Training for flexibility at the Circus Center.

I love the circus people.  I started training for flexibility at the San Francsico Circus Center last year as part of my cross training program for the 2011 USPDF Championship.  My regular “contorture” trainer Xia Kemin still performs his awesome act “The Happy Chef” here and there around the world.  My splits have gotten a lot better, but my knees are not straight like I would like them to be, it’s painful to stretch that part of my legs, it’s so tight back there.  I am kinda a “screamer” in class, well not exactly screaming, but I make my discomfort known, lol.

poles and grip aides-my thoughts

My favorite pole to dance on is the 45mm permanent stainless steel by Platinum Stages.  My hands are small and can get a little sweaty, but it seems that stainless is a bit more porous than chrome and works well for me, I have a 50mm PS brass and it’s pretty awesome, but it doesn’t spin very well as a pressure pole….the day that PS makes a one piece brass 45 I will be in heaven!  Xpole has a brass 45 and I love it for hand grips, but it’s pretty slippery with any body holds I find.  I dream of the day that Xpole and PS join forces, creating the ultimate pole, you see I love the design of Xpole for home use, but prefer the metals used of PS.

I have gotten a lot of free samples for grip products in the goodie bags I have received from competitions.  For me personally, I tend to  switch up with what I am using depending on the climate and the poles I dance on.  I go back and forth with Dry Hands and Tite Grip for the sweaty palm issue, I think Tite Grip is a hundred times more economical, but sometimes the other one seems to work better.  I have found that Itac really drys out my skin and doesn’t work well at all in cold weather  or if I am using my new brass Xpole…at those time I break out the Dew Point.  I absolutely loath Kramers firm grip and avoid it like the plague, even though polers rave about it often.  I find that if my hands are sweating at all I slide right over it.  Those are my thought, worth about a penny

Happy Poling

2011 USPDF CHAMPIONSHIP

2011 USPDF CHAMPIONSHIP PROMO VIDEO

Why is google places picking on my website?…

…I don’t know, but this has been a problem for me for awhile now.  Google Places’ favorite thing to do to my listing  is to distort my Yelp reviews.  The first time this happened they took a perfectly wonderful and positive review about my business (pole dancing instruction), extracted a quote referring to another company (not so positive) and placed it as a Yelp headline, plus only listed me as having one review on yelp (when I have 13) and linked my Yelp business page to some adult site (?).  Now it’s happening again, linking to another persons yelp page and saying I only have one review…WTH!  When I contacted Yelp about the problem they said it was a google issue, when I contacted google places they never replied.  Is this some kinda big business conspiracy?  It is so frustrating and every other pole dancing instruction business is listed properly :/

Cinderella’s Stilletto: the search for the perfect pole dancing shoe

Wearing a pair of sexy stilettos to pole dancing class can truly transform the way your body moves and feels as you learn the art of pole dance, but exotic dance shoes can be really pricey. Most of us students of pole dancing are not making the buku bucks working at some Vegas gentleman’s club, so forking out a hundred plus dollars for a pair of exotic dancing shoes is not an option (especially in this economy). Fortunately, buying a pair of sexy shoes for pole dancing class doesn’t have to break your budget; in fact, you can find some great styles at Pierre Silber (there’s a link on my website:) through their online catalog for fairly reasonable prices and also at Snaz 75.

 

If you’re buying shoes for the first time there are a few things to keep in mind: first, it’s best try on several pairs in person before you buy, as they all fit differently (Foot Worship in San Francisco is on Sutter Street, between Van Ness and Polk, and has a shoe selection that would make Carrie Bradshaw squeal with delight). Second, once you find some shoes that work for you, keep a record of the style and manufacturer so you can look them up in the future online and maybe get a better deal. When choosing shoes for pole dance class keep in mind that six-inch platforms seem to be the standard and once you get use to them they become more comfortable. Shoes for pole dance class come in full sizes only (no ½ sizes) so size down if they seem too loose or you’re a ½ sizer. Try on different styles to find the right fit and make sure the shoes have a non-slip sole; really, this is the most important feature to look for. Stay away from the super strappy styles where your pinky toe hangs out a hole, and mules (shoes with no back strap) because they can fly off your foot during pole dancing spins and inversions (possibly clocking someone in the head, or poking their eye out!). Functionality is the key word when choosing a shoe for pole dancing class, save the crazy fetish styles for some “other” occasion.

