Wednesday 21 September 2011

Up and around the pole

Ooohhh.... I am so super-mega excited. On Sunday afternoon I'm participating in an advanced pole workshop with one of my favourites, Miss Suzie Q. Graceful and strong, she's incredible. Good dance background and she does a lot of aerial stuff like trapezee and those aerial hoops and such. Her doubles partner, Toby J, will also be instructing at the workshop. Yes, guys also do pole. There's even a men's category in the big competitions.

My favourite Suzie Q video, from Miss Pole Dance Australia 2006 isn't on YouTube anymore. There are lots of others but video quality of most is really, really terrible. Her 'Lara Croft' themed dance from Miss Pole Dance Oz 2008 is ok quality - not great.

My favourite-favourite, who I only discovered earlier this year, is a lass Oona Kivela. She has just won the first  Pole Dance World Cup, which was held in Rio (only been doing pole for three years - same as me!). I don't know her background but can bet that it is sure to be ballet and gymnastics. This woman is strong and flexible and agile. Without putting you on a pole you just don't cannot get how hard the stuff that she is doing so fluidly really is. She makes it look easy. It isn't. Sure, I can do some of these moves, but mostly in isolation. Not one after another after another with such speed. And some I can sorta do. I say 'sorta' because I can do them but not half as well as Oona (I can't do the splits). And then others I cannot do at all - not strong enough, not flexible enough... I really like that Oona dances in barefeet and not in ho'heels, which puts this sport in the other commonly associated perspective.

Watch and enjoy the acrobatic, gymnastic and athletic elements of this incredible sport, thanks to Oona.

Oh-oh-goodness... just found this. Yeah, ballet and gymnastics. Really nice little interview with Oona.

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