Emma Bolton – Dancer, Pole Dance coach | All articles of the author

If you're planning on dancing, you'll need special clothes that are characterized by certain materials and tailoring. If you're planning to study pole dance, it's important to find a uniform with open legs and waist areas, among other things. Let's find out more about what to wear to a pole dancing class.

An example of how beginners dress for pylon classes.

General principles of choice

First of all, when choosing a dancing suit for pole dance, pay attention to the fabric. It should be elastic, durable and hygroscopic, as this sport involves a lot of movement. Fabric of the dance form should stretch in both directions, and it is better if it will not thin, otherwise - it will shine through during the performance of dance elements.

A good fabric is one that stretches and does not glow.

Most often costumes for pole dance are made of bi flex or velvet, and sometimes - with inserts from a grid or guipure.

A popular fabric for sewing forms is emerald bi-flex and velveteen.

Please note: velvet suits are a little warmer than bi flex, in warm seasons you may be hot.

Choose clothes that are easy to care for. You'll probably have to wash it often because of the constant training. The bi flex dancing uniform will be indestructible, even if it is washed every day.

And the most important thing is that you should like yourself in your dancing clothes. It inspires you to more productive training and just cheers you up in the lesson.

Dancing Shoes

You may need ballet shoes with an open or closed-toe and stripper boots for training. But if you're uncomfortable with the high heels stripper boots, you can do with socks.

High hills are most often needed for exotic pole dance classes. Beginners can use the boots with a height of 4 centimeters. They are very convenient not only for training, but also in general, so you don't have to worry about the fact that the heels will be hard for you to dance.

Next, the dancers go to the platform size of 6-7 centimeters, this is the most popular model and is suitable for absolutely different levels of training. For professionals - a great variant of 9 centimeters.

Form for warm-up

Every training session always starts with a warm-up. To warm up faster and better, you can use your leggings, T-shirt, and gaiters to warm up. Leggings and gaiters will help to stretch well and warm up all the muscles during the warm-up, so as not to get injured during the performance of dance elements.

Form for training on the pylon

Then, after warm-up, you will need special shorts and top, because for the exercise on the pylon you need a good grip of the skin with the pylon.

There are two types of shorts:

¾, which open the buttocks by a third;
shorts that completely cover the buttocks.

There are also various models of shorts with a high waist, as well as shorts with "suspenders".

It is recommended to put on a sports top with open waist and hand areas. That is, a regular T-shirt is not suitable for dancing on the pylon. An important requirement for a top is that it can be worn without a bra, it must hold the chest.

Another variant of the costume for a dance lesson - integral bodysuit. They are suitable for both training and performance. They are often sewn with special slots on the sides (that is for the good grip with the pylon).

Don't forget about safety. The kneepads are tight around the leg, preventing the stretching from out the knee muscles and ligaments, and protecting them from abrasions. There are kneepads with special lacquer inserts on the upper back surface of the thigh. They provide additional grip on the pylon when performing various elements.

What to wear for the Pole sport lesson

For pole sport lessons the presence of shorts and top is obligatory as this direction is basically directed on the performance of acrobatic elements and their combinations. It is extremely important that in the chosen clothes you were comfortable and nothing interfered with the training.

Here are some options for clothing for classes pole sport.

Clothes for exotic pole dance

For exotic pole dance classes, you can wear both shorts with a top and sometimes leggings.

Dance leotard in combination with stockings and high heel shoes.

Popular exotic dancing shoes are high boots above the knees.

Clothes for Pole Art

The pole art dance will be adorned with a long silk skirt or other lightweight and soaring fabric.

A red long skirt will make your movements more amplitude and expressive.

A black silk skirt knee-deep will decorate the image and add ease to life.

Photo session in the style of pole art with garlands.

Dance form care

If your uniform is made of bi flex, it does not require special care. You can wash it often and not worry about its color and quality. The main rule - do not leave to dry on direct sunlight, bi flex has the property of burnout.

