Blog
23 01 2012 New studio coming soon!
watch this space!
04 12 2011 Meet the team: Laura Lockhart
20 11 2011 A pole secret... Neal's Yard body salves
Pole can be beautiful and glamorous but sometimes as dancers we can feel far from beautiful or glamorous. After a hardcore pole session, there is nothing we crave more than a relaxing massage, sadly we don't live in a 5* hotel so we'll just have to dream. But we have discovered the next best thing, Neal's Yard body salves.
The arnica one is amazing for bringing down bruises and soothing tired muscles, whilst our favourite is the warming ginger and juniper salve which is perfect when our muscles are unbearably sore. They've also got a great range of massage oils to help really banish those aches and pains. Now that it's winter it's even more important to keep your muscles warm and supple, so please make sure you wrap up warm during your class cool downs and when leaving the studio.
08 11 2011 LAPD are famous
Well sort of... The guys from Bio Synergy came down to give pole dancing a whirl. Led by Alexe, John was put through his paces as he learnt to spin and invert. Whether you've been pole dancing for a while and fancy a giggle, or you've been thinking of taking it up and want to get a feel for the class then definitely check out the video.
Click here to see the video for yourself
24 10 2011 Pole Art 2011
The results from Pole Art are in, the competition and show took place on 22nd October in Helsinki, Finland. If you're not familiar with Pole Art, it is the most beautiful of all the pole events. With the emphasis on creative, artistic performances, Pole Art is not about showing off strength or being overtly sexual, instead it's about poise, choreography and skill.
This year the performances were incredible and the deserving winner was rising pole star Oona Kivela, with former winner Lauren Hilsum in the runner's up position. Edourd Doye took the men's title.
It was a stunning and dramatic performance from Oona, who is definitely our new pole crush, to be honest words cannot do it justice, so you'll just have to watch it for yourself...
Click here to see Oona's performance
click for more info about Pole Art
17 10 2011 5 surprising pole loving superfoods
Sometimes endless exercise just isn't enough, and if the saying 'you are what you eat' is true, then you need to put the Percy Pigs away and check you haven't grown some fruity flavoured ears. We've tracked down the top five superfoods to get you pole-fit in a flash.
1. Apples - Studies have shown that the faithful apple is a must for exercise lovers, they've discovered that a compound found in apples actually prevents muscle loss, so you can get lovely and toned by just adding an apple to your daily diet... yummy.
2. Cherry juice - This delicious tasting juice has been found to aid recovery after strenuous exercise. One study found that athletes recovered quicker after drinking cherry juice, and that their muscles were less damaged by the strengthening exercise. Other studies have also found that it can help insomnia... so you can have a great nights sleep and banish any aches and pains... brilliant.
3. Coconut water - We couldn't live without this wonderful drink, if you've ever visited Africa or the Caribbean you'll know that coconut water is what you're given if you're feeling unwell. That's because it's packed full of potassium, magnesium, calcium and vitamin C, it replaces your body's electrolytes and rehydrates you. Plus it's low in calories, fat free and it's the only thing worth drinking after a tough pole session.
4. Coffee - Forget your morning coffee, save it for the gym, studies have found that people who drink coffee before a gym session burn more fat and calories. So ditch the smoothie and grab a double espresso on the way to pole.
5. Cinnamon - A secret ingredient, this divine spice will suppress your appetite and keep your blood sugar levels steady. It also keeps your arteries in tip top condition. We recommend sprinkling some cinnamon on your morning porridge and you'll be amazed at how the need to snack escapes you.
11 10 2011 And the winner is...
The World Pole Dance 2011 championships were held last week in Budapest, and we now have a new reigning world champion pole dancer; our very own Alesia Vazmitsel. We weren't sure if we would ever see the day when someone other than Felix Caine was crowned champion, but after Felix didn't compete due to injury the competition really got started. Alesia who you may recognise from Britain's Got Talent, and from your classes as she used to be one of our teachers before embarking on a full-time glamorous occupation as a world champion pole dancer.
