Positive Spin's Video Dance team Debut is here!
For 5 weeks, this group of wombats worked incredibly hard to bring you their Barbie themed debut!
Shout out to Thespian Studios for producing this video!
Category: Uncategorized
Should I stretch my sore lower back?
While stretching is often good- passively stretching a sore, tight, or injured area is not always the answer, and can sometimes be harmful, especially when it comes to the low back!
Low back soreness, which sometimes feels like tightness, can often be caused by too much mobility and not enough support in the low back, as well as a lack of mobility in surrounding areas, which makes extra stretching counter productive! So what can you do instead?
💜 Strengthen your core, especially your low core, with stabilizing drills. (Not a million crunches!)
💜 Strengthen your glutes and use them to stretch your hips into hip extension.
💜Work on isolating upper back mobility, especially if you’re training to increase flexibility or do pole.
If you want more explanation and some drills you can try at home, here’s a video with a few examples to help you get started!
Want more guidance on how to do these things? Join us for flexibility class, which happens 6 days a week! This class is not just passive stretching- we work on things like end range strengthening and stability so that you can increase your range of motion while preventing injury.
We recommend that everyone try out flex class, even non pole dancers, because it will help minimize pain in your day to day life.
Pole Dance Class Grip Guide
There are so many different pole grips out there, and while it may seem like they are all variations on the same thing, there are actually several categories of grip for totally different purposes! Read our 2024 pole dance grip guide to figure out which ones might help you have the best possible pole class!
We carry our favorite in several categories. Here’s what each is for, and who might need them, along with similar alternatives if you want to try something different!
Dry hands
For sweaty hands that are making you slide off the pole in class!
This grip starts as a clear liquid and dries slight chaulky. It’s primarily used on your hands, but can be used on other gripping points as needed. There are several other brands of liquid chaulk (Better Grip & Envirogrip for example). Everyone has their own preference, but we’ve found most wombats prefer dry hands!
We sell dry hands for $15/2oz bottle at the studio. Don’t be fooled by cheaper prices online, they are likely 1oz bottles!
Dew Point
For slightly dry skin that doesn't stick super well to the pole when you dance.
This is a body spray for when your skin is feeling a bit dry and you’d like to feel a bit more tacky. We carry it in 2 strengths- medium and ultra, so you can find the perfect balance for your skin. You can spray it on your body right before or during your training session as needed. We sell Dewpoint for $25 per 4.5oz bottle. Like with dry hands, cheaper prices online are likely a smaller bottle.
Corn Huskers Lotion
For dry or ashy skin that makes it very difficult for your legs and torso to stick in pole class.
This is for you if you have dry or ashy skin. It was originally made for corn farmers, but turns out it works great for pole dancers! Traditional lotion
can be too oily and make you slide off the pole, so this glycerin based lotion might do the trick. You can apply
it daily like regular lotion, or during your training session, but you’ll likely want to wipe it off your hands and cover your hands with dry hands after applying.
This one is used most often in the winter when skin is drier, but some people use it year round. Some people also use shaving cream for similar purposes. We sell corn huskers for $10 per bottle.
You can purchase any of these grips at our front desk! Just ask a front desk wombat or instructor for assistance next time you’re in class!
What pole grips do you use? Give a recommendation for a newer pole dancer!
Still struggling to stick?
Sometimes a liquid grip doesn’t quite do the trick, and that’s okay! We recommend trying grippy gloves and leggings if your grip woes are killing the vibe in pole class! Grippy clothes can help you continue building other strength and learning new skills while you work on your grip, so we highly recommend them if they might help you!
Check out Superfly Honey for grippy clothes up through size 3XL!
2024 Valentine’s Day Guide
Singles, Polycules, and Couples of all genders- we've got you covered!
Polyam Lap Dance
Who?
Triads, polycules, and polyam couples that want to dance and celebrate love with other like minded folks. Choreo provided for various group sizes!
When?
Sunday 2/11 or 2/18 at 4pm
Queer Lap Dance
Who?
Anyone who self identifies as any flavor of queer! Come on your own or with a friend/partner!
When?
Friday 2/16 at 7:30pm
Lap dancing for all
Who?
All! Obviously! But especially couples and solo students who want to pair with someone in class or learn the choreo on their own.
When?
Saturday 2/17 at 3pm
Sign up is $40 per person. Email us at info@positivespinpoledance.com if you would like to register for multiple people. Sign ups are non-refundable.
Pole Dance Photoshoots for Beginners!
Can beginners do Pole Dance Photoshoots?
We hear it over and over again- “I really want to do a pole dance photoshoot, but I don’t know enough difficult tricks! I’m not flexible enough! I don’t know what to do!”
