October 16, 2024 • 59 mins
Pole on the Call Podcast — Season 3
Pole Champion & Coach, Little Snipper
In this episode, Cris Rivers & Mændy Mac learn all about Pole Champion & Coach, Little Snipper!
BIO:
Christine, better known under the stage name Little Snipper, has been poling for 13 years and teaches at Velvet & Chrome (Chicago, IL) and Tease Dance and Fitness (Aurora, IL). She has taught workshops in Illinois and will soon travel to teach in other states. Little Snipper has competed across the US and Canada, earning titles such as USPDF Pro (2017), 3rd Place in PSO Nationals Women's Division (2022), and the winner of Haute Velour Freestyle (2023) and Pole Theater Semi Pro Classique (2024). She has also judged for PSO and USPDF.
She loves working with her pole partners to create exciting doubles routines and fought to hold on to her Iron X through two pregnancies-up until 39 weeks! Little Snipper's journey has inspired her to dedicate time to helping new moms on their journey back to pole. In her muggle life, she is an emergency room nurse, has two amazing children, three dogs, and an incredibly supportive husband.
LINKS:
IG @littlesnipper
TT @littlesnipper
----------
Let us know how you like this episode and share with a pole friend!
Free free to Follow us and Tag us on Instagram @poleonthecall
Or email us for advice, comments, questions you would like us to answer on here and more at poleonthecall@gmail.com
Or you can visit or Website for more Episodes, Free Stuff, Courses and more at www.poleonthecall.com
Here's our Bees Knees link for amazing knee pads and much more!!
Use coupon code BEECALLED at https://www.beeskneeskneepads....
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pole-on-the-call--5317694/support.
Pole Champion & Coach, Little Snipper
In this episode, Cris Rivers & Mændy Mac learn all about Pole Champion & Coach, Little Snipper!
BIO:
Christine, better known under the stage name Little Snipper, has been poling for 13 years and teaches at Velvet & Chrome (Chicago, IL) and Tease Dance and Fitness (Aurora, IL). She has taught workshops in Illinois and will soon travel to teach in other states. Little Snipper has competed across the US and Canada, earning titles such as USPDF Pro (2017), 3rd Place in PSO Nationals Women's Division (2022), and the winner of Haute Velour Freestyle (2023) and Pole Theater Semi Pro Classique (2024). She has also judged for PSO and USPDF.
She loves working with her pole partners to create exciting doubles routines and fought to hold on to her Iron X through two pregnancies-up until 39 weeks! Little Snipper's journey has inspired her to dedicate time to helping new moms on their journey back to pole. In her muggle life, she is an emergency room nurse, has two amazing children, three dogs, and an incredibly supportive husband.
LINKS:
IG @littlesnipper
TT @littlesnipper
----------
Let us know how you like this episode and share with a pole friend!
Free free to Follow us and Tag us on Instagram @poleonthecall
Or email us for advice, comments, questions you would like us to answer on here and more at poleonthecall@gmail.com
Or you can visit or Website for more Episodes, Free Stuff, Courses and more at www.poleonthecall.com
Here's our Bees Knees link for amazing knee pads and much more!!
Use coupon code BEECALLED at https://www.beeskneeskneepads....
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pole-on-the-call--5317694/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, Hey, hey everyone, it's me Chris Rivers. I'm excited
to be here with another episode of Poll on the Call.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yes, and I'm Mandy Mack.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
We're here today with the incredible Poe Coach and Poe
Champion Little Snipper.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Yes, thank you so much again for being here with
us tonight. I'm excited to get to know you more.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Thank you for having me. I'm super excited to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yes, pleasure many take it away, because we should start
at the very beginning. We usually start with how did
you get into pole dancing?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
A dime a dozen? Right, the infamous Groupon story. When
I started in twenty eleven, pole was not anywhere what
it is today.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
And me and one of my.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Girlfriends we had always talked about wanting to do secretly
like a pole or a blessed class. And at the time,
my friend was going through some stuff and she couldn't
join me. And I was like, you know what, there's
this group on It's twenty bucks, it's an hour and
a half class. Let me just go and try it out.
(01:18):
So I go to this class, women of all different ages,
and we did the class and then we sat there
in a circle and the instructor goes and she goes,
all right, ladies, now, who's ready to sign up? And
I shut my hand up and I looked around and
(01:38):
my hand slowly kind of coming down because I was
the only one. And she looked at me and she goes, honey,
she goes, I already knew you were going to sign up.
I was like, oh God, And the rest is history.
Thirteen years later, still kicking. I love it.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Sometimes you have to go alone.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Oh yeah. Definitely started in like the long yoga pants
and the long you know, then it got to tank tops,
the shorts got a little shorter, they got a little
shorter sports broth.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
I love that. As a instructor, I find that journey
to watch students feel more comfortable, to be able to
come that way like beautiful to watch.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Absolutely, absolutely, they definitely start coming into their own skin,
into their own feelings. They grow not only as like
an individual, you know, as friends, as you know students.
It's it's always even though they may not see their
(02:47):
progress through the journey, but like we see it as
an instructor, as a coach, and it's just kind of
like do you It's like do you remember where you were?
Like six months ago, like you are, well, you are
like make and leaps and bounds and this is so
awesome and it's so awesome to watch and to help
them grow and just bloom into like a beautiful butterfly.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah. I love that. So I mean, let's get into
what happened with your transition from students to becoming an
instructor and a coach.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Surprisingly enough, I was asked by my instructor because my
instructor at the time had found out that she was pregnant,
and it was kind of one of those things where
I was like, oh, okay, like sure, I'll take over.
She'll be back, you know, in a couple of months.
(03:42):
And it turned out she didn't come back after her baby,
which is totally fine as well, But that's just kind
of how I, you know, stepped into the role. I
had always enjoyed whole class, and it was always kind
of one of those things where I was like, I
kind of want to like be an instructor. I think
it would be really awesome too, you know. And obviously
(04:03):
in the beginning, you know, everything is rough, and you
like second guests, everything you're you know, I used to
write out my entire workout the entire warm up and
now I'm just like, now I just write down the
trick that I'm teaching or like snippets of the choreo.
But yeah, so I kind of I kind of fell
into it. But I always knew that I wanted to
(04:24):
be an instructor in my muggle life. I am an
er nurse, and I do enjoy, uh, you know, the
teaching aspect of things, especially with like new nurses and stuff.
So I feel like that's kind of, I don't want
to say necessarily like second nature. But also being a nurse,
we do have a lot of teaching opportunities, so I
(04:45):
feel like that's just kind of something that I really
enjoy doing.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
I found like a lot of our members of our
Pole community are in the healthcare field as well, and
I always wonder how you guys balance that, Like it
just seems like so much, but I guess it's a
stress relief.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Actually pulls my stress.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yeah, yeah, this study.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah yeah, being in the er, I mean, I've been
in the our nurse for thirteen years. I love it.
I wouldn't trade it for anything in the entire world.
But you definitely do have to have some sort of disconnect,
you know when you when you walk out those doors
where it's just kind of like you need to have
that debriefing moment and then you know, continue on.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Amazing. Did you have any like dance or gymnastics background
before you started pulling?
Speaker 3 (05:41):
When I was little, you know, your parents put you
in everything, right, So we did do a little bit
of tap, jazz, ballet, all that stuff. Do kind of
have dance in our family. My aunt was a high
school dance instructor for entire teaching career. I myself did
cheerleading from seventh grade to freshman in college. I did
(06:06):
try out for the gymnastics team. I want to say,
I think when I was a junior in high school,
which was way too late, but I was very proud
of myself because I eventually learned how to do a
cartwheel on the balance beam. You know. But I was
I was not one of those humbling, amazing people I was.
I was a bass or. I was a backspot. I
(06:27):
wasn't a flyer. I was the type of person where
if shit was going, hey wire, I'm gonna catch my friend.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Oh my gosh. I was reading your bioto and you
said you do a lot of doubles. I'm wondering now
that helps with your doubles routine. It does, It.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Does very much so and I feel like with me
and my doubles partner, Amanda, our double's name is Lei Unstable,
and we just had a performance at the Minxix Stravaganza
with Michelle uh down in Saint Louis, which is always
an amazing time. But I feel like even having doubles,
(07:16):
we do a fair share of you know, whose flyer,
whose base, depending on what are your more go to tricks.
So but it definitely helps.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yes, I kind of want to ask what is one
of your go to doubles tricks? Because I love.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
One of our go to doubles tricks is we do
and I don't even know, like I swear like it
doesn't even have a name, but we pretty much almost
do it in every performance. But Amanda goes on the
pole and she goes into an outside leg. Her hand
has my ankle and I have her foot, and I'm
in like a pull set and then I take my
(07:58):
one leg I thread it through to the other side
of the pole. Both hands come up on her ankle,
so she's holding my ankle and I'm holding hers and
we're in this really pretty kind of like I'm in
like a passe leg shape. It's super pretty. I'll have
to send you guys a picture of it. And then
the other move that we worked really hard on was
(08:21):
I was doing an iron X on the bottom and
she's holding the pole and holding my leg into a
little like el sit where she like stands, you know,
on the side of you.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Yeah, I'm Jesus strong. I love that. I can't wait
to see the first pick, but I could definitely picture
the second one of diron ex. God, that's incredible.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Yeah, we definitely were like, damn, we're strong as hell.
Mama's because she also has two kids as well. I
love that Orange Mama's be making a comeback.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Yeah, I mean, can we may we go into that.
What helped you get back into po after starting motherhood,
because I mean it, I kind of can't even imagine
how hard it is to balance time and just everything.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Yeah, I feel like you're training definitely, at least for me,
And everybody's different and everybody has a different story and
a birth experience. For me, you know, I still am working.
I'm you know, kind of like a part time working.
You know still, you know, teaching two nights at a
(09:38):
post that you know at two different pole studios, and
then my husband's job. But we have very kind of
like crazy schedules because my husband is a firefighter paramedic,
so he has those twenty four on forty eight off.
We're definitely not Monday through Friday nine to five type jobs.
(09:59):
So training looks very different for us, especially when it
comes to like my pole. A lot of times I
spend after classes or before classes. I do a lot
more training at home. But definitely trying to find the
work mom pole balances is hard. It's tricky, you know,
(10:21):
And there's many times where I've had the mom guilt
of I should be doing something with my kids versus
like exercising or polling. And then the times when I
am at home and I do poll and my kids
are at home.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
They're like, hey, Mom, it's my turn.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
It's my turn, and they want to start running around
the pole, and I'm just like, all right, well that
was productive, but honestly, like I would have it no
other way because they love running around the pole, they
love climbing it. They're like, I want to go to
the top, and I'm like all right, let's do it.
