Pole dancing is new type of dance that is gaining popularity in Europe and especially in UK. While it is debatable whether pole dancing is a form of strip dance, there is no doubt that it is a great workout on its own right and allows the dancer to build strength in her arms, stomach and legs.
Pole dancing typically requires the dancer to do spins, turns and slides. That is after the beginner learns how to pull herself up the pole and hold it there. We call this the lock position. Beginners must master this technique before being able to perform different types of moves. It will be tough during the initial phase but this must be perfected so that the dancer will not risk injuring herself when executing more complicated moves.
To master the lock position, the basic routine for the dancer is to practice holding herself up the pole for as long as she can. Her feet must be entirely off the ground during this period for this to be effective. In the beginning, it will not be possible to hold more than a few seconds. The beginner should keep at it everyday until she can hold the position comfortably for at least a minute.
Once that is achieved, the next step for a beginner is to learn how to use her legs to hold her body. This involved being able to straighten her left leg out in front and wrap her right leg over it, bending at the knee. When done properly, it will enable the dancer to lock her body at the pole using only her legs.
These 2 steps are the basics for a beginner learning pole dancing. Anything else has to come after this. Of course, when practicing these moves, it will be good to have a pair of pole dancing shoes to protect her legs during training.
Pole dancing shoes have many benefits for the pole dancer or people who are learning how to do pole dancing. Most people think that they don't need pole dancing shoes but these could not be further from the truth. A good pair of pole dancing shoes can aid you in many ways, especially for pole dancing beginners. The below is a discussion of some of the benefit of buying pole dancing shoes.
The biggest benefit of pole dancing shoes is its ability to protect the dancer from physical injury. In a typical pole dancing, the dancer needs to be in constant contact with pole dancing pole. She needs to swing around it, grab it, create sexy moves with the legs etc. All these movements meant constant contact between the dancer's legs and the pole. Without good pole dancing shoes, she might suffer from abrasion. Some shoes like pole dancing boots can act as protective gear quite well which will significantly reduce the risks of tearing the skins.
Beyond that, a more worrying scenario is when a pole dancer does not have the necessary ankle support from her pole dancing shoes and suffer sprains as she pole dances. If you have seen pole dancing, you will know how dangerous some of the moves are including the likes of the cartwheeling around the pole, or the 360 spin. During such moves, without proper support from the pole dancing footwear, a dancer may suffer injuries to her ankles. This is the worse kind of injury a pole dancer can suffer and is why it is better to buy a good pair of pole dancing shoes to prevent that from happening.
Another benefit of pole dancing shoes is to improve your overall appearances. For any pole dancer, having the right clothing is crucial to convey the specific types of mood to the audiences. Pole dancing shoes contribute significantly to this image. Without the right pair of footwear, the look is not complete and the pole dancer loses some of the visual appeal that can attract more supporters.
Now, you can find a wide range of pole dancing shoes. You can get different skins and patterns on these shoes including animal prints, sparking jewelery, interesting design patterns etc. There is enough variety from you to choose from. All a pole dancer may to do is to select the look and there will be a suitable pair of pole dancing shoes waiting to be purchased.
So, in summary, pole dancing shoes are an important part of pole dancer's accessories. They are able to protect your feet and at the same time, enhance your overall look. By knowing what you need and where to look, you will be able to find a pair of pole dancing shoes that improves your pole dancing.
I have been talking a lot about pole dancing shoes but in reality, you need other kinds of pole dancing equipment as well. You can't just dance with your shoes right? So what are the other kinds of pole dancing equipment you will need? I think these are the few categories:
Pole dancing clothing
Pole dancing poles
Pole dancing music
Pole dancing DVDs
Pole dancing poles
Having pole dancing poles allow you to practice your pole dancing moves. When you first start to dance around a pole, it will feel awkward and this is why you need to buy a pole dancing pole to practice and feel comfortable. Once you are ok with that, you can then used the pole to practice your pole dancing moves. Within your house, you can try different moves that may require spinning, posing and climbing.
In general, there are 3 pole dancing moves that require extensive use of the pole. The first type of pole dancing move are the exotic dances. Typically moves includes curbing your body over the pole to produce that erotic feeling to the audience. While not all may agree, erotic pole dancing can provide wonderful entertainment for a partner as well as making yourself feel sexy at the same time.
The second type of pole dancing moves are what we call pole dancing empowerment. These moves are more geared towards making the dancer feel confident about themselves. While empowered pole dancing moves are still sexy, they are less arousing and focuses more on hard and sudden moves.
