experience. Be honest and open with those in your life about why competing is important to you. Then explain (to the best of your ability) what time and energy commitment it will take and any changes you will be making to your lifestyle. If you break it down for them from the beginning they are more likely to become your p[ole comp cheerleader than the begrudging partner who can’t wait till the comp is over.

The post 8 MUST-DOs Before Your Next Pole Competition appeared first on Pole Sport Organization.

Happy Holidays

The post Happy Holidays appeared first on Pole Dancer Today.

What can Paper.li do for you?

The end of the year is quickly approaching and this gives us the opportunity to look back and see the big picture. In light of the end of 2015, we wanted to gather up our Most Popular Features this year and answer that one question that always haunts us: what is it that Paper.li can... Read more »

The post What can Paper.li do for you? appeared first on Paper.li.

Sexy Chocolate Green Power Balls

By Melissa Ramos

So if you’re looking for a good protein power-packed boost then I’ve got a great little recipe that’s sure to please all my followers – including the vegans!

Ingredients

• 1 cup tahini paste
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 tbsp hemp hearts
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp spirulina (or greens powder of your choice!)
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Couple pinches sea salt

• CHOCOLATE SAUCE
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 tbsp cacao powder
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• Couple pinches sea salt

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients of the ball recipe into a bowl.
2. Carefully spoon out 1 tbsp of the mixture and roll with wet hands.
3. Place all balls onto a parchment-lined plate and place into the freezer.
4. Then begin the chocolate sauce.
5. Melt butter over low heat and remove from heat.
6. Add in cacao powder and remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
7. Take balls out of freezer and roll in chocolate with hands and add them back onto parchment-lined plate.
8. Freeze for 15-20 minutes.

The post Sexy Chocolate Green Power Balls appeared first on Pole World News.

Liver-Loving Paleo Apple Cranberry Crisp

By Melissa Ramos

Now onto the recipe for the week which is made with apples. Apples are loaded with fibre but also with Calcium D-Glucarate which aids in liver detoxification. So enjoy folks and don’t forget to get your Five Must-Have Tools To Balancing Your Hormones Naturally.

Ingredients

• CRAN APPLE MIXTURE
• 3-5 apples (depending on size – about 1.5 lbs), peeled, cored and chopped
• ½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg

• GRAIN-FREE TOPPING
• 1 tbsp organic butter
• 3 tbsp tapioca starch
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine honey, coconut oil, and spices to melt and then mix thoroughly.
3. Pour honey, oil, and spice mixture over apples and cranberries. Then toss to combine.
4. Spread fruit in glass corningware bowl that’s oven safe.
5. In a small bowl, mix all topping ingredients and mix well.
6. Sprinkle mixture evenly over fruit.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until fruit is soft and juices are bubbling and topping is browned and crisp.
8. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes and serve warm.

The post Liver-Loving Paleo Apple Cranberry Crisp appeared first on Pole World News.

Paragon Latinoamericano

El 8 de Agosto se llevo acabo en el Distrito Federal La competencia de Kelly Yvonne Paragon Latinoamericano. La primera competencia Internacional Artística de Pole Dance en Mexico reunió a 22 atletas de Mexico, Estados Unidos, Venezuela, Rusia, Colombia, Costa Rica y Jamaica, panel de 15 jueces y mas de 300 espectadores. Durante tres horas se presentaron coreografías de un nivel artístico jamas visto en Mexico. Esta es la segunda competencia de Kelly Yvonne y la primera Internacional. Pudimos ver coreografías de personajes de video juegos, nostálgicos, el gato de Alicia en el País de las Maravillas, una marinera, un cotórro, fantasma de la opera, una bruja, un baile de tango entre una pareja, un reo, una espía, una araña y hasta un gato borracho que hacia mortales en tacones! Una de las cosas mas interesantes de la competencia fue el gran ambiente que se vivió en los vestidores, todos los atleta se apoyaban con palabras de animo así como con el maquillaje y peinado. 3 horas fue lo que duro el evento y la mayoría de los asistentes mencionaron que el tiempo se paso muy rápido, durante todo este tiempo el publico se mantuvo emocionado, y al borde del asiento de ver trucos increíbles en el Pole. Los 10 jueces quienes estuvieron divididos en dos paneles para poder realizar la calificación de manera oportuna, precisa y mas profunda otorgaron los premios para los ganadores.

FEMALE CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION

1er lugar: Crystal Belcher (USA)

2do lugar: Thalía Valtierra

3er lugar: Andrea Plancarte

MALE CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION

1er lugar: Gregorys Garcia (VENEZUELA)

2do lugar: Sergio Chan

3er lugar: Bernardo Casillas

FEMALE AMATEUR DIVISION

1er lugar: Maria Gonzalez (MEXICO)

2do lugar: Mia Shanté

3er lugar: Michelle Weil

MALE AMATEUR

1er lugar: Boris Kyñonesz (MEXICO)

2do lugar: Luis Edmundo Teos Suarez

MASTERS

1er lugar: Svetlana Zaytseva (MEXICO/RUSSIA)

1do lugar: Imelda Cabello Larios

3er lugar: Elizabeth Hernández Vicario

Puntuación mas alta: Gregorys Garcia and Crystal Belcher (tie)

Mejor disfraz: Sergio Chan

Mejor Coreografía: Crystal Belcher

El interés y apoyo que esta competencia despierto en Mexico fue tal que la próxima edición de Paragon Latinoamericano se realizara de nuevo en la Ciudad de Mexico el 13 de Agosto de 2016.

Rebeca

Dragonfly Pole Dancers

www.poledancers.com.mx

The post Paragon Latinoamericano appeared first on Pole World News.

A dicembre siamo tutte più bone… #cosedapoler

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