The first major stop on World Tour 2012 is the International Pole Convention in Los Angeles, California!
While I don’t have any photos of my own to post, I invite you to see some of the performances on YouTube (though online streaming never does a true performance justice) to see some incredible talent! I would like to congratulate both Ravan and Charlee, both of whom I trained with in Salt Lake City, for winning first place in the mens and womens divisions of the Masters Cup held at Circus Disco in Hollywood, California on Thursday June 21st.
During winter 2011-2012 I was privileged to perform at Studio Soiree’s winter recital and train for four months at Onyx (the studio formerly known as Pearl). The convention was a fantastic opportunity to see my friends and instructors from Utah, as well as meet new people from all around the world.
My main focus at the convention is to meet people at different studios and see what they are up to. The creativity of the performances far exceeded my expectations, especially the costumes, props and choreography of the group performances. During Roz’s performance I decided I definitely need to make a trip to her studio in Brooklyn, New York!
Many of the convention attendees came all the way from Australia, or have Australian roots. I was greatly amused by the costumes and showmanship of the Japanese performers and was happy to see a good showing from one of my favorite countries. A small percentage represented South America, and I believe someone in the audience said they were from South Africa. There were probably a decent number of Canadians, but it was difficult to tell since they tend to blend in with Americans until they finish their sentences, or ask what all the fuss is aboot. ❤
I managed to collect a few business cards from pole studios in Boston, Connecticut, Boise, Tokyo, Calgary, and a few other scattered locations. I want to put them on a huge map and connect the dots during my travels!
Although I wasn’t in the market to make any big purchases, I perused the clothing selection. I was impressed by the craftsmanship of Pole Skivvies and fell in love with Zoraya Judd’s style of clothing and accessories (think Renn fair meets pole dancing). I did purchase 2oz of Dry Hands, and copies of two magazines, Pole Dance International, and Vertical Art and Fitness, in the hopes of one day submitting my writing to the pole community. Being paid to report on competitions or pole communities in other countries doesn’t sound like a bad career objective at all!
Pole Con 2012 was a huge success and a great kick off to my travels!
World Tour 2011-2012 Travel Blog 