The Devil in the Details
As a pole dancer, I watch a lot of pole videos. My Instagram is exclusively pole, Facebook is about 80% pole, and then there are all those live stream events on YouTube! I see strong dancers, strong athletes, flexible women and men. Only occasionally someone takes my breath away.
For good or for bad, it is sometimes easier to point out what is wrong with a performance than to pin point what makes it amazing. Of course if someone pulls out a rainbow marchenko, you are going to be impressed. For us mere mortals, however, we need to focus on other ways to wow an audience or win a competition. These five techniques will clean up your lines and help your performance shine with the best.
1) Pointed toes
You've seen the memes and heard your instructor yell it a thousand times. Pointed toes make such a difference to your lines, even when climbing. We all learned to climb the pole with a flexed back foot but it pays to change these habits. Video your rehearsals and see where you flex, and work on pointing your toes through your entire movement - climbs, ankle grab, inside leg hang etc. I practice pointing my toes all day every day to work on engagement and muscle awareness. Stirring dinner? Rise up to the ball of your foot, roll over to a point and control it in reverse. Watching TV? Flex and point your feet in rounds of 10. Feel it through your arches, toes, balls of the feet, and ankle.
If you are still not convinced, Danielle C from [BadKitty] (http://www.badkitty.com/news/pointing-toes-save-life/) talks about how pointing your toes can also improve the stability of your pole moves. So get practicing!
2) Straight leg straddles
Do you know the difference between a nearly straight leg straddle and one that is laser pointed from hip to toe? It has much less to do with strength and more to do with focus and intention. Train your straddles in your tech classes to make them feel more natural. When training for a performance, put as much time into polishing your transitions and entries to moves as you do for your tricks. A consistent and strong straddle will ensure you stand out from your froggy legged counterparts.
Straddle tips: Engage the muscles above the knees, point your toes, and use the momentum of the spin to lift you up. Jamilla Deville has an amazing technique of lifting her legs to a V before tilting back, but this may not be available to everyone. Experiment with variations that work with the lines of your own body - one leg bent, one leg straight (either inside or outside leg), a scissor across the body before lifting, or a toe tap and then straddle. If you find that towards the end of your choreography your straddles are starting to look tired, think about another way to transition into the move, or add some more spins and floor-work to give yourself some rest before that final combo.
3) Commitment to gestures
I admit I see myself do this all the time! A spinning climb with a head roll, I throw an arm off into the air and then quickly bring it back into the pole to prep for a move. If you are going to head roll, make sure you have enough counts to finish it smoothly. Similarly, make a hand gesture and articulate the move right to the tips of your fingers. A hand gesture is almost always made more effective when paired with a look, either towards or away from your hand, so make sure this comes across with intention. This may take anywhere from 4-8 counts.
Keep in mind advice from [Rowena Gander](http://polepurpose.com) too, "A simple arm gesture is much more effective than a false back bend that has no relevance to the artistic intent."
Don't feel that taking the time to slow down your gestures is going to negatively impact on the rest of your routine. More likely, it will help you find moments to relate to the audience and strengthen your story and intention.
4) Facial expressions
Every time you spin around the pole and face the audience you have an opportunity to find a point of contact. Gritting your teeth or pulling faces will most likely contrast with the intention of your performance. Watch your favorite dancers and see how their character is consistent through their facial expressions, ALL the way through their routine.
It has taken me a long time to become comfortable looking out at the audience. When putting on a show it is important to make the audience feel like you are dancing for them. This comes across with eye contact and by conveying the feeling that you are enjoying what you are doing, not panting and forcing it out.
5) Consistency between floor and pole
Many pole dancers are great at making eye contact and engaging with the audience when they are doing floor-work. However, as soon as they touch the pole their whole focus changes towards their tricks. This really affects the mood of your performance and it can also be quite jolting for the audience. If you are portraying a character, consider how the image and feeling of that character can continue through your pole tricks. Can you replicate a shape you made on the floor and make eye contact in the same way? Are your pole combos a reflection of your story, much in the same way that your movements on the floor were?
The best routines are those which are creative, well thought out, and offer new ideas. It's hard to stand out from the crowd when even amateurs are pulling out what were considered advanced tricks just a few years ago. However, if your transitions are polished, your gestures full of intention, and you engage the audience throughout your entire performance, you will carry a stage presence and a confidence that will challenge anyone’s flips or planches.
The details are in the dance, and we are pole dancers after all.
Written by Mel Nutter as Baudelaire.