But it's tricky though, you know, you you just kind
(11:01):
of find time.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
I love that, Thank you for sharing that. And children
on Poe, Yes easy, I find there. So when they're
young and they learn at that age, like the possibilities
are endless.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
For real, right and even just like what we were
talking about from the beginning, like the how pole dancing
changes us, Like imagine getting to the top of the
pole at such a young age, and just like.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
They can do anything.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, they may monkey climb right now,
but you know what, they they'll they'll learn same and
there's nothing wrong with monkey climbing.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yes, spe of monkey climbing. It was your favorite Poldian style.
Oh it was my favorite style.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
I feel like it's so funny because when I started Pulled,
the main love that I initially had with Ole was
more of like the athletic side. So I definitely loved
like the tricks and the hard combos and the flips,
and I still love them. But I feel like over
time my style has definitely changed, like I've tapped more
(12:29):
into the sexy, into the sensual, you know, into you know,
I really loved the hard hitting you know, Russian style
pre kids and then post kids. It's kind of like
I started kind of having to change and work more
(12:49):
on the self love, self acceptance, the changes that your
body goes through, like after pregnancy and postpartum. So I've
definitely gotten more in touch with the super sensual, super
sexy side. I still love the hard hitting beats, but
(13:10):
I've definitely slowed down a lot. But don't tempt me
with a good time with flips, because I love flips too.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I think that's a great combination centro and flips when
you want to.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Because you never know when you just want to be
like super like sultry and sexy, and then all of
a sudden you're gonna like throw in a flip and
be like, damn, you didn't expect that.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Flip into something Soultree. I love it. Sultry and dynamic,
movie too funny. So do you mind going into your
competition experience and sharing a little bit with that?
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
I have been competing, so I started full in twenty eleven.
My first competition was in twenty twelve.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
It was.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Midwest, which unfortunately is not round anymore. The competition, but
I did an essential division and it was the first
time that I had danced in Little Kitten six and Chields.
I did a country song stuck like Glue. If you
(14:35):
know the song, you know. I had so much fun
and I happened to win, and I feel like I
was hooked. Since then, I've been competing pretty much every year.
I have competed in New York at USPDF. I did
compete in their Amateur division. I did earn my BRO
(14:56):
card with them. I did two other pro us PDF
competitions with them, which was such a great competition. If
Wendy's ever listening, I hope she brings it back because
it was such a great competition in New York. I've
done a lot of competing with pso you know I've
(15:18):
I've competed in their Level five. I've placed at their
Virtual Nationals when I was actually pregnant with my first kiddle.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
That was fun.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
I did compete live at a National's back in California once,
but I mean, everybody's just so amazing. I did Script
down in Canada, which was an incredible experience. It was
so much fun. That was definitely my first international competition.
I've done Dance Filthy down in Florida, I did how
(15:55):
the Loore Carmine Black's show the first year they did it.
I won freestyle. So yeah, I've done a lot of
competitions and I love them.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Maybe we should have asked which which competitions have you
not done? Oh?
Speaker 3 (16:14):
And I absolutely And how can I even forget because
I just did whole Theater down in Saint Louis this
year and I did win Semi Pro Essential.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Yes and g Yeah. Us PO Champions is next, the
Post Circus.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
I know there's a couple of things that have been
on my docket. You know that I that I have
on my bucket list that I want to do, that
I that I'm hopefully saving for next year.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
That's exciting and can't wait to see what happens. Do
you have any clips or advice for those who may
want to compete or stop competing and may want to
get back into it.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Yeah. I mean, my biggest thing that I can tell
you is, you know a lot of people say, you know,
competing is what's going to like make you somebody. That's
not necessarily true. You know, competing it definitely takes a
lot out of you physically, emotionally. I always tell people
(17:27):
prepare for the emotional rollercoaster of the ups and the downs,
the ups and the downs throughout the entire process. For me,
the reason I like to compete is because I feel
like it keeps me challenged and doing certain things that
may step me out of my box of comfort. So
(17:49):
for me, I like to do that. People who want
to get into competing go for it, like it's a
really awesome experience. You know, some people like it and
some people may not, and that's totally fine. You know,
definitely find yourself somebody who's done either the competition that
(18:13):
you're wanting to do or you know, looking into doing.
Definitely do your research, you know as to maybe like
looking at the judging score sheet, you know, make sure
that you're really building a routine or a piece for
what it is that they're looking for in their score sheets.
I feel like sometimes the mark is missed a little bit,
(18:36):
and I think people get frustrated to do down on
themselves when like things don't go as well. But at
the end of the day, the other thing that you
have to remember is like it is the opinion of somebody,
and it can go any way on any given day.
You know, sometimes take feedback, you know, with a grain
(18:59):
of salt. You know, you can't, you know, die on
that hill. But yeah, I also feel like for me personally,
some of my other history, which I actually don't know
if I included or not, but I've been showing dogs
since that was about ten, and my mom and I breed,
(19:20):
and I've you know, shown at Westminster multiple years, which
is the big dog show in New York. And I
also was a junior handler, which is they're judging your
handling ability and like the rapport that you have with
your dog versus the confirmation side, which is they're judging
the dog. I was nationally ranked. I did place at
(19:44):
Westminster when you know, I was younger. So I feel
like for me that competitiveness is kind of like always
been there, or like the drive to want to compete.
So I feel like that's also kind of like a
little nugget of also probably why I love to compete.
But definitely my suggestion would be, find somebody who's done
(20:04):
the competition, talk to them really kind of get an understanding,
and be prepared for the roller coaster. And even if
you don't place, that's okay because you put work and
you put your heart and your soul and you left
it on stage and people will see that and you
(20:26):
will get the recognition.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Right, you'll touch at least one person.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Facts. Yeah, absolutely, thank you so much for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Yeah, I'm thinking about your I'm going to say it wrong,
wes Westmiss.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
The dogs period Westminster.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Westminster, and I'm like, oh my god, it would be
awesome a pull and dog show somehow.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
It's funny. I act saw and her name is blanking
on me right now and Australian Gal. I think she
just kind of did like a funny piece about that
and I had commented and I was like, this just
kind of resonates with me because like I showed off,
Oh it was great the Bunton I think I.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Love that and g yeah, when in ever since you
were younger, that's so inspiring.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Shell. Yeah. And then I was wondering, do you coach online?
So if there's competitors out there who are interested, can
they contact you for online coaching?
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Yeah? I do to online coaching. You know, people have
sent me videos and stuff. I did do a lot
of like zoom classes, you know, early pandemic, you know,
but now time wise, I'm more just kind of I'm
happy to review videos provide feedback. I you know, I
(22:02):
have done some virtual privates. I do like doing more
in person privates, but I know, you know, locational wise,
not everybody is there. But yes, I am happy to
help anybody. I am also a PSO Unicorn or ambassador,
So generally if people have questions about PSO comp levels videos,
(22:26):
like hey, is this move aloud? They can also come
to me, And if I don't have the answer, then
I go to the team. Right.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
I just when I was out on the road with PSO,
you were the number one unicorn UH to contact about stuff.
So yeah, I don't wait to talk to her.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
And I'm telling you there's plenty of times where I'm
just like, I don't know if I want to make
that call if it's legal or not move, but let
me ask the team because I'll definitely get that for you.
Because sometimes like people ask me like some trity, pretty
tricky questions as far as like moves and like is
this you know appropriate for like a level two and
a level three? And I'm just kind of like I'm
(23:08):
thinking to myself, I'm like in my head, I'm saying yes,
but let me also just double verify with somebody somebody else,
because I'd hate to be that person to tell, you know,
to steer someboth you wrong and then you know they're like, hey,
Christine said so.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Backed by the team, but they right so much for
being so knowledgeable and available too, because super helpful.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Actually hofully at the moment. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Always, and have y'all listening or watching how any questions
will have her Instagram handles and all her information and
the comments and notes below.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Yeah, you've done some. You've done some judging too, for
several competitions as well. Do you want to give any
tips for people who are interest than judging or for
competitors how to read judges comments?
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Ooh, reading judges comments sometimes can be hard. I mean,
it's funny that you mentioned that, because there's always been
one feedback of mind that has always stuck. And I
always every time I have like an informational meeting for pso,
I always I always kind of give it as like
a funny, like you can just leave some judges feedbacks.
(24:27):
It was I had done a Phantom of the opera piece,
and I had a mask that came over eyes and
down the side of my face like the Phantom of
the opera and if you're not familiar, look at it.
Because but the one judge's comment was I would have
liked to see more mouth movement. What does that mean?
(24:52):
I don't really, so, you know, it's just kind of
one of those comments. I was just like, I don't
know what that means. So when I tell students, you know,
when you're reading your feedback, some of the things that
you have to keep in mind is, you know, judges
(25:15):
are doing their absolute best to try and provide you
with good feedback stuff to improve on. You have like
a three and a half minute routine that you have
to watch and then you're you're, you know, trying to
make comments, trying to score, so sometimes the spelling mistakes
are there just trying and figure it out. We honestly
(25:37):
try and do our best, and you know, I honestly
think like for people who want to be judges, I
think it definitely gives you, from a competitor standpoint, a
very different understanding, you know, especially of like technicality and
like breakdowns of what the judging score looks like. That's
(25:58):
why I always suggest if you want to do a competition,
look at your score sheet, look at what they're looking
for make a checklist for your routine, check off those
boxes so you know you have everything. And if you
have everything, then it just comes down to an opinion
and show day because we all know anything can happen
(26:18):
on stage. You can have your best run or it
could not be your best run. But yeah, it definitely
gives you a different perspective being behind the judges table
and looking at somebody's you know, very looking at it
more in a critiquing way. Does that answered the question?
(26:40):
I feel like I kind of went off on a tangent.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
No, that was perfect.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
I do also believe that judging makes you a better
choreographer coach too, because you get to see the other
side and you're like, oh oh.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
And you definitely like some you know, some routines and
stuff where we're just kind of like, oh, like I
really like that, or oh, maybe make a mental note
of may not have worked, you know, or if you
wanted it to work, like how could it have been
done maybe differently?
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Or you know, yes, I don't think I would have
ever told anybody though I would like to see more mouth.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
It's honestly the one comment that always sticks with me,
which I think is hilarious because then when I look
back at my photos, I'm like, I see like, I
don't know mouth movements, but it's just it was just
kind of it was just one of those funny things
where I'm just like, I'm just gonna leave that comment
(27:48):
and and not even bother dealing with it.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Yeah, I will say I have only one experience judging,
and I am glad I did it, and I'm looking
forward to more judging because You're right, it does give
you a different perspective and it was a pretty cool experience.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
Yeah, you should definitely do it.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
It's fun.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Yes, I put an application for a Northeast so we'll see.
