Don't try this at home

 This post is an update from an earlier 2015 post.

When I first started pole dancing 10 years ago there were very few options for online learning. If you didn't have a local studio you had only a few options: become a stripper or buy a pole and try to learn from the few youtube tutorials or dvd series that existed at that time. Many of us learnt by repeatedly watching and pausing videos of the greats, Jenyne Butterfly, Felix Cane, Alethea Austin, trying to dissect and analyse each movement. Online tutorials at the time were controversial amongst pole instructors. Many believed it was not safe and took business away from them, particularly free ones on youtube. At the time I felt this was flawed for a number of reasons. Firstly: it is not my job to keep an adult safe half way across the world, people are always going to do whatever they want to do. Secondly: a free Youtube tutorial is never going to truly replace good face to face tuition and most people know that.

Whilst online platforms have been growing over a number for years; Covid has changed the pole industry over night. With lockdowns and restrictions almost every studio and instructor has had to provide their students with an online presence, or risk lose their business. We got used to teaching through a screen. We got used to finding ways of making it as safe as possible. Many of us found more time than we have ever had to train, and were finally able to learn from superstars around the world without travelling or waiting years for them to visit. This shift has had a huge number of benefits for both students and instructors. It's my strong belief that we should all be learning from as many sources as possible - no one person knows everything.

Hidden amongst all of this is a whole new generation of pole dancers who have never even stepped in to a studio. Some people bought roller-skates during lockdown, others bought a pole, and they are now learning and chronicling their progress on tiktok. Self taught pole dancers were rare a few years ago but now they are more common than ever. Yet, fears unfounded, from a decade ago, don't seem to have come to fruition. Studios are mostly doing okay (considering), many instructors are benefitting from online platforms and as far as I am aware there is no surge in serious pole injuries happening. 

In fact, in 2013 (linked at the top), I wrote a blog post essentially telling these instructors that if they are threatened by online platforms that maybe they just weren't very good or confident in their abilities. Harsh, but I do stand by that. My own reaction to students self teaching was to feel hurt and it made me confront why I felt like that. Was I threatened? Most certainly. I felt betrayed, I felt upset and ultimately I felt like, okay well maybe you don't need me anymore. In essence my ego had been hurt. But, hang on, who had brought these women in to the pole world and given them their first steps? Me. I had helped to build up these strong, passionate and confident women and why should I try to dim their light? Many many years of experience and introspection have taught me a few things, Firstly: not every pole dancer has the same motivations and goals and there are truly instructors for every type of pole dancer. Secondly: students can spot quality and the person who can help them get to their goals. Some students stick with their local studio because all they really want is a cool hobby and some social time. Other students want to win competitions and will seek out the appropriate instructors no matter where they live. Others have such bad experiences with local studios that they just prefer to learn at home. All of these things are valid and shouldn't make us feel less as instructors. If it does, maybe you need a little self reflection too.

Ultimately it is my strong opinion that if you know yourself well - your strengths, your weaknesses, your worth and who your ideal client actually is - you'll do just fine. That can be difficult for part time instructors, but it's something that is worth figuring out and it will make all the difference to your business.