STUDENT PROFILE - KAYOKO SUZUKI

The beautiful thing about Studio Verve® is that it is a place that brings together women and men of all ages, shapes and backgrounds, and unites them in the beauty of dance, movement and fun. We see people from all walks of life and they all inspire us in different ways.

I wanted to share the story of one student in particular, Kayoko Suzuki, who is in level 6 and has been a part of the Verve family since 2009. Kayoko has come so far since then and her dedication, focus and amazing spirit in class has set the standard as a model student and a true inspiration for all her fellow PoleFit® enthusiasts.  

We sat down with Kayoko and had a chat about her pole journey up to this point and what the future holds…

SV –     What made you start pole dance classes?

KS –    I was had been wanting to try it for couple of years but I hesitated because I was not confident in the strength of arms and hands, plus I was also very shy. I even told my partner about how I wanted to try it, but I couldn’t make up my mind. He secretly called Studio Verve® and inquired about classes, safety issues etc. and he thought it sounded good so he gave me a voucher for PoleFit® class as surprise gift for my birthday! So, I had to start!

 

SV –     What motivates you to keep coming to classes at Studio Verve®?

KS –    There are several things that keep me motivated. I am so excited when we learn new skills and poses, and I enjoy the challenges associated with achieving what it takes to progress to the next level. I love keeping healthy and PoleFit® has given strength and balance which helps with my other dancing. See instructors in classes and performances really inspires me and I can really feel instructors’ positive attitudes, passions, energies and teamwork. I also love Studio Verve® because I get the befits of pole dancing without having to wear lingerie and high-heels.

SV –     What changes have you noticed in your life since you started pole dancing?

KS –    It has enhanced my keenness to keep healthy and has showed me that I can stay fit in an enjoyable way and I have noticed positive changes in my body shape, strength, balance and posture, which helps in other aspects of life.

Since I have noticed these positive changes, I have been able to educate my family and friends about the benefits, because some people have got preconceived images about what pole dance is. I gave influence to a friend of mine and she started pole dancing too!

 SV –     How does pole dancing make you feel about yourself?

             KS –    When I challenge myself to extend my skills and when I looked back upon my achievement and improvement, I feel amazing. When I express a deeper part of myself through dancing, as well as when I feel my health and strength improve, I feel so much more confident and good about who I am.

SV –     What changes have family and friends noticed in you/your appearance since you started  pole?

             KS –    They have obviously noticed improvements in my strength and my body shape, especially in my upper body, back, abdominal area and arms. But they have also noticed changes in how much effort I make to continue with pole dancing, even as it gets more challenging. And most notably, they have noticed how much I am enjoying myself and how happy pole makes me.

SV –     What is your next goal for pole?

KS –    My goal ultimately is to continue with my pace, as always, and perfect the strength, accuracy and beauty in each pose, one by one. My aim is also to learn how to coordinate the pole skills with beautiful dancing and performance. (*Emily’s side note – Open Night this term Kayoko!! Friday 29 June! The only way you can truly perfect your performance skills is to gain performance experience. Performing at an Open Night in the intimacy of our studio is the perfect opportunity, as it is such a supportive environment. Trust me, after the first time you perform at an Open Night, you feel incredible and your pole dancing style will change for good.*)

SV –     How long can you see yourself pole dancing for?

KS –     This is very good question for me as I’m often asking myself about it. The truth is, I will keep on going as long as my spirit can continue and as long as there is an available pole for me! 

 

Kayoko’s answer to the last question pretty much sums her up and this is why we wanted to share her story. It’s something that we should all remember as pole dancers – the only thing that should motivate us to keep on pole-ing is our passion for it. If you love, do it!

Kayoko, we are so proud of you and your achievements; you really inspire us all and we hope your story inspires others too. And, don’t worry – there’ll ALWAYS be a pole available for you at Studio Verve!!!

xoxo

NO EXCUSES

Hi guys,

Just searching another of my favourite fashion blogs, The Sartorialist, and came across this photo that I wanted to share.

 

I didn’t notice her physical challenge the first time I saw this photo; I was too busy admiring her gorgeous back and the way the dress fell on her skin. So alluring.

Obviously nothing is stopping this woman and I think we can all take inspiration from this photo.

Beautiful, active, sexy. Strength.

x

DANCE RETURNS TO AUSTRALIAN TV???

With the return of So You Think You Can Dance Australia hanging in the balance and Got to Dance Australia pulled from FOX8 (auditions were cancelled and all evidence of the show were removed from the FOX8 website with no explanation just last week), the only reality TV representation of Australian dancers currently on our Aussie screens is Channel 7’s Dancing with the Stars.

Ahem.

Now, being a television programmer myself and possibly being a little hyper-critical of terrible TV, I have my own feeling about this show in general (everything about it makes me want to projectile vomit). Despite this show’s popularity, I hope I speak for the rest of Australia’s dancers and dance lovers when I say I think there needs to be more dance on our screens. Gritty, hardcore, sweaty, REAL dance, including Latin and ballroom, but not necessarily always dripping with sequins and spirit fingers.

I know arts programming does not work traditionally with Australian audiences, but with the gamete of dance-based performance activities now more colourful and accessible than ever before – think pole, lira, silks, acro, belly dance, highland dance, krumping – there’s no reason why someone out there can’t find a way to make dance larger than life and appealing to people in Australia.