Her performance just showed how graceful pole dancing can be, and combining her agility, strength and incredible flexibility, Alesia set an unbeatable bar. Well done Alesia we're super proud!
Ilka Martina Bardoczy and Barbara Palmaffy won the doubles competition, with the UK's very own Kate Johnstone and Bendy Kate coming in second. Another contestant who got a few hearts racing was the winner of the male competiton, Loric Lebret, his lyrical take on pole dancing combined humour, dance, skill and amazing strength.
Click here to see Alesia's winning perfomance
19 09 2011 Meet the team: Charlyne Chiappone
Name: Charlyne Chiappone
Occupation by day: Piercer
Been pole-ing for: 1year and 6 months
Pole style: Strong and sexy
Signature pole move: Shoulder mount and variants of it
Pole move nemesis: Handspring from the floor
Renowned for: Having a crazy grip without using chalk
Top pole tip: Do your workout. Do abs and push up will make the pole so much easier and working on your cardio will make you look like it's easy for you to pole.
Favourite pole outfit: My black 7'' platform shoes
How did you get into pole dancing? I always thought it was so beautiful and when I moved to London I was happy to find classes.
Why did you choose to come to LAPD? Because I thought the classes were well structured and the teachers awesome
Why do you do pole? For the fun, the strong, the sexy
What does pole mean to you? Fitness in a feminine way (even tho I love watching men pole dancing!) and acrobatic art
What are your pole ambitions? Maybe starting competition at some point, we'll see...
05 09 2011 10 tips for handspring success
Handspring is the move every pole dancer wants to get, the twisted handspring is now the must-do move overtaking the Aysha and shoulder mount flip as the daredevil trick. But as anyone who has ever tried to do a handspring will know, it can feel like the impossible dream, however much you try, you never get any higher. We've all been there, and everyone conquers the handspring in the end. Here are my top tips for nailing the much loved handspring.
1. Work on your long grip: this is where you place your left hand low with fingertips pointed down, your right hand is outstretched and high on the pole you then take your weight onto your arms and raise up the legs into a v or swan. This will strengthen your left wrist and arm, whilst teaching you the all important mantra: The top arm pulls the bottom arm pushes.
2. Try twisted grip first: A long time ago pole princesses could only handspring with a normal grip, but then one day something magical happened and a twisted grip was discovered, making it much easier to complete the handspring dream. Yes, we're not sure who invented the twisted grip but we're so glad they did, it's a much stronger grip that does improve the likelihood of achieving handspring. To get into it, stand to the right hand side of the pole, place your right hand high - above head height, and then walk around the pole to the other side. Do not turn in on yourself, walk around the pole facing the front. This will twist the wrist around the pole and give you the correct grip.
3. Lead with your hips: Handspring is all about balance, and it's your hips that get you where you need to be. Imagine that your hips are raising up, and the rest of the body follows. You're aiming to get your hips further up and over than you would have previously thought, don't worry you won't flip over. As soon as you get your hips up you'll then start to balance your body and you will fall effortlessly into the handspring.
4. Don't be afraid to kick: Just like when you first learnt inverts, it was the kicking part that probably made your heart flutter, your brain spin and your legs wobble. Handspring is a true leap of faith, it requires a gung-ho attitude and a touch of daredevil spirit. You need to kick, you need to kick really hard and really long. The handspring is in truth a handstand up a pole and just like when you used to throw yourself against the wall to perform a handstand as a child, you need to do the same now. My suggestion is to kick up, don't worry yet about kicking over into a straddle, start kicking straight up, getting the height, getting the hips up, and then you'll be able to drop into a straddle once you've got the lift.
5. Use your core: You need to engage your abs in order to help you up. It's as much about your stomach muscles as it is your arms. Imagine your zipping up your middle, and don't flare your ribs. If you need to work on your core strength, then try sit ups, multiple inverts and pilates which will help you to understand how you can engage the muscles.
6. Stick out that chest: Once you've got the height and you've started to master the straddle you need push out your chest. This will give you more strength across your shoulders and improve your balance. This doesn't mean you need to arch your back or contort yourself into circus performer, rather as you leave the ground work on pushing through the shoulder blades and opening the chest. If you keep your chest concave then you will struggle to get the strength to keep you up there, the push through is vital.
