Brass Queens Spotlight - YING

If you've never tried pole dancing before, you might think it's just a fun way to stay in shape. But for those of us who have given it a try, we know it's so much more than that. It's a form of self-expression, a chance to take a slice of me-time and embark on a journey of self-discovery that celebrates sensuality and strength.  But what truly sets pole dancing apart is the community of fierce and fabulous individuals who support and uplift each other every step of the way. That’s why we’re excited to kickstart our Brass Queens spotlight with a feature on Ying, one of our students at The Brass Barre who has been crushing it on the pole for over a year now.

“I've always been interested in dancing, but I never had the courage to try it out until I saw a YouTuber share her pole dancing experience," says Ying Ying. "I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give it a go." And she hasn’t looked back since.

Since starting our pole dancing classes in March 2022, Ying Ying has found a supportive community that has helped her build her strength, confidence, and skills on the pole. Her favourite pole dance style is Exotic/Old Skool, a style that combines fluidity, sensuality, and athleticism, which she describes as effortlessly beautiful.

"The most challenging aspect of pole dancing for me has been building my strength and confidence in my body to hold tricks on the pole," Ying Ying shares. "But I’ve learned to celebrate small wins to keep myself motivated. For example, leg circles are easier to do now, and I have longer lines when dancing compared to a few months back."

Beyond the physical benefits, pole dancing has also connected Ying Ying with a supportive community that has helped her build confidence too. "I'm an introverted person, and I struggle with consistency in physical activities," she admits. "But through pole dancing, I've made friends who cheer me on whenever I feel like giving up."

Most of Ying Ying's favourite moments in her pole dancing journey are built from the love and encouragement from her instructors and pole sisters. In fact, what cemented her love for pole dancing was the support she received from her instructors when she was learning her second Classique 1 choreo to the catchy and seductive bop of 'Buttons' by Pussycat Dolls. "My instructors were so supportive online even though I wasn't their student for that term!"

Since then, Ying Ying has blossomed into a confident and dedicated dancer who looks forward to sharing snippets of her pole-gress on Instagram and performing with her friends and classmates during end-of-term performance weeks.

Looking ahead, Ying Ying is excited to continue her pole dancing journey and is most looking forward to taking Splits & Backbends classes in Term 3. "Pole dancing is empowering," says Ying Ying. "Everyone in the community is so welcoming, and it has made me fall in love with pole dancing even more."

On a song she’d love to dance to:

A tip for pole babies:

“Don’t compare yourself to others. Take it slow, and you will get there”

Follow Ying’s polegress as she takes over The Brass Barre’s Instagram stories @thebrassbarre

By Gladys G.

Meet Miss Brass Queen, Elsie Rockerbunny!

Meet our reigning Miss Brass Queen of The Brass Barre, Miss Elsie Rockerbunny! She is also a proud and well-loved instructor of The Brass Barre too!

With Amateur Night 2019 being just around the corner, we caught up with Elsie to share a few words of her experience at our last Amateur Night in 2017.

WHAT WAS YOUR THEME AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CHOOSE IT?

My theme that year was Destination Unknown and I chose Heaven and Hell. I really wanted to take the chance to combine 2 of my favourite rock songs (Stairway to Heaven + Highway to Hell) together and add some comedic element to it.

HOW LONG DID I TAKE FOR YOU TO CHOREO?
It took me 2 months to choreo, plan the full storyline I wanted to portray plus practice with my backup dancers. I didn’t want to rush it, so I took it slow, had some periods of mental block where nothing was happening. But it happens! I tried my best to enjoy the choreographing process instead of being stressed out about it.

WHAT WAS YOUR CHOREOGRAPHY PROCESS?
I started by choosing my songs first, because music sets the tone of the entire performance. When chosen wisely, it can embody the theme into the performance. I then started weaving in my storyline, the pole combos, floorwork and how I wanted to engage with the audience in the whole routine. Things were changing every week and sometimes progress seemed very slow or even stagnant. I’ll admit it was quite stressful when I injured my knee 2 weeks before the competition so that slowed things down a little, with me even considering pulling out due to the injury. Choreographing really doesn’t stop until you’re super close to competition date, I was still finalising small details 2 days before the competition.