If you have chosen clothes for dancing from velvet, it is harder to care for it, because it can not be washed or ironed. Thoroughly clean the cloth from dust, clean with a sponge moistened in water and well wrung out to avoid disturbing the pile. After you get rid of the dust, wipe the product with a soft woolen cloth.

What NOT to do before the lesson:

apply moisturizing cream to your hands or body;
to use perfume abundantly;
to wear jewelry: rings, necklaces, and bracelets will scratch the pylon and prevent you from exercising effectively.

Happy poling!

Beginner pole spins

We’ve chosen a few simple spins that look beautiful and spectacular. Most likely, you will be taught to perform them in the dance school at the first lesson on pole dance sport.

The first basic spin is the chair spin.

It is carried out at the initial level on two hands: the arm close to the pole is flat and held on top, the second – at a level or slightly below the chest level at point-blank range. You’re doing a little swinging with your foot away from the pole, and as soon as you start spinning, you tear off the other leg from the floor, bending both legs in your knees as if you were sitting in a chair. Looks like it:

It’s like you are sitting on a chair and spinning around a pole.

Another variation of the chair spin is when you take your legs off the parquet and put them in a foot-on-foot position. Do not forget to bend your back when performing the element to make the posture look even more plastic and elegant.

Variation of a chair with a position foot to foot.

The spin is performed both on a static pole and on a rotating pole. In the course of training, when your hands and grip will become stronger and stronger, you can try the chair spin on one hand.

Front and Backward Frog

Forward spin frog. Grasp the pole with both hands, as in the previous exercise. Then we make a swing forward and around the pole, grab the pole under the knee with leg close to the pole, release the second leg and connect both legs by socks. It turns out the posture of a frog:

The element also has a variation of the execution backward. Note that the starting position in this twist is different: the arm close to the pole is at eye level and has a grip on the pole in the armpit area. The far arm is flat and holds the pole above the head. In this position, you push your feet back and when you start spinning, clinging to the pole with your near-foot under your knee and bring your socks together.

Soldier’s spin

– it is an important link between more complex tricks in compositions and dance numbers. To perform it, we stand in front of the pole. We take two hands higher to be able to pull up further on the arms. Step right foot forward, left foot forward, swing a little to start spinning. Then we push our feet off the parquet and at the same time pull up on our hands so that our hands are at the chest-neck level. In the flat position, we spin in the “soldier” position.

The following elements, in addition to plastics, will require you to have small skills in acrobatics.

Basic Climb

To make climbing up the pole, lay one leg up on the pole slightly diagonally that way with the inside of the knee and ankle pressed against the pole. Feel the grip on the pole. Place your hands as high as possible by grabbing the ring upwards. You should place the second leg in front of the pole on the back of the shin under the heel. Clamp the pole with your tibia and knee sides. Make sure the front foot is tight and not beveled. The next step is to straighten the body by holding the pole with your hands and feet. Hands bend and the body leans against the pole. Now you will hold on to your hips as well. Next, you need to move your hands higher and holding hands, move your bent legs also upward, caught the pole by your ankles. Then, with your back leg push away from the pole to move the clutch into your knees and repeat all the movements you’ve already done before: straighten up, move your arms, tighten your legs, move your knees.

The second option is to use the forearm. That is, one hand remains straight, and the other – bent. The elbow is just below the shoulder and we rest our forearm on the pole diagonally. The use of an elbow allows you to put your knees right at once and avoid pushing them away from the pole.

A bird

After completing the base climb, perform the

Stand facing the pole. Grasp the pole with both hands as high as possible by grabbing the ring upwards. Lift your legs forward and squeeze the pole with the inner thighs. Straight legs are crossed in heels. Twist the pelvis towards the lower leg. Next, bend the legs and move the feet towards the upper leg, tilting the body slightly in the opposite direction. After that, lower the arm far from the pole to about the abdomen level and gently move the front arm of the pole to the side, grabbing the pole with your armpit. If you feel confident in this position, lower the other arm to the side. You have completed the bird element!

