You have decided it’s time. Time to shine onstage and enter a pole dancing competition. After watching the luscious legs waves and terrific tricks & tumbles demonstrated by other polers on the comp scene, you decide to give it whirl. Buckle up boo because you are in for a wild ride. But like a rollercoaster, while there are plenty of ups, downs and holding back “mini voms” (well described by pole icon Lou Landers), the incredible feeling of accomplishment and elation at the end of your performance will make it all SO worth it!

Doing your first pole dancing competition can be daunting. Unlike the prep for any other production, pole dancers do it all when putting together their show. From music cutting, costume concept, choreography, tricks training, even hair and makeup – some polers are the jack of all trades! But if you have no idea where to start, here are some tips and ideas for all pole competitors – from the scared to seasoned show-pony, these handy hints will help you get sassy (not scary) as you strut the path to your next pole dancing competition.

*(Queen of the stage, Felix Cane taken by Vertigo Photography)*

Entering a competition

The first thing you need to do is decide which competition you would like to enter. There is a comp for every type of performer, ranging from in-studio competitions to state and interstate competitions. To help you narrow your options down, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Why are you competing?

Are you aiming to place first, second or third? Perhaps you would like to try a new style and challenge yourself. Perhaps the challenge is just competing for the first time and putting yourself out there. Maybe you would like to showcase your newest tricks and skills, and level up from the last time you took to the stage? Write down at least 2-3 reasons why you would like to compete and what you hope to gain by competing. Not only will this help you narrow down which competitions to choose to enter, but it’s a nice reminder when 2 weeks out from the show you’re having a mental breakdown trying to decide whether to keep the shoulder mount combo or not. Pole is a journey. Competing is a bigger journey. So it’s important to remember why you entered in the first place.

2. What type of competition is it and does it compliment your pole style?

Are you a pole dancer who loves wearing heels and slinking around onstage in the bare minimum? Or do you prefer to pole dance barefoot and show off your most wild flips and tricks? Find a competition that compliments you and your talents. You are competing after all and will be judged, so play to your strengths. There’s a reason why you book into exotic dance classes each week and roll around on the floor leg waving. You love it and you’re good at it, which will make it easier for you to train your show if you already love the style. The judge’s feedback will also be more positive because clearly that is your jam! So if it is your first time competing or you haven’t dabbled in comps for long, stick with what sets your soul on fire!

3. Are you looking for a challenge?

Although – just to throw a Pleaser in the works– if you want to challenge yourself, and that is why you are entering a competition, perhaps a new style of competition is the one to try. If you’re wanting to focus on technique, pole strength and stamina, perhaps it’s time to enter something other than an exotic competition, or just enter a different category. For example, Pole Theatre is known for the different categories you can enter such as Classique, Art, Drama and Comedy. If you’re a Classique lover who wants a challenge, why not give Drama a go? Although, please keep in mind this might mean a couple of things. You will need to film a new video entry – it is very hard to get into a competition based on a video that doesn’t show what you actually intend to do. So you may need to create a whole new routine just for the video submission. It also may mean that you might not score as well or place as high, because it’s a foreign style to you. Think about it – there is another competitor who has been doing Pole Comedy for 3 years now and has a theatre background. You’re going to have to work super hard to perfect your show, so that you can cloak your inexperience with a brilliant, well-executed concept.

Again, it all comes back to your why – why are you entering and what do you hope to achieve? Suzie Q & Toby J give some great comp tips in their interview with us called ‘Dazzling Duo of Pole & Aerials’.

4. Is this your first time competing?

If you have never done a pole competition before, the best tip we can give would be to enter your studio’s inhouse competitions. Many pole studios run “student only” comps which means you will be competing against your classmates, usually in your own studio! It’s the best experience you can get as your first comp – the audience will be full of your pole friends and family, you know the studio and poles well, and the judges are usually teachers from the studio. It’s a fantastic way to dip your toe into the sparkly comp pool!

*(Photo of Suzie Q & Toby J taken by The Black Light)*

Prepping for the comp

You did it! You’re in babe! The email landed in your inbox, the post announcing the competitors went up on social media and it’s out there. You will be on stage in 8 weeks. Yesssss! But OMG... you will be onstage in 8 weeks. People will be watching you. It’s happening. Wtf do you do next?!

Time to comp prep. And so the adventure begins. Morgan Freeman really should narrate this section because it’s going to be quite the journey. You think Lord of the Rings was hard path to walk for the hobbits? Well, you are now the hobbit. And your brain is the old wizard guy yelling YOU SHALL NOT PASS. But you will pass boo – you will be OKAY! Just plan well and organise your comp prep.

