Boost your Pole-Jo – How to get your pole dance sparkle back!
We are SO passionate about pole dancing, and you clearly love it otherwise you would not be here reading Hair Flicks & Tricks! I think we can all agree that pole dancing is the best thing to happen since sliced bread, but just like our fav sourdough, our excitement for pole can become a little stale. Sometimes it is caused by overtraining and pushing yourself way past your limits, and other times it can be external factors like a stressful job or situation *ahem lockdown*.
And while it is totally normal and okay to experience highs and lows in your pole life, sometimes you just need a bouncy redhead to body-roll in and give you some tips and tricks to get you going and help you lace up your Pleasers.
Let’s pop you in the toaster my friend, and get that mo-jo – I mean Pole-Jo – warmed up before you become too stale! Here are my top tips for finding your Pole-Jo and how to get that pole sparkle back in your life!
Unleash the NEW
You know when you find a glittery pair of pole heels you had forgotten about until you cleaned out your wardrobe and suddenly it’s like having a new pair all over again? Or you start to bring out your fav Summer clothes as the weather gets warmer and you rediscover all these things you forgot you had? NEW THINGS. Yes that’s right – new things are a great way to get the motivation engine revving again.
When you have lost your pole spark, why not book into a new class or try a new trick! Why not try a new pole dance style to get the brain working and body feeling alive. Perhaps there is a workshop at your studio or one nearby that you can take and learn some cool, new tricks. Try a spin pole class instead of static pole or vice versa. You could even take your old tricks and make a new combo from them! So. Many. Options. We’re not saying to reinvent the wheel – pole is still pole – but take that wheel and pop it on a damn Ferrari to hear your heart roar again!
HFT Pole-Jo Challenge: Write down 5 pole tricks or 5 floorwork moves on small, separate pieces of paper. Scrunch them up and put them in a wine glass. Now draw them out and write down the order they came out in. Wella! New combo to try and new transitions to think of! Make sure to tag @hairflicksandtricks on IG to share your new amazing combo. Double bonus: you now also have an empty wine glass ready for a celebratory drink afterwards!
Dance for me baby!
The Spice Girls were right about many things. Girl power, platform shoes and spicing up your life with some great music. There is nothing like putting on your favourite tunes and slamming it to the left and shaking it to the right to get you out of your pole slump.
Listening to music you like releases all of those happy hormones and chemicals your brain loves. Moving your body to that music amplifies the endorphins and feel-good vibes tenfold, reducing stress and anxiety. There’s a reason why your pole instructors carefully craft their warm up playlists – those first 10-15 minutes will set the tone for the whole class. Music is a powerful tool, so make sure you use it!
Along with pumping your fav tunes, dancing with absolutely no expectations is a great way to boost the Pole-Jo! Some pole dancers love to freestyle and flow with whatever feels great to that song. If you prefer a more choreographed approach, try making up a mini dance routine with no consideration of difficulty or how it looks, and focus more on moves that feel good to you!
Sometimes pole dancers get so caught up in achieving tricks or training performances, we forget to give ourselves time to JUST DANCE, as Lady Gaga so famously sang about. If she can dedicate 4.01 minutes of her professional career to singing about this, then you can spend 4 minutes doing it!
HFT Pole-Jo Challenge: First things first – create an epic playlist! If you need some inspo, check out Hair Flicks & Tricks on Spotify for pole dance playlists. Next, try adding a pole freestyle or mini routine to your schedule once a week. It doesn’t need to look good and you don’t need to film it – just dance it out baby! Note: dancing in your kitchen while cooking dinner counts!
Pole squad, assemble!
It’s always way more fun doing things you love with friends and bouncing off each other’s energy. And if your energy is feeling low, who better to help pep you up than your crew!
Try organising a group private lesson or make a time to meet up during your studio practice hours. That way if you wake up and your Pole-Jo is low that day, you still have a buddy to hold you accountable and meet up with. They will also be there to help you figure out new combos, make you drill that nemesis trick over and over, and yell at you when you’re not pointing your toes!
If finding time is hard or the studio isn’t accessible, why not organise a virtual stretch or workout sesh together? Try a pole dance or floorwork challenge and swap videos and tips each day.
Some days finding a way lift your spirits can be tough, so who better to spot your soul than a pole friend who knows exactly how you feel. Plus isn’t that why us pole dancers have such big biceps in the first place?
HFT Pole-Jo Challenge: Organise an in-studio or virtual catch up with your pole friends. Whether you book a private lesson together, or just practice together virtually, connect with your crew and ditch the pole blues!
Book a private lesson
There are so many reasons why you can benefit from a private lesson! Whether it’s with your regular instructor or a new teacher you adore, you can only leave with inspired pole goals and new motivation. The whole lesson is about you baby and what you would like to learn – new tricks, finessing old tricks, new dance chorey, a sweaty strength sesh, pole base work, floorwork – the options are endless! Find a teacher who specialises in what you would like to learn and buckle up for a brilliant hour of pole dance.
And the best part? You get your own personal cheerleader for that entire lesson! They will squeal with every spready, psych you up to try a new flip or tumble, and teach you new skills along the way. Your brain will love learning, your body will love moving and your little pole soul will find it’s sparkle again. If you’re still not convinced, check out the Hair Flicks & Tricks blog called ‘Private Lesson Perks.’
