It’s hard to overcome internal barriers, but then the reward is high: you feel accomplished, you feel like you are making progress. Our December studio party was sizzling with this feeling: Eleven students completed the North Star Technical Challenge. Each of them demonstrated five moves on Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced level and got points assigned for technical correctness, sportsmanship, and showmanship. All ladies showed strong sports spirit and did a great job, congratulations to all participants! Special compliments to winners of the three categories: Julie, Ksenya, and Mia! Many thanks to our supportive audience, who cheered for every participant!

On top of the new North Star challenge, the party featured performances of students and teachers. If you didn’t have a chance to join us this time, you can watch the videos here:

It is great to see the beautiful dancers growing their skill and self-awareness, developing their own styles and enjoying what they are doing!

We got a supreme mix in our celebration: lots of adrenaline, tons of determination to win and a tiny bit of fear to fail, awesome dances and complicated tricks, beautiful performers and cheering audience. It was a perfect cocktail!

I am wishing everyone Happy Holidays and looking forward to many rewarding hours of practicing and performing in the New 2018 year together!

Yours,
Taya

When I look back at this first year, a lot has happened. Many students came to the studio without any experience. The very typical start of our relationship with a new student is a web chat or a phone call when they say: “I am not sure what pole dance is, but I would like to come and try it”. With all of you, we worked through challenges and wins, ups and downs, hard work and joy of achievement.

It is a true pleasure to see how some of you already come up with your own choreographies, bring your personalities and emotions into your very own unique dance characters: strong unconquerable Lilia, sunny joyous Minnie, energetic daring Katya, romantic weightless Valentina, I am thrilled to see your grow!

The group of beginners did a great job showcasing their skills. Many found it challenging, to step out and to perform in public, and I am very proud of you as you all looked and danced confidently!

Our belly dance students and their teacher Gabriela were a special highlight of the night – everyone was touched by irresistible rhythms of their dances!

I have very special heartfelt thanks reserved for our guests: thank you so much for cheering on and supporting our dancers! You were the best audience!

This was a birthday party every one-year-old studio can dream about! I know, many of you got inspired and are looking forward to trying more new moves, getting to a new level, creating your own dance – I will be here to help you on your journey!

Yours,
Taya

Our studio got an invitation to participate in the celebration of Nauryz. Nauryz is one of the oldest holidays on Earth. This holiday of spring and the renewed life of the Earth has been celebrated for over five thousand years by many cultures of the Middle and Central Asia.

North Pole Dance studio thanks to the organizers of the event – Central Asian Community in Toronto and GTA. In a concert, together with beautiful singers and musical instrument players, our Belly Dance group presented their dance. Congratulations to Lauren and Oxana on the first public performance with North Pole Dance! Way to go! The audience enjoyed your dance as well as a fabulous performance by our Belly Dance teacher Gabriela.

Here are the videos from the event – enjoy!

Many thanks to everyone who performed, to everyone who supported and applauded, to our amazing belly dance teacher Gabriela, and separate thanks to @ritepic for pictures and videos. To all our dear students, who tirelessly practiced for this showcase, who put so much physical and mental effort into creating beautiful dances – thank you! You did so well, you are my inspiration!

Stay tuned for the date of our next showcase around the middle of May, let’s practice together for the new party!

For those who missed the February showcase, here are some videos, enjoy!

It is great, that your friends and family members came to this party. I hope they feel very proud of you, seeing you, strong and beautiful, telling a story with your dance. Support and encouragement from our loved ones are priceless, this is what keeps us all going, isn’t it? I thank all the guests who joined us on this fun evening.

The first show is exciting and scary, whatever your performance is. Some of you have talked to me about your apprehension, which I know only too well about from my own experience. It feels great to see how you overcame your fears and danced off, smiling. It feels even better to hear your excitement after, when you told me you enjoyed it and you were happy you did it. Awesome dances, ladies!

This is the time to celebrate. We celebrate the first Holiday season of the studio. We celebrate joy, peace, love and happiness. Here, at North Pole Dance, we also celebrate you: beautiful you, strong you, feminine you.

Happy Holidays! May your hearts be always warm with joy and laughter. May your days be filled with what you enjoy doing and with people you love. I am looking forward to dancing and growing together with you in the coming year!

Feeling blessed,
Taya

PS. For those who missed the event, we have published videos on our Youtube channel.

I wrote this post to make this first step easier for you. The first class in a new activity, such as Pole Dance or Yoga, can be exciting and at the same time a bit scary. Being somewhat apprehensive is normal. You can help yourself to enjoy the beginning of your journey more by investing several minutes into preparation.

Preparation

First, make sure you found studio location on the map, you know how to get here and how much time you need for the road. On our website, you can check pricing and schedule. North Pole Dance studio asks all participants to give at least 24-hour notice for class attendance to secure a spot; you can call us or send us a message on our website. Drop-ins are available when there are open spots, but you would be way better off knowing for sure you will get in, especially if you are coming to the class for the first time.