7. Starring down the barrel of the pole: This is for those who have now started to get the straddle, if you're struggling to balance and keep the pose you may need to adjust your position. Make sure your shoulders are pushed back and your chest open. The top of your head should be parallel to the pole and you should be looking directly up the barrel of the pole. By looking straight up the pole you will create a strength-enhancing position and the focal point will allow you to balance.
8. Tip it: Once you've got the height but not the straddle, you need to think about tipping the hips. So, I mentioned earlier that the hips were key and help you get up, they also help you balance. In order to get your desired move you have to tip the hips towards the body. Keep the hips level and roll them towards your centre, dropping the legs towards your face in a straddle formation. The hip tip will now balance you, if you feel yourself going over the head push them back, and if you feel yourself dropping down you need to tip them up more.
9. Play with the move: Don't be afraid to try your hands in different positions, and your feet at different starting points. I like my right arm really high and my left about hip height, I then draw a semi-circle with my right toe and push myself up. This means that I push my hips right out to the front. Others prefer a lower hand grip and kick from behind the pole and across the body. See what other people are doing and try as many variations as possible, you'll soon know if it works for you.
10. Don't give up: It can feel like you'll never handspring, but one day it will just click, I promise. If you keep at it, your body will start getting higher and higher, then you'll start to feel the balance and then you'll have it. It took me months of just kicking up at the ceiling, not knowing what I was doing or what I was aiming to do, then one random day I went up and hovered for a few seconds. That was it, after that I knew what I was aiming for and now handsprings are my favourite move.
What's next?
So you've mastered twisted grip handspring, where do you go from now? First try different grips, you can try a 'normal' top hand instead of twisted (this is tougher than it sounds) and you can try a cup grip. The cup grip is incredibly hard and should only be tried with a spotter or two present. You turn the top hand so that thumb points down and the thumb and fingers are all on one side of the pole - creating a cupped hand.
Then there are the positions; there's jacknife where the legs are straightened next to each other across the body, this can be done on both sides of the pole, jacknife can also be flipped - ask your teacher for help. Pencil is a favourite, which is where you shoot the legs straight up the side of the pole with the body turned towards the pole and toes pointed. From this you can go into rubber monkey where you bend the knees behind you and you arch the back - creating a C shape with the body. You can also go into scorpian which is a cross between brass monkey and rubber monkey. If you're super flexi then try your splits mid-air.
Of course there's X-men and chinese flag, these are the pole moves we all aspire to, and require incredible strength. You drop into these from the handspring and hold parallel to the floor for as long as you can. Very difficult, but not impossible, a great goal to have.
31 07 2011 Meet the team: Michal Akrabi
Name: Michal Akrabi
Occupation by day: HR Manager
Been pole-ing for: 1 year 6 months
Pole style: Bendy
Signature pole move: Ballerina
Pole move nemesis: Today: Ayesha
Renowned for: Backbending in every corner.
Top pole tip: Point your toes at all time, it makes you look leaner and makes every move look graceful, even mistakes look good with pointed toes.
Couldn't pole without: Backbending!!!
Favourite pole outfit: Shiny Zebra Bikini and 6" heels.
How did you get into pole dancing? I used to dance Ballet and Jazz in my younger years and have always had a passion for dance and performance, I Also really love fitness and sports, When I came to England I was doing nothing for a couple of months and that felt awful. My boyfriend suggested I contact Alexe and try out something new...
Why did you choose to come to LAPD? A Day after the Taster my muscles hurt just they way it hurts after a good workout, I knew I have to take it to the next level...
Why do you do pole? "For fun, for flight, for fitness!" (US pole dance champion Jenyne Butterfly)
What does pole mean to you? A fantastic combination of Art and gymnastics, everyone can make it their own 'cause there are no rules, a perfect way to self express.
What are your pole ambitions? KEEP DEFYING GRAVITY!!!
03 07 2011 And the winner is...
