Do you all know which level you are at in pole dancing? Are there more levels than beginners, intermediates and professional? Maybe some mixed-levels?
I Really Don’t Know
At first I thought it’s easy to classify. Beginners just started pole dancing and are lucky being able to invert. Intermediates are kinda familiar with the pole, have pole dance experiences of over several months and are able to do some tricks as shown on PoleDanceDictionary.com. And professional pole dancers are like freaks :). They do the craziest tricks and combos on the pole – like Oona K or Marion Crampe, etc.
Does it really depends on the climbs, tricks, spins or transitions you’re able to do on the pole?
The reason I’m thinking about that question is, that I want to have an own studio – someday. However, I need to be a professional to become a pole dance instructor. Well, I’m able to do the headspring, the superman and shouldermount. But does the make me an advanced pole dancer? I still have some problems doing the phoenix or the extended butterfly as well as the “le poisson”.
I don’t think that you need to be a pro to teach pole. My trainer has done pole-dancing for about three years and she is not like the crazy pros. If you know the basics and a little of the advanced, I think you’re good to go. It takes some time for students to get from beginner to advanced, so in the mean time you can practice your own pole skills and get even better 😉 If you have your own studio then it is you who decides which moves are beginner and which are advanced 😀 And if you want your students to learn a crazy move, then there are also other pole dancers who offer workshops 😉
All in all I don’t think that there is a certain “level” of pole-dance, it depends entirely on how brave you are with your moves and how good you are at putting the different moves together 😉
Hope this helps answering your question a little.
Love Sismofyt19 <3
Our studio divides levels by specific moves, and I think the list came from USPDF, although I’m not sure. You are supposed to check off everything on the list before you move to the next level. For teaching, I think you need to be at a more advanced level than your students, and you need to be certified (my understanding is there are separate certifications for beginner pole and for pole where you are spotting people in inverts) I’m not really familiar with this process because I don’t teach or own a studio, but hopefully this gives you some starting points!
As a side note, I highly recommend putting a deadline on that “someday” for owning a studio, and posting it in a public place. It’ll help you get there faster!
I think it really depends. I considered myself an intermediate/bordering on advanced student at my old studio, and I could do many of the more advanced tricks. Now I just started beginner classes at my new studio, and holy cow do I hurt! The new studio emphasizes different things, so even though it’s a lower level, it’s just as challenging. There’s always more to learn, even when it comes to the basics. I agree with Kim – the important thing is that you’re more advanced than your students.
As far as teaching requirements go, I think different studios have different requirements, and there are several certification programs out there, but there’s no overarching standard.