HOW HAS COMPETING IMPROVED YOUR SKILLS AND TECHNIQUE?
It definitely made me become more aware of my technique and lines. It forced me to improve my technique by practicing the combos/transitions over and over again until it looked (kind of) effortless going into it and dismounting from the tricks. It also forced me to point my feet as much as I could throughout the routine haha. Competing also pushes you out of your comfort zone in a good way, I find that I learn to be more creative each time I compete too! :)

ANY TIPS FOR THE COMPETITORS THIS YEAR?
ALWAYS engage with the audience and whatever happens on stage, let it be - the show must go on! Remember, no one knows your routine except YOU. :) If you blank out on stage, flash your biggest smile, body wave and keep moving. A little humour in your routine helps too. Have fun with what you have created and have parts where u can slow down to breathe during the routine. It is going to be nerve wrecking but your 3 minutes on stage is going to go by so fast compared to the months of hard work you’ve put in to choreograph. So let the adrenaline take over, savour every single second on stage, and ENJOY it cos once these 3 mins pass, it’s gone forever! You’ll want to do it again (and again!) right after you get off that stage cos it’s just too much fun!

DO YOU HAVE ANY MESSAGE FOR THE COMPETITORS AND THOSE WHO MIGHT WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FUTURE?
Have fun, enjoy the stage and be proud of what you have created for yourself! Joining Amateur Night will change the way you perform forever, so just go for it!

Pole etiquette: Creating a happy studio environment

Hello Brass Queens!

We all love our time at The Brass Barre, and since the studio is shared by both students and instructors, it's important to be a considerate pole Queen!

Here's a little list of things of DO’s and DON'TS' that we put together, of things you can do and observe to make sure that everybody enjoys a clean, safe and happy environment at the studio:
 

ARRIVE EARLY FOR CLASS
DO - Aim to arrive 15 minutes before class even starts so you can change, use the bathroom, and relax!

DON’T - Bargain with your instructor if you're late! She's just following the studio's policies and it wouldn't be fair to those who were turned away before you and it's really disruptive in class. It's for your own safety that you cannot take a class if you're more than 10 minutes late! Doing only part of the warm up puts you at high risk of straining a muscle later on. Please allow for plenty of time to travel and prepare for class to avoid any disappointment. Coming from a class from another studio will not count either!

POLE PRIORITY
DO - Know that if you have registered for a class, you are entitled to your own pole. If you're making up, let the girls who are signed up for that class take their poles first. Then you can use any available poles after that, but you may have to share with other make-up girls. Sharing poles is a great way to make new pole pals! And always check if the class is full first to avoid disappointment.

ENTERING CLASS
DO - Wait until the class before yours has officially ended before you enter the studio.

DON'T - Rush into class while it's still going on. You would't want someone stepping on you while you're concentrating in the last 10 seconds of your centre split, or standing in front of your phone while it's recording the final part of your routine right? Right!

RESERVING POLES
If you happen to be in the studio as class is ending and you want to use a particular pole:

DO - Flash a smile at the girl currently using it and ask nicely if she's staying for the next class.

DON'T - Plonk a shoe/water bottle/extra bra at her feet that she could trip over, especially if she's still dancing!

RECORDING ROUTINES
DO - Ask a friend to film you from a safe distance, or place your phone on selfie mode and lean it against the nearest wall or flat surface.

DON'T - Ask her to stand too close to your neighbour, or place your phone against the base of a pole or chair someone else is using, or someone else's water bottle. The studio bans all tall/professional tripods in classes and no filming of instructors please!

POSTING ROUTINES
DO - Check out apps like Video Crop that allow you to crop others out of your video. And keep your videos brief please! Video's must be capped at 60 seconds. The creative copyrights do belong to the studio, and it's always good to just post your best moments rather than a long sequence. 

DON'T - Post entire routines with other girls in it on your social media platforms. Nobody wants to be identified in the background of someone else's video by mutual friends/ colleagues, especially if it wasn't a good run for us or we had a wardrobe malfunction!


POLE PRACTICE
DO - Share the sound system fairly. Everyone should have their turn to play their song, and not just keep playing the same track on repeat. And keep the foldable chairs and crash mats back in Studio 1.

DON'T - Ask another student to teach you new moves. You risk injury from not being spotted safely, or from learning the wrong technique.

PERFORMANCE WEEK ETIQUETTE

• Do your actual performance using the same pole you used for rehearsal, to avoid last minute confusion!
• Performance priority goes to those who signed up for a class on that day itself. (Eg: If you’re signed up for Monday classes, you get performance priority during performance night on Monday)
• By all means film your rehearsal, but No filming once guests arrive! That way we can manage situations and protect everyone from being filmed by random people without your knowledge. 

GENERAL ETIQUETTE

• To respect that the studio is a shared environment
• Don't unplug someone else's phone while it's being charged. Especially if it's the teacher's phone during class!
• If you're not feeling well, stay at home and rest. Pole is a high contact activity, and germs can spread quickly in enclosed studios. Be safe!
• Treat others the way you would like to be treated: ask nicely, be friendly. Your fellow pole queens all want the same things as you do, might as well make some new friends along the way!

Did you know we have a Student Handbook? Click to find out more