Miss Pole Dance UK 2011 saw one of the fiercest battles the pole world has ever witnessed. The level of contestants was awe-inspiring, and has really set the bar, will Felix reign supreme at the World championships? With talent like this, she's going to have to hang onto her title with both hands.
The standard was so high that there was even a draw for top place, Jess Leanne Noris and Justine McLucas both scored 127, with Karen Chaundy not far behind on 117 points. When a draw happens it goes to the highest score for tricks, and with Jess scoring a whopping 74 points for tricks, and Justine scoring 51, that placed Jess Leanne Noris at 2011's winner. All top three finalists gave incredible performances that were really quite jaw-dropping. Jess and Justine will now head to the World Championships in Budapest where they will aim to take that much coveted title.
But it wasn't just our solo artists which were mind-spinningly brilliant, but the doubles acts also gave us something to think about (and aspire to). The doubles award went to Kate Johnstone and Kate Czepulkowski who clocked up 98.5 points, this fantastic pair will also be competing at the World championships. But not far behind was the fabulous Penny Howarth and Anna Chisholm who scored 96 points and best costume.
It really was a breathtaking show, and it's amazing how far pole dancing has come over the last few years, it is such an art form, and such a difficult skill to master. These ladies did brilliantly, and we can't wait to see the footage from the World championships. Go team GB!
For more details on Miss Pole Dance UK click here.
06 06 2011 Miss Pole Dance UK 2011
The pole event of the year is here, and we couldn't be any more excited. Our very own Maxine Bett's is last year's winner and this year's top judge, and we know that 2011 is set to be the hottest competition yet.
The pole-istas of the UK shall descend on Brighton on Saturday 25th June, where the top UK pole dancers shall be competing to win that much coveted title; Miss Pole Dance UK.
And there's lots of pole fun to be had on the day, with a volleyball game on the beach and the opportunity to meet some like minded pole-lovers, and some of your favourite performers.
There are still tickets available, so if you fancy seeing the next Miss Pole Dance UK being crowned, then make sure you buy your ticket now! And don't forget to say hello to the LAPD squad, as we'll all be down there en masse.
To buy your ticket and to find out more about the event, click here.
30 05 2011 Pole position: Teddy
Level: Intermediate
Pain factor: High
Type: Static
Need to know: That this will hurt the first time you try
Step 1.
Train Teddy from the floor before attempting to do it up the pole. Stand to with your right hand side to the pole.
Step 2.
Place your right arm around the back of the pole, and bring it around the front, so that your hand is resting on your right thigh. Your shoulder is behind the pole, not in front.
Step 3.
Here comes the tricky bit, place your left arm high on the pole and grip, as you grip take both legs off the floor in a straddle position.
Step 4.
Now, the grip is in your right armpit, allow your body to drop into the grip. By this, I mean don't try and force yourself up or squeeze too much at the top of the arm, the grip should be felt in the lower part of the armpit, towards the side of the breast.
Step 5.
Once you have allowed your body to drop slightly into this grip, remove your left arm and place this on your left leg. Squeeze with your armpit grip and engage your stomach muscles - these will keep your legs up and your back in place. You are now in Teddy.
Step 6.
To advance Teddy, once you have mastered it from the floor. Climb up the pole, using your feet to steady you, begin weaving your right arm around the pole as before and securing the leg with the right hand. Take the left hand high on the pole, as before to steady yourself, whilst you bring the left leg off the pole, now place the left hand on the left leg and you are in aerial Teddy.
Top Tip: Keep training this move to build up strength and pain resilience in your armpit grips, as you progress you will use more and more of these grips in a range of breathtaking moves.
10 05 2011 Pole dancing to become an Olympic sport?
If you haven't heard Vertical Leisure are petitioning to get Pole dancing recognised as an Olympic sport, and hopefully in time for 2016. I think you'll agree that this is ultra exciting, we all know how hard pole is, and how hard we work to perfect our moves. But how many times have you said that do pole dancing for someone to give you a grin and make some comment about grinding?!
