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POLE FACTOR 2011 LAUNCH

08/29/2011 06:30:00

LITTLE SAPPHIRES POLE DANCE & SPORTS SCHOOL HAVE LAUNCHED POLE FACTOR

The conecpt is to allow up and coming pole performers to show their skills to a panal of 3 judges and a veiwing crowd. They are being asked to give upto 3 minutes of their performance peice so that the crowd can be pleased and the judges can return with constructive feedback and a postivive way forward to enter events, competitions, dance shows etc. The judges are incredible ambassadors in their field and will be giving the upmost respect to any one taking to the stage.

The genres that the contestants are being asked to choose from are, CLASSICAL, RAP, OR ROCK.

Some leniancy will be given, i/e Rap could also be along side Hip/Hop, or Rock could be along side Pop, however the 3 genres must relate to the dance style!

The Styles are ;

Classical = Artistic. Flow, Music interpretation, ballet, gymnastic components are saught.

Rock = Sporty. A routine that may have more sports moves and less dance.

Rap = FreeStyle. An expressive type of dance, an act, a play, and an individuals perspective.

THERE WILL 3 OPPORTUNITES TO COMPETE; DIFFERENT JUDGES EACH TIME!!

Each Judge will supply a final YES / NO vote as to whether you will go further in the Competition.

The contestants are also fighting for their chance to win

***A VIDEO SHOOT WITH A RECORDING ARTIST*** in the genre they have chosen!!

They will recieve a full makeover and a PROFESSIONAL POLE DANCE PHOTGRAPHIC SHOOT.

The top performers from each category will also have the chance of a video shoot with their chosen supplied artist, a photo shoot, make over and join the promo team within a dance troop to cover the UK for prospective events.

GRAND FINAL MAY 2012!!

THE CONFIRMED MUSICIANS / ARTISTS ARE ;

DESIRE Mc NEISH . Singer, Song writter & an Ambassador against Gun & Knife Crime

KYLA WHITE . Singer, Song writter, radio station owner & charity supporter of Smiley Faces.

3RD ARTIST TO BE ANNOUNCED & CONFIRMED BEFORE 2012 xx

If you wish be a contestant, or a spectator, please buy get your tickets on line on our website under the POLE FACTOR LAUNCH page.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE SUPPORTING UP & COMING POLE DANCE ARTISTS IN THE UK!!!

Thankyou from THE LITTLE SAPPHIRES TEAM xx xx

MASTER CLASS / WORKSHOPS in the UK

08/24/2011 01:20:00

MASTER CLASSES IN THE UK.

Luckily we can have master classes in the UK at very reasonable prices when UK artists tour.

We have large companies, and small independants within the UK organising extra workshops and classes which is a great insentive but some times we all know it can get very costly.

Ive stated before to the PDC that high priced classes just dont work, the bigger the name, the bigger the price, and the more (that may) attend.(less time on pole, & less individual attention). I find it hard to take any extra payments from my students as they already pay weekly or monthly for continued lessons and on the whole it is a price similar to that of a gym membership.

Little Sapphires has always regulary held master classes, workshops, & we have travelled as a group to workshops / free jams etc. Little Sapphires have been lucky enough to have had such names as Zara Jane Berry, Sally Ann Giles, Bad Azz, Dana Mayer, Caterina Gennaro, Sonia Allcock and more and Little Sapphires promotes these classes for the students to try new instructors that know their game well and can get the extra support they feel they may need at times, as well as to keep up good relations and a sound network of friends within the community, as well as to keep on top of trends, ideas, styles, techniques & tips.

As the director of the company i struggle to see why having these classes every 6 weeks (as we used to) or so should be a burden on those whom have a tighter purse string, that is why we only hold classes that cost bare minimum price, and i always say that if funding can be given to the dedicated poler via the weekly lessons costs being sacrificed then i am willing to do that, ive always said it, and always will.

If a pole dancer / pole sports person would have to miss class or have to miss the workshop due to funds i will work with them to make sure they get the best tuition available because i know if you are good at something it doesnt come down to how much you earn and can spend!!