Horizon/basic plank

First, we recommend that you learn how to make the horizon on the static pole from the floor. Stand as close to the pole as possible and grip the pole with your bent hands at about head level. Pinch your stomach to the pole and raise your legs forward on both sides of the pole and squeeze it with your thighs, turning your pelvis one way, for example to the left. The feet are crossed and the heel of the upper leg prevents it from sliding off the lower leg. The toes are pointed. Next, while keeping the body twisted, lower your hands down the pole and then gradually straighten them out. After – let go of the hand of the same name lower leg (in our case – left leg) aside. So you hold the pole with your right hand and hips, the body straight or with a slight bend back.

If you feel that your thighs are not gripped enough with your pole, you can start practicing the horizon without falling completely horizontally with the floor, and leave the body diagonally to the floor, degrees 45 degrees. Over time, going down, you will reach the desired position.

Hello Boys

Perform a base climb, clamp the pole between straight legs, twisting the pelvis into the lower leg on the side so that the back surface of the hip is pressed well against the pole. Next, tilt the hull harder towards the lower leg and grip the pole with the same name hand just below the thigh with the ring on top. Continue to hold the second bent arm approximately at the head level. Next, you should feel the grip of the lower leg’s thigh on the pole, never carrying the weight on the lower hand. We should not sit on the hand, it only helps a little. Turning the body backward by straightening the upper arm will allow for a better hip-to-pole grip, which means that the grip will be enhanced. If you hold your thigh and hands with confidence, try to tear off your upper leg slightly from the pole. Feel whether you are holding on to your hip or hand. If at the expense of the brush, go back and check your exercise technique.

If it is possible to hold on to the hip, move the upper leg to the side in the “spread” position.

Hood ornament (Cricket)

For static execution of the element, stand sideways to the pole as close as possible on your fingers. Grasp the pole with your near armpit and far arm straight arm as high as possible. Near-arm bent, elbow facing down. Now cling to the pole with your near knee. That is, press a straight leg in front under the knee, then bend it. The knee looks down, the pelvis looks forward. Now, holding by your arms and under the knee, raise the far leg and move straight back and lean back to the pole with your ankle.

If you feel confident in this position while holding your armpit by the pole, try to release your near arm and straighten it in front of you. Then you can try to straighten both of your hands. As you learn, perform this element after climbing upstairs.

Chopper (Invert V, Straddle)

The chopper element is available in two versions: using a swing and power chopper.

For beginners, it is very important to develop strength, especially the muscles of the press to further perform the trick elements. We offer to train a power chopper at each training session and in due course, you will not notice how you will start to lift legs with ease by muscles of the press.

A step-by-step process for performing a chopper element on a pylon.

So, clamp the pole with your armpit and put your feet in front of the pole. Hold the pole with your arms bent approximately at eye level, the far arm is higher, your elbows are directed down. Next, slowly raise the kneeling bent legs to the sides and lower them back down. The body in this exercise remains stationary. Perform 10 times on each side.

When you feel that this exercise is not difficult for you, start trying to bend the body back after raising your knees in the chest. That is, keeping your legs pressed against the body. You ended up head over heels. The only thing left to do is to level your knees. You are in the chopper. Then do a power gang – start bending your arms, as if pulling the body back upward and lowering your legs down.

It is very important to carry out the power elements on both sides!

Later on, you can practice this trick without bending your knees when raising your legs. Lifting smooth legs in the position of the chopper you will use the press even more.

The chopper using a swing is performed as follows: grab the pole with your bent hands approximately at eye level, the far arm from above. Step forward with your near leg and grab the pole with your armpit at that moment. Next, your far leg rises to the top. Now let’s add the push of the near leg and the swing of the far leg. Try to swing not on the pole, but a little away from the pole and raise the pelvis upwards when swinging. In the position where the fly leg is at the top, start moving the support leg upwards and hold the chopper.

