BACK TO HOME

Early on in my pole career I bought an at-home pole to practice; I was determined to learn my “nemesis” moves! It was great fun – at first. 

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As I started to advance, I found that my at-home pole space wasn’t really working for me. I remember making my way up the entire pole for the first time, and wondering how I was going to replicate this process at home. How was I going to work on floor work on carpet? How was I going to work on climbs, flairs, or rolls that require more space and movement? How was I going to make myself feel like a “real” pole dancer?

It really sucked watching these amazing at-home polers who have dedicated spaces (either at dance studios they can visit literally anytime always with no one else around or their own homes) with TONS of space, a hard surface for sliding and dancing, and low-level lighting, when all I’ve got at home is well, ya know, normal home shit. My ceilings have caps (pretty low). I have carpet almost everywhere. Windows where I wish they weren’t. I started to not even practice at home, altogether. I didn’t have the space for something like this at home, and needed space for the two other people who live with me. I was going to need a space that was…

After 3 years of poling, I’m absolutely in love with my pole space, and I want to share that with you so that you can pick up some of these tricks as well. 

-Dance Floor – One of the most integral parts of any dance studio! I don’t know about you, but floor work on carpet is absolutely terrible, sometimes impossible. In order to be able to walk in my heels and dance as necessary, I got transformable and moveable floor tiles that interlock together to create a mini dance floor. It’s perfect for a space that needs to be moved or picked up at times. 

-A pole that can be taken down – My wonderful X-Pole is pressure release, so it can go up and be taken down when needed.

–Blackout Curtain – I hate when light leaks through curtains and I hate having open windows near me. It doesn’t feel sexy, intimate, or comfortable. I feel exposed with harsh sunlight; I prefer to dance in darkness. With that, I bought a nice blackout curtain that keeps all of the unnecessary sunlight away.

-It’s All About the Lighting – These are becoming so popular that you can now buy LED signs on Amazon for about $20-$30! I remember this definitely wouldn’t have been possible 10 or so years ago. Personally I think the LED strips don’t stick to the wall well, so I opted for LED signs instead. This helps your space become more “you”. I also purchased smart color-changing light bulbs for my room light that can change colors using a remote via your smartphone, and even go back to regular or natural lighting. These have helped set the mood so much! 

-Use ALL of your wall space – Here’s what I mean by that: I have the LED lights, and I think cords running to the outlet along my wall from the lights looks a little ugly, not gonna lie (people can sometimes get away with hiding these behind those grass/rose wall adornments that are ever so popular right now, but I sometimes use my walls to stretch so I can’t do that), so I bought a power bank that plugs directly into the LED light and use that as the outlet for the signs. I only have to charge them every so often, and it looks so much cleaner than a cord would have. I then velcroed the power block to the wall to save space and make it look better. I also utilize push pins whenever possible, so that my notes, current moves that I’m working on, or strengthening or stretching activities can be posted on my walls, where I can see them. Another way to do this if you aren’t a paper person is to grab a small wall mirror and some expo markers to keep your notes. Also – never underestimate the power of shelves or buckets that can affix to a wall. Both of these things will clear up any clutter on your floors, leaving you more room to dance.

-Blank Space – I know this is a little contradictory to what I’ve been saying, but find at least one part of the wall (usually the lower part) where you can work on stretches on the wall if that’s something you do. You’ll thank me later.

-Track Your Progress – I know, I know, this sucks and not everyone likes to take notes or is a visual person. But it can really help to actually write down what you are working on in your space as a visual reminder, so that you know exactly what your goals are for that day.

-Transformable and Moveable Furniture – This piece may not be completely doable for everyone, but if you’re handy or you know someone who is particularly handy, this was super helpful for me. My pole dance room is also the multipurpose room in my house. With that, it needs to be usable for several different functions. My husband built a Murphy desk and a Murphy bed so that we can use the room for work or writing, and can have a guest stay over if we want to! These pieces transform and hook back into the wall so that I can have my dance space when I need it (most of the time) and we can also use the space for other hobbies or pastimes, if need be. Of course I’d lose my pole room for the day or whatever, but that’s so much easier than having to completely move furniture, or to have lost my space entirely. 

-Positivity – Leave yourself positive notes to begin your session. I know it sounds kinda dopey, but being in the right headspace is what pole dancing is all about. 

-Lastly – Fill your space with what you love and what you feel represents you as a dancer. I know it seems like common sense, but a lot of people don’t really realize how big of an impact this can have: fill your space with things that make you happy. I promise you, your space will feel more adjusted to you and make you want to actually  be in that space.