Hope to see you all at Donna Gants 101Spins Challenge, and with Miss Jess Leanne Norris, on the weekend of the 17th September.

Check out our master class bookings page xx xx THANKYOU xx xx

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pole dancing for seriously fun fitness in suffolk & essex

07/07/2011 07:30:00

Little Sapphires are a Pole Dance school recognised my leading bodies and the pole community and are taking their role very seriously for the sheer fun of it!! The results that people are getting from using the vertical bar as the perfect alternative of a dance partner, and as the perfect instrument to create a gymnastic feel into a fitness programme is rivalling any past fitness craze!!

The qualified and knowledgable instructors (including a male instructor teaching men & women the principles) pride them selves on introducing people to the pole in a fun, safe & effective manner. "Yes of course it is challenging, physically its demanding and you must be shown correct hands holds and posture through out, yet mentally it requires some degree of discipline to remember the steps and directions, turns, spins, holds, poses, lifts, aerial work and floor work opens up a whole world of sequences that can be as demanding as the participant can handle, so we push our students, helping them get maximum benefit from their classes, yet they are never asked to do something beyond their capability, it all takes practice and some dedication but it is managable". Says Catherine, founder of Little Sapphires in 2008.

We cover classes in Suffolk and Essex and we have recently held a competition in Suffolk so students could show off their dances / skill / art in front of a large audience. The winners go thru to a final in October, and the winners of this go thru to Miss British Isles held by the International magazine Pole2Pole.

"Our instructors have been taught to the highest level and safety standards are paramount, it is a metal bar, and it can hurt if you are not introduced to it correctly, yet if you treat it like a flower the dance that cmes from it can so lovely to perform and all the while it is shapeing, toneing, and increasing fitness levels.

"We teach beginners, intermediates, advanced, open and pole perfromer levels, and we can grade our students using internationaly recognised levels of moves, as well as offer insurance cover and we also retail the best professional poles on the market"

For any one wanting to take up pole dance in Suffolk or Essex you can visit www.littlesapphires.co.uk or email info@littlesapphires.co.uk and you can call 07522 789801

FITNESS PLANNING.... FUTURE COMING! xx

07/03/2011 07:19:00

FITNESS SCHEDULE;

Although i maybe teaching pole dancing 2-3 times a week at present i still find myself eating like a horse, and when driving along i feel my belly wobble when i go over bumps.

As a personal trainer, i know i am fairly fit and well, and i know we certainly dont need to be skinny to be fit, FACT!! But i have an image of myself that doesnt fit me any more.

I want to use this blog as my training diary.... it is going to be very truthful to you and myself about where i am at with the Pole Training and where i am at in relation to Cross Training myself to enhance my pole work, it will include my diet regime, my thoughts and feelings as well as summerys of the fitness level, and may be even a video blog to show you the results as i hope my body shape develops.

As a Fitness Instructor i will show you the basics that are usually used when creating a work out plan, and if any of you want to do the same work out, or if you want a personalised one i can do this for you thru the web page on www.littlesapphires.co.uk = 'FITNESS PROGRAMME'

We can establish if you have a pole at home, go to class, go to the gym, or even if you havent taken any exercise for the past few years, i can give it to you as an individual if you subscribe.

So, Tomorrow is day 1.

I have started detoxing today already, which is a bum because i know theres Cherry ice cream in the freezer and half a packet (the big packets) of chocolate MnM's in the cupboard, and tonight im going to see a friend and we usualy have 1-2glasses of wine while i am there. So you see i already have temptation, but far better than temptation to slack and cheat i also have A GOAL!!

My goal is personal, the date i have set is personal and my desire is strong.

I know i will be tested well over the coming weeks, as i have developed my eating hablits and fitness regime over the past 10 years to end up being 2 dress sizes larger than i would like, stiff aching joints and a lack of flexibilty, all due to lack of exertion at the right level, and eating too much but if i keep my goal in sight i know the time will fly by and i will get the results i want.

IF YOU UNDERSTAND ME.... JOIN ME.... FOLLOW ME... LEARN FROM ME.....