Martini

Lift and lean the straight leg to the front surface of the pole under the knee and bend the leg. Then, while holding a good knee grip, lower the pelvis down, increasing the area of grip on the pole. Hold the pole with both hands and the near one on top. After – raise the far leg and move it straight from the front of the pole, press it against the near leg, the stretched foot looks up into the diagonal. Now the elbow hooks at the back of the pole and with the palm of your hand holds the straight leg from the front. If you’re sure you’re holding on well, take the other hand aside. You’ve made a martini!

The hang on the leg

The base hang on the far leg

Run the chopper, lift the pelvis as high as possible.
Keep your shoulders down, do not raise them to your head. Stretch your back as far as possible without rounding it up.
Place your far leg against the pole under your knee and bend your knee as tightly as possible.
Move the lower leg back straight, but make sure you stay on the pole well with your knee and side. Also, clamp the pole with the armpit of your near hand.
If you feel confident in this position, gently move your hand backward first, holding the pole firmly under your armpit and then do the same by your far arm.

You’ve done the hanging on your far leg!

The hanging on your near leg

A more complex hanging is on the proximal leg.

If you hold the pole under your knee in the hanging on the far leg, the hanging on the near leg assumes that the inner surface of the hip and shin will grip.

Run the chopper, but do not lift or press the pelvis too close to the pole. Leave it slightly behind. Hold the pole sideways to the pole and grip the pole with your near-foot in the inner thigh and tibia area. After that, lower the top of the body down and grip the pole with the armpit. Lower your head down. If you hold on well, keep your hands back, keeping your armpit, hip, and shin together.

Barrel with wide grip

Stand facing the pole, grip the pole with your hands with a wide grip, the lower arm with the ring facing down straight (but do not turn off your elbow). The upper arm with the ring facing up is bent about 90 degrees in the elbow. Watch your wrists, do not let them twist.
Next, raise the bent leg of the lower arm of the same name and press the front surface of the thigh against the pole, feel the clutch.
At the same time, tilt the body slightly towards the lower arm.
Then, hold on firmly to the pole and gently lift the second leg upwards and press the front of the hip against the pole.
At the same time, lean towards the lower arm. Hold the hull in the grouping position so that your belly presses against the pole too.
As you enter the barrel, your lower arm slips slightly down and your upper arm straightens (but not completely).
Try to keep the body parallel to the floor.

You have made a barrel with a wide support grip!

Tips for beginners

Wipe the pole all the time. Before, during and after training, wipe the pole with an alcohol solution and a soft cloth at all times. This will help to keep the pole dry all the time for a better grip on your skin. This means that there is less chance to get injured, and in general, it is easier to perform tricks and elements on a dry wiped pole.
Wear shorts and a top. Many beginners are embarrassed to wear such frank things in the first few lessons. Don’t worry! This shape will allow you to stay on the pole better and not to slide. Again, it’s safer than training in leggings and T-shirts. You’ll always have to make hooks under your knees, armpits, waist level, and between your thighs. Doing this with your skin open is much easier.
Think about magnesia. Many pole dancers use a special remedy for dry skin – magnesia. It’s the same substance that bodybuilders use, for example, to lubricate their hands to take the weight of the barbell. In the case of the pole, liquid magnesium is the most suitable powder. But if your palms are dry enough without it and do not sweat, try without it.
Don’t worry if you can’t do something at first. In the beginning it can be difficult. But with a little effort, you will not notice how progress will become more obvious not only for you but also for the coach. It won’t be so difficult for you to do climbing, you will be able to do a variety of twists and beautiful handstands after a few weeks of training. The main thing is to keep your hands up and work on yourself. And you will definitely succeed!

What to wear to a pole dancing class – with examples and photos