Express The Sensual

How long can you DO IT? How long can you GO AT IT before your luscious energy starts to wane? How long before you cry out for breath or have to stop and rest?  How long does it take before your arms and legs start to shake from exertion?  Really?  I’m talking about GOING AT IT without resting, without stopping and starting again. Just one long continuous SENSUAL EXPERIENCE?

10 minutes? 20 minutes? An hour? (WOW!)

In order to have a truly amazing experience every time, I think it’s essential to really develop your stamina. In fact, I think stamina is just as important as your technique and your transitions. (You did know that I’m talking about POLE DANCING, right?) So at the end of almost every warmup, I include some extra songs specifically for this purpose.

I throw off my warmup pants (or strip them off if I’m in the mood) and let my sensual spirit fill the dance floor.  I don’t stop moving until my body feels warm, grounded, and excited about developing a new technique, trying out a new combination, or just building my strength in an advanced trick. It’s a great way to make sure you start every training session with gratitude and joy.

To try it, first you have to pick two songs that entice you to MOVE, twirl, swirl, float and fly!

Then, challenge yourself to drag each extension of your arm, slow down each delicious step, exhale through every luscious invert. Make a point to take this chance to dance slowly.   But… DON’T sacrifice your personal style! Just notice when you rushing into the next movement and consciously choose to take your time.  This isn’t about making yourself dance agonizingly slow (unless that’s your style).  It’s about giving yourself the chance to expand and take ownership of both your dance time and your dance space.

Once you can dance for two whole songs, try to extend it to three.  I promise you’ll love your new found stamina (in more places than just the dance floor)!

Do you prefer long or short dancing sessions? How do use pole dancing to develop stamina & cardio? Share your ideas in the comment section!

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“How can I make my improvisational dancing smoother?” – from N.S. in California

Beyond Beauty and Strength

The answer I heard the most when I first learned to improv was… “You should slow down.” But there’s a big problem with that–not everybody wants to dance slowly. You can be sensual and still move fast, just check out tango and latin dancers. Instead consider what latin dancers, and sensual exotic and aerial dancers (pole included) have in common. Beyond beauty and strength, they also have a balance between emotional expression and resistance. What I mean is that when you watch an improvisational dancer, she is moving according to what she feels as well as creating resistance to that movement.

Whether you moves fast or slow isn’t as important as taking the movement generated by emotion and creating a balance by using your technique and control to physically resist it.

You can practice this right now by raising your arms, but slightly resisting the movement. This will create some tension in the muscle, but more importantly, this will create an intensity in your movement as you extend to your full range of motion or contract back to your relaxed position. Try this technique during your  improvisation or training session until you find the balance of resistance and emotional expression thats perfect for you.

What does Flow feel like when you dance? How did you experience Flow during your last improvisational dance? Share your ideas in the comment section!

If you enjoyed the article, please subscribe to ExpressTheSensual.com and share it with your friends using the Share & Enjoy social bookmarking sites. Thank you for your support!