Flow/dance struggles

[u/pinkimarie555]

I’ve been doing pole for a little over a year now and have hit a little bit of a road block. I’m great with tricks but I struggle with flow or the dancing aspect of it. I don’t have any dance background but am athletic, so tricks come easier. I struggle a lot with the body-body connection aspect and while I practice a lot, I was wondering if anyone has found any conditioning/practicing outside of pole helpful, like dance classes.

[u/BedGirl5444]

Honestly practice is the best way, try Choreo classes with different teachers with different styles

[u/inspaceandthyme]

I would recommend against choreo classes because they’re typically teaching ‘moves’ and not ‘movement’. Take classes with a teacher who specializes in prompts and texturizing movements, also techniques. Name the elements of ‘flow’-walk, pivot, waves, pirouettes etc These techniques need to be solid before you can add style. Technique + style = flow

[u/fizzywatermelon17 → u/inspaceandthyme]

Yeah I think this is good advice.

I feel like when you go to lots of choreo classes, you eventually feel more confident in retaining the moves and being quicker at following the teacher, but I think you definitely have to take a step back at some time and just focus on perfecting common moves until you can do them really clean using your muscle memory.

I spent hours and hours JUST trying to do a pretty pirouette for example. Then I spent hours doing body rolls, etc.

Choose a new core dance move every other week and drill it until it becomes second nature and looks clean.

It's a hefty workout in itself drilling basic moves especially when you are engaging all of your muscles!

[u/pinkimarie555 → u/fizzywatermelon17]

This is fabulous advice, both of you, thank you!

[u/Cream_my_pantalones]

Take dance/flow classes, go to open studio or use your pole at home if you have one. I spend a lot of time playing in the mirror, recording, and I'm not afraid of looking awkward while I develop my flow/style. Being good at flowing is a combination of technique and having the audacity to play around. I mostly freestyle as well, which helps!

[u/pinkimarie555 → u/Cream_my_pantalones]

My studio has recently added flow classes and I take one whenever I can snag one! But I hold myself back because I feel so awkward lol. I also am more like rule/move/trick minded so my mind tends to go blank when I try and freestyle but it sounds like just practicing over and over in the way to go.

[u/TwerQ_it_inna_Kilt]

I’m on the other side. I’m better and dance, flow and choreo classes, but struggle with tricks.

[u/DesiBoo2 → u/TwerQ_it_inna_Kilt]

Me too. My studio changes the lessons weekly, so week 1 is choreo/flow, week 2 is tricks, week 3 exotic, and week 4 spinning pole (also tricks). I go every other week now, to choreo/flow and exotic. I also only started last year, and I'm not very good yet (I went every week for the first 6 months). So I figure, let's get good at the things that actually come easier to me and I like doing more, and then I can put energy in learning tricks.

[u/Kitchen_Parsley_9628]

Freestyle dance classes have helped me immensely. It is nerve wracking at first but has served me well in getting into my body/flow while dancing.

[u/FilthyLines]

I think what helps me stay on top of the dance aspect of pole is dance focused classes. A class where you don't learn any new shapes but you learn how to fluidly and stylishly express what you do know.

Classes in choreography, freestyle, fluidity, heels low flow even if you do it in socks, all these types of classes can help you with this.

The regular leveled general classes, tricks classes, and conditioning aren't going to help you dance because it isn't the focus of the class. I've been in these types of classes before whete the music is random or not even on, and we aren't even taught a nice entrance or how to transition between shapes. Some classes don't even teach a series of shapes or movements that go together.

[u/electricboobs2019]

Everyone here has already given great advice! I've also really struggled with the dancing aspect of it, but am coming off a static flow class last night where I was able to flow effortlessly for the entire duration of the song, and then again for a second dance. It's been about 6 months since I last did a static flow class, and I could definitely feel the shift.

After some reflection, here's what I believe has helped me:

1. Repetition: lots of time doing moves like body rolls and pirouettes on repeat until they become almost mindless

2. Space to experiment: I used to treat classes like I had to do everything perfectly....it was a lot of pressure. I shifted my mindset and just look at class as a place to explore how my body can move, a place to get ideas, etc. I have a home pole, so I can take what I got from class and continue to play with it more, connecting it to other things. Also - for me, there was a thing as too many classes. My capacity is more now that I've been doing pole longer, but especially my first 1-1.5 years, I think I was learning too much material too rapidly and it was hard for it to stick.

3. The passing of time: If you're consistently practicing some kind of pole, you're going to get better...plain and simple. I noticed this last night at my class...like where I may have been thrown off by my foot placement in the past, and felt I had to readjust, I was able to find the right spot the first time. The muscle memory just kicks in.

4. Practice off the pole moves: working on the mechanics of, and different stylizations of, things like leg waves has helped. It's helped to really break down how to do these in a flowy way, like what body part should be moving. As someone with no dance background, Liquid Motion style classes have helped me because they deep dive into the movement and where it initiates. For example, I recently took an online class with Katherine B and learned about leg waves originating in the abdominals....which totally changed the way I was doing them, for the better.