It's such a shame that people still don't understand how hard pole dancers work, how much skill is involved and how technical it really is. If pole dancing become recognised as a sport and an Olympic sport then not only does every dancer have something to aim for, but it will become much more acceptable, which can only be a good thing.
It's a very exciting time to be a pole dancer I think you'll agree. So first things first... what to wear to the Olympic heats?!
If you would like to petition to get pole recognised as an Olympic sport click here.
02 05 2011 Kitted out
As pole dancers up and down the land know, looking the part is just as important as being able to do a hip dip showgirl one handed. So, we are going to be bringing you our favourite pole dancing ensemble finds. But of course, we must start off with the very best pole dancing outfit around and that is the LAPD emblazoned kit.
We do love our kit, for it perfectly blends pole fitness style with a touch of sexy flair. The hotpants are just £12 as is the vest, and the gorgeous mini dress is £25. These are perfect for strutting your stuff, competing or every day practices. Just contact the office or ask your teacher to get an LAPD kit of your own.
Work it girls!
03 04 2011 Meet the team: Sam
Name: Sam O'Neill
Occupation by day: Fashion & Beauty editor
Been pole-ing for: 3 years
Pole style: Circus meets '30s burlesque
Signature pole move: Handspring
Pole move nemesis: Ayesha
Renowned for: Intensive conditioning
Top pole tip: If you start getting freaked out or stressed by a move, walk away from it and come back to it another time, you'll never get it if you psych yourself out.
Couldn't pole without: My sweatbands, not the prettiest things but they give my delicate wrists that extra bit of support.
Favourite pole outfit: My new lace effect combo from Sweaty Betty - practical and sexy.
How did you get into pole dancing?
At university I was feeling a tad bored and needed to find something to keep me active. I stumbled upon pole dancing classes held by Karen Chaundy in my gym in Manchester. I thought why not?! I'll give that a go, I was terrified but found bizarrely I had quite good strength. I'd always been the school nerd that couldn't throw a ball, climb a rope or hit a shuttlecock, and yet here I was able to spin and climb up a pole. So long story short I became completely addicted and soon became Karen's guinea pig for her latest pole move creations. I moved back South after uni and so it was time to find a pole school in London that fitted my style.
Why did you choose to come to LAPD?
After trying a number of schools around London and not finding the right fit I stumbled upon LAPD and instantly it just clicked. Their style was exactly the same as mine and everyone was so nice. Sadly shortly after meeting Alexe, Melissa & Co. my appendix decided to attack me and I was forced to take a year off pole. I came back to LAPD weak and terrified that I'd never get my pole skills back, but Melissa whipped me into shape and shortly after joining as a student I started teaching, and never looked back.
Why do you do pole?
It's more than just fitness, it gives me time to escape work and reality for a couple of hours a few times a week. There's also an amazing sense of achievement when you get that move you never thought you'd get. There's also real feeling of camaraderie between polers, and you feel like you're part of something special.
What does pole mean to you?
It's my obsession, my year off was hell, I felt empty without it, nothing to look forward to or work towards. Pole keeps me sane.
What are your pole ambitions?
I want to see all my students get right through to level seven and beyond, I want to see them flourish and surprise their own expectations. I would also like to compete at some stage but I think I just need to work on my overall fitness levels before I take on such a mammoth mission. I'd also like to pioneer burlesque on the pole and put a bit more traditional glamour into pole dancing.
14 03 2011 Emma Roberts: A pole star
It turns out that we're not the only pole-lovers in the world, Hollywood has now woken up to the wonder that is pole dancing. Actress Emma Roberts, niece of Pretty Woman Julia Roberts, has just revealed that she keeps in tip top shape thanks to pole dancing.
Emma is this month's Women's Health magazine covergirl, and as she poses in jeans and a cropped top there's no denying her fabulous figure. In an interview Emma explains how she started taking pole with friends "to both work out and hang out". Emma says that she uses pole to build her upper body strength and for confidence building. We're wondering what her signature move is, and also how often she poles, because we wouldn't mind her figure.
