Underwater pole dancing

The shots range from looking ethereal to surreal – it all depends on the poses, moves, clothes, and objects you’ll take with you into the water. But it’s hard to be fully prepared for this near zero-gravity environment so try to be calm and relaxed, move slowly and leave some room for intuitive guiding.

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Underwater photography by Brett Stanley

As the images will tell you much more about this magical feeling then words can, here are some of Brett’s photos to inspire you.

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Behind the scenes videos

As I’m sure you’re keen to have this experience also for yourself (as I am), these videos talk about behind the scenes and you can get to know Brett and his work a little bit better. And don’t miss a chance to hear what Anastasia Skukhtorova tells about her underwater experience.

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How to book

So if you were thinking about getting out of your comfort zone and besides that – not to mention – having some incredible photos to remind you of your new magical experience, now’s your chance. Australian photographer Brett Stanley is regulary coming to Europe and maybe is still not too late to book the amazing photoshooting under the water with him. Click for all the details >>

Meet Brett Stanley:

Official web page

IG: @brettstanleyphotography

FB: /brettstanleyphotography

The post Underwater pole dance photography appeared first on BoomKats.com.

Teddy Lili

Rose Petal (we had the honor to name it!) 

Twisted Baby Snake

Teardrop Split (it’s not a Maddie sparkle creation)

Brass Mermaid

Killer Split (it hurts like hell, she says)

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The post Leslie Lili, Eye-popping pole dancer appeared first on BoomKats.com.

This is the third and last part of the interview with Marion.
Don’t miss the first two parts >> Marion Crampe Interview – Part 2

It’s quite popular among young Instagram pole dancers nowadays to be an ambassador. You yourself are Lupit Pole brand ambassador and before that Bad Kitty’s. But being an ambassador has some responsibilities. So what are your thoughts about that?

I have changed very much and gained a lot of experience since my early days. At the beginning it was a huge thing for us, pole dancers, to be recognized by bigger brands and to be a part of it. I’ll always be grateful for the confidence that those brands gave me.

Nowadays I’ve decided to be a part of Lupit pole brand because of many different reasons, main being the spirit of the brand.

A true athlete is working very hard to create content. And that also taught me my husband’s friends, who are professional cyclists. I spend hours to make one post on Instagram. Usually, it takes two to three hours depending on my idea, if I want to do something very clean or if it’s a freestyle… I put an effort to make something nice, I edit the video with the right music and so on.  It takes time so it’s not an option for me to make videos for a free sample. Most of the time it’s professional collaboration with the brand and it’s mutual.

I’m thirty-four years old and I’m not going to be able to bend my whole life so I have to take care of my future. I give value to my experience and to work I do. Many brands have put trust in me and it has been very successful for the ones that I had collaborated with.

I think being an ambassador is much more than the fact that you receive free clothes. I have enough clothes and if I need something I just buy it. So most of the thing you see in my videos is not the collaboration. So I’m not asking for the free product, I buy what I like and don’t wait for any presents.

Sometimes I receive proposals to increase more likes and followers on my Instagram profile but I prefer to have organic followers, people that I actually met. Maybe when you have a million followers then you change the game because you can get paid a lot of money to make a single post. But that doesn’t mean that you’re going to win a competition, it doesn’t mean that you’re a better artist… Some amazing artist they don’t even have an Instagram account!

What I’m saying now is just my own opinion. It’s not the only one and there are probably people that will not agree with what I’m saying and it’s completely fine, as long as there is a win-win situation for both sides.

I shop stuff on my own, but maybe some girls can not afford it. So being a brand ambassador is a way to get a nice clothing in return for some nice pictures and that’s it. I think there are a million situations like this, it’s just in my situation at the moment this is the way I see the things.  But sometimes I help people and collaborate… well, not collaborate but I participate.

I don’t follow absolutely only pole dancing on Instagram, I follow a lot of other artists. Last month, for instance, I ordered clothes at one specific artist. She’s a painter (and a pole dancer) and after sending me the sketch, she painted me a very beautiful, specific clothes. So I think this is a very nice way to give back to an art in another way.