We’ve got good news for you! Pole dancers of all levels, including beginners, can get equally fantastic photos with a few strategies to slay their first pole dance shoot. Plus, doing regular photoshoots is an amazing way to commemorate every step of your pole dance journey!
Keep your pole dance shapes simple
Some of the best and most striking photos are made from the simplest poses. In fact, complicated and difficult positions can detract from the overall vibe and energy of the photo. Choosing a position that you know you are comfortable executing will allow you to focus on the details and make intentional choices about pointing or flexing your feet, smiling or smizing, etc.
Think about the details and objectives
Building off the last point, rather than trying to do your hardest trick, spend your energy thinking about what details you want to show off in the photos. Do you want to lean into your backbend while you stand next to the pole? Do you want a super straight leg and pointed toe? Or maybe you want to look dramatically at the camera?
Collaborate with the photographer
Maybe you read tip number 2 and thought “EEEK! I HAVE NO IDEA!”.
Don’t worry! Your photographer will help you choose details that clean up your photos. We can’t see ourselves while we’re posing, but the photographer has experience looking at a pose and giving suggestions. If you’re looking to show something specific in your photos, let the photographer know so they can help. Maybe you want to show how bendy your back is, how strong your arms have gotten, or how happy pole dancing makes you! Your photographer can help achieve any of these things.
Not all your poses need to be up the pole.
Photos on the floor or standing can be equally striking, and we all know the floor can be an equally important apparatus for pole dancing. Try poses at a variety of levels, and if you don’t know any low pole moves, try adding some floorwork or low flow to your pole dance class schedule.
Wear something that makes you feel confident
One of the most beautiful things about pole dancing classes is the confidence it builds. Wearing something that makes you feel your best can really help your new found confidence come through in your photos. If you can’t decide what to wear, bring a few options. There’s usually time for at least one costume change during a pole dance photoshoot! If you are planning to go up the pole, make sure at least one of your outfits works with the tricks you want to do.
Grab a pole buddy
Another benefit of pole dancing class is the friends and community it comes with. Photos don’t have to be solo. You can buddy up and celebrate your friends by taking some doubles and group pole photos. Multiple bodies opens up a whole new world of pole shapes!
Your photographer can also help with good group pole photos!
Look for a pole photoshoot with a theme you enjoy
Many pole photoshoots have themes or styles that differentiate them. At Positive Spin Pole Dance we have several photoshoots each year, which usually include blacklight shoots, halloween shoots, and pride photoshoots!
We’re lucky to have lots of talented pole dance photographers in Seattle, and working with different pole dance photographers will yield different results. With pole dancing, the possibilities are always limitless!
Learn from each experience
There’s no right or wrong way to do a pole photoshoot, but just like pole dancing itself, getting the result you want is a skill that can be built, and the best way to do it is to practice! When you receive your photos, celebrate the things you love about them and think about what you’ll repeat next time, and what else you want to try!
You can start today by signing up for our 2023 Blacklight Halloween Shoot on October 21st!
Do you have other tips for pole dancing photoshoots? Leave them in the comments!
Pole Dancing Injury Prevention and Treatment
Like all sports and activities, pole dancing comes with a risk of injury. At Positive Spin Pole Dance Fitness, we want our students to enjoy pole dancing for a long time, with minimal pain along the way. (At least injury related pain- those pole sits are going to hurt when you start working on them!)
This post includes information about preventing pole dance injuries and for treating them when they do arise. It includes some specific resources and recommendations for seattle pole dancers specifically!
How can I prevent pole dance injuries?
The best way to deal with injuries is to prevent them! But what exactly does that mean for a pole dancer?
Gradually increase your training load
We know- pole dancing is so fun and exciting that when you get started you want nothing more than to pole dance all day every day, but if your body isn’t used to that level of physical activity, it can lead to injuries, which could mean taking even more time off from pole dancing. So while you can work up to taking pole classes 5 days a week, it’s going to take some time. The good news is that beginners can handle a few classes per week if they vary what kind of classes they are taking, which brings us to our next point!
Spend a substanial amount of your pole dance time cross training!
Cross training is doing other activities that supplement your pole dancing by strengthening the muscles that you need to execute pole dance skills. It is also targeting muscles that are less utilized in pole dance to prevent muscle imbalances, which is another leading cause of injury. We offer 4 main types of cross training classes- flexibility, conditioning, handstands, and floorwork. We’ll share more about the unique benefits of each of these in a future post!
Take care of your body outside of class time
Things like eating enough food and getting enough sleep are key to your body’s recovery process after physical activity, so make time for food, water, and rest!