And then the Yeah, I think I'm doing the post
again this year, so we'll see.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Oh, yes, that's another one that I wanted to dabble with,
but I haven't gotten around to doing it yet.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Super fun.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
Yeah, I keep seeing like videos and stuff from that
camp and that show, and I'm.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Just kind of like, looks fun. Yeah, it's definitely recommended.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
That would be so much fun.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Did we ever mention where the studios where you teach?
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Yeah, so I teach. The studio that I teach at
in Chicago is Velvet and Chrome they opened this year.
And then the other studio that I currently teach at
is in Aurora te Dance and Naperville Tees Dance and
Fitness in Apriville in AA, and I've been with I've
(29:19):
been with teas since I've started my whole journey. And
then I used to teach at the Old Brass Ring
back in Chicago, and then I did a little bit
of teaching, uh during like the pandemic online while I
was still pregnant. But I went back to teaching into
(29:42):
the city once Velvet and Curl opened.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Now that you mentioned that, I feel like you were
a teacher of Lisabella as well.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
Yes, Lisa Bella is everywhere.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Yeah, she was my student for a long time.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
And I actually remember judging her at USPDF. I want
to say when she did her Novice Sexy and I'm
pretty sure I think she placed she placed third.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
I was there too, I was gonna.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
Say second or third. Yeah, And I remember like watching
and judging her. And let me tell you, that is
a competition to judge, because when you've got twenty two
people that you're judging whoof that's hard because a they're
all so amazing, but yeah, but Lisa was amazing and
then she was She came to Tease, she lived here
(30:38):
for a while, and then she moved. And now I
just follow her journey online and she's doing absolutely incredible things,
you know, from continuing like her dance background and chains
and performing and flying pole and doubles and all the things,
like all the things. I am just so beyond proud
(30:59):
of her. And she's boomed into a beautiful woman. I
mean she always was, but so I'm glad that I
got to cross path with her, you know, and you
know a portion of her whole journey.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, such a small world.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Oh yeah, say that one more time.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
What classes are you teaching at your studios?
Speaker 3 (31:23):
So right now at Velvet and Chrome, I am teaching
a fundamental we like to name our class because it's
Velvet and Chrome, but it's fundamentals, uh level. It was
kind of like a level one two. I'm kind of
at like a level two three because sometimes I like
to go rogue and do a little harder things for fundamentals.
(31:45):
But absolutely love it because I think that everybody, no
matter where you are in your pole journey, you can
always go back to your foundation and either but not
something or really kind of tweak something more understand it,
you know, versus just doing so I teach fundamentals there
and I also teach a Level two three tricks class.
(32:08):
I teach their Wednesday night, and then on Tuesday nights,
I am at Tuesdayance and Fitness and I teach a
flink and Fly other class, which is a low flow,
heeled class. I don't necessarily want to say choreo. It's
more I mean, it's kind of like half choreo half sequencing,
(32:29):
just because lately I've changed my methodology on how I
teach that class. So I used to do more strict
choreo where this is a song, these are the movements,
and over the past maybe year that I've been doing it,
I've changed to these are the movements, and I'm going
to put on a random song and you, guys, I'm
(32:53):
going to have you kind of move and ebb and
flow with how the music suits you. I'll still do
the choreo with you, but like I want you to
kind of start feeling like in your minds your body,
because everybody hears music differently, you know, but get them
to what moves them, you know, is it the softer beats.
(33:14):
Is that the undertones? Is it the hard hitting you know?
So I like them to dabble with that. And then
my second class is a higher level level eight tricks class,
which for our studio is the advanced class.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Oh yeah, what's your tricks? And shit? Oh my gosh.
I love how you describe how you change the way
that you teach the choreo class. I also did it
very similar because I found like everyone was just trying
to copy me so much that they were not getting
(33:51):
their own authenticity. Yeah, I'm thet to like really find
their own movements. So I appreciate that for sure.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
Yeah, even especially when like I start a new session,
because we do like eight week classes, but I always start,
like on the first day, like I'm like, listen, this
is this is the choreo. You're not gonna look like me.
You're gonna look like you dancing, and that's going to
be beautiful. You may not get all.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
The moves, and that's okay.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
You may hate some of them, but you may love
some of them and take those and start working them
into your own freestyles or your own choreo, you know.
But I understand you're not going to take every single
nugget away from class, but that's also where you need
to start kind of learning to develop your own Like,
(34:39):
what do you like as a dancer? You know what
moves really work well for your body? You know, for
your flexibility or your style?
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Yes, do you have anything else to share about your
pole dancing or teaching philosophies?
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Oh, I feel like I can go on like a
huge tangent about that. I mean, I feel like I
mean I did share a good amount my teaching style.
For me, I'm I am absolutely your biggest cheerleader.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
Students who know me.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
My favorite phrases are number one strong work and number
two come down and do it again. I am the
type of teacher where I love for you to not
only get the trick or the move, but I want
you to start understanding it, Like how does it feel
(35:46):
for you? Not just hey, look here's my pose? And
for the Instagram picture? You know, where where.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
Am I squeezing?
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Where am I really thinking of that pushing? Pulling? Where
do I need to talk around? Or you know, all
of those little nitpicky things you know. I like to
like once the student like gets the move and is
starting to feel really comfortable, I'm just kind of like okay,
like now walk like walk me through it, Like what
do you feel where do you feel that you need
to make your slight adjustment for your body? You know,
(36:16):
because I want them to start understanding it, because again,
not everybody has the same body, you know, and you
have to really understand and learn, you know, mechanically physically,
like where things need to be in space, not only
to keep your joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and everything else
safe because realistically, if I sat pole dancing, that probably
(36:43):
will ever happen. But if I were to stop, like
I wouldn't trust all of my students. They have a
solid foundation of fundamentals because they're going to be the
generation that eventually is going to be replacing us, you know,
so like I want them to know. And there's plenty
of things where like I've learned because doing this for
(37:04):
thirteen years, but like that I was taught and now
I'm just kind of like, ah, you know, here's a
better way of teaching it. And this is why I
recently last year did Marlo Fiskins and Bert Ready coaching
and mind Blown because I love like the anatomy and
(37:29):
the physiology and everything behind behind actually what you're doing,
you know. So it's like I tell my students all
the time, I'm like, I know, I've been teaching this
way for ten years, but here's how we're now going
to change because this makes sense for more people and
for more body types than how I was taught or
(37:52):
how I was teaching it. So even as an instructor
who's been doing it for so long, like also understand
that how you may have learned something ten years ago,
things have evolved like rapidly for pole, you know, and
just more of an understanding of where things are going.
So definitely like advice for instructors, don't always be stuck
(38:14):
in your old ways, be willing to learn understand like
the biomechanics of like different things in different moves. Again,
I think I went on a tangent themself.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
No, it was great. I especially loved that you talked about,
you know, like feeling in the shapes rather than just
making the shapes, like being more mindful and de merror
not so near and mind but really like being more
mindful like when you're in the shapes, because a lot
of times we'll just get them and be like I
(38:52):
did it.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
Yeah, Yeah, it's like, hey, look I did it, but like,
but now can we do it?
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Can we can?
Speaker 3 (39:01):
We can we dance into it? Can we dance out
of it? How can we like make it a thing? Yes?
Speaker 1 (39:10):
I think it's so important also that no matter how
long you've been teaching, you're still willing to learn and
grow and change your teaching methods to fit more body types,
more learning styles and things like that. It's so important
as instructors.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Yeah, always always a student, always a student. And I
do have to say definitely it helped for me personally
as well as my teaching to go through pregnancy, teaching
through pregnancy up until thirty nine weeks coming back postpartum.
(39:52):
You know. I always joked with my students when I
would tell them I was in a plow and I
was very pregnant, you know, and your boobs were so
engorged and like they were in your face, And I
was like, I understand now what larger chested women go
through in a plow when you're like suffocating yourself. I'm like,
I get that now, you know. So it's like sometimes
(40:13):
you know, having your own, you know, different experiences really
kind of helps understand what somebody else might be going
through as well.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Oh that's beautiful. Thank you for sharing that, because things
you would never think of, because.
Speaker 4 (40:29):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, thinking about the plow because that's recently
been one of my favorite warm ups, and I'm like, God,
I hope I have suffocated any student and ever realized.
Speaker 3 (40:44):
It's a great it's a great exercise, and I still
love doing the plow, but I also kind of give
the if you guys need to come out of it
earlier or sooner, like you know, just just be mindful
of how it's feeling for you.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
Good times do you happen to have We asked, we
talked about you two favorite doubles? Do you have a
solo favorite poor trick?
Speaker 3 (41:13):
Oh, honestly, anything. My bread and butter is anything Ayisha Ayisha,
iron X pop out. I could talk about Ayosha's forever.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
Didn't you say you did an iron X when you
were while you were pregnant all the.
Speaker 3 (41:32):
Way up that Yeah, that was my one goal that
because again back in the day, you know, when you
got an iron X, you like made it. You were
somebody and I had worked so hard for that stupid trick,
but I love it and I was always like if
(41:52):
I'm going to get pregnant, I want to make sure
that I can do an iron X through like the
entirety of my whole journey, and I did for both pregnants.
I iron X up until thirty nine weeks, and the
day that I went in for my induction with Aubrey,
I was like, hold on, honey, I need to do
a really quick iron X before we leave for the hospital.
I'm like, I gotta get this in.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
Too funny. Now you're sending picks with one of your
one of your children on you during the iron next.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
And and that now, Chris is my new goal. Every year,
I'm going to take a family picture with either my
son or my daughter standing on top of me and
my iron X because because why not two That.
Speaker 1 (42:36):
Means get stronger, because they're going to get bigger.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
That's a good work exactly.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
Or they'll have to get stronger because they'll have to
hold themselves up. Oh.
Speaker 3 (42:47):
Absolutely, they will definitely have to get stronger with me.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
So so then the other half of the question is
what is your least favorite trick?
Speaker 3 (42:58):
Oh, this is my least favorite trick. I don't know
if I really have like a least favorite trick, you know,
cocoons always kind of like scared me. But honestly, I
feel like least favorite tricks or anything having to do
with like a lot of like back flexibility, just because
you know, bodies change and I don't have as much
(43:20):
time as I would love to devote to like my
stretching again, So I feel like the struggle bust for
me right now is kind of like back and shoulder
flexibility issues. So any tricks that kind of like live
in that realm. I used to just pop into my
Gennaro like in my sleep, and now postpartum, that bitch
(43:40):
be gone. She'll come back one day.