So let’s dive into some tips and ideas on how to plan the next 8 weeks. (Note: some polers start earlier or later than 8 weeks depending on when the announcement is made and what works best for them).

1. Create a plan

Map it out. Use your calendar in your phone or if you’re old school, write it out in your diary. Now work backwards. Write in the comp day. Write in your final, full dress rehearsal. Add when your costume should be finalised and so on.

Here are some key milestones to add to your plan which might work for you:

When should your music be cut and finalised by?
What date should you have your costume ordered by? Don’t forget to allow time for shipping and adjustments
When should you have your props made by?
By when should you have your pole tricks and combos locked in?
What date should you have your dance and floor work choreography completed by?
What date/how far from comp day will you start running full run-throughs of your routine (including props)?
What date(s) will you be doing a full costume rehearsal? Do you need to book studio hire or a private lesson for this?

2. Create a training schedule

Take your overall plan and get even more specific. What days will you be comp training each week? This might depend on when your studio has practice times or studio hire available. Think about how this fits in with your normal pole class schedule and muggle life. Will this be achievable or will you burn out? Make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself at the beginning as it can lead to fatigue and injury.

When planning your training schedule, think about your goals for the competition and how to achieve them. If you have a split trick that you want to use in your show, you may need to work on increasing your flexibility. An idea could be to book into an extra stretch class until your comp is over. Maybe you have a big pole combo you would like to use in your show, so it could be time to book into pole conditioning classes. Think about how your weekly classes can be used to turn you into the pole dancer you imagine onstage in 8 weeks' time.

Further to your weekly classes, you might want to consider booking private lessons with your teacher, so that you can work on your show together. You might want weekly lessons or just a couple close to the end of your comp prep – either way make sure you book them in advance and lock them in. There are SO many benefits to private lessons and you can check them out here in our blog called ‘Private Lesson Perks’!

3. Meal prep

Food is fuel and it kills us to say it but even though chocolate comes from a bean – it is not a vegetable. You are about to challenge your body over the next 8 weeks so it is essential you eat well to maintain your energy levels, and help your muscles recover and grow to increase strength and avoid injury.

We all know when you’re looking for a little snacky snack, and there’s nothing healthy available in the fridge, you will eat the next *not so best* thing. So plan your meals each week to ensure you are eating well and staying on track. If you are unsure where to start, book in to see a nutritionist and they will tailor a meal plan to you personally taking into account your activity levels, body type, previous health conditions and so much more.

In saying this, you also need to stay sane and look after your mental health. It’s not a diet and it shouldn’t matter how your body looks – you just want to help your body achieve the pole goals you have for your comp. This shouldn't mean obsessing over food and counting calories, and missing out on social events. Be happy, not hangry! Find YOUR balance and again, go and chat to a health professional like a nutritionist.

4. Schedule rest and recovery days!

Rest and recovery are just as important as actually training for your comp. You are aiming for quality over quantity when you train, so make sure you add rest days into your schedule. It’s about training smart – not hard. Your body is a system designed to provide you with feedback, so listen to your body when it tells you your shoulder has had enough. Listen to it when it tells you are drained and need some extra sleep. Be kind to your body and it will be kind to you.

The Pole Physio has a 3-part blog series called ‘The Recovery Series’ which talks about the importance of rest and the famous ‘100 points of Recovery’. Go check it out for some guidance on how to best recover from a gruelling pole session and why it is super important you schedule rest days.

5. Costume design & props

Start putting together your costume and props as early as you can in your competition prep. You will need to allow time for costume adjustments if they are needed, plus time to train your routine using your props. If there are parts of your costume that you remove throughout your show, again, you will need to practice with those pieces so get onto it ASAP.

You might be handy with a sewing machine and can make your own costume or bedazzle clothing. However, if the thought of threading a needle terrifies you, don’t stress! Find a pole costume designer to work with. One of our top tips would be to create a Pinterest board of inspo and look you are going for. Things like style, colours, fabrics you like so that you can share these images with your costume designer. They are not mind readers, so you will need to find a way to best describe the costume you are looking for.

Another great place to start is looking at previous comps. If you see a pole dancer wearing a style you love, send them a message and ask where they bought their costume from or who made it. Talk to your teachers and other students at your studio too, because they might know a local costume designer.

Costume and use of props usually play a big part in your judging criteria and help to get the message of your show across to the audience. Costume prep requires no physical movement so why not utilise your rest days for costume research?!