It also doesn’t hurt to do some extra self care, like getting regular massages. If you’re a Seattle pole dancer, one of our pole instructors, Emily Gunter/Forbes is also a massage therapist and you can book with her here. It’s always nice to work with someone who understands your activity of choice, so that if you tell her what you’re working on in pole dance, she’ll know exactly what muscles might need some extra love!
What can I do if I get injured?
Even if you follow all the best advice on injury prevention, if you pole dance for long enough you’re bound to pull or tweak something eventually. We’ve all been there, so we’ve compiled our best tips and advice for recovering and getting back on the pole safely and as quickly as possible!
Best Practices for soft tissue injuries
Soft tissue injuries are injuries to your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. If you have a relatively minor one, there are some guidelines for taking care of them on your own. Whoever makes these guidelines really likes acronyms and you may be familiar with some of the outdated ones like ICE, RICE, PRICE, and POLICE. The current acronym protocol is PEACE & LOVE.
PEACE covers the immediate care after the occurence of an injury, and LOVE covers the subsequent management.
When should i seek medical care for a pole dance injury?
The short and annoying answer is “it depends”, but we do have a few guidelines to help you decide when it’s time to see a professional.
- If it’s a chronic injury lasting longer than 4 weeks and it’s getting worse or keeps coming back.
- If it’s an acute injury lasting longer than 2 weeks or is not trending better after the first week.
Who can i talk to about pole dancing injuries?
“Dr. it hurts when I do this”
Dr.: “Well don’t do that.”
Pole dancing takes this cliche to a whole new level. It can be hard for a regular doctor or physical therapist to understand why it’s so important that you can work on getting a flatter jade split or a twisted grip ayesha. Lucky for us the Seattle pole dance community is blessed with a wealth of resources and people who get it.
Our absolute first choice for Physical therapy is Emily Scherb, AKA The Circus Doc. She is an internationally known PT, author, and educator and we are blessed to have her locally here in Seattle. She doesn’t take insurance, but if at all possible, don’t let the price tag scare you away. Emily is known to fix pole dancers so much faster than conventionally physical therapists, so it often ends up saving you some $ over time.
For those who cannot afford to access ongoing PT from The Circus Doc, Seattle has a free clinic Seattle Dance and Performing Arts Medicine. You can sign up for an appointment to get a free assessment and some professional advice to get you healed and back to pole dance.
Hopefully these resources give you some guidance toward having a healthy pole dance adventure! Feel free to talk to your Positive Spin instructors for more guidance, but remember that we are not doctors!
2022 Instructor Feedback
Click on the instructor’s name to be directed to their personal feedback survey! This feedback will be compiled and shared anonymously at their end of year one on ones to help us continue improving your class experience!
The Wondrous Wombats!
Join the 2023 Wondrous Wombats Performance Crew!
If you want support throughout the choreography creation process, this series is for you. You’ll have instructors to guide you and a whole wisdom of supportive wombats cheering you on!
This is for ALL LEVELS. Seriously!
Lead by Fiora Wild (Whintey) and Rey Soley (Christina), this series will guide you through making a performance that you’ll love. Bond with your fellow Wombats as you brainstorm, develop, and polish your routine. Whether you want to try something fun and new, tell your story on the big stage, or just bond with your fellow wombats, this series will help you nail those goals.
The format will be 4 content classes and 4 assisted practice sessions, alternating. Content classes provide new information to help you build your routine, while practice sessions are open pole sessions with Christina or Whitney present to provide support while you work on your choreography. Bring polewear, wireless headphones, your phone with music on it, a method to take notes, and a method to take video to all 8 sections.
Dates:
Series:
Section 1: Fridays 5:45-7:15pm
Begins June 2nd
Section 2: Sundays 6:30-8pm
Begins June 4th
Make ups will sometimes be available in the opposite session space permitting.
Mini Showcase (included): Last Day of your Series
Pole for Justice (optional): July 29th
Cost:
$250 for non members
$225 for members
(Does not include Pole for Justice registration, which will be sliding scale)
Conceptualize & Explore
We will discuss how to select tricks that are appropriate for your routine, prompted freestyling to your music, how to break your song down into parts, and how to start placing passes and tricks into your routine.
Assisted Practice
This is time to continue to get to know your song and find places in your song where you want to place specific movements or tricks.
Connection
This week will cover how to expand on your passes and turn your individual tricks into combos, as well as how to build connection with your audience, and figuring out how to make your routine unique.
Assisted Practice
This second practice session is ideal for building out the bulk of your choreography.
Polish
with Christina
This class will teach you about using your extremities, taking your time, smoothing out your transitions, putting the polish on your audience engagement, and the value of marking your routine.
Assisted Practice
This session should be used to fill any gaps in your choreography, as well as working through any passes or transitions that feel awkward or clunky.