The last type of pole dancing moves are more like workouts. This is fairly recent development where people are now treating pole dancing like going to a gym. These pole dancing moves resembles more like aerobics than dances.
Regardless of the type of pole dancing moves you are looking for, having a pole dancing pole will help you practice what you want to learn. In time, you will find these poles indispensable.
Pole dancing clothing
Pole dancing shoes are essential to pole dancing. They are part of your pole dancing equipments that includes other things like pole dancing poles or pole dancing clothes. Nevertheless, you still want to buy pole dancing shoes that are cheap. I will give you some tips on where can you buy these cheap pole dancing shoes.
First stop is of course Amazon. They don't have a wide range of pole dancing shoes but for those available models, their prices can be a bit cheaper. Sometimes, you can also qualified for free shipping, which saves you even more money.
However, I do want to say that pole dancing seems to be more popular in the UK. This explains why buying pole dancing shoes in UK is much more easier than in the US. If you visit Ebay UK, you can see there are many different models of pole dancing footwear for your selection, including pole dancing boots. Their prices on Ebay uk is typically around the range of 2o to 60 euros, depending on the shoe models.
Beyond these two, another good UK site to explore is uk.shopping.com. Go there and type in pole dancing shoes or footwear and the search result will give a rather wide range in terms of models and prices. In fact, you will see that their product range can be the highest among the three websites that I have mentioned. If you are living in US, the shipping cost from uk.shopping.com will be slightly higher.
Finally, to really get good deals on shoes for pole dancing, you need to watch out for sale. Every often, especially during the Winter season, you can find all sorts of pole dancing shoes sale. What I usually do is to bookmark some of the sites selling pole dancing footwear and check them regularly to see if there is any sale. On average, you can usually find 2-3 sales during a year. If I come across any pole dancing shoes sales, rest assured I will post them here as well.
If you know of any other places to get cheap pole dancing shoes, do drop a comment.
Pole dancing boots are ideal for pole dancing. They not only give you the extra grip you needed for your pole dancing moves but provide the additional leg protection for those extended pole sessions as well.
There are many types of pole dancing boots available in the market. You need to pick the right one that is suited to yuor style and more importantly, your leg shapes. Read on to see how to select the right pole dancing footwear.
Pole dancing ankle boots
Ankle boots are a great way to get some extra pole purchase while still having the option of a small heel. The added support they provide around the ankle will help you with some inverts and spins. And of course they add some useful padding to protect your feet from any scrapes and bruises.
Pole dancing knee high boots
If you’d like a bit of extra help with your inverts – particularly those that rely on the feet and lower legs – then a pair of knee high boots is ideal. They’re also great for climbing the pole – they can give you a real boost when your arm strength is waning at the end of a long pole dancing session.
Pole dancing thigh high boots
You should definitely consider getting a pair though, as these boots are simply amazing at gripping the pole. These types of pole dancing boots provide a whole new set of benefits that are different from the rest.
In general, pole dancing thigh high boots are great for learning moves like the knees – the padding around the knee joint makes the experience a little less painful, and their stickiness gives you some useful extra security while you practise.
Pole dancing chest high boots
I’ve never seen these worn on the pole. I’m sure the grip would be phenomenal though – moves like the superman would be almost too easy!
Choose the right materials for your pole dancing boots
While design is important, make sure that you select the right materials for your pair of pole dancing boots. Soft leather boots are not good for pole dancing – they can be extremely slippery and offer you no grip at all. Plastic or shiny boots are a much better bet, but unfortunately there’s no sure-fire guarantee of stickiness, so – unless they come Pole Approved – make sure you check the refund policy before you buy!
Keeping your pole dancing boots on
Boots with zips on the inside leg are usually the best option for pole dancing, though if you can find a pair of slip on boots that fit perfectly then that’s ideal. Hooks will tend to bend and may damage your pole, and laces in the wrong place will provide no grip on the pole. For bigger boots in particular, make sure they fit you very well. If the boots are too loose then there’s a danger they will get stuck half way up the pole as you slide to the bottom – never a good look!
Hope you will enjoy this guide on selecting pole dancing boots
Pole dancing shoes are an essential part of pole dancing. Without the right shoes for your dance, you might find something lacking in your overall attires.
Pole dancing shoes seem a small part of the dance but it might be the most important. They convey your personal style and how you interact with the pole. Not only that, the right footwear will also make your pole work much more comfortable, protecting your skin from bruising, scrapes and carpet burns.
