A showcase is a chance for you to show off your pole skills to your friends and family!
The evening will run like any other evening entertainment – you can expect ticketed entry (to at least cover the studio’s cost of running the event) and a sit down show for a whole host of fabulous performances (yours included!).
Some studios will bring in a couple of professional guest performers for extra wows and your teachers will often put together a routine or 2 and perform too. Some studios might even run a cheap bar (to be enjoyed after your performance only of course!)
Creating your routine will be a challenge, but hopefully a good one! Here is a guide to help you…
Initial Planning
- Are you going to wear heels, or go barefoot? This will affect the whole routine aesthetic (outfit, music, style, moves you can incorporate)
- What moves are you planning to include?
- What’s your song choice? Consider the below before picking:
- Think about what will suit you and the way you move– are you slow and deliberate or quick and snappy -It may be helpful to make a shortlist of your favourites, then try freestyling to these next time you’re in the studio – which one feels easiest and most enjoyable to move to?
- Think about the structure of the track – are there some slower sections, some build ups to crescendos? The music itself can do a lot create a lot of the drama
- Do you need to cut/fade out the end, or is it already about the right length? (If you’re a beginner you probably don’t want to go over 3 mins).
- Maybe there is a theme for your showcase? Our upcoming showcase is ‘Summer Scorcher’ themed, so I’m hoping to hear lots of sizzling summer tracks! Maybe I’ll see you incorporating your shades and sarongs as props too?!
- Be prepared to ruin the song for your self! When you’ve been rehearsing for weeks and have hear it hundreds of times, it may no longer be your favourite…
So you’ve picked your song – excellent! But now what? Finding you’ve got ‘dancer’s block’? Don’t worry, we have more guidance for you!
Building Your Routine
- Print out the lyrics to your song
- Listen while reading and annotate the lryics with moves you think might complement a certain lyric or beat – a spin down to the ground might work well with ‘I’m falling’ for example
- Listen for how many counts of 8 or 16 you’ve got to work with in each verse/chorus – sometimes you plan a big combo up the pole only to realise you don’t have time for it all, as you’ll miss the big dramatic beat you were going to use for your split drop!
- Note down the timings against your verses and choruses so you can easily skip to the right point in the music when rehearsing your routine and you don’t have to keep playing from the beginning.
- Head to the studio…
- Decide on a start position. Got a slow build? Perhaps it makes sense to begin low to the ground and slowly make your way up to standing. Got a dramatic intro or plan on including your first spin within the first few seconds of music? You might be best off on your feet where you can really command the dance floor.
- It’s time to freestyle again. Just flowing and filming what you end up creating can be really helpful! You’re likely to build some routine content this way.
- You’ve now got some moves listed that you wanted to include, some freestyle content and a start position. Now think about how you’d like to end your routine and decide on your end position with this in mind.
- It’s time to fill the gaps! Try and cast your mind back to all your lessons in which you’ve learnt all sorts of little tit-bits that can be used to plug the holes – a pirouette here, an arm circle there, a dramatic head roll, a slow rise to your feet, a reach away…you get the picture 🙂
Any Other Tips?
- Don’t leave things to the last minute! I am guilty of this and all it leads to is anxiety and feeling that you didn’t do your best
- Don’t practice until you get it right – practice until you can’t get it wrong. It might be cliché but it’s very good advice. If the routine is completely drilled into your head, you are much less likely to have a blank during the performance and forget what’s coming next. Instead you’ll be feeling full of confidence and will be able to focus on connecting with your audience, delivering the drama and having a good time!
- Once you’ve got your routine ready and you’re running your rehearsals. perform for a practice audience and NOT just to the mirrors. It’s amazing how much it can throw you off if you’re used to seeing your reflection guiding you through the routine and are suddenly faced with people! Plus it’s really importance to practice your audience connection.
- If you don’t have real people to use, try practicing with different ‘walls’ as your audience so you don’t get confused if the stage set up is different to that of your own studio. Again, if you’re used to performing to the mirrors and suddenly on the night have to perform with the mirror behind you, it can throw everything off.
- Plan everything. Your outfit, your make up and your hair. Keep it all in line with your theme/story and do it all to enhance your confidence, as this will come across during your performance.
- Enjoy yourself! This isn’t a competition and you’re not doing it to beat others or win a prize. You’re doing it because you work hard in class every week and you deserve for the people you love to come and see you being awesome. Remember – to the people who don’t do pole themselves, pretty much everything you do will be amazing ?
Still Panicking?
Your instructors are there to help! Make use of class content, Self Practice sessions and any special showcase prep sessions. But you can also book a private or 2 if you would like your instructor to help you with your choreography. Good luck!!
What’s your best performance and showcase advice? Let us know in the comments!