Speaker 2 (43:45):
The elusive Gennaro.
Speaker 3 (43:47):
Yeah, yeah, she'll come back one day. I just keep
poking at her every now and then.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
But not yet, but coming soon, not yet, coming soon,
coming soon to a theater near you. Speaking of coming soon,
do you have any upcoming things that you want to
plug coming soon for you?
Speaker 3 (44:12):
Judging the Aerial Star competition coming up later in this
November December time frame. Other than that, not really for
the end of the year, I more so have I'm
in conversation with a couple of people Wisconsin and Michigan
(44:35):
area about potentially coming up next year for some workshops,
which I'm super excited about because that'll be kind of
the first time that I am starting to do a
little bit of traveling for some workshops, and so I'm
very excited about that. So that's definitely something to stay
tuned too. In the back of my head, there's a
couple of comps that I would like to apply to
(44:57):
next year, but I'll keep those on the deal. But yeah,
I feel like other than that, I don't know. I
don't know where things will take.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
Me, right, competitors better watch out coming back.
Speaker 1 (45:16):
They don't know which one, which brings us to the
next question. You don't know where they're going to take you,
But where do you hope they take you? Within five years?
Speaker 3 (45:27):
Oh, within five years? I feel like that is I
feel like in five years my kids are definitely going
to be in kindergarten. I'm gonna have a lot more
time to pull. So I don't know, you know, I
would love to eventually have my own she shed in
my backyard, you know, for just my own like personal
(45:50):
you know, polling and my own friends. By no means well,
I do not want to open my own studio. I
just want my friends to come and jam with me
because I think that's way more fun.
Speaker 2 (46:03):
But in five years, I don't know there's.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
I do want to make it to Pole Coon because
I have yet to go. Before the World shut down,
I was accepted into the Sexy Showcase, but I have
not gone back since, so that is definitely a goal
of mine. A couple of competition things in my head
that I would love to, you know, wear sparkly things
(46:28):
for but you never know.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
There's sparkles in the future.
Speaker 3 (46:36):
Yeah, hopefully sparkles, sparkles and slashes and all fun things
because you got to have a goal in mind. Definitely
still continuing to teach and obviously start to do a
little bit of travel for workshops. So yeah, yay, love
(46:57):
it always, you know, because if you're stationary, that's just
oh I gotta do stuff. I'm an our nurse, I'm
a busy girl.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
Yes, I'm super excited to see what competitions you'll be doing,
and hopefully we'll get to meet up along the way
or pull together in the future. Sometimes.
Speaker 3 (47:25):
Yes, absolutely, maybe I'll have to make a Massachusetts parent
that would be awesome. Never been out there, so.
Speaker 2 (47:35):
Yes, have I been to Chicago.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
Yes, I feel like I have very long time ago.
Speaker 2 (47:43):
Yeah, I definitely need to go. It's on my list, yes.
Speaker 1 (47:49):
Yes, yes, what's that?
Speaker 2 (47:52):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Do you have a favorite hand grip that you prefer
to use? If any?
Speaker 3 (47:58):
I love of dry hands and due points. Those are
pretty much my go to, especially due points in the
winter Chicago months. Your you know, your skin is so dry,
weather's dry, it's just cold. So I love due point,
especially for like winter months summer. I definitely enjoy uh
(48:21):
you know, classic dry hands. I have been wanting to
try the monkey grip. I've heard some good things about that,
but I haven't tried them yet. And dust and what
is it dance dancing dust that's the other one. That
the other the dancing dust is spray. That's the other
(48:42):
one I really like because they have a little shimmer
and the glitter. Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
Thenkey the monkey hands is awesome. I have to try
the dust myself.
Speaker 3 (48:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (49:00):
Gosh, I was just thinking of another student who you
might have had, but that she is in the Chicago.
She might be from Chicago. Her name is Gigi. She's
really tall.
Speaker 3 (49:13):
But you have I do have a couple of tall
girls that I teach, but she does not sound familiar
to me.
Speaker 2 (49:23):
Okay from we have to ask her, right, she definitely
goes to Chicago.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
Yeah, you'll have to ask her and just shoot my
message and let me know.
Speaker 2 (49:32):
I was going to be like another one.
Speaker 1 (49:36):
That's a small world too.
Speaker 3 (49:38):
I mean, I guess that's the perks of being around
for a really long time and kind of know a
lot of people. Yes, but hopefully only ever hear good thing.
Speaker 2 (49:48):
Yes, for sure, only good things.
Speaker 1 (49:55):
On the future. Everybody knows her name and it's only good.
Speaker 3 (50:00):
For sure for sure. But like I, like I said,
if you ask any of my students, I'm sure the
majority of them would say, you know, you're going to
get a good workout when you go to Little Snippers class.
She's definitely gonna make you do it again. And she'll
definitely tell you strong work or yeah, and I will.
Speaker 2 (50:17):
Smack your ass. Oh I love this strong work though.
That's a really good thing to say.
Speaker 3 (50:25):
Favorite quote of all time.
Speaker 1 (50:27):
Yes, I'm going to have to start using along with
what I say works smarter, not harder.
Speaker 2 (50:35):
Yes, yes, I think you went through all of the questions.
Speaker 1 (50:43):
I have one more that's kind of dude that I
want to start asking, so you'll be like the first one.
Speaker 3 (50:48):
Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (50:49):
And it's only because of reset events and emails we've gotten.
You've been in the you've been in the industry for
a long time, for thirteen years. Where do you see
where do you see polltans going? And what do you
where do you what do you hope changes within the industry.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
I feel like that's kind of a loaded question, especially
now because I feel like I feel like there's still
a big push, you know, for for a lot of
folks to want pole like in the Olympics, especially like
post Olympics, you know, I feel like we always kind
(51:34):
of like get that push, you know. I feel like
a ton has changed culturally, you know, especially you know,
giving way more props and way more you know, you
know often as too. You know, our founders, you know,
our strippers, which God blessed for them, because I mean,
(51:55):
they there are the ogs that put in the real work.
So literally shout out to anybody who even my even
my strip of friends, because go'd blessed y'all. Y'all killing
it out there, you know and definitely taking that stigma.
But I'm I'm curious to see where it's going to go,
(52:17):
because especially for me, like you know, when I started,
it was a lot of the you know, the tricks
and you know, in the Olympics and wanting to kind
of like streamline everything, and then you know, it kind
of ebbed and flowed into into the sexy stuff, and
then it kind of got back into the tricks, and
now it's it's very kind of much into like the
(52:38):
low flow arena and not so heavy on tricks. Like
people are still doing tricks and it's still awesome and amazing,
but I feel like a lot is kind of more
like that low flow area. So I don't I really
don't kind of know where it's going to go, but
I love that, like everybody's just really kind of keeping
an open palette to where things are going to go.
(53:02):
Am I a fan of wanting the wanting pole in
the Olympics me personally?
Speaker 1 (53:08):
Know?
Speaker 2 (53:12):
That's just my opinion.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
Yeah, thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (53:18):
Yeah, right, I wonder how it would be in the Olympics, Like,
can you imagine judging it in the Olympics.
Speaker 3 (53:25):
I feel like it would. I feel like it would
definitely cause kind of like a huge divide of people
who are like either like doing like the Olympics stuff
or they're you know kind of you know, I feel
like it would very much like split things a lot
of the way. Yeah, but I don't have my crystal ball, so.
Speaker 2 (53:48):
Well, thank you for sharing that. Thank you for that
last minute question, Chris.
Speaker 1 (53:55):
Yeah, I asked because we are past. We've been doing
this for three years, and I want us to be
able to talk about things people want to talk about.
Where where pole dancing, where they've seen pole dancing, and
where they hope it goes, because I mean, if we
put it out there, if we talk about it.
Speaker 3 (54:15):
Yeah, And I feel like it's definitely starting to get
more of like a recognition too, just you know, even
from like a lot of like you know, musical influencers,
you know, like a lot you know, like Snoop Dogg.
I mean he's going like he's huge on his tours
and stuff and having you know, dancers from all over
you know, and I know a lot of other you know,
musical artists are starting to do the same thing too.
(54:35):
So I feel like it's definitely becoming obviously way more
you know, accepted compared to what you know, I had
started with, where it was a very you know, my gosh.
Speaker 2 (54:44):
You didn't tell anybody that you did it, you.
Speaker 3 (54:46):
Know, but I don't know. I'll be definitely curious to
see where it goes. I mean, it's definitely growing in
a ton of popularity. Even in my area alone. There
were two new post studios that just recently opened up,
So I feel like you're going to see a lot
more studios kind of popping up to.
Speaker 2 (55:07):
Yeah, it could go anyway.
Speaker 1 (55:13):
I hope they regulated on because I've heard some scary
studio stories.
Speaker 3 (55:22):
Same, that's that's for an off camera conversation.
Speaker 1 (55:34):
That's an episode another day, regulating studio norms.
Speaker 2 (55:40):
Right, yeah, yeah, that on.
Speaker 3 (55:43):
That one's hard. That one's hard. The studio, the studio culture,
I feel like it's a whole, a whole nother hot topic. Yes,
studio culture owners.
Speaker 1 (55:55):
Mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (55:56):
We have a bunch of upcoming topics, ahaps. You'd be
interested in coming back on and talking about the future, Well.
Speaker 3 (56:06):
Let me know, I have things, definitely have Yeah, I
definitely have some opinion, but you know.
Speaker 2 (56:11):
Yeah, especially because you have a strong opinion of not
wanting to own a studio. Yeah, yeah, maybe we can
find out why in our next episode with Little snipper,
maybe stay tuned.
Speaker 1 (56:27):
We're not trying to start any problems within the industry.
We're just trying to make talk about conversations that need
to be have, like things that like you mentioned our
hush hust that we don't really talk about.
Speaker 5 (56:39):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, Yeah, as much I believe you me
if you know me, I'm I'm not wanting to make waves,
but you know, you know, I feel like also as
somebody who is in their forties, you know, you know,
I feel like I have kind of like a different outlook,
(57:00):
you know, to kind of some of the like the
you know, the younger generation.
Speaker 6 (57:07):
Yeah, you know, it's just it's just a different way
of thinking, right, It's like you said before about like
just passing on better information as it comes around so
you can help the industry grow.
Speaker 2 (57:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (57:19):
And I feel like definitely like there's a big thing
to you know, really understanding you know, the history you know,
and you know in in pole dance and in your area.