Photo credit: @rhaul for Vertice

Pole on Olympics

It seems that pole dance will become an Olympic discipline. So are you like super excited or do you think pole dance will lose some of its charms… because a huge and important part of pole dancing is expressing yourself who you, and competitions can ruin this a bit. You once said that one should train because she or he feels happy and not to be the best…

Well, when you train for what you want, and if you want to be the best, that’s fine, as long as you know what you want. I think there is a space for everyone and no one is going to lose anything being at the Olympics. Pole dance is also evolving as a sport and this is a part of its journey. And it’s normal that some people like to train for competition because they want to show all the tricks they have dreamed doing. Some people want to pole dance because they just like to dance and some people do it for treating some disease, some people do it because it’s just the way they like to be, with heels on, with heels off… Whatever you like to do, boys and girls here is a space for everyone.

On strength and weakness

What do you think is the best way to find yourself and express that in your movements? That was one question from the pole community…

Mostly, with all those social media, we follow and look at each other a lot. So I think people are a bit conditioned and they unconsciously move the way another person moves. We are so inspired by each other that rarely is created something new. Many times the moves are just the reproduction of something that you saw somewhere, or somebody told you something and that inspired you.

It takes a long time to find your own self in movements and it takes maturity and experience. So yeah, spend less time on Instagram and more time with yourself and just go trying.

What’s your proudest moment away from the limelight?

I don’t know really, there so many… Let’s say that I’m proud of where I am today, now. I have accomplished all I have been through. I’m really pretty proud of where I am now… happy, healthy and loving and loved and also hated probably (laughs).

What would you say is your greatest strength and maybe your greatest weakness?

Hm, I think discipline is both … my strength and weakness. The discipline was difficult for me, it has been my weakness for a long time because I didn’t know how to balance it… I was too deep inside and I was missing the freedom in it. But today I understand how discipline should be and that’s why probably it became my strength and I’m really happy to conquer it.

And love! I believe in love, I have love, I’m receiving a lot of love and I also give a lot of love, so probably this is also my strength.

Purpose in life

As we discussed before, we both believe that everybody comes with a purpose in their life, so what’s yours?

I think my purpose is probably quite universal… to be happy with myself and then with others. To be the best version of myself and to be the best version of myself when I’m with people.

New Year has gone by. Do you have any New Year’s resolutions or you’re just taking the life as it goes?

The year 2017 has been amazing for me although there were hard times included. And this is the same ongoing thing that we humans experience. Just like planets are circling around, also the bad AND the good stuff is in front of us, every day, every month and every year. So actually, I don’t say many “Happy New Years”, because I firmly believe we should be happier in the “Now”.

Marion’s advice to you

Please, one more thought of wisdom or your advice before saying goodbye… What advice would you give to a (young) person about life?

Well, it’s something that I’m still learning, you know…

… that it’s okay to disagree with people, just communicate if you have something to say. If you disagree with things it’s fine – we cannot think the same way because we all come from different backgrounds, different culture. The things you might say can offend someone and make somebody else laugh because we all see things differently.

I think it’s important to stay the way you are and to believe that it’s okay. To be happy with yourself, even if you think you’re weird, because when you accept yourself I promise you, people will accept you. They won’t have any choice because it’s the way you are. And if they won’t like you then they won’t come into your life and that’s fine. There are a million other people who will appreciate you more!

I thank you, dear Marion, on behalf of myself and on behalf of all pole dancers for taking the time for us and thank you for all your wise thoughts.

If you are a part of the pole community, trust me, you’re in a beautiful one with the most amazing people. And if anyone wants to write me and to ask me some more questions I’m always willing to answer anyone. I’m taking the time for you because it’s also a part of my journey. Thank you so much, everyone… to all who come to my classes, who comment on my pictures, my videos and to everyone who shares pole dancing. Thank you so much!

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Like Marion’s pages if you didn’t already!

IG: marioncrampe

YT: CrampeMarion

FB: MarionCrampe.Poledancer

The post Marion Crampe interview – Part 3 appeared first on BoomKats.com.

This is the second third of the interview with Marion.
Don’t miss the first third >> Marion Crampe Interview – Part 1

You’ve almost become a contortionist! Many pole dancers, especially when seeing you, fell under the call of the sirens of flexibility and they get injured because we all know that pole isn’t so innocent and very kind to our bodies.

But compare to real contortionists I’m like “baby flexible”. There is lack of information about flexibility so people are seeking ways to get there too fast. It took me a long time to become flexible although my body type is meant more for bending than for being dynamic and strong. Which is completely okay. We’re all different – some people are meant for sprints and some for running marathons. Nowadays there are a lot of amazing teachers around the world that can help you with flexibility and there are even lots of quality online lessons. So I think there are ways to prevent injuries, but you must also listen to your body. Many people get injuries while stretching or bending, but not because they stretch too much but because they don’t move enough.

