I've known for a while that my pole game has been declining rather than improving. I just kept trying to push through, thinking I hit a wall. Back in June it became glaringly obvious that my health problems were increasing and I couldn't teach pole effectively anymore. I'm slowly trying to tackle the health issues one at a time. I've seen cardiology, ENT, and my GP. I have appointments with a pain specialist and allergist later this year. Anyway, I'm hosting some events at the studio to stay involved with students. I am very grateful for the teaching staff at Aerial Bliss; Ari, Caryn, Katie and Regan. I know our students will have great experiences with them.
XOXO,
​Jackie

This video was inspired by conversations on social media as well as my post pregnancy pole dancing experiences. I hope you enjoy and find it helpful.

I know I am due for some sort of epic post about pole or a dozen tutorials. The truth is health issues have kept me busy for the last two months and I took a couple of weeks off of teaching. I created this video a while ago and just edited it tonight. It seriously took me multiple tries over a couple weeks to film it in the right orientation because my brain was mush. Anyway, enjoy my video about why you CAN pole on a 50mm and why you might want to more often. Thanks for reading and watching.

Have you ever had your iTac dry up and become basically unusable? It happens. I mean you only need a tiny bit of iTac at a time so a container lasts quite a while. Sometimes you toss your iTac in a pole bag and forget about it for a while. I decided to experiment and try to revive crusty, clumpy iTac using 4 different methods. Check out the video to see what I used and how it turned out.

OK I acknowledge that this vague title could go in many directions, but I'm going to talk about my inaction in regards to the Aerial Bliss YouTube channel. My vision for the channel is to create many great pole tutorials for my students to be able to review at home and for students who can not access or afford quality in studio instruction. I want pole dancing to be affordable for all and SAFE. The comments I read on online forums scare the crap out of me, major injuries should NOT be the norm and some advice is scarily dangerous.

I got a little off topic, let's get back to the Aerial Bliss YouTube channel. It has been quite a while since I posted new material. I got disheartened by the lack of views, by YouTube's ever changing standards for monetization and the poor video/sound quality of my videos (in my mind). I researched cameras for hours and hours, but have come to the conclusion that I can not afford a high quality camera at the moment. This dissatisfaction with my videos led me to just not make any as I researched and researched and researched. 

Thankfully, I have finally broken trough my inertia to create some new tutorials for all of you. The camera is the same, but I rotated to landscape view, changed the height of the tripod and added supplemental lighting (a bit too much to be honest, but I will get it dialed in). I guess the overall lesson here is to keep going and take the small steps you can to improve what you are doing even if you can't make the giant leap to where you eventually want to be.

Enjoy the new tutorials for Standing Fireman and Superman Basics!

Please let me know if you like the improvements to the videos and what you would like to see.

As a pole dancer I know I have strengths and weaknesses, as everybody does. I am not the strongest nor most flexible person, but I am great at moves that just plain hurt like Knee Hold (aka Knee Killer). I am good at teaching moves and breaking things down. I am not good at choreography, finding inspiration to create a pole piece or selecting music (at least according to virtually every judge at every pole competition I've been in). I seriously can not find good dynamic music.

​I'd love to hear from all of you now. Let's fill up the comments section. Where do find ideas, inspiration and music for your pole performances?

I am in the process of finishing up my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training. One of the principles drilled into us over and over again is to let go of expectations. I think this is a great lesson for pole dancers as well. Over the years I've seen students get frustrated with themselves over and over again because they couldn't do something they "should" be able to do, or they did it last week but can't get it this week.

Ourselves and the conditions surrounding our pole performance are ever changing. Temperature and humidity affect our ability to grip the pole. How well rested, fed and hydrated we are affect our abilities day to day. I am significantly weaker when I am having my period (overshare, I know) than when I'm not, so I just can not expect the same level of performance during that week of the month. I can't fight it, trust me I've tried. So rather than get frustrated at what I can't do, I need to let go of expectations and explore what my body can do. Maybe I work on perfecting a basic spin, or improving my freestyle rather than nailing the newest Instagram fad move. 

I think to really enjoy and appreciate pole long term you need to be kind to yourself, enjoy what your body can do, enjoy the process and find your creative expression through dance.

At my studio we used to brainstorm T-shirt ideas. One student suggested I am Somebody's Goal Weight. Before someone gets offended, because someone always does when weight is mentioned, this statement wasn't a brag, it was a reminder that although she may not be where she wants with her body there is someone out there striving to get where she already is. It is a statement of appreciating where you are and what it took to get there.

I've been a little down on myself body-wise because I've gained a bit of weight pretty rapidly due to a new medication coupled with chronic illness. Anyway, I was pretty proud of the pics I got from MNPC and the fact that I crocheted my competition outfit. I shared one of the pics on a crochet forum. Someone commented how they made lots of crocheted crop tops when they were in their 20's. I commented back that I'm about to turn 37. Another person posted, "You're 36?! Dang. I'm gonna be 31 in a month and I hope I can look as good as you in 5 years!" Talk about a confidence boost. This compliment reminded me of the statement my student had made months before, and made me think about it in a greater context.

You are likely someone's pole goal. "What? I just started you", you say. You had the courage to sign up and show up to a pole class. Many are sitting at home still thinking about it. Wherever you are in your pole journey, someone is wishing they could be like you and do what you do. 

It has been a little over a month since I last competed in pole and I anticipate that it will be a very long time before I compete again, if ever. I never do well at competitions, and I don't know why I put myself through the stress,  

I did learn a few important lessons from my last competition. One of my students has the best attitude about competing. She sets personal goals for herself that have nothing to do with how she places in the competition. I love that!!! All you can do is prepare and perform the best you can the day of the competition and then it is up to the judges. You do not get to control the judges or who your competitors are. You might do the best routine of your life and still not place. If you make personal goals unrelated to placing you can still leave the competition feeling great about yourself. I came in dead last (AGAIN), but I had better musicality than ever before, I made it all the way through my spin pole pass, still spinning and I didn't slip in my ayesha like I did the previous year. I also got to chat with a pole friend who I greatly admire and she told me she doesn't do well in competitions either. I couldn't believe it. This woman is seriously phenomenal. How could she not place? From this I learned you can be a great, entertaining performer and amazing instructor and not do well in competitions.

I got a lot of great feedback from people who have known me for years and seen me perform many times. That feedback was far more valuable than the feedback I got from the judges because I allowed me to see growth from where I was to where I am now. 

I went into this competition planning on it being my last, so for the first time EVER I purchased the photo and video packages. I never did before because I always place last or close to last, and why would I want to be reminded how much I sucked? I am so glad that I purchased them this time. The photos are great and I am even proud of the performance that was captured on video. 

Compete to meet your personal pole goals, compete because you love being on stage, but don't do it to win because there are too man things out of your control and you may make yourself very, very miserable. Make pole your happy place and let your unique style and story shine.

Feedspot.com recently created a list of the Top 75 Pole Blogs. Aerial Bliss made the list at #61. That is pretty amazing since we haven't had a blog very long and I post once every 1-2 weeks, but we're there. See the whole list at ​https://blog.feedspot.com/pole_dance_blogs/.

Perfect your back hook at home with our great back hook tutorial.

You will need both a good Wide Legged Front Hook Spin and Back Hook Spin to do the combo in our latest tutorial. Check it out below.