Hashtags: #FYFchallenge
Celebrating the relaunch of the FYF blog by revisiting all our old freestyle challenges, the first was almost a decade ago now, my how time has flown.
LAUNCHED: DEC 13, 2012
Our older challenges were longer format videos optimized for YouTube.
THE PROMPT:
Here is my first video excerpt using techniques we practice in my Finding Your Freestyle class at Body & Pole. I combined two intentions for this video….
1. CLOTHING
Adding clothing, like sweatpants, change the textures and moveability when you are in contact with the floor and pole. Wearing pants can make you feel softer, slinkier, more cozy. It can bring you a different confidence and inspire you to move while harnessing the qualities of the fabric and fit. In this video example, I tried to utilize movement on the floor - pants on dance on.
2. CONTACT
We play with this a lot in my classes! Focusing your approach through different intentions while moving/freestyling can broaden your style, and give you new ideas. In this CONTACT exercise, I’m playing with hands, how you can use them, and NOT use them, on the pole to create new vocabulary, and new lines/angles. In this video, I tried to play with the other joints and parts of the body coming in contact with the pole;
back of the hand,
wrists,
elbows,
knees,
neck,
you name it it’s game!
Just grabbing at the pole and taking that moment for granted is a missed opportunity. How can you give connection with your hands, or body, meaning when it touches the pole? It can add excitement, anticipation, variety, feeling. Notice textures, the temperature of the pole, the grain of the floor… free your in-the-box thinking of how you come in contact with the pole and floor. You can even challenge yourself NOT to use yours hands when you come to the pole, you’ll be surprised at some of the fun stuff that comes out. (And yes, even awkward, but that is totally acceptable when you experiment, it is a practice after all!)
And of course, last but not least, put on a song that moves you. This song moves me, and allowed me to move slowly enough to explore the ideas of the exercise.
I’d love it if you shared your experiences with either CLOTHING or CONTACT!