Finalize
This class will focus on asking for and providing specific feedback to your fellow wombats, then working on the final tweaks to your routine.
Dress Rehearsal
Our final session will be a Dress Rehearsal where you can put everything together, and get some performance jitters out. It is encouraged to wear your costume, use your actual props, and have your hair/make-up done.
Routine Creation: From Concept to Completion
Tickets are now on sale for our winter student showcase, featuring performances built during this routine creation series!
Saturday
1/29
7pm
Sliding Scale Tickets
On Zoom
Profits will be donated to the Sex Worker’s Outreach Project
In person: Sunday, December 12 to Saturday, January 29
Online: Wednesday, December 8 to Saturday, January 29th
Have you always wanted to create and perform a pole routine, but you aren’t sure where to begin? Or maybe you’ve tried in the past, but found yourself stuck, or needing advice and encouragement? This workshop series will take you through the entire process, from brainstorming and choreography to the practical details of putting on your performance in front of an audience! You will learn from multiple different instructors to gain a wide range of different perspectives and find your own personal style. At the end you will have the ability to perform your piece for our winter student showcase! Students may choose to sign up for each workshop individually, or get a discount if you sign up for the whole series.
All levels are welcome, beginner to advanced. No previous experience required. We want to support you in bringing your incredible ideas to life!
Workshops:
In person (SOLD OUT) Sundays 5:15-6:45pm
12/12, 12/19, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23
Online Wednesdays 7pm-8:30pm
Showcase: Saturday 1/29 at 7pm
Full Series: $160
In person is sold out! Sorry!
Imagining your concept
with Kat
Online Wednesday 12/8 at 7pm
In person Sunday 12/12 at 5:15pm
Time to brainstorm! This workshop will focus heavily on character and concept development. Students will be provided guidance on what makes for an engaging performance and be given the opportunity to workshop their ideas with other students. There will be ample opportunity to begin preparing your theme or concept for the showcase and be provided feedback.
Be prepared for a warm-up and light movement as this workshop will incorporate some movement-based activities intended to get your creative juices flowing. Pen, paper, and leg warmers/leggings are highly encouraged.
Creating your Choreo pt 1
with Emily
Online Wednesday 12/15 at 7pm
In person Sunday 12/19 at 5:15pm
Let’s start building our routines! Now that you have an incredible concept, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty and create choreography that will bring your idea to life! We will incorporate many different methods of choreography creation to find the style that resonates with you. There will be ample time for you to work on both the dance elements of your piece as well as any trick combos, get advice and feedback, and workshop with peers.
We will also discuss some of the more practical elements of building a performance routine.
Students should be prepared to move a lot in this class, but what you wear will depend on what sort of routine you would like to create! Leggings or socks and knee pads, heels, shorts/skin contact, etc. are all welcome. Please bring any music that you may like to choreograph to or that inspires you! For this class it is also highly recommended that you have a phone or some method of recording yourself.
Creating your Choreo pt 2
with piper
Online Wednesday 1/5 at 7pm
In person Sunday 1/9 at 5:15pm
Continue building and refining your routine! We will incorporate many different methods of choreography creation to find the style that resonates with you.
Musicality & Stage Presence
with Trixxxy
Online Wednesday 1/12 at 7pm
In person Sunday 1/16 at 5:15pm
Come embrace your Sensuality and join me in connecting your body with the music. In this workshop we will focus on musicality and stage presence. We will learn how to find public solitude and connect our bodies with the beat of the music.
We will be on a journey to feel most comfortable with our bodies that way we can encourage our full personality to display itself and therefore bringing alive our stage presence!! Kneepads and socks recommended.
Dress Rehearsal and Creative Feedback
with several instructors
Online Wednesday 1/19 at 7pm
In person Sunday 1/23 at 5:15pm
We’re getting closer to performance time! This is the perfect way to practice performing in front of others in a supportive, low stress environment, and learn how to reduce your performance day jitters.
Get cheered on by everyone who has been on this creative journey with you, try out your costume and/or makeup ideas and work through any last minute kinks in your routine. If you would like feedback, we will have multiple instructors helping out to give you their unique views and suggestions.
Week 6: Showcase! Saturday 1/29 7pm
Blacklight Party and Photoshoot
Grab your UV reactive Pleasers and join us for the best pole party of 2019! This event is part dance party, part open pole jam, and part photo shoot, so come wearing your best blacklight reactive outfit! Don’t have anything to wear? We will have UV paint and accessories, so come early and decorate a t shirt or yourself so you can shine bright. No experience necessary, we will have instructors present. 18+
We will have an experienced blacklight photographer to get some amazing photos of you!
Proceeds will be donated to Lambert House to support local LGBT youth.