TOGETHER WE ARE POWERFUL!! (Amnesty International 2010)

I will not be blogging daily, more like weekly, ive noticed an awful frown line in the middle of my forehead... i dont think its from the guy i was seeing for the past few years, or whether its just because im grumpy, i actualy think i just frown when looking at the computer. So please feel free to add your comments back at any time, the more the better, and here we go.... feel like i need to hold my nose and jump right in.............................xxxxx

pole dance classes in suffolk & essex

05/06/2011 16:57:00

In 2011.

Pole dance classes are becoming so popular, there seems to be a class being held in nearly every gym or hall i know of, and this is great for all attendee's.

A few years ago, i would have had girls travel to me from afar looking for the best pole dance instruction, it seems now they barely need to leave their street without seeing adverts or finding a gym offering the skill, the sensual art that is pole dance!!

In reflection.

Now i feel mixed emotions as pole sport takes its new found place in the lives of many, i feel i am losing the grace that always kept the dance unique.

Many instructors deserve the right to start their classes or start a new business venture on the hope of what pole dance may bring to their students, i love to see and learn from other schools and other instructors, yet i cant help but feel cheated that the unique art is becoming over run as we all struggle over our forever thinly spreading students.

Shareing the skill.

My true desire is not to practice pole dance in a manner that will become so sporty like that it would betray why i fell in love with the power of the pole in the first place, but it is to see women experience the confidence and centering of self belief that comes from a dance so powerful to the individual.

I encourage my students to try new teachers, new schools, new venues, its the same as a new shampoo, try it and if you like it you get it again, if you dont like it that much you try another, until you find what suits you best.

Qualified position & Professional.

In business i struggle with those that dont play fair in this close knitted world.

Having worked in the fitness industry most of my life i feel that my credentials are very worth the status of master pole level 3 instructor, my gym, aerobics, anatomy & physiology, sports injury knowledge and pole expertise means that i am so in love with shareing the world of pole dancing that i dont even see my competitors as competition, all i see is another family trying to do its best in bringing pole to as many people as possible which is all positive.

Just a pole dancer?

So if i teach in a pub or club, or in a gym i want and deserve respect from fellow instructors, fellow ley person, and if its not in your heart to play fair then i hope your consciounce soon realises im not in this game for the money, if i was i would have sunk 3 years ago, im in this game because little sapphires is in my name, its in my heart, its my hobby, its my work, its my friends and its my sport! No one can take that away, and i am not ever going to try to take any thing away from anyone else. If you want to pole or to teach i always offer help advice support for you all and i hope we all come to a common ground of offering a professional service to everyone or anyone that comes to visit what ever their background or past experiences.

Final thoughts.

Im very proud of my instructors and how hard they work, they have had to put up with me for a start, and that cant be easy, he he, i will protect their interests and ensure the opportunity i have offered them is as much fun as possible.

Everything i do i want to be fun, if its not fun, i wont be doing it.

New Year, starts first week of May... after May1st 2011

I am so looking foward to May 9th and the following weeks to come as we head into another New Year poling. Thankyou to every one that has supported us and joined us over the last few years,

Bottoms up for another Phat one xxx

Respect & God bless x x x

FINALISTS OF THE SUFFOLK POLE DANCE COMPETITION

05/03/2011 11:05:00

WRITE UP OF THE SUFFOLK HEAT OF THE POLE2POLE CUP XX

WINNER; MISS SADIE HOLLINSWORTH

2ND PRIZE; MISS SOPHIE LOGAN

What an amazing event to have in sleepy suffolk, a huge crowd congregated at The Station Lounge to support their friends and family, the participants had obviously worked so hard on their music, routines, costume, hair, makeup, dance and performance.

The rules stated specific requirements of a competition of this level and the gilrs tried very hard to stick to the rules.

Schools from EastAnglia came to partake and play fair and the atmosphere was really supportive as some of the girls have never performed like this before.

We we sponsored by Stephen Tierney Photography and AheadofHair.biz.

