I spent the weekend out of LA, taking a break from the swing of things and relaxing at a lovely little hot mineral springs retreat near Palm Springs. My last practice before I left was on Thursday, and it was…not great. I left fairly dejected. My friend was helping me run through choreo, and damn if that pole did not cooperate. I slid down it over and over again. Only after an incredible layer of iTac2 was I able to hold anything on the top end of the pole, but by then, my strength was wasted. I was dejected by my inability to nail a trick that is usually a signature for me, so much so that we made the decision to pull it from the routine. If I can’t nail it on a practice pole that is slippery, I can’t risk including it in the final routine and not nailing it again in the competition. That sucks. I love that trick. It’s a strong trick, one that not everyone can do, and my transition into it is unusual. But, it’s not a trick you can fuck up while getting into it, especially with the way I transition into it – you either stick it or you flail.

My friend tried to get my spirits up, focusing on how I had improved my opening choreo and had clearly worked on it, that I had more accomplished than she thought based on when we’d last met and what we’d discussed since then, but I still felt like it was a set back because I had felt so good after the last run-through in class. We worked on some floor choreo, which I need to play with and work into things now that I’m back from my mini vacation.

During the last leg of our trip, which was a photography expedition to an area on the coast of The Salton Sea called Bombay Beach (Google photos – it’s an amazing place for photography), we got a flat tire. While we waited for AAA to arrive, I took the opportunity to sign up for four additional pole classes over the next two weeks. I’ll be poling Monday through Wednesday, plus Sunday afternoon, all at my usual studio (and almost all with my usual instructor). It’s a huge commitment, both in time, energy, and money, but I figured out that I work better with people around – my solo rehearsals are rarely as effective when it comes to the pole runs. I do well with the floorwork in my solo time, but I have more energy, focus, and drive in class.

I’m also introducing my mom to pole on Saturday – there’s a teaser at my studio, and as a Mother’s Day outing, we’ll be going to class so she can see what it’s all about. I’m so jazzed, but also kinda nervous!

I have a few links to share, so let me get down to those…

First, a wonderful and inspiring post from a friend who has just begun her own pole journey (with a few pokes from me to do so) – I loved reading this, and I hope you will, too:

http://bonniegillespie.com/blog/the-pole-post/

Next, an incredibly touching video about believing in yourself and owning your own power – grab some tissues! It had me bawling, but in the very best way. While my own struggles are nowhere near this big, I will say that I did identify with his journey – it’s how I feel about pole half of the time:

Last, but not least…I’ve been fascinated with the idea of urban pole for a while, but never really had the guts to try it – mostly because  don’t think I’m at the level to be able to do it well. Nevertheless, I tried a few moves on our vacation this weekend, ending up with some scrapes and a lot of aborted attempts at inversions. 🙂