Pole2Pole Magazine The Worlds First Pole Dance Magazine

Last weekend I competed in the UK Amateur Pole Performers (UKAPP) Hertford heat, in the intermediate category. I found out about the competition online and along with Chloe Garrard and Katie Musson, who I dance with at Pole2Pole, we decided to enter. It was a good opportunity for us to meet other dancers from other dance schools, and to compete against people we’d never met before. All three of us were really excited and quickly got to work on our routines.

There are 4 categories at the UKAPP; Performer, Intermediate, Expert and Doubles. The Performer and Intermediate each have a list of legal moves and if any illegal moves are used the dancer can either get moved up a category or disqualified. With the Expert and Doubles categories, pretty much anything goes, so I was really looking forward to seeing those performances. Using the list of moves allowed I pulled together some combinations of inverts that fitted my music.

I decided that as the competition was only a week after the Pole2Pole Cup, I would use the same music and theme, and predominately the same routine for both competitions. I kept the beginning the same, with all my floor work and also kept the ending the same, which was a climb to the top of the pole, a bow to the audience and then a drop to the bottom of the pole. What I did change was everything in between.

This was my 3^rdcompetition in as many weeks, and I was really starting to feel tired. My body ached, and my enthusiasm was starting to dwindle. I wanted to give a good performance which is what kept me going with rehearsals but I was definitely looking forward to a break in the constant practise.

On the day of the competition, Chloe, Katie and I all travelled to Hertford together. We were all looking forward to seeing the other performances and hoping that one of us might make it through to the finals. The first thing we discovered about Hertford was that there was nowhere to park that was open after 9pm! We weren’t due to finish until at least 11.30pm so it caused a bit of panic. Surely there had to be somewhere to park! Eventually after half an hour of driving around, cursing and laughing a lot, we found somewhere. Phew, panic over! Calming ourselves down, we set off to find the venue.

Inside the Corn Exchange there was a stage with the pole, and then seating for roughly 80 people. At the very back were sofas for the performers to sit on. There was also a bar and backstage/changing room area. When we arrived there were lots of people milling around, chatting, doing hair and makeup, practising on the pole. It was a great atmosphere and I was buzzing. After a while, we were called to order by the organisers, Kat and Stacey. They ran through the rules with us and collected in everyone’s music. After that, we were left to get ready to go on stage. Thanks to Katie, who helped me with my hair and makeup, it didn’t take me long, all I had to do was change into my costume and I’d be ready to go.

The theme for the evening was burlesque, it was great to see everyone else dressed up in corsets and fishnet tights. Sally-Ann Giles was our compare for the evening, and she was looking hot! The judges were introduced and in place on stage, and the opening performance from StaceyPole and her girls was a great way to get the audience in the mood for a fab show.

The Performers category was up first. The girls were all excellent and my personal favourite was [insert name] who danced to ‘Jai Ho’. She was really authentic and the crowd loved her.

Next up was the Intermediate category. I had my costume on, makeup reapplied and I was ready to go. I felt quite calm which surprised me – and Chloe and Katie as well! They couldn’t believe how calm I was. I thought I’d be really stressing out, but I wasn’t. Chloe was first on and we all cheered as she went on stage. We weren’t allowed to watch anyone from our category so all we could do was listen and wait. All the other girls in our category were really friendly, and we were all chatting. Chloe came back after her performance telling us about the dramas with her props, and the next girl went out. I was on 4^thand before I knew it, I was leaving the changing room and headed for the side of the stage. My name was called and on I went.

Stood in my starting position, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body. My music started. I remembered to smile in the right places, and I really enjoyed my time on stage. I messed up a spin, and I didn’t quite reach the top of the pole in my final climb, but otherwise, I was really pleased with myself and my routine. I’d tried my hardest which was all I could do.

Katie was on 6^thand after she came back, we all had a hug and I felt really proud of all three of us for giving it a go. I think all of us felt there were things we could have improved, but we had still done it. Our category finished and we were allowed back out into the main room. I brought myself a very large glass of wine, which I felt was very much deserved, and watched the rest of the show.

The expert category was exactly that. There were only five girls and they were all really impressive in their abilities. The doubles was what I had been really looking forward to. Having only really seen one doubles performance before, I wanted to see what they brought to the stage. They were mostly mixed doubles, I couldn’t wait to see guys dance, as we have a strict ‘no boys’ policy, it’s not something I get to see often. All of the doubles were really entertaining and used the space well. I especially enjoyed [insert names] who danced to The Hoosiers ‘Cops and Robbers’ – it was entertaining and the tricks were spot on.

After all the performances, the judges finished marking and one category at a time; we were called up on stage to have the winner announced. As we walked up on stage, I was excited to find out who had won. Sally-Ann said those all famous words ‘and the winner is...’ my heart was racing... ‘Hayley Tutte!’

We came off stage, and I was really pleased for Hayley. There was lots of jumping around, and congratulating each other on being a good category! I was a little disappointed that not Chloe, Katie or I would be going through, I’ve since watched Hayley’s routine, and it really was excellent, she was a very deserving winner.

The UKAPP was a great experience, full of excellent dancers and really lovely people. I wish everyone the very best of luck for the finals, in St Albans on the 24^thSeptember. Hopefully I’ll be there to cheer everyone on.