Pole2Pole magazine gave little sapphires the opportunity to hold the suffolk heat and we were more than happy to take on the first competition of this type in this area!

The judges were;

*Jo.. owner of Zest Gym, trained by KT Coates, and studying to be a lawyer.

*Michelle.. owner of online companies vintage clothing & aheadofhair.

Michelle has also attended competitions including miss British isle and The European Cup as a VIP spectator.

*Donna.. Owner of contempory dance school Dance-X, donna also holds a degree in dance xxx

The results are not only now sending 2 lovely performers to the final in October in Greys in Essex, but also then if succesful onto Miss British Isles.

The points system was very close and i thank the judges for their professional decisions!!

Sophie Logan is president of The Essex Uni Pole Dancing Society.

She is only 20yrs old and whilst at the Uni is studying management and marketing. Sophie danced to Kings of Leon - Closer xx

Sadie Hollinsworth is a 33 yr old, married mother of 2 girls.

She is studying for her gym instructors certificate and has been pole dancing on and off ( whilst having a family) since 2009, she also keeps fit with running. Sadie danced to a Beyonce/ Rhiannon mix xx

THANKYOU TO EVERY ONE THAT CAME....!!

I look forward to the final, every one that took part gets instant acces into watch the competition and join the after party at the Civic Hall at the end of October, see Pole2Pole magazine for more details xx

The Amateur pole dancing competition, The Pole2Pole Cup 2011

04/28/2011 16:17:00

This saturday Sudbury suffolk will see an arraye of dancers and styles taking to the stage in the Staiti

on Lounge in Station road, as performers and competitors take to the stage to show off to friends and family as well as dance enthusiasts for an evening of fun, fitness and fearless entertainment!!

Tickets can be brought from www.littlesapphires.co.uk or can be brought on the dorr at £5 each, some proceeds going to charity fundraisers LollyPops.

Doors open, and perfromances start at 7.30pm so please arrive early to avoid too much queing xxx

Thankyou very much from all the Little Sapphires Team xxx 2011 xxxx

Suffolks Heat of The Pole2Pole Cup

04/21/2011 16:32:00

On the 30th April 2011 we will be welcoming pole dance enthusiasts and the general public to join us in celebrating Little Sapphires New Pole Year while proudly presenting the First Heat of the Nationally recognised Pole2pole Cup Amateur Pole Dance Competition!

Little Sapphires Pole Dance school was asked to host the Suffolk heat while catering for all of East Anglias pole schools to let their students compete for the Suffolk Title. From here another 5 schools in the UK will also be hosting the other rounds, untill we have 5winners and 5 runner ups to go thru to the Championship which will be held in October in Grays in Essex, the Winners from this will go thru to Miss British Isles Amateur pole dancing competition on the following night where they will be dancing for the Title as well as front coverage of the National magazine Pole2Pole a Holiday and other great awards.

The concept of competitng for Little Sapphires students was never in the interest of Catherine, (Owner of Little Sapphires) "I dont like the idea of Judging people on any scale" she says, "My pole dance school prides itself on being non judgemental and never underestimating any ones ability for personal growth and change, however after seeing many competitions over the past years i was very aware that the level of competance for an Amateur was very very high. This competition is for the Amateur, to be an Amateur/beginner/non experienced dancer to compete/perform against others at a similar level, for that reason we have made the rules very strict and pushed boundries of what is expected at Competitions in the UK but whilst introducing girls into the world of competitions without the stress and fear, its basicly letting Amateurs be Amateurs, like you let Kids be Kids, it takes a long time to develop pole skills and seeing people trying to rush thru levels and moves just results in injury and little or no confidence on and around the pole, ideally we are seeking pole dancers of 6months to a year and a half in this competition, those that have mastered basic spins and can move freely around and on the pole" says Catherine.

The Suffolk heat will be incorporating side shows from 7.30pm when the dorrs open at The Station Lounge, In Station Rd, Sudbury, Suffolk, a venue that has already had star pole dancers like BadAzz from the USA and where The Pole Sports Day 2010 was held all with great success.

