Jamie Ortega
 

left wrist after class, the scratch got swollen and it just looks funny

left wrist the day after

less scratches on my right wrist! :D 

So I think I've graduated from leg wounds and bruises, moved on to wrist and arm wounds.
I just want to say how much I love pole dance. It's really having the effect I want on my body. I just basically feel much stronger. My arms feel better and I feel like it's doing wonders for my abdomen and bum (or that could be wishful thinking) :p

It's really good because every meeting, our teachers push our limits. So every meeting, I can do something new. And the feeling of accomplishment is just amazing. Also I realized I'm the youngest in class. Most of my classmates are like 25-30+ and some already have kids. They often tell me that it's great that I started young and that once you get older, it gets harder for your body and all. And when you're younger you can learn things faster. Okay I admit I do enjoy getting compliments like being a fast learner, or being a professional pole dancer (or so my elder Chinese classmate tells me). Haha. Point is, I love the encouragement I get from my teachers and classmates. The whole class environment feels really nice and home-y and just really really fun. For someone who isn't a very sociable person (especially in school) like me, pole class does a lot for your confidence.
 
I had my 2nd class at Polecats yesterday. I got to work on my arms with the lifts they made us do. This session we did a few lifts to strengthen our arms and abdomen area. My arms are pretty sore today.
I was also able to do more fancy spins, I haven't gotten the hang of all of them but I'll get there. I got my arms bruised from gripping too tightly. I've improved my dreamgirl pose and the basic spins if I do say so myself. The biggest challenge had to be the chair position where you don't climb up, you have to lift your body up, cross your legs into a sitting position then move your upper body in front of the pole. I think I pulled a muscle.. or vein and I hate it. I get all nauseous but I'm learning to control that now. The chair pose is a killer to your thighs. Getting up is not the problem, it's staying up that's quite a bitch. I have to work on my climbing. I need to reach the top of the pole. It just hurts so much with a wound on my foot. Oh well, really looking forward to my next session. I only have time to go once a week and it sucks. But I'm loving the effect of pole dancing on my body. I really need to keep at it to get killer abs like Teacher Kayleen, heh! :)  
 
So today I took a pole dance class at Polecats Manila for the first time. (I used to go to Movement in Greenhills for dance classes but they closed the studio and the Polecats studio is much bigger) It's located in General Studios 3F Pearl Plaza just across UA&P in Ortigas.

Anyway I arrived early to sign some forms and because I'm always nervous when it's my first time in a new studio. There were only 5 of us probably because today is a holiday. I wish the number of students plays around that number because that way the teacher has more time to focus on each student. I was told that on most days there are about 15-20 students so they're separated in two groups.

I haven't had any workout in so long so the warm-up killed me! The leg stretches weren't so bad but my back really hurt like fuck. We started with spins - beginner's spin, fireman's spin, and fireman's spin extended. I have yet to perfect the fireman's spin extended. We then moved on to climbing, Whoever thought you could climb in a sexy way without looking like a monkey? This was a real workout for me especially in the abdomen area, arms, oh and your bum as well. Then we learned this hold (I do not remember the name anymore). You basically climb then fix your legs and lock them so that you're holding on to the pole with your thighs. You let go of the pole (remove your hands from the pole) and you lean back. Hey, it's harder than it sounds. The last I did was the dream girl position where you're up on the pole and you're body is in a diagonal position - legs crossed holding your position with your thighs, arms lowered, you lean back with your arms fully stretched. That must not have made sense so I'll post a picture below.

photo from official polecats manila FB page

Yea it kinda looks like that but with two hands on the pole and the back is less arched. We ended the class with a choreographed routine and cooled down.

While I now have quite a few bruises on my legs and I'm sure my whole body will be sore in the morning I really enjoyed the class and I will definitely be back for more. I haven't posted any pictures of myself but I will - when I am finally awesome at it! :)

Check out their websites:http://www.facebook.com/PolecatsManila
http://polecatsmanila.wordpress.com/
http://www.polecatsmanila.com
http://www.twitter.com/polecatsmanila
http://www.youtube.com/polecatsmanila
http://polecatsmanila.tumblr.com
 
It's summer and I decided to spend my less than a month summer break in the dance studio.
I've always loved dancing and danced since forever - no formal training or anything til now that is.
My parents are part of the Filipino Bowling group in Bahrain and I got my first gigs dancing during anniversaries and special events. I went to PSB which exposed me to many dances including folk, ballroom, cheerdance and I guess a bit of pop/hiphop. I loved ballroom the best.

Anyway I got a pretty good offer at Movement Dance Studio. It's Php2888 which is roughly BD25? It's a one month unlimited thing so I can attend any dance class I want in a day for a month :p
So far I've tried popjazz, latin jazz and hip hop. On Saturday I've got Belly Dancing and Vegas Strip. 
I'd really really like to try Pole and Ballroom but they're night classes and I'm scared to go home at night since I dont know the area. I'll try atleast once though. 
Picture

yes after taking this photo I swung around the pole :))


Jamie Ortega