Quite often when people take a holiday they take a break away from everything within their normal routine at home, including pole. This can be a positive thing as it is always good to reenergize the body and mind, however, it can also be very sad if poling is an activity that really makes you happy and that you don’t feel you need a rest from. If you do have a holiday planned this year here are some tips you could use in order to keep pole in your life while you’re away from home.
Art Appreciation
If you’re travelling you’re more than likely going to be visiting somewhere new. If this is the case, be sure to visit museums and art galleries. Viewing the art works of other can have an immeasurable influence on our process, even if the art you’re viewing is completely unrelated to dance. Think about how the artist used their tools. How will you use yours next time you are in the studio?
See Live Dance
Although you may not be able to just go and book tickets to a live pole dance show, there are other dance performances that you could see. When I watch a decent live performance I am taken somewhere else completely. When I come back from wherever it was that the work took me, I begin to reevaluate the way that I work by looking at how I can improve, or how I could create something as astonishing as they did with the inclusion of a pole.
Read About Dance
If you want to become a more open choreographer / performer I would definitely suggest “Speaking through Movement” which gives you the opportunity to explore yourself as a dance artist and dares you to put yourself into a process of creating dance. If you’re looking for something unrelated to choreography and training I would recommend “So, I Hear You’re a Pole Dancer”, the writer talks about her experiences of pole dance and how she started her own pole dance business.
Book a Class
You know all of those amazing pole dancers you see on instagram? Well, they usually teach in their hometown so find out if their classes are anywhere near where you have planned your trip and get booked on to their class. This can usually be arranged through a quick google search and a few simple emails. For instance, I had booked a trip to Vegas in Sept 2014 and as I was looking for pole classes I found Pole Expo, this then lead to a performance there in Sept 2015.
Having time off from our daily life doesn’t mean that we have to completely eliminate hobbies for a week or two. Use the time to explore new things, but also use these experiences to inform your practice back at home. Take a reflective journal and which will enable the memories from your trip to become a part of your dancing. I can guarantee you that you will benefit as both a choreographer and dancer.