HFT Pole-Jo challenge: Write down 3 pole instructors you would like to book a private lesson with in the near future. Write down what skills you would like to learn from them, and when the time comes contact them for a private lesson!
Watch pole competitions and shows
Even if you’re not a Show Pony, heading along to watch a pole competition or show not only supports our beloved industry, but also gets you bloody PUMPED to pole!
Seeing incredible displays of creativity, tricks and dance will instantly boost your Pole-Jo and inspire you to get back up the pole (that is once you have picked your jaw up off the ground). Studios often have inhouse competitions or showcases throughout the year, and if you’re lucky enough, there may just be a state or national pole dancing competition being held nearby.
If you can’t get to a comp or comps are scarce (thanks a lot COVID), jump onto YouTube or download an online pole show to watch. Why not have a Miss Pole Dance Australia marathon and watch them ALL (if you have the DVDs and have watched every single MPDA I applaud you).
There is nothing like watching your fav pole stars perform to get your Pole-Jo poppin’ again. Plus, after the hours they have put into creating these performances, I’m sure that your pole icons would be delighted to hear you went down a YouTube rabbit hole of their shows!
HFT Pole-Jo Challenge: Buy a ticket to a pole dancing competition or if there are no comps happening nearby, watch 3 performances of your favourite pole star on YouTube. Share your favourite show with your pole crew or on social media and get inspired together! Okay, who’s bringing the popcorn?
Buy a new pole outfit (or four)
Remember when you were a kid and you thought new sneakers made you run faster? Well legend has it, new pole wear does in fact make you pole dance better (it’s science).
Maybe it’s pole magic or maybe it’s a pole placebo, whatever it is – it works. Treating yourself to some new pole wear or pole shoes is a super effective way to reignite that pole spark. You are guaranteed to feel like an invincible goddess and your Pole-Jo will instantly fire up. Jump online and don’t overthink it – just find an outfit that makes you pee yourself a little with excitement when you see it.
Some of our fav feel-good pole wear brands are AMBR Designs, Lunalae, Creatures of XIX, Dragonfly Brand, Jassie Label, Tatiana Active, Lucky Layne, Blak Apparel and Sapphire Hotpants. If you are after new pole shoes to make you heel clap harder, check out ShoeMe and Hella Heels.
Christian Louboutin famously once said, "Shoes transform your body language and attitude. They lift you physically and emotionally,” - and babe, he didn’t even have 8-inch platforms. Brace yourself, it’s an add to cart kind of day!
HFT Pole-Jo Challenge: Treat yourself to a new pole outfit or pole heels and feel fab for your next practice session! Bonus points if you throw in a HFT Cropped Tee *wink wink*. Share your latest outfit on IG and tag @hairflicksandtricks so we can drool over you. Yassss queen!
Book a pole dance photoshoot
Nothing boosts your confidence like getting the images back from a photoshoot. For some polers, getting in front of a lens can feel intimidating and awkward, however if you book with the right photographer, you can create some Pole-Jo magic!
There are many types of pole photoshoots you can do, with the most common being either in-studio or at a location (including outdoor locations). It’s always a good idea to have some screenshots of the tricks you would like to do and in what outfits, so that you can be prepared and organised. Don’t forget to practice these tricks too! Pole photoshoots don’t need to include crazy hard tricks, and honestly, the simplest things are just as effective. For more insight into pole dancing photoshoots, read the HFT interviews with Brad from Vertigo Photography and Jack & Nicole from Jealous By Nature. They share amazing stories and give you some great insight and tips for your next pole photoshoot.
If the Pole-Jo isn’t quite ready to do jump into a pole photoshoot yet, why not do a fun shoot posing in your fav pole outfits? You don’t even need to get on the pole! Have a look at All the Feels Photography for some flirty inspo and amazing sets to book, or check out the queen herself – Emma Salmon from The Black Light.
HFT Pole-Jo Challenge: Book a photoshoot and start planning your outfits, tricks and poses. You will look and feel like a total queen and if photoshoots “aren’t your thing” you may just surprise yourself! If there aren’t any photoshoots available to you, have your own shoot! Get your pole friends together and have an afternoon of spreadies and sass.
Read Hair Flicks & Tricks – duh!
The best thing about Hair Flicks & Tricks is that you can read these pole dancing blogs anywhere and at any time! On the train on the way to work, in bed before you go to sleep, while eating breakfast in your dressing gown or at the studio while you wait for your next pole dancing class. Here for you 24/7 boo!
Hair Flicks & Tricks was born to inspire pole dancers worldwide, with fresh and fun content to bring a little pole sparkle to your day! This also includes the down days when your Pole-Jo is taking a vacation. So, if you need a pole pick-me-up and some movement motivation, have a browse through our breezy pole dancing blogs and interviews with industry icons – they are guaranteed to leave you with a smile, add a dash of sass to your life and get your Pole-Jo burning brightly again!
Tell me what things you like to do to lift your Pole-Jo in the comments below. Don’t forget to share this blog with your pole squad and put the passion back into pole!
