Pole dancing has stuck around longer than any other physical activity in my life, not counting my adolescent flailing at tennis. I credit this to the dynamic nature of the hobby: you can focus on so many different aspects of pole dancing throughout your practice.
Burnt out on complex tricks? You can train flexibility – or vice versa. There’s always room to explore your sensuality with erotic dance. Or maybe you want to try more aerial.
You can also refine your skill at freestyle dancing.
In the fall of 2017, I fell into a rut with pole dancing. I decided to follow in the footsteps of friends who were trying new instructors beyond the studio I’d called home for 3 years. I’m so glad I did, as this opened my world to many new dance styles and opportunities for growth.
In December of that year, I noticed a weekly class titled Pandora’s Box scheduled in the latest time slot of the day. The description promised an “active and interactive no-judgment zone” with “no sitting out!” The goal was to explore “how to play different roles, dance to a variety of musical genres, and be comfortable in your own skin,” with “assignments that’ll push you in and out of your comfort zones. One week may be soft and sensual, another hard, nasty, emotional.”
After 15 minutes of a freestyle warm-up, the rest of the class was spent doing freestyle dances one-by-one in a “supportive, guided environment,” with the other students as the audience.
Sounds terrifying, right?
Believe me, it was!
About the Class “Pandora’s Box”
Pandora’s Box was created and taught by Veeniz, and I feel so lucky to have met her and the other students in such a transformative space. The weekly late-night classes became a sacred, intimate time for the dozen of us there. For the next 6 months, I took Pandora’s Box 11 times. Many of the other girls also became regulars, and the class sold out and formed a waitlist on a weekly basis. Classes often lasted 1.5 hours, even though they were scheduled for just 1.
We got to watch each other grow as we explored freestyle prompts, bared our souls, exorcised demons at the end of a hard day, and took risks in our dance every week.
We usually got our prompts the day before, with some mystery or twist that we wouldn’t find out until we got to class. The point was not to be too prepared. Some of the prompts included:
- Everyone writing adjectives and descriptors on slips of paper, picking out three at random, and embodying those feelings in their dance
- Stripping or even reverse stripping (putting on layers of clothes)
- Embodying a type of animal in your dance
- Finding a song based on a word, like “crown”
- Picking a song from a genre you normally never dance to
We stripped for each other and gave each other lap dances. We embraced imperfections and nip slips. We pumped each other up with what we loved about each performance afterward.
In one class, we danced blindfolded to songs randomly selected by Veeniz. To keep the blindfolded dancer safe, the other students formed a circle around them on the floor, gently guiding them away from hitting the other poles in the room. At the end of class, we spent time talking and processing. From the moment the first dancer started, the vibe in the room changed. The exercise was so vulnerable and yet so safe. We were literally protecting each other in a circle. It was such an intimate, profound experience.
Learning to Freestyle Pole Dance
The first time I went to Pandora’s Box class, I had no idea what to expect. I’d signed up because a friend I admired recommended it, saying it had been so transformative for her.
I didn’t even realize we were supposed to dance by ourselves for each other for an entire song until I got to class that night. That night’s prompt was to focus on exploring a “signature move” you often use… after first teaching it to the rest of the class. I was so nervous! Especially because I was new to that studio, too. My heart was hammering in my chest and in my ears.
I got picked to solo dance second. On my turn, I showed off a kite spin, then blacked out during my dance because I forgot everything I did the moment it was over.
My nerves continued for the next 2-3 classes. Sometimes, even showing up was hard despite my love of the class, because that kind of challenging growth involves discomfort.
Eye contact was by far the hardest part of the whole deal for most of us. But I soon learned that eye contact was also one of the most important parts of performing.
At Pandora’s Box, I learned:
- The art of “eye-fucking” and “fuck-me face”
- Fancy tricks aren’t what matter the most
- You can just do body rolls the whole time, as long as you make it engaging
- Preparing too much could actually hold back your freestyle
- Performance mistakes happen, you just have to learn to roll with them
- Take your time and “finish your sentences” while dancing
- How my body has a “movement vocabulary” that I can add to with practice
We learned all of this in a safe space where we could be vulnerable enough to do so.
It wasn’t long before I loved and even craved solo freestyling and dancing for an audience.
Growing Into Your Own as a Dancer
My pole dancing practice grew so much over the 6 months I focused on Pandora’s Box. I gained a new level of confidence in loving my body in front of others. I practically became an unrecognizable dancer compared to when I first came in.
Soon, though, I realized I was falling into predictable patterns in my free dancing. I had to put Pandora’s Box on pause and grow in other ways. This also opened up space for others in the sold-out class.
A year later, I came back to Pandora’s Box 4 weeks in a row. In the meantime, I’d grown as a dancer and expanded my body’s movement vocabulary. I had a little more experience performing for others.
My takeaways from the second round were slightly different, as you might expect – I was more of a senpai. It was wonderful to see familiar faces in class, and it was also really nice to share that sacred space with new students as they discovered the magic.
If you have a chance to take a class like Pandora’s Box, I highly recommend it. Anything that safely gets you out of your comfort zone is bound to help you grow your pole dancing practice.
Have you had a class like Pandora’s Box? Got any freestyle dancing prompts you love? Let me know in the comments!
You can learn more about my pole dancing journey here. You can also read about my essential pole accessories and home pole recommendations, access my favorite pole dancing playlists, see some of the pole shoes I’m lusting after, and learn more about how to be an ally to sex workers.