Carly Child fallen in love with every single style of pole dance

The R'nR princess

While on a visit to Slovenia, I had the chance to drop by Lupit Headquarters! Even though my visit hit on a holiday, the team was so accommodating and was able to meet up, show me around the factory, and a bit of the beautiful city of Ljubljana. The city is small but lovely, with a river running through the city centre. Headquarters is just a few minutes away from the city and surrounded by so much green I could barely contain myself. It would be such a beautiful place to work.

Sitting in a meeting room with giant glass windows showcasing the lush river outside, I had the chance to sit down with a couple of members of the team and discuss not only the ins and outs of what goes into designing and developing a Lupit pole, but also the pole community as a whole! As an instructor, competitor, and performer, I see such a different side of the "poles." I have performed, practised, and taught pretty much every brand, diameter, and material. When we, pole dancers, get on a pole, we immediately make decisions about whether or not we like the grip, the spin, the style of the base, and what grip aid will work best on it.

While I still argue that those are very important factors that go into picking which pole to buy or train on, Deidra and Liza from Lupit opened my eyes to many more factors that go into making a pole! I looked at all of the components sitting there on the table and my mind pretty much couldn't even fathom that all of those components went into each and every pole. The poles are load-tested so effectively there is no way any pole dancer could ever break one! 

Travelling, competing, teaching, and learning from instructors all over the world was a life my brain wasn't even creative enough to wish for. I didn't even know it was something I wanted until it was happening.

I can't believe the people and the opportunities I've had because of pole dancing. I have fallen in love with every single style of pole dance; I constantly feel like I am rediscovering the pole over and over again as I dip my toes in a new style. I fell in love with the tricking side of the pole first and I distinctly remember the commentary I received after my first ever competition.

They had written, "Try and use fewer back walkovers in your routines." and my thought was I only did ONE back walkover! The others were a front walkover and a Valdez!

Awwwwwww.....I get it. Time to learn how to dance. While I did not study dance at all growing up, I quickly became drawn to contemporary and modern styles of movement. Learning how to dance as an adult has been full of struggles and failures, but I have had more fun failing as a dancer than I ever had in any other sport I've participated in. I know a lot of other adults have the same experiences; the pole community is so welcoming to those of us who didn't grow up performing or dancing or doing gymnastics. Once I realized that no one cares how I'm dancing during freestyle and the "judgment" I feel is purely coming from myself and my own insecurities about the way I move, I was able to shed that and open myself up to exploring more styles of pole and movements.

I have loved jumping around from style to style within the pole and that is what I suggest to every pole dancer that asks me if I've ever gotten sick or "fallen out of love" with a pole. Go take a class outside your comfort zone. Play with getting a little sexy or handstands or tricky. Never stop learning. Never stop exploring. Never stop growing. 

Love and gratitude to the Lupit team! I am beyond excited to be a part of the Lupit family!

Stage: Lupit Pole
Outfit: MilaKrasna
Photo: Marijo Zupanov