You know, I think those are I think those are
really big important you know topics too, especially for a
lot of people.
Speaker 1 (57:40):
Yes, and also like make your career based on winning
competitions or your career based on social media. Is there
a difference things like that. I think that's huge now
in the whole industry, there's so much to talk about.
Speaker 3 (57:56):
Mm hmmm. Yes, yeah, don't get me started on the
whole Instagram. In order to talk about Instagram, you've got
people zero point five seconds that you got to grab
that tension.
Speaker 2 (58:09):
Yes, right, And I'm usually climbing during that.
Speaker 1 (58:17):
That's why I started editing the climbs on. They don't
need to see me, Clive.
Speaker 3 (58:23):
You like start with the trick. Yeah, I know. I'm
almost like half tempted to just like post like a
video that I want to, but like figure out how
I can like post it going backwards for the entirety
of the whole thing, yes, and be like, well, I'm
glad the end caught your attention.
Speaker 2 (58:49):
Oh my god. Tricks.
Speaker 1 (58:52):
Yeah, this has been fun. Thank you so much, Christine
Little Snipper.
Speaker 2 (58:59):
Yeah, yes, yes, and thank you so much to everyone
who has listened to or watched this episode of Poll
on the Call podcast.
Speaker 3 (59:07):
My name is Mandy mag Yes. The premiere.
Speaker 1 (59:24):
The tiger striped green heels.
Speaker 2 (59:26):
I love it, right, the Poll on the Call premiere
of these brand new shoes. Where are they from?
Speaker 3 (59:32):
Shout out to show pony so
Hey, Hey, hey everyone, it's me Chris Rivers. I'm excited
to be here with another episode of Poll on the Call.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yes, and I'm Mandy Mack.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
We're here today with the incredible Poe Coach and Poe
Champion Little Snipper.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hey.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Yes, thank you so much again for being here with
us tonight. I'm excited to get to know you more.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Thank you for having me. I'm super excited to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yes, pleasure many take it away, because we should start
at the very beginning. We usually start with how did
you get into pole dancing?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
A dime a dozen? Right, the infamous Groupon story. When
I started in twenty eleven, pole was not anywhere what
it is today.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
And me and one of my.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Girlfriends we had always talked about wanting to do secretly
like a pole or a blessed class. And at the time,
my friend was going through some stuff and she couldn't
join me. And I was like, you know what, there's
this group on It's twenty bucks, it's an hour and
a half class. Let me just go and try it out.
(01:18):
So I go to this class, women of all different ages,
and we did the class and then we sat there
in a circle and the instructor goes and she goes,
all right, ladies, now, who's ready to sign up? And
I shut my hand up and I looked around and
(01:38):
my hand slowly kind of coming down because I was
the only one. And she looked at me and she goes, honey,
she goes, I already knew you were going to sign up.
I was like, oh God, And the rest is history.
Thirteen years later, still kicking. I love it.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Sometimes you have to go alone.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Oh yeah. Definitely started in like the long yoga pants
and the long you know, then it got to tank tops,
the shorts got a little shorter, they got a little
shorter sports broth.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
I love that. As a instructor, I find that journey
to watch students feel more comfortable, to be able to
come that way like beautiful to watch.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Absolutely, absolutely, they definitely start coming into their own skin,
into their own feelings. They grow not only as like
an individual, you know, as friends, as you know students.
It's it's always even though they may not see their
(02:47):
progress through the journey, but like we see it as
an instructor, as a coach, and it's just kind of
like do you It's like do you remember where you were?
Like six months ago, like you are, well, you are
like make and leaps and bounds and this is so
awesome and it's so awesome to watch and to help
them grow and just bloom into like a beautiful butterfly.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah. I love that. So I mean, let's get into
what happened with your transition from students to becoming an
instructor and a coach.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Surprisingly enough, I was asked by my instructor because my
instructor at the time had found out that she was pregnant,
and it was kind of one of those things where
I was like, oh, okay, like sure, I'll take over.
She'll be back, you know, in a couple of months.
(03:42):
And it turned out she didn't come back after her baby,
which is totally fine as well, But that's just kind
of how I, you know, stepped into the role. I
had always enjoyed whole class, and it was always kind
of one of those things where I was like, I
kind of want to like be an instructor. I think
it would be really awesome too, you know. And obviously
(04:03):
in the beginning, you know, everything is rough, and you
like second guests, everything you're you know, I used to
write out my entire workout the entire warm up and
now I'm just like, now I just write down the
trick that I'm teaching or like snippets of the choreo.
But yeah, so I kind of I kind of fell
into it. But I always knew that I wanted to
(04:24):
be an instructor in my muggle life. I am an
er nurse, and I do enjoy, uh, you know, the
teaching aspect of things, especially with like new nurses and stuff.
So I feel like that's kind of, I don't want
to say necessarily like second nature. But also being a nurse,
we do have a lot of teaching opportunities, so I
(04:45):
feel like that's just kind of something that I really
enjoy doing.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
I found like a lot of our members of our
Pole community are in the healthcare field as well, and
I always wonder how you guys balance that, Like it
just seems like so much, but I guess it's a
stress relief.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Actually pulls my stress.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yeah, yeah, this study.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah yeah, being in the er, I mean, I've been
in the our nurse for thirteen years. I love it.
I wouldn't trade it for anything in the entire world.
But you definitely do have to have some sort of disconnect,
you know when you when you walk out those doors
where it's just kind of like you need to have
that debriefing moment and then you know, continue on.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Amazing. Did you have any like dance or gymnastics background
before you started pulling?
Speaker 3 (05:41):
When I was little, you know, your parents put you
in everything, right, So we did do a little bit
of tap, jazz, ballet, all that stuff. Do kind of
have dance in our family. My aunt was a high
school dance instructor for entire teaching career. I myself did
cheerleading from seventh grade to freshman in college. I did
(06:06):
try out for the gymnastics team. I want to say,
I think when I was a junior in high school,
which was way too late, but I was very proud
of myself because I eventually learned how to do a
cartwheel on the balance beam. You know. But I was
I was not one of those humbling, amazing people I was.
I was a bass or. I was a backspot. I
(06:27):
wasn't a flyer. I was the type of person where
if shit was going, hey wire, I'm gonna catch my friend.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Oh my gosh. I was reading your bioto and you
said you do a lot of doubles. I'm wondering now
that helps with your doubles routine. It does, It.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Does very much so and I feel like with me
and my doubles partner, Amanda, our double's name is Lei Unstable,
and we just had a performance at the Minxix Stravaganza
with Michelle uh down in Saint Louis, which is always
an amazing time. But I feel like even having doubles,
(07:16):
we do a fair share of you know, whose flyer,
whose base, depending on what are your more go to tricks.
So but it definitely helps.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yes, I kind of want to ask what is one
of your go to doubles tricks? Because I love.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
One of our go to doubles tricks is we do
and I don't even know, like I swear like it
doesn't even have a name, but we pretty much almost
do it in every performance. But Amanda goes on the
pole and she goes into an outside leg. Her hand
has my ankle and I have her foot, and I'm
in like a pull set and then I take my
(07:58):
one leg I thread it through to the other side
of the pole. Both hands come up on her ankle,
so she's holding my ankle and I'm holding hers and
we're in this really pretty kind of like I'm in
like a passe leg shape. It's super pretty. I'll have
to send you guys a picture of it. And then
the other move that we worked really hard on was
(08:21):
I was doing an iron X on the bottom and
she's holding the pole and holding my leg into a
little like el sit where she like stands, you know,
on the side of you.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Yeah, I'm Jesus strong. I love that. I can't wait
to see the first pick, but I could definitely picture
the second one of diron ex. God, that's incredible.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Yeah, we definitely were like, damn, we're strong as hell.
Mama's because she also has two kids as well. I
love that Orange Mama's be making a comeback.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Yeah, I mean, can we may we go into that.
What helped you get back into po after starting motherhood,
because I mean it, I kind of can't even imagine
how hard it is to balance time and just everything.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Yeah, I feel like you're training definitely, at least for me,
And everybody's different and everybody has a different story and
a birth experience. For me, you know, I still am working.
I'm you know, kind of like a part time working.
You know still, you know, teaching two nights at a
(09:38):
post that you know at two different pole studios, and
then my husband's job. But we have very kind of
like crazy schedules because my husband is a firefighter paramedic,
so he has those twenty four on forty eight off.
We're definitely not Monday through Friday nine to five type jobs.
(09:59):
So training looks very different for us, especially when it
comes to like my pole. A lot of times I
spend after classes or before classes. I do a lot
more training at home. But definitely trying to find the
work mom pole balances is hard. It's tricky, you know,
(10:21):
And there's many times where I've had the mom guilt
of I should be doing something with my kids versus
like exercising or polling. And then the times when I
am at home and I do poll and my kids
are at home.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
They're like, hey, Mom, it's my turn.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
It's my turn, and they want to start running around
the pole, and I'm just like, all right, well that
was productive, but honestly, like I would have it no
other way because they love running around the pole, they
love climbing it. They're like, I want to go to
the top, and I'm like all right, let's do it.
But it's tricky though, you know, you you just kind
(11:01):
of find time.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
I love that, Thank you for sharing that. And children
on Poe, Yes easy, I find there. So when they're
young and they learn at that age, like the possibilities
are endless.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
For real, right and even just like what we were
talking about from the beginning, like the how pole dancing
changes us, Like imagine getting to the top of the
pole at such a young age, and just like.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
They can do anything.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, they may monkey climb right now,
but you know what, they they'll they'll learn same and
there's nothing wrong with monkey climbing.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Yes, spe of monkey climbing. It was your favorite Poldian style.
Oh it was my favorite style.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
I feel like it's so funny because when I started Pulled,
the main love that I initially had with Ole was
more of like the athletic side. So I definitely loved
like the tricks and the hard combos and the flips,
and I still love them. But I feel like over
time my style has definitely changed, like I've tapped more
(12:29):
into the sexy, into the sensual, you know, into you know,
I really loved the hard hitting you know, Russian style
pre kids and then post kids. It's kind of like
I started kind of having to change and work more
(12:49):
on the self love, self acceptance, the changes that your
body goes through, like after pregnancy and postpartum. So I've
definitely gotten more in touch with the super sensual, super
sexy side. I still love the hard hitting beats, but
(13:10):
I've definitely slowed down a lot. But don't tempt me
with a good time with flips, because I love flips too.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I think that's a great combination centro and flips when
you want to.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Because you never know when you just want to be
like super like sultry and sexy, and then all of
a sudden you're gonna like throw in a flip and
be like, damn, you didn't expect that.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Flip into something Soultree. I love it. Sultry and dynamic,
movie too funny. So do you mind going into your
competition experience and sharing a little bit with that?