It is fantastic to see more celebs pole-ing, because the more people wake up to it, the easier it's going to be to break down those taboos. If you could choose any celebrity to pole dance with who would you pick? We're thinking Gwen Stefani; with her abs and style we bet she'd be a natural.
If you want to see some pics from the magazine click here.
06 03 2011 Pole Idol: Maxine Betts
If anyone knows their way up-down, around & around a pole it's pole dancing champion Maxine Betts. Renowned for her extreme tricks and incredible strength, Maxine is a pole supremo. And she's now a member of the LAPD pole squad, teaching our level 6 and 7 courses, Maxine has been putting us all through our paces.
We've brought on Maxine to really shake up our higher levels and keep us at the top of our pole-game. When you get to level 6 and 7 you need to stop thinking of them so much as levels, but rather six week workshops, so you can keep doing 6 and 7 over and over and learn new moves every time... brilliant!
Maxine's classes are action-packed with a strong emphasis on conditioning (yes you will ache) and technique, so there's only to be pointed toes and perfect finishes in these classes. You'll be mastering your chinese pole climb (that's a feet free climb), brass monkey, twisted grip handspring, matrix, chinese flag, shoulder mount flip and great routines.
This is advanced pole dancing at its best, but don't be scared off, Maxine is the perfect teacher; combining incredible skill with patience and lightening speed reflexes in case you do have a wobble. If you're ready to put some extreme moves into your pole repertoire then you need to get yourself down to one of these courses. But be warned you will need to book early, places on these courses go like hot cakes. We also want to know what tricks you want to master, if you've seen your favourite pole performer doing some crazy stunt then let us know and we'll see if we can add it to the syllabus.
We hope to see you at Maxine's next course, level 6 is currently running now, with 7 to follow.
27 02 2011 Becca Butcher shows us how it's done
Another pole superstar comes to LAPD for another fabulous masterclass. If you didn't come then you definitely missed out, we were put through our paces as we mastered caterpillar climb, chicken wing leg switches, shoulder mount flips and straddle handstands.
There is no doubting Becca's effortless skill on the pole, she glides like some kind of supernatural being, whilst the rest of us groan in our table top positions. It was a fab class, going over some old favourites like straddle handstand and mastering some new positions such as chicken wing leg switches (we're working on a less meaty nickname) as well as finally get our heads around the stupidly tricky caterpillar climb. We also started training our chinese flags... my personal favourite, and Becca showed us three different hand grips for handspring as well as two different ways to get into handspring.
With pole there's so many ways to do a move, and so many different moves that you probably hadn't thought of, which is why masterclasses are so great, because they get you to challenge what you know and master even more skills. Becca is a particularly good teacher, she's obviously a brilliant dancer, but most importantly she is friendly and patient. This was definitely one of our favourite masterclasses.
If you're thinking that you might like to give a masterclass a whirl then we have another with Tracey Simmonds coming up and Maxine Betts is running a very special Life Force session.
Hopefully we'll see you there!
Click this link to see the video: Master Class Becca Butcher London Academy of Poledancing www.laphq.co.uk
30 01 2011 Crazy for conditioning
Are your pole arms feeling a little floppy after the Xmas hols? Are you struggling to swing, slide, invert and spin? Well never fear because our conditioning classes are here.
We love a good conditioning class, and not just because of all those lovely endorphins, but because you get to really work on your strength and agility without feeling like you're 'working out'. If the term conditioning makes you think of scary men dressed in army gear shouting at you to "get down and give me 20" then don't worry because we don't allow anyone wearing army gear in our classes...
In your average conditioning class you'll be treated to a thorough warm up, followed by some conditioning on the pole at your level. So they'll be climbing, inverting, shoulder mounting, holding static poses, armpit grips and other such wonders. It's a chance for you to work on your problem moves and build up your strength in the process. Then we always do a proper cool down with stretches to help improve your flexibility. This is an all levels class that is all about getting that bod you always dreamed of, and of course having a good giggle.
Fancy giving it a whirl? Then click here to book your place
See you thursday!