Pole dancing with the stars at….

California Pole Dance Champion Competition

We were there! We were even blessed with the opportunity of meeting and taking a class at Evolve Studio with
World Pole Dance Champion and Goddess Ms. Felix  Cane…see, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I’m not lying! It was such a fantastic display of talent that i feel like moving to LA just to take class from some of the performers (of course, many are instructors).

Stay tuned for workshops at our Redwood City location with Laura Martin, who took second place and is pictured below…she was PHENOMENAL.

USPDF WEST COAST REGIONAL COMPETITION 2010

2nd Place-Shelly Lamb and 1st Place-Natasha Wang

USPDF WEST COAST COMPETITION 2010 was such an amazing experience.

Hosted by Poletential of Redwood City and organized by co-founders Anna Grundstrom and Wendy Traskos, this event was immaculately organized and an amazing 1st time spectacle for the Bay Area, with pole dance workshops all weekend from the USPDF Pros, Alethea Austin, Jenyne Butterfly, Amber Richard, and Estee Zakar and Climb and Spin founder Kira Lamb. From what I was told by many audience members, some known to me and many not, was that every single competitor blew them away with their displays of gravity defying athleticism and artistry. As a competitor, the whole experience was really phenomenal and I am so happy to have been a part of it. The 2010 West Coast Champion is Natasha Wang, with 2nd place-Shelly Lamb and 3rd place-Amy Raven who all received Pro-status and are eligible to apply for the Nationals in New York City this coming spring.

Read about it in the San Mateo Daily Journal

Upcoming classes at Shelly’s Pole Studio

Upcoming classes and events with Shelly

Redwood City only

Celestial Virgins level I
Introduction to pole dancing

Tuesdays:
November 9th-November 30th
7pm-8pm
cost: $125.00

Celestial Virgins Level I
intro to pole dancing
Thursdays, October 21st-November 11th
7pm-8pm
Cost: $125.00

Level 2
Thursdays, November 11th-December 9th
No class November 25th
8pm-9pm
Cost: $125.00

Pole Kat Level 3
Tuesday Nights
November 9th-November 30th
8pm-9pm
cost: $125.00

All classes require pre-registration

REGISTER HERE

In San Francisco only

Celestial Vigins
Introduction to pole dancing
4 week pole dance series
No Experience Needed
10%OFF WHEN YOU SIGN UP WITH A FRIEND
Fridays 6:30pm-7:30pm
Oct. 22nd-November 12th

cost: $125.00

Pole Kat level 3
San Francisco

Sundays
October 24th-November 14th
12:45pm – 1:45pm

cost: $125.00

Level 2
Prerequisite: CELESTIAL VIRGINS
San Francisco
Sundays
October 24th-November 14th
1:45pm-2:45pm

cost: $125.00

Weekend private lesson special 2 people for the price of one

Saturdays at 12:30-1:30 OR 1:30-2:30 ONLY

COST: $100 FOR TWO PEOPLE

All classes require pre-registration

REGISTER HERE

USPDF West Coast Regional 2010 Bay Area Semi-Finalist

Hello Everyone,

I am wicked excited to announce that I have been chosen as a semi-finalist in the West Coast Regional Division of the upcoming USPDF pole dance championships to be held in Redwood City, California at the Fox Theater on Saturday November 6^th.  As a semi-finalist I am not yet a finalist competitor, but with your help and vote I can be.  Please help me to put pole dancing as art form on the map as Bay Area competitor, and also show the world that at the age of 47 women can still be sexy, athletic and powerfu.  Voting is only from September 2^nd until September 8^th 9pm est. Voting is only from September 2nd until September 8th (12am est), so your vote must be cast by 9:00pm on September 7th to be counted.).   Please cast your vote as soon as possible.  I truly appreciate your support.  You can view my video submission and vote for me (Shelly Lamb) by following the link below.

Voting Link:  http://uspoledance.com/poll/vote_pole_dance_video.php

BTW here’s my performance from Tripole Challenge last month