6. Hair & makeup

Further to costume, hair and make-up play a big role in conveying the overall vibe of your show to the crowd. Again, make a Pinterest board of images you like and would work well with your costume. Don’t forget you also need to be able to dance, so while your hairstyle needs to look fabulous AF, it must be functional. We don’t want hair pieces and extensions falling out mid-combo! When it comes to makeup, you need to remember that stage lights are harsh honey– they show EVERYTHING. Stage makeup is very different to your usual date-night makeup – your lashes will feel like they could touch your hairline and your tan might make you feel like a cast member of Geordie Shore.

If you aren’t confident doing these things yourself, book in with someone to do your hair and make-up on comp day. The same applies with getting a spray tan if that is something you are keen to do. It takes a huge load of stress off your shoulders on the day and if you have given them your inspo-photos in advance, you should get the look you are after. Research some hair and make-up artists by looking at their photos on social media, or the competition organisers might even have some people backstage you can book in with. If you are getting a spray tan, consider booking a test one in the lead up to your comp to see if you’re happy with it, and if it affects your grip on the pole (oooh we didn’t think about that now did we...)

7. Doing your final run-throughs

It’s now about 2-3 weeks out from comp day and you are up to the ‘full run-throughs' section of your comp plan. It’s no lie – doing the very first run-through of your full routine SUCKS. It’s hard. You will question everything about your show and want to sit in the corner in your booty shorts, rocking to “If I Could Turn Back Time” by Cher. But rip off the band-aid baby! Get the first run-through out of your system. If you mess it up – KEEP GOING. Run the full thing and record it. Watch it back and learn from it. It is only going to keep getting better the more you practice. You know your tricks, you know the chorey – you’ve got this!

Try to book some studio hires at your studio, or a pole studio that has the same poles as to what is being used in the competition. If you can, ask the competition organiser for the stage specifications so that you can map out the stage in the studio and know how much space you have to work with.

Another good idea is to book studio hire at a different studio to where you normally train. This will take you out of your comfort zone and get you prepared for the different feeling of being onstage. Also, bring some pole friends or book your teacher to come watch your final dress rehearsals. They will only want the best for you so will give you some great feedback and most of all, cheer hard for you in these final weeks!

8. Remember your why

Finally, go back and read those reasons why you decided to enter this competition in the first place. Remember why you decided to put yourself through this exhilarating, yet exhausting experience. Surround yourself with your pole crew and reach out to them when comp prep gets hard – both physically and mentally. No one can argue – you will ALWAYS want just ONE MORE WEEK! One more week to prep. One more week to do run throughs. It’s been said by amateurs and pro’s alike – just ONE MORE WEEK!

But you are ready for this. This is your moment to shine. Remember you are a bad-ass, incredible pole dancer who is going to bring your absolute best to the stage. Let’s do this!

*(Get fierce like Carlie Hunter at Miss Pole Dance Australia, photo taken by Vertigo Photography)*

Competition day

It’s comp day babyyyy – WHOO! You have done everything you can do up until this point, so just enjoy the day and be excited to show off your hard work.

Prior to comp day, you will receive a schedule for the day from the competition organisers. This will include what time the venue opens, when your tech run is, when the doors open to the audience and when the show begins. You will have also received the running order for the show by now and know when you will take to the stage. So you guessed it – plan your comp day too!

Pack your comp bag before the day

Make sure you pack your comp bag before the day – don't stress yourself out by trying to find parts of your costume the morning of the comp! The best thing EVER for this is having a comp bag checklist. This will stop you forgetting anything you need on the day. We put the question out there and these are the things the HFT Blog Squad have in their pole bags on comp day:

Pole grips (a few favs were Dancing Dust, Dew Point and Dry Hands)
Costume (and backup pole wear incase you are really paranoid about losing something!)
Appropriate underwear/pasties etc for underneath your costume
Spare makeup
Pole heels/boots
Sweat towel
Foam roller
Yoga mat
Bottle of water
Fashion tape
Sewing kit
Mirror
Hairpins & hair ties
Safety pins
Warm, comfortable clothes (no pullovers or you will risk smudging your makeup!)
Bath robes
Socks – no dirty feet on stage!

And the main one? SNACKS! Some responses we received were bananas, Gatorade, lollies, Red Bull, nut bars, protein bars and just little things to graze on throughout the day.

