Pole tricks that are bloody lovely

In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger himself…I’M BACK! Apologies for the lack of posts since May, to keep it brief, I had some shitty old qualification that I desperately needed to get finished for my muggle job. However, now that bastard qualification is all done, dusted and submitted (hallelujah!) I am FINALLY able to get back on it and dedicate my free time two of the things that I love in this miserable world, pole dance and writing!

Because I’m in a jolly old mood today, I have decided to write a blog dedicated to all my favourite pole tricks. You know the ones. The tricks that feel like a warm hug every time you return to practise them, the ones that you’re more than happy to stick into a routine (it will be a cold day in hell before I choreograph a piece without a Cross Knee Release in I can tell you) and are just generally your go to collection of moves. Here are a few of my personal favourites, if you have any tricks that you love to perform that I have missed off the list, drop them in the comments!

The Cross Knee Release

Now, I know in my previous post, I referred to laybacks as terrifying when you first learn them, which they legit are, but fuck me when you have mastered it, there’s nothing in pole, and possibly life, that can’t be solved by a tidy Cross Knee Release. This move is lovely and simple to get into (once you have broken through the pain barrier) and can be performed in so many different ways, it just never gets old. Whether you’re doing the standard version with a beautifully straightened leg, have your leg bent or are grabbing your back foot or the pole (as seen in the picture above) I think the good old Cross Knee always looks badass. It’s an instant crowd pleaser for non-pole folk in your audience too, as it has the whole “look mum no hands!” wow factor to it. I could seriously (and probably will at some point if I run out of ideas) write an entire blog post solely on this bad boy. Honestly, if this move had a dick I would give it a damn good rubbing.

Butterfly/Extended Butterfly

Oh Butterflies, you beautiful, sturdy and (relatively) painless, bastards I love you. In my opinion, these tricks are so solid due to the amount of grip points you have on the pole that they’re an absolute treat to be in. You’ve got both your hands on firmly and either your knee or ankle, depending on which version you’re doing, has got your back higher up the pole too. There’s no heinous pinching or burning like you have with other dickhead tricks, you’re just upside down, looking pretty and loving life. You can also bust out the classic combo of Extended Butterfly/Butterfly-Flat line-Scorpio too if you’re feeling adventurous. You just can’t go wrong with reliable Butterfly!

Jasmine

This utter babe of a trick is also high up on my list of favourite moves. Similar to the Butterfly/Extended Butterfly above, I love them because you feel all secure and safe in the trick. I’m an Intermediate Level Pole dancer, and I sure as fuck am not going to be executing any death defying moves like Death Lays, Gargoyles or any other moves where you look as though you’re about to plummet to your doom at 90mph any time soon, I like to feel and look sturdy as fuck in a move and that’s that. Not only do you feel all solid and snug in a Jasmine, you also have the potential to create extended and sleek lines which in my opinion makes the trick look way more advanced than it is. The Jasmine gets a solid yes from me.

Gemini (Outside leg hang)

Again this is another winner of a move which I quite like to stick in routines/use at freestyle practices at any given opportunity. To the untrained eye, the Gemini looks mega impressive, as essentially the dancer is just hanging on with their outside knee (a guaranteed “oooooh!” will come from the audience once a tidy Gemini has been executed), however when you’re all set in your Gemini, you can quite happily hang out in it for ages. Like the Jasmine, there is the potential to once again create some stunning lines, and you can whip your extended leg round into both Hip and Thigh Holds from it too. Gemini, you versatile babe have helped me out no end when choreographing past (and probably future) routines!

Attitude and Reverse Attitude Spins

Okay, so the fact that I have been a pole dancer now for three and a half years and I am still putting beginners spins on my list of favourite moves may reveal that I need to strap on my big girl pants and actually train spins a bit more. Anyway, hard to swallow pills aside, I fucking love me a good Attitude/Reverse Attitude spin. You get a nice sweeping whizz of momentum going on, create a cracking shape and land in a jazzy little position on the floor ready to bust out some cracking floor fuckery. Can’t go wrong with a bit of attitude in life! Ba dum tssh.

The Stargazer

Again it will be a cold day in hell before I whip up a routing without one of these old faithful fuckers in it. Basically I bloody love a Stargazer for a lot of the reasons mentioned above. However, not only with this one do you feel nice and locked in, this little number also looks awesome on spinny pole, as you’re not leaning to far out, you end up whizzing round at wharf speed and look like some sort of rocket firing up into the sky. Again it’s a simple shape, but I’m a bit of a simple lass, so that works fine with me! There’s plenty of variations you can derive from a Stargazer too depending on how bendy your back is. I’ve got a back like the pissing Tin man (hopefully that’s all about to change!) so I opt the the straight up Stargazer as pictured above.