Paradisaea Adult Student Showcase – Winter 2021

Posted on December 28, 2021February 6, 2022 by crystal holly

Our Sunday night Silks class agreed that we all would like to perform in a little showcase at the end of our December session (following Covid protocols). I also was able to invite a student that I have been teaching privately at my home studio to perform. It was going to be her first performance ever, so we worked on her routine together.

Covid numbers had been increasing and there was talk of new restrictions being implemented. I debated participating in the showcase because I was a little nervous about Covid. But I remembered how disappointed I was when we didn’t perform at the Army of Sass showcase in March 2020. I wanted to be able to live my life a little after 2 long years.

Since it was been 2 years since I performed in front of a live audience, so I was excited but very nervous too. I felt better when I realized everyone was nervous about performing and we supported each other. I was also so excited for my student performing and I was a proud pole momma that she came out of her shell to perform.

I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare routines for the showcase. I used a chair routine I was currently teaching, since it was familiar to me, but I didn’t have an ending for it so I freestyled the last part of the routine. I wore sequined elf slippers and had lots of fun with them in the routine. I had a beginning for then pole routine planned out, the rest I freestyled. I was more nervous with the pole routine but overall, I was happy how both routines turned out.

Dragonfly – November 2019

Posted on November 29, 2019February 3, 2022 by crystal holly

The owner of SASS asked me if I would be interested in performing at Dragonfly nightclub that is located in the Casino in Niagara Falls. I felt honoured for being asked and jumped at the opportunity. I arranged a time to come set up the pole before the club opened a few weeks before the event to try out the logistics to see if it would even work. It took some brainstorming, but we finally figured out a set up that worked well for the club and my safety.

I was so excited but yet so nervous to be a solo performing being featured at a club. I stressed a lot over my outfit and spent hours trying on practically everything I owned. I ended up buying a new outfit from the Stag Shop a few days before the event as I was not happy with anything I had. I worked out thought, as the Stag Shop was a sponsor of the event.

I got there an hour before the doors opened to set up the pole. My husband came with me to make sure everything was ok and then left to watch the kids at home.

My first performance started at 11:00 and I did sets of 15 minutes until 1:00. Everyone who was worked the club was so great to me. I had my own security at the pole and was given all the free drinks I wanted.

The club has the coolest lights on the ceiling and when I climbed to the top of the pole and overlooked the packed, sold out club under the lights, well, it was such a high. Watching the crowd react to my tricks was just amazing. I had girls in the front just in awe of me. I even made some tips.

By the end of the 2 hours I was completely exhausted. My feet hurt so much and I had a few blisters. I called my husband to pick me up right after I was done, there was nothing more I wanted than my bed!! It was way more physically demeaning than I had expected it to be but at the same time, so much fun!

Joining SASS – Spring/Summer 2015

Posted on August 23, 2016August 15, 2019 by crystal holly

As soon as I could, I got back on the pole. We got the ceiling reinforced for the pole so it wouldn’t fall again but I was still nervous at first. I had to face my fear of falling and gain my confidence back.

I returned to my weekly pole class for a month but decided I needed to train more. That’s when I decided to switch to SASS in Stoney Creek and bought a membership. I was intimated at first because the girls were so much stronger than me but I quickly felt part of the studio. All the girls are so friendly and helpful and it was easy to make friends since we had a common interest. I began taking a boot camp class and more open training classes. Just in a few months I was starting to see improvements.

My First Year of Pole – 2014

Posted on August 15, 2016February 3, 2022 by crystal holly

I went to a beginners class once a week that was 1 hour for the first year. I remember how challenging it was just to learn how to climb the pole and invert.

After 6 months of doing pole, I did little photo shoot posing on my pole. I posted a few pictures on Facebook and used one as my profile picture. That was the moment that I publicly came “out” as a pole dancer and it was scary as I wasn’t sure what people would think. There is still a lot of stigma around pole so it is a difficult conversation to have sometimes as to what I do for a hobby and fitness.

By the end of the year I could climb, invert, do gemini and scorpio, superman and was working on cupid. I was doing preps for shoulder mounts but it felt like I was never going to be able to do it.

We moved into a new house at the end of the year and turned one of the bedrooms into my own dance studio. I finally had a large room that I could practice in with enough space around the pole and large mirrors on the closet doors. My husband bought me a professional Platinum Stages brass pole for Christmas. I was all set to do some serious training.

First Pole Class, Where it All Started – January 2014

Posted on August 14, 2016February 3, 2022 by crystal holly

Once I got my pole it took me over 8 months before I signed up for a class. Classes were not running during the summer and then my schedule just never worked to be able to go. I think my husband was starting to think that the pole was going to be another abandoned idea like the gym memberships and home equipment were.

January 2014 I made a New Year’s resolution to put a serious effort into pole, and the next week I had my first class. I went out and bought mid-length pair of work out shorts and a tank top. Very modest as I wasn’t confident about my body or really knew what the appropriate clothes for pole was.

I was so nervous going into my first class. I stereotyped like most people do and thought it was going to be a bunch of busty blonde strippers in the class. Although, I was pleasantly surprised to see that most of the girls were moms like me trying something new for fitness.

In the class, I started learning how to move around the pole and how to do basic spins. After the first class, my body hurt and I had bruises but my addiction to pole had begun.

My First Pole – Spring 2013

Posted on August 14, 2016February 3, 2022 by crystal holly

Before I had kids, a girlfriend and I talked about taking some sort of dance class. I had seen some pole videos online and thought it looked amazingly beautiful. My friend suggested belly dancing but that it didn’t appeal to me much. I found a pole studio within the area with drop in classes but we never ended up going.

After I had kids, I decided I needed to do something active in order to feel good about myself again. I also needed to find myself, as a woman, rather than mother. So I took a giant leap and bought a pole.

My first pole was from Spencer’s and not expensive one as I was unsure whether it was something I would like and stick to. My husband set it up in our bedroom and I was so excited. However, reality quickly sank in that I had no idea what I was doing. I tried to watch videos online but I felt silly trying it myself.

I was at a firefighter charity event with some friends and the girls from the studio I found years ago were doing pole demonstrations. I was in complete awe of what the girls could do and it made me determined to try. I was inspired and wanted to be strong and confident like them.

I found it interesting how my friends reacted that evening when I told them I bought a pole. I was asked if it was because my husband wanted me to do it. I explained it was something I have been interested in doing for a long time, for myself, and he is just being supportive. That was my first of many judgements I have gotten throughout my pole journey.