Tech runs

Make sure you organise your hair and makeup around your tech run, allowing time to get to the venue and warm up if it is beforehand. The tech run is where you are given time on the stage during the day to do a run-through of your show to make sure your music, lighting and props work together. It’s up to you if you wear your costume and/or shoes for this, but make sure you practice with your props as best as you can (without destroying them before the actual show). Ask someone to film your tech run on your phone from the audience, so you can watch it back to see how the lighting and props work together.

Before your show

The backstage antics at a pole comp could give a David Attenborough documentary a run for its money. Everyone handles nerves differently in the wilderness that is a comp, and you will observe 2 main species of pole dancers backstage – the chatty and the chilled. Some people love to talk with the other competitors, take loads of photos and even throw in a nudie run backstage. Others like to keep to themselves, pop their headphones in and stay focused on their show or character. Either way, remain respectful of others backstage.

Some ways our HFT Blog Squad like to get into “the zone” for their show is:

Visualise chorey over and over again
Stretch
Meditate
Connect something to the song (like perfume) and visualise your routine
Chat to others
Smile and just remember why you are there
There’s a zone?! Where is this zone?!

Show time

The show has started and it’s almost your time to dazzle to crowd! This is it. The moment you have worked SO hard for. Make sure you allow enough time to warm up properly beforehand and get changed into your costume. Try to be side-stage at least 2 songs before yours. Some pole dancers like to watch the show before, others prefer to stay focused on their own routine and look away. Have your pole grips with you, a sweat towel and bottle of water. Try not to apply too much grip nervously beforehand (which is easier said than done!).

When it’s almost time to step out there, take 3 deep breaths and remember your why. Your crew is out there and they have your back. Think about the audience, not the judges. And lastly, LEAVE IT ALL ONSTAGE. Go hard baby.

After your show

You hit that final pose and the music stops. You hear the squeals of your pole friends and your teachers are clapping so hard for you, they are probably going to give themselves callouses.

You did it. Blood, sweat, tears and triumphs for 3-4 minutes onstage – we're absolutely crazy. But now you see it was all worth it for THIS moment. You step offstage to hugs from other competitors and so many selfies to be taken! You can relax and enjoy the rest of the night knowing you gave it a red-hot go!

It may not have gone entirely to plan, but remember there are still some competitors who haven’t done their routine, so don’t come offstage yelling how slippery the poles were or how terrible the spin pole was. Negative comments might make their nerves 10,000 times worse. If they ask you, tell them these things in a nice way so that they can adjust their grips if needed. Just keep in mind there are still competitors that need to have their turn, so go and watch the rest of the comp from the audience if you can, with a drink in hand!

Finally, when the awards are handed out, be a good-sport. If you miss out on placing, that’s okay! You know you gave it your best and there is so much you can learn through the comp journey. You are now an even stronger, more talented pole dancer because of this experience. And the place-getters have worked just as hard – so make sure you congratulate them.

But if you WIN a sashie... F*CK YES QUEEEEEEEN!! You are amazing and it is so well-deserved! It is now your obligation to wear the sashie through the McDonalds drive through on the way home and wear it naked, Chilli Rox-style.

Post comp

The comp is over and you will wake up the next morning feeling like you’ve been hit by a bus, as the adrenaline from the night before wears off. The week following a pole competition is weird and you may feel a little lost. It is also really common to get the “post-comp blues” and feel a bit down. Chat to your coach or pole teacher if this is the case, because guaranteed they have been there too.

In the weeks and months after a pole comp you will receive the photos and video of your show. Be patient, because chances are the photographers and videographers have other competitions they are working and have a lot of photos to sift through. (For some insight into comp photography, check out the HFT interview with Brad from Vertigo Photography here!)

When you receive the judge's feedback, take it onboard and learn. Grow. Use it to fuel your next competition so that you can continue to improve with each show. The judges are likely to be very experienced pole dancers so be thankful for their feedback and think about how you can apply it to your general pole dancing and preparation in the next comp.

For some pole dancers, one comp is plenty. They took on the challenge, smashed the comp prep journey, but just don’t think competing is for them. And that is okay! We are SO proud you had a crack!

For others, the call of the stage will become irresistible and you my friend have just caught the pole comp bug! Symptoms include looking up the next comp you can enter, dreaming of your next show concept, hearing a song and adding it to your “comp songs” playlist and becoming hooked on YouTubing other performances.

Whether you are hooked or not, make sure you take time in the days after the comp to pause. Think about the chaos that the last 8 weeks have been and give yourself a huge high-five because you did it. You gave yourself a massive goal, put yourself out there and levelled up as a pole dancer. So take your bow babe, pour yourself a wine and have a bloody donut!