T-Rex Hates Handspring
(it's me, I'm the t-rex)
I don’t want to learn the handspring move in pole dancing. Many people consider this the ultimate badass move—one that turns a pole dancer into a pole god. I fully support these people and their handspring journeys. However, it’s not a move on my bucket list these days. I’m not sure I even want to learn how to do the ayesha (without the handspring entrance). My wrists dislike split grip (thanks to typing many words, most days, for many years); I prefer leg-based shapes (because my legs are stronger than my arms); and I have sweaty palms (especially when I get nervous). And new pole moves make me nervous.
I do love feeling like a badass, which comes from facing these nerves—the adrenaline rush of trying something new, while upside down and up in the air. But my current bucket list move is a satellite, where I can use an elbow pit instead of having to rely on only my hands. (My elbow pit is currently bruised and recovering from my first couple attempts at learning this grip.) My obsession for the past year in pole has been the jade split (shown in the video below), which doesn’t require either hand to be on the pole. Now that I feel comfortable in my jade, I want to work towards something new.
I tend to unlock one difficult pole move a year. In 2023, I learned the jade split; in 2022, I learned a baby butterfly. I still can’t do a full extended butterfly (I don’t train it) and I only train a few other moves that use split grip, like cradle and jamilla. The closer a move approaches using only hands as its contact points, the less interested I become in it. The distance between hands in split grip makes it more challenging than other grips. I even use one forearm against the pole for airwalks, instead of holding the pole with just my hands. I adore, and always return to, moves that can be done without hands—such as laybacks and pole sits. I’ve heard that outside leg hangs look like magic. My time is spent perfecting these magical moves rather than trying to progress towards ayesha and handspring.
Over the years—after illness and injury—I’ve learned how to (or at least try to) honor the limitations of my body. I’m not in the shape I was back in the day when I danced in the clubs. I’m older now. I have more anxiety (sweatier palms). I have to pick and choose what I train in each session. There’s a limit to how many times I can invert from the floor; how many times I can do airwalks; and how many times I can do both.
But I don’t believe continuing to age means I’ll never physically progress past where I am now. Perhaps, someday, I’ll want to train those moves that use only my hands to grip the pole. But I think I’ll always prefer the pole moves that allow you to take your top off while upside down.
*Title is a reference to this