Putting personality into pole dance

One of the things I love most about the pole dance industry is how frequently you get to watch dancers perform. It doesn’t matter whether it’s at a local studio showcase watching your mates smash their first performance, or at a national competition gawping in awe at the seasoned professionals, I fucking love watching pole dancing in any capacity.

After spending many years at all manner of shows and competitions, sat firmly with a beer in one hand, snacks in the other and my jaw in my very soggy lap (ew), I think I have finally ascertained what performances I enjoy watching the most. Don’t get me wrong here, every single person who gets up on stage has achieved something bloody impressive, but my favourite performances will always be those where the dancer has poured their full personality into their creation.

It doesn’t matter how it’s done, showing full personality in a performance is a fucking big win for me. This can be achieved subtly via stage make-up and hair choices, or more obviously via costume, theme (if being theatrical is your thing) or through music choice, whereby a song the dancer genuinely loves moving to is chosen. Often in my pole journey I get so caught up concentrating on what my next physical conquest is that I completely forget that pole dance is meant to be a form of expression, which is why I find it refreshing and love watching people’s personalities shine through when they dance.

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Another cracking way to showcase personality via a pole performance is through movement choice, which involves simply doing moves that you love and enjoy. Yes it’s important to train a variety of moves in order to improve your art, skillset and strength, but you’re perfectly entitled to just stick your favourites in a performance. For example, during my practice sessions I am currently training the pure fuckhouses that are handsprings and elbow grip Ayeshas in order to get as strong as hell and have hard bastard elbows to match. However, these are categorically not moves that come naturally to my body, so when I’m performing I’ll sack these off and opt for ones that do, such as an old faithful leg hang variation. Basically, in the studio I’m firmly on the struggle bus until I defeat whatever nemesis I’m working on, but when I’m performing it’s laybacks and leg hangs all the way.

Furthermore, you can’t beat the crowd reaction when a performer whips out their signature move, especially if it’s a scary bugger like a Spatchcock or Death Lay. Rest assured however that a signature move does not need to be difficult for it to be impressive and wow the crowd. A seat or spin done with some oomph is more than enough in my book. A plethora of tricks is badass, but so is taking moves you love and making them your own. My signature move has been and always will be my beloved Cross Knee Release any day of the week.

Additionally, I’m always amazed when a dancer effectively conveys emotion with their performance. This is not a skill I can do without looking like I’m overdoing it in a GCSE drama production, but it’s very bloody impressive when people can master portraying emotion with their movement. No matter what the emotion is, if you can get the audience to feel something when you move, then fuck me you’re onto a winner. My homie Blogger on Pole did this brilliantly in her performance to Madonna’s Like a Prayer, which I highly recommend you watch for a cracking example of how to let your personality emerge through your dancing.

Lastly, (yes this point is a bit of an amalgamation of all those mentioned above) I believe one of the best ways to create space for your personality to come through when you perform is to discover your own movement style. I remember the very wise Beanie the Jet saying at Filthy Friday two years ago that no one can move how you do, so embrace that. We all have our favourite dancers who we watch in awe every time we perform and yes we can be inspired by their movement, but trying to emulate how they move can stifle our own creativity and doesn’t help us play towards our strengths. For example, one of my favourite dancers is Rhiannon White, her old school Stripper Style movement is delicious and I’m forever a stan of it. However, she frequently uses a Superman and Devil’s Elbow when performing, which are two moves I struggle with big time. If I tried to copy her style not only would I be ripping her off, but I would be heading straight into a whole world of frustration trying to force my body into moves that I just cannot achieve, and looking like a bloody great mess in the process. Being inspired by others is fantastic and is something I actively encourage (of course giving full credit to your sources of inspiration), but trying to emulate another’s movement just won’t work and will halt your own journey to discovering your own, unique movement.

If anyone has any other ways they love seeing personality shine through in a pole performance, or alternatively if you have any tried and tested techniques for getting your personality on show when performing, please drop them in the comments.

Disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn commission if you click through and make a purchase.