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From Bullied To Built-Up – Lauren’s Story

Posted on by thepoleroom

Lauren speaks about how The Pole Room family and Pole rekindled her love of dance

Lauren’s love for dance had dwindled to the point where she no longer enjoyed what had previously been a great passion. The 23-year-old had been dancing at a toxic school, for most of her life before discovering aerial fitness – both Lyra and Pole dancing. “Pole honestly saved me, gave me confidence, showed me love and gave me a whole new life. Pole helped restore my love of health and fitness because it really doesn’t feel like exercise.” she said.

Before finding The Pole Room, the young dancer felt like she hit rock bottom. “Even when I started going to the gym I felt judged. I didn’t feel confident. I felt weak, fat and out of place. I hated that. Because of all this happening around me on a constant basis, I eventually got such a negative association with fitness”. It was after Lauren travelled overseas, she decided she needed a new challenge. That’s when she decided to look into The Pole Room studio in Kilsyth, which she had driven past so many times. “I thought, maybe this could be fun,” she said.

The young dancer tried lyra – aerial hoops – which she instantly loved. “I thought this studio is going to be the same, I’m going to hate it. But that was not the case,” she said.
“I looked forward to going back to the studio each week. I felt so included, which I wasn’t used to.” Soon, Lauren decided to try out pole dancing. “After being encouraged by numerous new friends and a few teachers, I decided to start pole,” she said. “I didn’t feel 100 per cent confident for months. It took a lot for me to get the courage to wear booty shorts and just a crop.

“But everyone was amazing. I didn’t feel judged, get evil looks or anything. I was being loved and supported. It was amazing”. What went from one class a week, turned into three, which turned into five and soon Lauren was at the studio almost every day. “I’ve gained so much strength without even knowing,” she said. “I look forward to exercising, I look forward to going to pole each day, every week.” “Pole even gave me the courage to compete in Shine – the studio competition – and most recently I performed a solo dance, which I thought was never possible.”

Preparing for a Pole Dance Competition

Posted on by thepoleroom

Competitions are hard. I’ll say that again. Competition are hard!

They take a huge toll on you financially, mentally and physically. But are they worth it? Hell yes! Taking to the stage and brining your ideas to life in front of a crowd is one of the most amazing, terrifying, and liberatingly addictive experiences. For those new to the competition scene, here are a few of my top tips for getting competition ready.

Every competition is different. They have different criteria, different stage dimensions, number of poles, distance between poles, costume and music requirements, the list is endless! Get as much information from the competition organisers as you can before you start choreographing. If you’re unsure of something, just ask! Can you imaging creating the perfect 3-and-a-half-minute routine, only to find out they’re going to cut your music at 3 minutes! Preparation is key.

Pick your song, costume and theme early, and have a back up plan just in case. Most competitions wont let two competitors dance to the same song, so it’s a good idea to have something in mind before you apply, then get in early to secure your song choice. If you’ve ever been to a Pole Competition, you’ve probably noticed the most memorable routines have a solid theme which is carried throughout by the song, costume and the choreography. While it can be tempting to dance to a song you absolutely love, it will pay to delve a little deeper and develop a character to portray on stage.

Get your costume organised as quickly as possible, and practice it in! You don’t have to wear it for every training session, but enough to ensure no potential malfunctions on the night. If you’re planning to get a spray tan or have your hair or make up professionally done, book those appointments early and check with competition organisers to ensure you’re allowed to have a make up artist backstage. If you’ve never performed with a tan before, it’s a good idea to get a ‘practice tan’ to test which grip products work with your body, the tan and the pole.

Try to get your choreography done as early as possible, if you’re struggling, ask for help! You’re not alone in your competition journey, chat to your teachers, your friends, or even reach out to your pole idols, you never know what wisdom they’ll be able to bestow. That being said, don’t feel like you have to take everyone’s advice all the time. While all advice is generally well meaning, not all of it is going to work for you. Don’t be afraid to disregard anything you don’t feel comfortable with, after all, it’s your performance.

Commit to a training schedule and find someone to help keep you accountable. The more you run your routine, the more comfortable you will be with the choreography and the more you can focus on enjoying the experience. Run your routine from start to finish, without stopping, even if you stuff up. On the night you wont be able to stop the music and start again, so it’s worthwhile being prepared for things to not always go to plan.

Make a list of everything you will need and pack your bag the day before. Be mindful of your run through time, you don’t want to miss it. Keep hydrated and bring snacks, stretch, breathe and trust me, all the training and the nerves will be worth it for that moment on stage.

Holly Anne
Instructor at The Pole Room

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