30 01 2011 A pole secret… Climbing chalk
Have you ever wondered how your favourite pole dancers seem to stick to the pole as though their skin were made from leather? Well the trick is, as many of you probably already know, is chalk.
Now, we’ve been testing every kind of chalk for a while now, from powder to liquid, and every brand we could get our sweaty mitts on. We think we may have just found the perfect chalk and it’s in the one store you might not have thought have going to…
Snow & Rock, yes those climbing, extreme sports people, well we decided if a person can climb up the side of a cliff with chalk from this place then we should most certainly stick to the pole. And after rigorous trials it’s certainly kept us nicely sticky… but not so sticky that our spins are lame.
What’s more it’s a very reasonable £6.99, and let us tell you that a little goes a very long way. Is this a miracle in a bottle? It might just be.
16 01 2011 Pole position: Phoenix
Level: Intermediate
Pain factor: Medium
Type: Static
Need to know: How to climb before attempting
Step 1.
Climb up the pole, have your left foot in front of the pole, your right foot still in the climbing position at the back of the pole.
Step 2.
Place your left hand high above your head.
Step 3.
Take your right arm forward then in front of the pole, towards your right hand side. So that your armpit is now gripping the pole.
Step 4.
Here comes the tricky bit, using your left hand to hold you up and pushing your right foot into the pole, remove your left foot and send it behind you.
Step 5.
Bend your left knee and grab your left foot with your right hand.
Step 6.
Now remove your left hand and beautifully stretch it out. And voila you’ve created Phoenix, a beautiful static pose to do between tricks.
12 12 2010 On the pole with Tracey Simmonds
When we heard that Tracey Simmonds, Miss Pole Dance UK winner, was coming to give us a masterclass, we nearly passed out with excitement. Renowned for her agility, flexibility, and amazing choreography, Tracey Simmonds is without doubt one of the greatest pole dancers.
So one Saturday morning in East London, a group of bright-eyed pole dancing lovelies congregated in a mix of nerves and excitement to learn from one of the very best.
Seeing how petite she was, was the first real shock, that someone so tiny can have such unbelievable strength. After a warm up we took to our poles, we were certainly put through our paces. After two hours and learning the Allegra as well as some amazing toning exercises we were starting to feel the burn.
Bruises and blotches were starting to form, but our spirit remained… the advanced tricks came next. Every shoulder mount trick in the book was tried, followed by Chinese flags and handsprings. Shoulder mount bunny hops up the pole were even attempted – not for the faint hearted or the soft shouldered!
To give our aching bodies a rest Tracey then took to the pole for a stunning performance. Using a combination of spinning and static pole, she glided effortlessly through flags, handsprings, shoulder mounts and brass monkeys. Bewitching to witness, her beauty as a dancer is really rather breathtaking.
After the mesmerising was over, it was time to jump back on the poles for a final round up of tricks. It was a completely knackering, completely exhilarating day, just seeing what Tracey can do, only spurned us on. It’s so exciting to see that you can never know everything in pole, because there will always be another link, another trick, something more to learn.
Feeling suitably inspired and with a whole new repertoire to master, it’s back to the pole… so these bunny hops… perhaps if we just…
24 10 2010 Welcome to the London Academy of Pole Dancing
Calling all fellow pole lovers, the new London Academy of Pole Dancing site has now launched.
Be treated to fabulous classes, all the latest pole goss, and be inspired by our rather spectacular gallery. Soon we'll be running online lessons, and if you have a special event coming up then why not throw one of our legendary pole parties. We have so many wonderful classes on offer, from Pole on Point to Urban Pole and Pole Gymnastics. We also run the best pole courses around and have a great membership service... a dream come true? Quite possibly.
But if there's something you'd love to learn or find out about let us know. Whether you want to try a new class, you're stuck with a particular move, or you have a suggestion then please tell us all. We'd also love to know what you think about our new site and what else you'd like to see.
Being total pole obsessive’s we are more than qualified to bring you all the latest pole gossip and news, we’ll be keeping you posted on events, new classes and well anything and everything about pole. So if you’ve been craving your pole fix then crave no more.
Talk to you soon…
LAPHQ