Come 10 minutes early – you’ll need some time to change, maybe to use a bathroom, pay for your class and – important! – to fill out forms. It is best to print and fill them out at home in advance, and then bring them with you, so that you don’t rush through the information and don’t get even more nervous. Please note: our studio asks you to bring your ID for the first class to make sure you are 18. If you are under 18, we’ll need to talk to your parents and get their agreement for you to participate.

What to wear?

For Pole Dance, the guiding thought is that you will need the contact between your skin and the pole for the whole length of your arms and legs; hence very short stretchy shorts and a T-shirt is a good outfit for a beginner. As you progress with spins and tricks, you will need to shorten your top to allow for the contact between skin and pole in the area of your belly and your back. You don’t need to worry about it in your first class, though. Of note: there are special clothes that will stick to the pole, so if you object to your skin touching the pole, we can help you get that particular outfit – talk to us.

For Yoga or Stretching classes wear comfortable stretchy clothes. If you are sensitive to temperatures, it is best to wear two layers: for when you work hard and for when you rest. Belly Dance class is better attended in lighter comfortable stretchy clothes as you will be moving quite a bit. A special coin belt would be helpful for you to understand movements of your hips; if you don’t own one yet, we offer them for purchase in the studio.

Whatever class you are about to take, the footwear for the first one is… any guesses? Right, none at all! We clean our studio regularly and being barefoot suits the majority of our participants. If you strongly prefer to have something on your feet, a pair of anti-slip yoga socks is a good idea – talk to us if you need help finding them. A spoiler for Pole Dancers: you will be in heels for sure, just allow yourself to learn the basics first. I met more than one beginner in Pole Dance, who were super passionate about dancing in their high heel shoes right away. I persuaded them to practice barefoot until they lay some foundation for their skills. The reasons are very simple: using heels requires a particular strength of ankle and calf muscles to prevent injury as well as certain awareness about your center of gravity to create an appealing move. I’ll help you get there safely in time!

If you think of yoga props, we have them all in our studio: mats, straps, blocks. Of course, you are welcome to bring your own, if you wish to.

HYDRATION is important, have a bottle of water with you.

Creams, lotions, ointments

The best kept secret of pole dance is NOT to wear any creams, lotions or ointments on your arms or legs when you come to the class. Can you guess why? Yes, you can! Our chrome poles will be slipping out of your grip if your skin has above the natural level of fats or moisturizers. This is why we and our participants clean the poles with an alcohol containing solution before and after every class. If you applied your lotion or cream on the day of the class, just shower with soap before coming here and make sure your skin is free of moisturizing products.

Allergies

Very small number of people are allergic to chrome. If you’ve been wearing leather clothes or using green/yellow shades of cosmetics products without any issues, you are very likely not one of them. However, if you happen to have this rare type of allergy, we have good news for you: one of our poles is hypoallergenic, specifically designed in stainless steel for people with chrome allergy. Make sure you mention that you need hypoallergenic pole while booking your spot in a Pole Dance class.

What to expect in the class?

Let’s take a typical Pole Dance class as an example. Every class starts with a warm-up. You want your muscles and ligaments to be ready to work with less risk of injury. The second part is conditioning of main core, leg and arm muscles. Then you will learn and practice elements like spins, steps, grips, and holds, that later will be combined into appealing sequences of moves. This is where every student gets a task according to their level and capacity. At the end of the class, we stretch and cool down.

Now you know how to prepare for your first class. I mentioned planning your trip, 24-hour notice and forms, clothes and footwear, no lotions and a bottle of water, what to expect in the class. There is one thing left to mention, and this is the one that often makes it or breaks it: BRING YOUR OPTIMISM WITH YOU!

Even the greatest was once a beginner. Don’t be afraid to take that first step.

Many thanks to those who called me or sent an email with warm wishes. Thank you for the beautiful bunch of flowers and for other presents!

I am very grateful to everyone who took time to come join the events in person. I hope you enjoyed free classes. Some of you figured out you are capable of doing a tricky arm stand in yoga. Some of you how have a special meaning for words like Fireman and Around the World.

Your nice words, your friendly smiles and your encouragement are greatly appreciated.

And of course I hope you enjoyed the professional show we put together for you. Please check out our Facebook page to see it again: incredible Lyana Khatatba with exuberant belly dance  show, special guest Jane Lee with precise challenging tricks, and yours truly with a show that featured Exotic Pole Dance and Sensual Me programs, both parts of the studio’s weekly schedule.

Please share your impressions about North Pole Dance studio with your friends and don’t forget to mention, that a special deal is in effect until October 1st, 2016: $50 off any membership for new members only.

I am looking forward to see you in the classes of your choice!

PS. For those who missed the event we have published videos on our Youtube channel.