As we get to the last of the Post Miss mPole Stuff, yes post comp, is as full-on as pre-comp for the organisers, are at least for me, as we do a lot of the video and photo production in house, on top of running our studio and teaching class full time. So here I am, nearly three weeks post comp, still with a to-do list. Video & photo editing takes time.
The countless hours of Photo editing has me thinking about performances and competing and the cost involved (A whole other blog which I will do later ), but I wanted to address the “compete” or “not to compete” statement. Leading into Miss mPole, I had a couple of students who wished to perform rather than compete; they wanted to share what they were working on but not be judged on it.
I understand this a lot as someone who has been in the Pole Dancing Industry a very long time. As someone who isn’t cool, new, super bendy or gravity defining strength tricks orientated, I struggle to compete in any competitions offered for someone with my level of experience or position. In over 15 years, I have only been accepted into a Semi-pro comp as a solo pole performer once. I am confident it was due to low entries in a new comp &, therefore, not based on my skills & that comp never made it to the stage due to COVID. That could come as a surprising fact for some of you, but competing at any level is challenging. It’s a laborious process to get from the entry stage to perform for so many comps running now.
We aim for Miss mPole to be as easy as possible, and we try to make the judging part as easy on our competitors as possible. But it’s still a competition and preparation for other comps.
But if you were given a choice to do a showcase rather than a competition, would you do it or even want to do it?
Would we push ourselves to the challenge of a comp piece for a showcase? Even if we aren’t in it to win it, we subconsciously push just that little bit harder for competition than for a showcase. We dare ourselves to try something a bit harder for competition rather than stick to what moves and skills we are comfortable with for a showcase.
You feel a rush of adrenaline, a high from performing a competition piece, where you have pushed/challenged yourself. And performing a showcase piece doesn’t have the same effect. It’s human nature to want to be moved and questioned, even if it’s just a little bit.
In over 15 years of being in the Pole Dancing industry, I have been to many Pole Dancing Competitions. But only two Pole Dancing Showcases – Pole Reflections, which was part of a travelling tour for workshops with internationally Pole Artists and Dance for a Difference put together by Chilli Rox for Australian Bush Fire Relief not that long ago.
The energy is different; the shows were varied & I think that the industry as a whole feels the same way. But feel free to tell me different.
Written by Leeanne Taylor
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