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Pole Con 2021: My experience as an attendee

I don’t know about you but I’ve been reminiscing about last year’s Pole Con, New Orleans 2021! It was long awaited due to the Covid Pandemic having stalled Pole Con 2020. This was the second Pole Con I’ve attended and I went about it very differently than I did the first time so I thought I would share the differences between the two along with some of my favorite moments from this past year.

First is accommodations. The first time I went to Pole Con (Orlando 2018) we had family in the area so we were able to stay with them. This allowed us to save a ton of money and spend time with family which was super great and we really enjoyed ourselves! This past year however, we stayed at the hotel which was more convenient. Not having to worry about traffic or getting lost in a new city saved a ton of headaches and time. It was especially nice to get to stay late and watch the evening shows then just walk straight up to bed. Which brings me to my next point.

The showcases. With traffic in Orlando and throwing myself into every free workshop that I could, I hardly spent anytime watching the showcases. So this past year I made a promise to myself that I would sit, relax, and enjoy the beautiful routines! And I’m so glad that I did! It was nice to take a break, breathe, and appreciate all the amazing performers. As great and important as it is to learn new things, one of my biggest motivators for my own pole progress is seeing fellow pole peers perform.

But that being said I did take a couple of workshops that I really enjoyed and found beneficial. Some of my favorite free workshops included Point Your Fucking Paws with Jordan Mazar (having read through her PSO trainings I was super stoked to take a class from her in person!), Flexibility Flow with Xpert Fitness (definitely worth looking into if you’re thinking about teaching flexi classes), and I learned about IPIA (International Pole Industry Association); definitely worth looking into if you have or are thinking about starting a pole related business.

This was my first year participating in paid workshops and I’m so glad I did. With much smaller classes it was easier to get instructor feedback which always makes a difference. I had signed up for Roz the Diva’s famous Inverting 101 class (extremely helpful if you are struggling with inverts) and Juic3’s Chairology class (definitely a challenge but really eye opening to what a chair routine can be). I enjoyed them both and would highly recommend them! Due to the hurricane, schedules got moved around a bit so I was not able to participate in the original third class I signed up for. However, pole con staff were very accommodating and I ended up unexpectedly getting the opportunity to learn from the one and only Pole Kitten. Not having a lot of experience with heels I was worried I was a bit out of my league but it ended up being one of my favorite workshops and gave me a lot more confidence in trying more heels!

When not watching the showcase or participating in workshops I was enjoying one of my other favorite pole con pastimes: shopping! Shirts from Twisted Polerina and shorts from Naughty Goddess.

One of my favorite moments though would have to be the pole con parade! It was an unexpected adventure through the streets of New Orleans, featuring an amazing live band and incredible aerial artists! Not only was it fun to share the moment with fellow pole peers but New Orleans itself was warm and welcoming, with passerby joining in on the fun as well. Though the hurricane might have cut our trip a bit short, any amount of pole con was welcome considering post covid lock-down. So here’s to the return of Pole Con!

Savannah Smith
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