"We want to have a space where we can play pole, get fit and have fun without prejudice, we want the general public to see the power of this Art form as a dance, but also for us to be seen as a professional sports club supporting other schools and students from all over!

This Competition will hopefully put Pole dance as a sport on the map as it will bring pole dance schools together for the love of pole, we all have something refreshing to bring to our classes whether as an instructor or as a student and i am so excited to see what the 14 contestants will be showing us, different styles, costume, music will just be the surface, because behind every competitor/performer is some one wanting to not just prove their worth as a contender to represent the finest Amateur pole dancers in the Uk but to prove their worth to themselves, friends and family.

Little Sapphires wants to wish every one of them all the very best of luck and hope the pressure will be lifted by all the fun on the night, with other performers, singers and some proceeds going to Lolly Pops Childrens Charity we hope to look back and make next year even bigger and better"

Tickets for spectators are £5 and can be brought on line at www.littlesapphires.co.uk or some ticket sales on the door

ROAR....... Sports event Only........ Over 18s..........Smart dress please

Amateur pole dance competition in April with Catrina Gennero

02/04/2011 17:25:00

The pole 2 pole cup......April 30th 2011.

The Amateur Competition, for beginners to enter and have a chance to compete against others at the same level, this competition has rules & guide lines for all amateurs to stay within the boundries that will enable a fair & fun competition which has to be especially important at this level, at the level of introducing people to the world of competition.

Although a fun setting, the rewards could be huge, with the winner & runner up from heats all around the country meeting up to compete against eachother in the Autumn, and then the champions go thru to the Miss British Isles. Winners get front page magazine coverage from International leading Pole dance magazine Pole2Pole, a holiday in Turkey, lessons and more!!

To this event we also welcome with huge pride Caterino Gennero, watch this space as the next couple of Blogs will cover information about this amazing lady from the USA, she will perform for us, and will hold workshops throughout the next day, if you have heard of or have seen this lady you will know why we are all so very excited and lucky to have here with us on the last day of her tour in the UK.

Entrance forms and payments can be sourced via catherine@littlesapphires.co.uk or info@pole2polemagazine.com or via the Paypal / merchandise page on www.littlesapphires.co.uk

Spectators are very welcome, at just £5 inclusive of after party xx

Please get in touch, tell us your thoughts xxx

Pole is a Sport for the Little SAPPHIRES.

12/22/2010 13:16:00

The Concept behind Little Sapphires as a Pole Sport.

Catherine Dachtler of Little Sapphires says, Pole Dance is for every one, every one can do it, every one can enjoy it........ were not all circus trained, gymnastic or dance based 20somethings, we are pretty much unflexible, unfit middle aged women, looking for fun & an excuse to actually enjoy fitness and improve our fitness level.

It seems Catherine prides her self on introducing people to pole dance in a particular way that every one can manage and enjoy, and can take part in as a team member longterm without any physical aspects making barriers for longevity in what is now classed as a sport.

With the knowledge of the human body that Catherine has, and with her sports and dance background she is trying to make pole dance accessible to all, in a manner that will see safety & productibility as foremost. "I try to lead all my students (new to pole, home taught or otherwise) into the world of pole-sport as if introducing them to their new body & their new sports regime, body awareness plays a huge role when pole dancing, its not all about upper body strength nor haveing a butt that wiggles like no other, its about etiquette, style and grace, body posture and some good ole' fasioned girlie fun. I see no point of stressing your body to master a move if you have not prepared over weeks before to adapt to the new hold, spin, trick or pose in correct order and without correct execution." says Catherine.

It would be understandable to say that some students may master some areas of pole dance where others may struggle and it seems that all aspects of pole dancing can be challenging to any one at any point, but the barriers slowly break down to show that dedication, an open mind and a healthy life style can advance a student from just trying something new to a dedicated follower of Pole dance for fun & fitness.

Catherine asks you to follow little sapphires pole players on face book and at www.littlesapphires.co.uk Little sapphires have pole dance lessons every night of the week at different venues in suffolk & essex.