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
I have been competing, so I started full in twenty eleven.
My first competition was in twenty twelve.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
It was.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Midwest, which unfortunately is not round anymore. The competition, but
I did an essential division and it was the first
time that I had danced in Little Kitten six and Chields.
I did a country song stuck like Glue. If you
(14:35):
know the song, you know. I had so much fun
and I happened to win, and I feel like I
was hooked. Since then, I've been competing pretty much every year.
I have competed in New York at USPDF. I did
compete in their Amateur division. I did earn my BRO
(14:56):
card with them. I did two other pro us PDF
competitions with them, which was such a great competition. If
Wendy's ever listening, I hope she brings it back because
it was such a great competition in New York. I've
done a lot of competing with pso you know I've
(15:18):
I've competed in their Level five. I've placed at their
Virtual Nationals when I was actually pregnant with my first kiddle.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
That was fun.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
I did compete live at a National's back in California once,
but I mean, everybody's just so amazing. I did Script
down in Canada, which was an incredible experience. It was
so much fun. That was definitely my first international competition.
I've done Dance Filthy down in Florida, I did how
(15:55):
the Loore Carmine Black's show the first year they did it.
I won freestyle. So yeah, I've done a lot of
competitions and I love them.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Maybe we should have asked which which competitions have you
not done? Oh?
Speaker 3 (16:14):
And I absolutely And how can I even forget because
I just did whole Theater down in Saint Louis this
year and I did win Semi Pro Essential.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Yes and g Yeah. Us PO Champions is next, the
Post Circus.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
I know there's a couple of things that have been
on my docket. You know that I that I have
on my bucket list that I want to do, that
I that I'm hopefully saving for next year.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
That's exciting and can't wait to see what happens. Do
you have any clips or advice for those who may
want to compete or stop competing and may want to
get back into it.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Yeah. I mean, my biggest thing that I can tell
you is, you know a lot of people say, you know,
competing is what's going to like make you somebody. That's
not necessarily true. You know, competing it definitely takes a
lot out of you physically, emotionally. I always tell people
(17:27):
prepare for the emotional rollercoaster of the ups and the downs,
the ups and the downs throughout the entire process. For me,
the reason I like to compete is because I feel
like it keeps me challenged and doing certain things that
may step me out of my box of comfort. So
(17:49):
for me, I like to do that. People who want
to get into competing go for it, like it's a
really awesome experience. You know, some people like it and
some people may not, and that's totally fine. You know,
definitely find yourself somebody who's done either the competition that
(18:13):
you're wanting to do or you know, looking into doing.
Definitely do your research, you know as to maybe like
looking at the judging score sheet, you know, make sure
that you're really building a routine or a piece for
what it is that they're looking for in their score sheets.
I feel like sometimes the mark is missed a little bit,
(18:36):
and I think people get frustrated to do down on
themselves when like things don't go as well. But at
the end of the day, the other thing that you
have to remember is like it is the opinion of somebody,
and it can go any way on any given day.
You know, sometimes take feedback, you know, with a grain
(18:59):
of salt. You know, you can't, you know, die on
that hill. But yeah, I also feel like for me personally,
some of my other history, which I actually don't know
if I included or not, but I've been showing dogs
since that was about ten, and my mom and I breed,
(19:20):
and I've you know, shown at Westminster multiple years, which
is the big dog show in New York. And I
also was a junior handler, which is they're judging your
handling ability and like the rapport that you have with
your dog versus the confirmation side, which is they're judging
the dog. I was nationally ranked. I did place at
(19:44):
Westminster when you know, I was younger. So I feel
like for me that competitiveness is kind of like always
been there, or like the drive to want to compete.
So I feel like that's also kind of like a
little nugget of also probably why I love to compete.
But definitely my suggestion would be, find somebody who's done
(20:04):
the competition, talk to them really kind of get an understanding,
and be prepared for the roller coaster. And even if
you don't place, that's okay because you put work and
you put your heart and your soul and you left
it on stage and people will see that and you
(20:26):
will get the recognition.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Right, you'll touch at least one person.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Facts. Yeah, absolutely, thank you so much for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Yeah, I'm thinking about your I'm going to say it wrong,
wes Westmiss.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
The dogs period Westminster.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Westminster, and I'm like, oh my god, it would be
awesome a pull and dog show somehow.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
It's funny. I act saw and her name is blanking
on me right now and Australian Gal. I think she
just kind of did like a funny piece about that
and I had commented and I was like, this just
kind of resonates with me because like I showed off,
Oh it was great the Bunton I think I.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Love that and g yeah, when in ever since you
were younger, that's so inspiring.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Shell. Yeah. And then I was wondering, do you coach online?
So if there's competitors out there who are interested, can
they contact you for online coaching?
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Yeah? I do to online coaching. You know, people have
sent me videos and stuff. I did do a lot
of like zoom classes, you know, early pandemic, you know,
but now time wise, I'm more just kind of I'm
happy to review videos provide feedback. I you know, I
(22:02):
have done some virtual privates. I do like doing more
in person privates, but I know, you know, locational wise,
not everybody is there. But yes, I am happy to
help anybody. I am also a PSO Unicorn or ambassador,
So generally if people have questions about PSO comp levels videos,
(22:26):
like hey, is this move aloud? They can also come
to me, And if I don't have the answer, then
I go to the team. Right.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
I just when I was out on the road with PSO,
you were the number one unicorn UH to contact about stuff.
So yeah, I don't wait to talk to her.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
And I'm telling you there's plenty of times where I'm
just like, I don't know if I want to make
that call if it's legal or not move, but let
me ask the team because I'll definitely get that for you.
Because sometimes like people ask me like some trity, pretty
tricky questions as far as like moves and like is
this you know appropriate for like a level two and
a level three? And I'm just kind of like I'm
(23:08):
thinking to myself, I'm like in my head, I'm saying yes,
but let me also just double verify with somebody somebody else,
because I'd hate to be that person to tell, you know,
to steer someboth you wrong and then you know they're like, hey,
Christine said so.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Backed by the team, but they right so much for
being so knowledgeable and available too, because super helpful.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Actually hofully at the moment. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Always, and have y'all listening or watching how any questions
will have her Instagram handles and all her information and
the comments and notes below.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Yeah, you've done some. You've done some judging too, for
several competitions as well. Do you want to give any
tips for people who are interest than judging or for
competitors how to read judges comments?
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Ooh, reading judges comments sometimes can be hard. I mean,
it's funny that you mentioned that, because there's always been
one feedback of mind that has always stuck. And I
always every time I have like an informational meeting for pso,
I always I always kind of give it as like
a funny, like you can just leave some judges feedbacks.
(24:27):
It was I had done a Phantom of the opera piece,
and I had a mask that came over eyes and
down the side of my face like the Phantom of
the opera and if you're not familiar, look at it.
Because but the one judge's comment was I would have
liked to see more mouth movement. What does that mean?
(24:52):
I don't really, so, you know, it's just kind of
one of those comments. I was just like, I don't
know what that means. So when I tell students, you know,
when you're reading your feedback, some of the things that
you have to keep in mind is, you know, judges
(25:15):
are doing their absolute best to try and provide you
with good feedback stuff to improve on. You have like
a three and a half minute routine that you have
to watch and then you're you're, you know, trying to
make comments, trying to score, so sometimes the spelling mistakes
are there just trying and figure it out. We honestly
(25:37):
try and do our best, and you know, I honestly
think like for people who want to be judges, I
think it definitely gives you, from a competitor standpoint, a
very different understanding, you know, especially of like technicality and
like breakdowns of what the judging score looks like. That's
(25:58):
why I always suggest if you want to do a competition,
look at your score sheet, look at what they're looking
for make a checklist for your routine, check off those
boxes so you know you have everything. And if you
have everything, then it just comes down to an opinion
and show day because we all know anything can happen
(26:18):
on stage. You can have your best run or it
could not be your best run. But yeah, it definitely
gives you a different perspective being behind the judges table
and looking at somebody's you know, very looking at it
more in a critiquing way. Does that answered the question?
(26:40):
I feel like I kind of went off on a tangent.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
No, that was perfect.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
I do also believe that judging makes you a better
choreographer coach too, because you get to see the other
side and you're like, oh oh.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
And you definitely like some you know, some routines and
stuff where we're just kind of like, oh, like I
really like that, or oh, maybe make a mental note
of may not have worked, you know, or if you
wanted it to work, like how could it have been
done maybe differently?
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Or you know, yes, I don't think I would have
ever told anybody though I would like to see more mouth.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
It's honestly the one comment that always sticks with me,
which I think is hilarious because then when I look
back at my photos, I'm like, I see like, I
don't know mouth movements, but it's just it was just
kind of it was just one of those funny things
where I'm just like, I'm just gonna leave that comment
(27:48):
and and not even bother dealing with it.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Yeah, I will say I have only one experience judging,
and I am glad I did it, and I'm looking
forward to more judging because You're right, it does give
you a different perspective and it was a pretty cool experience.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
Yeah, you should definitely do it.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
It's fun.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Yes, I put an application for a Northeast so we'll see.
And then the Yeah, I think I'm doing the post
again this year, so we'll see.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
Oh, yes, that's another one that I wanted to dabble with,
but I haven't gotten around to doing it yet.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Super fun.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
Yeah, I keep seeing like videos and stuff from that
camp and that show, and I'm.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Just kind of like, looks fun. Yeah, it's definitely recommended.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
That would be so much fun.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Did we ever mention where the studios where you teach?
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Yeah, so I teach. The studio that I teach at
in Chicago is Velvet and Chrome they opened this year.
And then the other studio that I currently teach at
is in Aurora te Dance and Naperville Tees Dance and
Fitness in Apriville in AA, and I've been with I've
(29:19):
been with teas since I've started my whole journey. And
then I used to teach at the Old Brass Ring
back in Chicago, and then I did a little bit
of teaching, uh during like the pandemic online while I
was still pregnant. But I went back to teaching into
(29:42):
the city once Velvet and Curl opened.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Now that you mentioned that, I feel like you were
a teacher of Lisabella as well.
