Authentic Pole Dancer

Taking part in many different dance and physical theatre workshops, performances, dance works and creative processes I have come to learn that a lot of questions arise along the way. A recent workshop taught me that it is absolutely crucial to allow time in order to find the authentic performer. What is meant by authentic is something that is real and something that has meaning. Finding the authentic performer in yourself, in turn, will provide meaningful movement that disregards specific technique or rules that are common in dance. In the case of pole dance, this means letting go of set trick combinations, like executing 5 tricks one after the other and seeing what happens naturally instead. Maybe it will be 6 tricks, 2 or none?

This idea of breaking away from conventional movement allows a performance climax to arise. After much experience, I feel that, at times, I am able to reach this “climax” and it prompts my curiosity about the label of a performer. I question why we are classed as performers if we have the ability to reach the authentic self when we are on stage or in a workshop. If it becomes so real then it is not a performance anymore, we are so deep inside our own minds and bodies that we are projecting our own lives through the suggestions laid out by the choreographer / director.

Performance workshops contain similar goals. They often involve a process of playing with emotional frequency and engaging in various exercises that can help us reach a state of natural performance. This approach can work during the creative process of a pole dance too, if you let it.

Projecting yourself through performance is hard work and I am definitely still learning and think I will always be eager to learn more even though I’ve been through much dance training that has allowed me to reach this point when I perform, but it still takes time and effort. Sometimes I don’t reach this authentic place at all, but because I know what it feels like I can act like I did. See, knowing what it feels like to be yourself when you dance, and not just portraying what someone else is telling you to say is an interesting feeling.

If you’re interested in becoming more in tune with yourself, I suggest you read this post on letting go of fear in improvisation and do as it says. You will then be given the opportunity to speak to yourself on another level. You can then record yourself during an improvisation, watch it back and describe it in one word, you could ponder what that word means to you and continue on to another plane entirely where you question something from you and you only.

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