Awesome Early December Happenings

I will write a little bit and post a few photos of the two exciting things that happened in early December.

The first was Deb Riley's launch of the British Pole Dance Academy in Stoke-on-Trent. The place is massive. Apparently there are 18 poles ( a good mix of 45mm and 50mm poles) an aerial hoop, a trapeze and silks. There's a stage built into the studio and exciting lights.


The launch was a massive jam punctuated by amazing performances. Bridget Sachill (North Pole), Sally-Ann Giles, Chantelle Pritchard, Tracy Simmonds, Elena Gibson, Alesia Vazmitzel and Jenyne Butterfly. It was amazing and inspiring to watch such incredible performers. I dragged my camera along and took some photos. For being seriously out of practice with the camera I took some good ones. The photo below is a favourite- it's Sally-Ann Giles doing a deathlay.

More photos of that event on Facebook.

A week later me and another girl shared a lesson with Jenyne Butterfly (pictured on left performing at Riley's launch - the woman is all muscle!). I would have loved to go to the three hour masterclass. I could only afford one half of a one-to-one, but it was so worth it. I learnt so much, Jenyne, in person is truly inspiring and lovely. I really enjoyed it. I learnt a number of exciting combinations and had an attempt at the phoenix, which I didn't quite get (but that's something I can work on eventually).

I came away from the lesson inspired and with so much to practice. (On the right me - looking silly - after the class with Jenyne Butterfly at Iosis in Liverpool).

It was quite an awesome end to a very exciting year which I will hopefully review tomorrow =)

YouTube Comments Rant - The first of many

I've not updated in ages, despite having some amazing pole events at the start of December and now I'm ranting? I'm not a consistant writer at all!

I feel the need to rant about a trend I see in YouTube commenting on pole videos. There's an extent to which ranting about comments on YouTube is like shouting into a void, but it's my space, so I'll go ahead.

Before I start, this isn't something that's happened to me as yet, but I've seen it enough to annoy me.

On vidoes, you'll occasionally get a comment that goes along the lines of 'Don't watch this, watch Felix/Pantera instead' or ' This is crap compared to Felix/Jenyne Butterfly' . Who are the assholes that think it's ok to write something like that? All the dancers they invoke are amazing yes, but it's not as if the vast majority of pole dancers out there believe that they're up to that standard. They're just doing the best they can.

It absolutely fails as feedback. No, x is not Pantera/Felix/Jenyne, and she/he knows that. That comment doesn't tell them anything they don't already know. How about constructive criticism?

Futhermore, who gave them permission to speak on behalf of those they claim are better? From what I've heard of people like Pantera, Felix and Jenyne, they're not at all like that.

If you've not got something constructive to say STFU.