I am currently at my desk viewing Masterchef Australia (being the good TV programmer that I am, I have to stay across all big FTA properties - ‘slash’ - I am paid to watch TV at work and I have some guilty reality TV pleasures) watching what they call a ‘Master Class’ but what I call ‘Slicing Fruit and Using a Food Processor’. Now, when I stop and think about it (and if I drew this to any Masterchef fan’s attention they would no doubt agree), the mundanity of this ‘entertainment’ is quite overwhelming. And yet, viewers come in their hundreds of thousands and even millions to what is a daily show to exercise their square eyes.

Advertising (read as: money) plays a big role in whether these things go ahead. Viewers might love something, but if there’s not an obvious opportunity to hock people the latest cheese grater, digestive aid or stool softener, advertisers don’t pay up and these programmes just don’t get made. Where there is big advertiser interest, the most terrible excuse for a show is served up and shoved down our throats week after week and because there’s not too much choice, we gobble it up so we don’t get left behind at the water cooler or on Facebook.

Being absorbed in television everyday professionally and also being a massive TV fan, this is a subject that is on my mind all the time, especially now in the thick of the hot ratings period. It’s a personal qualm I have with Aussie TV but I thought I’d share it with you guys today because, as dance lovers, I'm sure you’ve all felt the same at one time.

Now that I’ve had my rant, I also thought that you’d appreciate this – low and behold it’s a dance programme in development for Network Ten, Everybody Dance Now.

 

Once upon a time the only opportunity for pole dancers to show their skills was on talent shows like Australia’s Got Talent, but the auditions for Everybody specifically call for aerial artists and pole dancers so I'm sure we’ll see some familiar industry faces popping up. With the ultimate prize being a cool $250,000, you might even consider auditioning yourself! You no longer need to have trained for 20 years or be a Brent Street Alum to have a shot; apparently you just have to be an entertainer with each performance being for the audience and not a judging panel.

Also on my radar is I Will Survive: another Ten programme that was originally pegged to chronicle the journey of a male triple threat (singer, dancer, actor) from the audition through to starring in Priscilla: Queen of the Desert stage spectacular (cue divas, egos and MAJOR jazz hands). But, now that Priscilla has closed on Broadway, this may open the auditions up to more performers for a different show...stay tuned.

 

Well, I am intrigued. As long as my only choice isn’t watching three fat middle-aged men slopping food around in their mouths, I'm HAPPY!!

I just hope dance is here to stay on Australian TV because, as we all know, dancers work incredibly hard with their bodies and put so much on the line to do two very simple things – to express themselves and to entertain people.

Now isn’t THAT worth celebrating?

POLEFIT® MEN

When we began offering PoleFit® Men at Studio Verve® over a year ago, we weren’t quite sure exactly what to expect. What we got through our doors was a motley crew of guys who came with equal parts untapped athleticism and pure performance diva extraordinaire.

Twee was the only woman for the job of taking on these wild men and she went in guns blazing, quickly identifying each guys’ strengths and weaknesses and designing the PoleFit® Men programme. But this was as much a learning curve for Twee as it was for our boys.

“Men’s bodies are designed very differently to women’s!”  Twee will often head into a class super excited with her lesson plan and will come out after the hour scratching her head and declaring, “That one doesn’t work for the guys!” From long legs hairs to, well, other issues, Twee’s seen it all and has always worked closely with the boys to figure out alternative shapes and transitions.

Men come into pole dance with natural advantages, upper body strength being the most notable.

 

A lot of guys who have great toned bods from the gym are often lacking in core strength, which has always been a primary focus of all the PoleFit® programmes. In the past 12 months, our guys have developed great body awareness and are working harder than ever on their flexibility…and pointed toes of course! 

Guys also come with a natural ego that works as a positive in class because it drives them even when everything hurts. Our boys are never satisfied and they are always begging for more! 

Ebo Bentil and Nick Reichinger are our original babies, who have been in the programme from the very beginning and who are now experimenting with some incredible advanced skills. Ebo contacted us initially because he was having a birthday pole party at Studio Verve® but, being the perfectionist that he is [read as: he wanted to be better than his friends and show off at the party] he wanted to start taking classes beforehand.  

So, Ebo and his friend Nick came along to the very first PoleFit® Men class and have been with us ever since. The boys also performed a killer routine at one of our Open Nights in front of over 100 people having only been taking classes for a term or two – and let me tell you, they certainly got my tick of approval for ham-ness! (Can’t wait for next performance boys!)

Joining Nick and Ebo in the intermediate class are Katsu and Michael, who came to us having heard about our signature PoleFit® Men programme, and each of them bring a combination or strength, beautiful lines and performance ability. For the first time, we’ve split the guys and have a brand new batch of students in our beginner class; it’s exciting to see where they’ll be in 12 months!

It’s worth mentioning the thing we probably love most about having these guys as part of our Verve family and that is that they are some of the friendliest and open gentlemen we had through our doors. The advanced boys always welcome new students with a warm greeting and a handshake and they really bond tight as group. That’s always been the culture at Studio Verve® but our men realise they are part of a sport that’s known more for its female stars, and this nurtures the spirit of camaraderie.

 

We are so proud of our gutsy guys; together with Twee you have pioneered your own unique style of dance that is artistic, yet masculine and you’re all becoming beautiful performers to watch. You’re not afraid of anything and you’re a testament to REAL MEN in pole dance.

 

Keep it up guys, you’re an inspiration xoxo