Speaker 4 (29:52):
Yes, Lisa Bella is everywhere.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:59):
Yeah, she was my student for a long time.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
And I actually remember judging her at USPDF. I want
to say when she did her Novice Sexy and I'm
pretty sure I think she placed she placed third.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
I was there too, I was gonna.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
Say second or third. Yeah, And I remember like watching
and judging her. And let me tell you, that is
a competition to judge, because when you've got twenty two
people that you're judging whoof that's hard because a they're
all so amazing, but yeah, but Lisa was amazing and
then she was She came to Tease, she lived here
(30:38):
for a while, and then she moved. And now I
just follow her journey online and she's doing absolutely incredible things,
you know, from continuing like her dance background and chains
and performing and flying pole and doubles and all the things,
like all the things. I am just so beyond proud
(30:59):
of her. And she's boomed into a beautiful woman. I
mean she always was, but so I'm glad that I
got to cross path with her, you know, and you
know a portion of her whole journey.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, such a small world.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Oh yeah, say that one more time.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
What classes are you teaching at your studios?
Speaker 3 (31:23):
So right now at Velvet and Chrome, I am teaching
a fundamental we like to name our class because it's
Velvet and Chrome, but it's fundamentals, uh level. It was
kind of like a level one two. I'm kind of
at like a level two three because sometimes I like
to go rogue and do a little harder things for fundamentals.
(31:45):
But absolutely love it because I think that everybody, no
matter where you are in your pole journey, you can
always go back to your foundation and either but not
something or really kind of tweak something more understand it,
you know, versus just doing so I teach fundamentals there
and I also teach a Level two three tricks class.
(32:08):
I teach their Wednesday night, and then on Tuesday nights,
I am at Tuesdayance and Fitness and I teach a
flink and Fly other class, which is a low flow,
heeled class. I don't necessarily want to say choreo. It's
more I mean, it's kind of like half choreo half sequencing,
(32:29):
just because lately I've changed my methodology on how I
teach that class. So I used to do more strict
choreo where this is a song, these are the movements,
and over the past maybe year that I've been doing it,
I've changed to these are the movements, and I'm going
to put on a random song and you, guys, I'm
(32:53):
going to have you kind of move and ebb and
flow with how the music suits you. I'll still do
the choreo with you, but like I want you to
kind of start feeling like in your minds your body,
because everybody hears music differently, you know, but get them
to what moves them, you know, is it the softer beats.
(33:14):
Is that the undertones? Is it the hard hitting you know?
So I like them to dabble with that. And then
my second class is a higher level level eight tricks class,
which for our studio is the advanced class.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Oh yeah, what's your tricks? And shit? Oh my gosh.
I love how you describe how you change the way
that you teach the choreo class. I also did it
very similar because I found like everyone was just trying
to copy me so much that they were not getting
(33:51):
their own authenticity. Yeah, I'm thet to like really find
their own movements. So I appreciate that for sure.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
Yeah, even especially when like I start a new session,
because we do like eight week classes, but I always start,
like on the first day, like I'm like, listen, this
is this is the choreo. You're not gonna look like me.
You're gonna look like you dancing, and that's going to
be beautiful. You may not get all.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
The moves, and that's okay.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
You may hate some of them, but you may love
some of them and take those and start working them
into your own freestyles or your own choreo, you know.
But I understand you're not going to take every single
nugget away from class, but that's also where you need
to start kind of learning to develop your own Like,
(34:39):
what do you like as a dancer? You know what
moves really work well for your body? You know, for
your flexibility or your style?
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Yes, do you have anything else to share about your
pole dancing or teaching philosophies?
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Oh, I feel like I can go on like a
huge tangent about that. I mean, I feel like I
mean I did share a good amount my teaching style.
For me, I'm I am absolutely your biggest cheerleader.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
Students who know me.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
My favorite phrases are number one strong work and number
two come down and do it again. I am the
type of teacher where I love for you to not
only get the trick or the move, but I want
you to start understanding it, Like how does it feel
(35:46):
for you? Not just hey, look here's my pose? And
for the Instagram picture? You know, where where.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
Am I squeezing?
Speaker 3 (35:53):
Where am I really thinking of that pushing? Pulling? Where
do I need to talk around? Or you know, all
of those little nitpicky things you know. I like to
like once the student like gets the move and is
starting to feel really comfortable, I'm just kind of like okay,
like now walk like walk me through it, Like what
do you feel where do you feel that you need
to make your slight adjustment for your body? You know,
(36:16):
because I want them to start understanding it, because again,
not everybody has the same body, you know, and you
have to really understand and learn, you know, mechanically physically,
like where things need to be in space, not only
to keep your joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and everything else
safe because realistically, if I sat pole dancing, that probably
(36:43):
will ever happen. But if I were to stop, like
I wouldn't trust all of my students. They have a
solid foundation of fundamentals because they're going to be the
generation that eventually is going to be replacing us, you know,
so like I want them to know. And there's plenty
of things where like I've learned because doing this for
(37:04):
thirteen years, but like that I was taught and now
I'm just kind of like, ah, you know, here's a
better way of teaching it. And this is why I
recently last year did Marlo Fiskins and Bert Ready coaching
and mind Blown because I love like the anatomy and
(37:29):
the physiology and everything behind behind actually what you're doing,
you know. So it's like I tell my students all
the time, I'm like, I know, I've been teaching this
way for ten years, but here's how we're now going
to change because this makes sense for more people and
for more body types than how I was taught or
(37:52):
how I was teaching it. So even as an instructor
who's been doing it for so long, like also understand
that how you may have learned something ten years ago,
things have evolved like rapidly for pole, you know, and
just more of an understanding of where things are going.
So definitely like advice for instructors, don't always be stuck
(38:14):
in your old ways, be willing to learn understand like
the biomechanics of like different things in different moves. Again,
I think I went on a tangent themself.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
No, it was great. I especially loved that you talked about,
you know, like feeling in the shapes rather than just
making the shapes, like being more mindful and de merror
not so near and mind but really like being more
mindful like when you're in the shapes, because a lot
of times we'll just get them and be like I
(38:52):
did it.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
Yeah, Yeah, it's like, hey, look I did it, but like,
but now can we do it?
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Can we can?
Speaker 3 (39:01):
We can we dance into it? Can we dance out
of it? How can we like make it a thing? Yes?
Speaker 1 (39:10):
I think it's so important also that no matter how
long you've been teaching, you're still willing to learn and
grow and change your teaching methods to fit more body types,
more learning styles and things like that. It's so important
as instructors.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Yeah, always always a student, always a student. And I
do have to say definitely it helped for me personally
as well as my teaching to go through pregnancy, teaching
through pregnancy up until thirty nine weeks coming back postpartum.
(39:52):
You know. I always joked with my students when I
would tell them I was in a plow and I
was very pregnant, you know, and your boobs were so
engorged and like they were in your face, And I
was like, I understand now what larger chested women go
through in a plow when you're like suffocating yourself. I'm like,
I get that now, you know. So it's like sometimes
(40:13):
you know, having your own, you know, different experiences really
kind of helps understand what somebody else might be going
through as well.
Speaker 2 (40:22):
Oh that's beautiful. Thank you for sharing that, because things
you would never think of, because.
Speaker 4 (40:29):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, thinking about the plow because that's recently
been one of my favorite warm ups, and I'm like, God,
I hope I have suffocated any student and ever realized.
Speaker 3 (40:44):
It's a great it's a great exercise, and I still
love doing the plow, but I also kind of give
the if you guys need to come out of it
earlier or sooner, like you know, just just be mindful
of how it's feeling for you.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
Good times do you happen to have We asked, we
talked about you two favorite doubles? Do you have a
solo favorite poor trick?
Speaker 3 (41:13):
Oh, honestly, anything. My bread and butter is anything Ayisha Ayisha,
iron X pop out. I could talk about Ayosha's forever.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
Didn't you say you did an iron X when you
were while you were pregnant all the.
Speaker 3 (41:32):
Way up that Yeah, that was my one goal that
because again back in the day, you know, when you
got an iron X, you like made it. You were
somebody and I had worked so hard for that stupid trick,
but I love it and I was always like if
(41:52):
I'm going to get pregnant, I want to make sure
that I can do an iron X through like the
entirety of my whole journey, and I did for both pregnants.
I iron X up until thirty nine weeks, and the
day that I went in for my induction with Aubrey,
I was like, hold on, honey, I need to do
a really quick iron X before we leave for the hospital.
I'm like, I gotta get this in.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
Too funny. Now you're sending picks with one of your
one of your children on you during the iron next.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
And and that now, Chris is my new goal. Every year,
I'm going to take a family picture with either my
son or my daughter standing on top of me and
my iron X because because why not two That.
Speaker 1 (42:36):
Means get stronger, because they're going to get bigger.
Speaker 3 (42:39):
That's a good work exactly.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
Or they'll have to get stronger because they'll have to
hold themselves up. Oh.
Speaker 3 (42:47):
Absolutely, they will definitely have to get stronger with me.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
So so then the other half of the question is
what is your least favorite trick?
Speaker 3 (42:58):
Oh, this is my least favorite trick. I don't know
if I really have like a least favorite trick, you know,
cocoons always kind of like scared me. But honestly, I
feel like least favorite tricks or anything having to do
with like a lot of like back flexibility, just because
you know, bodies change and I don't have as much
(43:20):
time as I would love to devote to like my
stretching again, So I feel like the struggle bust for
me right now is kind of like back and shoulder
flexibility issues. So any tricks that kind of like live
in that realm. I used to just pop into my
Gennaro like in my sleep, and now postpartum, that bitch
(43:40):
be gone. She'll come back one day.
Speaker 2 (43:45):
The elusive Gennaro.
Speaker 3 (43:47):
Yeah, yeah, she'll come back one day. I just keep
poking at her every now and then.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
But not yet, but coming soon, not yet, coming soon,
coming soon to a theater near you. Speaking of coming soon,
do you have any upcoming things that you want to
plug coming soon for you?
Speaker 3 (44:12):
Judging the Aerial Star competition coming up later in this
November December time frame. Other than that, not really for
the end of the year, I more so have I'm
in conversation with a couple of people Wisconsin and Michigan
(44:35):
area about potentially coming up next year for some workshops,
which I'm super excited about because that'll be kind of
the first time that I am starting to do a
little bit of traveling for some workshops, and so I'm
very excited about that. So that's definitely something to stay
tuned too. In the back of my head, there's a
couple of comps that I would like to apply to
(44:57):
next year, but I'll keep those on the deal. But yeah,
I feel like other than that, I don't know. I
don't know where things will take.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
Me, right, competitors better watch out coming back.
Speaker 1 (45:16):
They don't know which one, which brings us to the
next question. You don't know where they're going to take you,
But where do you hope they take you? Within five years?