Pole dancing shoes
The standard model of shoes you should go for is the 6" stiletto heels with star lights. The reasons for investing is these high heels are:
* These shoes really stick to the pole. Pole shoes are a lot more grippy than bare feet, so you should find climbing or inverts such as the fang become a lot easier.
* The shoes are designed for dancers and are extremely comfortable. They have padding on the insoles and a curved end to help you pivot gracefully around the pole.
* Because they’re relatively heavy, pole shoes can help you get a deeper stretch across your legs when you invert. You should also be able to get a little extra momentum on spins when you kick out.
* Pole shoes will improve your posture and general ‘grounding’ as you walk around the pole. They also force your calf muscles to work harder – in essence you are on tip-toes the whole time.
* They make you look goooood. A pair of these shoes will do more for your legs and bum than 3 months at the gym!
More on pole dancing shoes
7" silver cone clear platform sandalPole shoes come in a wide range of heights from 3 to 10 inches (and beyond!). If you’re not used to walking in heels, start off with a lower platform. (Also if you’re a tall girl like me you’ll probably want to stick with shorter heels. I tend to go for 4" platforms to stop me towering over everyone else in the room.)
Avoid shoes with big buckles or metal studs on them as they may damage the pole or your feet.
If you choose a pair without an ankle strap, take two pieces of ribbon and thread them under the shoe arches, then up and around your ankle and tie securely (similar to doing up a ballet ribbon). This will make the sure the shoes don’t get kicked off in an aggressive spin – not good for you or any bystanders!
Respect your shoes
You may find inverts become difficult again the first time you wear pole shoes because of the extra weight on your feet. In fact it’s a good idea to take off your shoes when you’re learning a new invert or strength move – not only will it make the move easier, but if you land a little harder than you expect you won’t run the risk of spraining your ankles.
And make sure you don’t take a chunk out of your leg with your new 6" heels when you do the seated spinner or similar moves. You now have some potent pieces of footwear attached to your legs – respect them accordingly!
The emperor’s new shoes
Though pole shoes are great, many people find they are most comfortable pole dancing in bare feet. Particularly if you’re just starting out, getting the hang of moving round the pole is often enough without worrying about balancing on high platforms at the same time. And having bare feet is a good option:
* Though not as good as pole shoes, skin sticks incredibly well to the metal pole. It’s a much better choice than fabric or many plastics.
* You’ll get a lot more feedback through your body, helping you learn how much pressure you need to exert on the pole for each move.
* You will get to know the ‘feel’ of the pole much more quickly, helping to build confidence in your ability to perform new and existing moves.
* And, of course, there’s no danger of you scratching your pole.
Trainers
Leather trainersIf you going to be pole dancing for extended periods of time I’d recommend wearing plastic-coated or leather trainers. Libby and I wore these when we were filming the Pole Exercise DVD, and we often taught in them at the end of four hours of back-to-back classes when our feet were aching!
As well as being very comfortable, plastic-coated trainers do stick a little to the pole and will protect your feet from bruising. They won’t give you as much grip as bare feet or pole shoes though, so you may want to ditch the trainers if you’re learning something new. I’ve found that Adidas and Puma do a great range, though make sure they are fully plastic or leather and have no fabric on them (some like these or these).
Dance shoes
Professional dance shoes such as jazz shoes or blocks will give you almost no grip on the pole. They provide a great challenge for intermediate and advanced pole users, but would be very difficult – and probably quite disheartening – for you if you’re just starting out.
Shoe emporia
Some online footwear outlets to get you started.
* Pleaser USA [US] Manufacturers of the pole shoes featured above and many, many more besides, all illustrated with lovely pictures (wholesale only)
* Pleaser UK [UK] Same shoes, less good website
* Icon Shoes (aff.) [UK] I’ve bought in bulk from this company and find they offer competitive prices and good quality products
* Icon Stilettos (aff.) [US] Icon Shoes in the US
* Heels For You [US] Another US company with a wide range of shoes (and lots of yummy pictures)
* Amazon.com [US] Pleaser shoes on Amazon
* BananaShoes [UK] Site with a huge range of shoes, boots and other gear too (recommended by Shelly)
* High Heel Place Not a shop, but a “place where all the people in the world who like high heels can come together and share their thoughts.” Reviews, galleries and an active forum. Definitely worth a look if you’re seriously into your shoes.