Speaker 3 (45:27):
Oh, within five years? I feel like that is I
feel like in five years my kids are definitely going
to be in kindergarten. I'm gonna have a lot more
time to pull. So I don't know, you know, I
would love to eventually have my own she shed in
my backyard, you know, for just my own like personal
(45:50):
you know, polling and my own friends. By no means well,
I do not want to open my own studio. I
just want my friends to come and jam with me
because I think that's way more fun.
Speaker 2 (46:03):
But in five years, I don't know there's.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
I do want to make it to Pole Coon because
I have yet to go. Before the World shut down,
I was accepted into the Sexy Showcase, but I have
not gone back since, so that is definitely a goal
of mine. A couple of competition things in my head
that I would love to, you know, wear sparkly things
(46:28):
for but you never know.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
There's sparkles in the future.
Speaker 3 (46:36):
Yeah, hopefully sparkles, sparkles and slashes and all fun things
because you got to have a goal in mind. Definitely
still continuing to teach and obviously start to do a
little bit of travel for workshops. So yeah, yay, love
(46:57):
it always, you know, because if you're stationary, that's just
oh I gotta do stuff. I'm an our nurse, I'm
a busy girl.
Speaker 2 (47:09):
Yes, I'm super excited to see what competitions you'll be doing,
and hopefully we'll get to meet up along the way
or pull together in the future. Sometimes.
Speaker 3 (47:25):
Yes, absolutely, maybe I'll have to make a Massachusetts parent
that would be awesome. Never been out there, so.
Speaker 2 (47:35):
Yes, have I been to Chicago.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
Yes, I feel like I have very long time ago.
Speaker 2 (47:43):
Yeah, I definitely need to go. It's on my list, yes.
Speaker 1 (47:49):
Yes, yes, what's that?
Speaker 2 (47:52):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Do you have a favorite hand grip that you prefer
to use? If any?
Speaker 3 (47:58):
I love of dry hands and due points. Those are
pretty much my go to, especially due points in the
winter Chicago months. Your you know, your skin is so dry,
weather's dry, it's just cold. So I love due point,
especially for like winter months summer. I definitely enjoy uh
(48:21):
you know, classic dry hands. I have been wanting to
try the monkey grip. I've heard some good things about that,
but I haven't tried them yet. And dust and what
is it dance dancing dust that's the other one. That
the other the dancing dust is spray. That's the other
(48:42):
one I really like because they have a little shimmer
and the glitter. Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
Thenkey the monkey hands is awesome. I have to try
the dust myself.
Speaker 3 (48:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (49:00):
Gosh, I was just thinking of another student who you
might have had, but that she is in the Chicago.
She might be from Chicago. Her name is Gigi. She's
really tall.
Speaker 3 (49:13):
But you have I do have a couple of tall
girls that I teach, but she does not sound familiar
to me.
Speaker 2 (49:23):
Okay from we have to ask her, right, she definitely
goes to Chicago.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
Yeah, you'll have to ask her and just shoot my
message and let me know.
Speaker 2 (49:32):
I was going to be like another one.
Speaker 1 (49:36):
That's a small world too.
Speaker 3 (49:38):
I mean, I guess that's the perks of being around
for a really long time and kind of know a
lot of people. Yes, but hopefully only ever hear good thing.
Speaker 2 (49:48):
Yes, for sure, only good things.
Speaker 1 (49:55):
On the future. Everybody knows her name and it's only good.
Speaker 3 (50:00):
For sure for sure. But like I, like I said,
if you ask any of my students, I'm sure the
majority of them would say, you know, you're going to
get a good workout when you go to Little Snippers class.
She's definitely gonna make you do it again. And she'll
definitely tell you strong work or yeah, and I will.
Speaker 2 (50:17):
Smack your ass. Oh I love this strong work though.
That's a really good thing to say.
Speaker 3 (50:25):
Favorite quote of all time.
Speaker 1 (50:27):
Yes, I'm going to have to start using along with
what I say works smarter, not harder.
Speaker 2 (50:35):
Yes, yes, I think you went through all of the questions.
Speaker 1 (50:43):
I have one more that's kind of dude that I
want to start asking, so you'll be like the first one.
Speaker 3 (50:48):
Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (50:49):
And it's only because of reset events and emails we've gotten.
You've been in the you've been in the industry for
a long time, for thirteen years. Where do you see
where do you see polltans going? And what do you
where do you what do you hope changes within the industry.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
I feel like that's kind of a loaded question, especially
now because I feel like I feel like there's still
a big push, you know, for for a lot of
folks to want pole like in the Olympics, especially like
post Olympics, you know, I feel like we always kind
(51:34):
of like get that push, you know. I feel like
a ton has changed culturally, you know, especially you know,
giving way more props and way more you know, you
know often as too. You know, our founders, you know,
our strippers, which God blessed for them, because I mean,
(51:55):
they there are the ogs that put in the real work.
So literally shout out to anybody who even my even
my strip of friends, because go'd blessed y'all. Y'all killing
it out there, you know and definitely taking that stigma.
But I'm I'm curious to see where it's going to go,
(52:17):
because especially for me, like you know, when I started,
it was a lot of the you know, the tricks
and you know, in the Olympics and wanting to kind
of like streamline everything, and then you know, it kind
of ebbed and flowed into into the sexy stuff, and
then it kind of got back into the tricks, and
now it's it's very kind of much into like the
(52:38):
low flow arena and not so heavy on tricks. Like
people are still doing tricks and it's still awesome and amazing,
but I feel like a lot is kind of more
like that low flow area. So I don't I really
don't kind of know where it's going to go, but
I love that, like everybody's just really kind of keeping
an open palette to where things are going to go.
(53:02):
Am I a fan of wanting the wanting pole in
the Olympics me personally?
Speaker 1 (53:08):
Know?
Speaker 2 (53:12):
That's just my opinion.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
Yeah, thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (53:18):
Yeah, right, I wonder how it would be in the Olympics, Like,
can you imagine judging it in the Olympics.
Speaker 3 (53:25):
I feel like it would. I feel like it would
definitely cause kind of like a huge divide of people
who are like either like doing like the Olympics stuff
or they're you know kind of you know, I feel
like it would very much like split things a lot
of the way. Yeah, but I don't have my crystal ball, so.
Speaker 2 (53:48):
Well, thank you for sharing that. Thank you for that
last minute question, Chris.
Speaker 1 (53:55):
Yeah, I asked because we are past. We've been doing
this for three years, and I want us to be
able to talk about things people want to talk about.
Where where pole dancing, where they've seen pole dancing, and
where they hope it goes, because I mean, if we
put it out there, if we talk about it.
Speaker 3 (54:15):
Yeah, And I feel like it's definitely starting to get
more of like a recognition too, just you know, even
from like a lot of like you know, musical influencers,
you know, like a lot you know, like Snoop Dogg.
I mean he's going like he's huge on his tours
and stuff and having you know, dancers from all over
you know, and I know a lot of other you know,
musical artists are starting to do the same thing too.
(54:35):
So I feel like it's definitely becoming obviously way more
you know, accepted compared to what you know, I had
started with, where it was a very you know, my gosh.
Speaker 2 (54:44):
You didn't tell anybody that you did it, you.
Speaker 3 (54:46):
Know, but I don't know. I'll be definitely curious to
see where it goes. I mean, it's definitely growing in
a ton of popularity. Even in my area alone. There
were two new post studios that just recently opened up,
So I feel like you're going to see a lot
more studios kind of popping up to.
Speaker 2 (55:07):
Yeah, it could go anyway.
Speaker 1 (55:13):
I hope they regulated on because I've heard some scary
studio stories.
Speaker 3 (55:22):
Same, that's that's for an off camera conversation.
Speaker 1 (55:34):
That's an episode another day, regulating studio norms.
Speaker 2 (55:40):
Right, yeah, yeah, that on.
Speaker 3 (55:43):
That one's hard. That one's hard. The studio, the studio culture,
I feel like it's a whole, a whole nother hot topic. Yes,
studio culture owners.
Speaker 1 (55:55):
Mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (55:56):
We have a bunch of upcoming topics, ahaps. You'd be
interested in coming back on and talking about the future, Well.
Speaker 3 (56:06):
Let me know, I have things, definitely have Yeah, I
definitely have some opinion, but you know.
Speaker 2 (56:11):
Yeah, especially because you have a strong opinion of not
wanting to own a studio. Yeah, yeah, maybe we can
find out why in our next episode with Little snipper,
maybe stay tuned.
Speaker 1 (56:27):
We're not trying to start any problems within the industry.
We're just trying to make talk about conversations that need
to be have, like things that like you mentioned our
hush hust that we don't really talk about.
Speaker 5 (56:39):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, Yeah, as much I believe you me
if you know me, I'm I'm not wanting to make waves,
but you know, you know, I feel like also as
somebody who is in their forties, you know, you know,
I feel like I have kind of like a different outlook,
(57:00):
you know, to kind of some of the like the
you know, the younger generation.
Speaker 6 (57:07):
Yeah, you know, it's just it's just a different way
of thinking, right, It's like you said before about like
just passing on better information as it comes around so
you can help the industry grow.
Speaker 2 (57:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (57:19):
And I feel like definitely like there's a big thing
to you know, really understanding you know, the history you know,
and you know in in pole dance and in your area.
You know, I think those are I think those are
really big important you know topics too, especially for a
lot of people.
Speaker 1 (57:40):
Yes, and also like make your career based on winning
competitions or your career based on social media. Is there
a difference things like that. I think that's huge now
in the whole industry, there's so much to talk about.
Speaker 3 (57:56):
Mm hmmm. Yes, yeah, don't get me started on the
whole Instagram. In order to talk about Instagram, you've got
people zero point five seconds that you got to grab
that tension.
Speaker 2 (58:09):
Yes, right, And I'm usually climbing during that.
Speaker 1 (58:17):
That's why I started editing the climbs on. They don't
need to see me, Clive.
Speaker 3 (58:23):
You like start with the trick. Yeah, I know. I'm
almost like half tempted to just like post like a
video that I want to, but like figure out how
I can like post it going backwards for the entirety
of the whole thing, yes, and be like, well, I'm
glad the end caught your attention.
Speaker 2 (58:49):
Oh my god. Tricks.
Speaker 1 (58:52):
Yeah, this has been fun. Thank you so much, Christine
Little Snipper.
Speaker 2 (58:59):
Yeah, yes, yes, and thank you so much to everyone
who has listened to or watched this episode of Poll
on the Call podcast.
Speaker 3 (59:07):
My name is Mandy mag Yes. The premiere.
Speaker 1 (59:24):
The tiger striped green heels.
Speaker 2 (59:26):
I love it, right, the Poll on the Call premiere
of these brand new shoes. Where are they from?
Speaker 3 (59:32):
Shout out to show pony so
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