For instance, what I bring to my classes when I teach is one type of exercises. Maybe the next day you’ll go to somebody else and this teacher will might tell you just the opposite of what you heard me say. But that doesn’t mean that one of us is wrong, it just means that we come from different backgrounds and have different body types. So I always recommend “take only the advice that you think is good for You”, whether it comes from me or from some other teacher. I always take what I feel is right for me and that makes my body satisfied.

And what I’m posting on Instagram is absolutely not a complete presentation of what I am as an artist and how I am as a person. Sure, I post pictures of my achievements but it took me years and years. Plus, when you see me on Instagram – that’s not me in the morning, okay?  In the morning, when I wake up, my feet are far from my hands and I need to warm myself up. It takes time to wake my body up and as I’m not flexible by nature, I cannot do a “Rainbow Marchenko” when I come out of my bed. And even an hour after I need some more time! What people see is only one kind of reality. A lot of them make assumptions that this woman was born flexible. No, absolutely not – and I understand that when somebody comes to my class can be afraid of moves that need bending. But at my workshops, we don’t do deep crazy flexibility and you will bend only what your body allows you and that’s ok.

Photo credit: Katarzyna Milewska

Thank you for your thoughts, because in these days due to social media and our rush, everything that we see is perceived quite superficial.

Yes, it’s interesting! Many people that follow me on Instagram and then meet me in person, they’re telling me that they thought I’m different. But in reality, I’m very upfront, very rock’n’roll, I say a lot of bad words, I like to drink wine and I like to talk about everything and people are like “oh we didn’t expect that from you, we thought you were very like this and that”… but actually no, I’m supernatural, the same as I am in life with my husband.

On food and bullying

You are a role model to all pole dancers and one of the questions from pole community was also about your diet…

Hm, I really have no diet, I eat what I like and that’s it. I can’t give you any advice on that except listen to your body and eat what makes you feel happy and healthy. Definitely, I have some stuff that I don’t like – meat is one of the things, but it’s not about being vegetarian or vegan. It’s just that I don’t like it. Also, I’m not very into cakes and sweets. I prefer salty snacks like sushi or stuff like that. I eat healthy mostly because I like it, because it makes me feel happy. I like to eat tasty and quality food so when I’m traveling I try not to cut expenses of food.

What about proteins?

Oh, but there is not only meat! There are fish, eggs. I’m mostly pescetarian, but on the planet are so many different foods containing protein. But again, I eat what I like. Some friends of mine eat meat and some they don’t and they’re still super healthy. And it’s nice that we’re so different. Each body needs something else.

Did you ever have some problems due to your “gentle” body construction?

Yesterday we had a conversation about skinny bodies or better, about people who are perceived as skinny. Many girls are suffering from being too skinny their whole life and being bullied and accused of anorexia. I get many thank you emails from the girls who saw my videos as I’m kind of proof that “petite” girls also can get strong and that the pole dance is not an obstacle for them. I think there are a lot of girls and boys that are stigmatized as being too skinny and they have a trouble of gaining weight. The reality is that some people would love to be curvier and some to be skinnier. The most important thing is that you accept your body and try to run a healthy and happy life.

But people can be very insulting and bullying on the social media can be very easy. If something this happens to me I take the time to answer those people, not to be aggressive just to understand why they act like this. There was a girl who said to me that “You look like you’ve just come out of Auswitch”. I was like super shocked! We had a conversation and it came out that she has a lot of struggles with herself and now we are actually spending quite some time talking and I’m in a good relationship with her. So I understood her deep aggression.

But not all people will react the same way I did. Some might get very hurt. So it’s important to understand that we are all very different and that the beauty lies in the differences. And that’s the beauty of pole dance… because I think it’s one of the few communities that you’re accepted as you are, no matter what shape of body you have. And  I am completely sure that those kind of comments that we get are not from people from the community, I know that.

Usually, those people are not satisfied with themselves nor with their lives and that’s their reaction…

Yes, for sure, but I don’t care, I just want to say to the girls and the boys having this kind of struggle that “Don’t give a fuck”, you know. If your opinion is not nice, then you should put your opinion in a paper, put it inside yourself and leave it there. So don’t go around saying bad things. I don’t care about your opinion if it’s not constructive.

– End of Part 2 –

You want to know what are her thoughts on being an influencer? Then stay tuned for the third and last part! Coming up next week!

The post Marion Crampe interview – Part 2 appeared first on BoomKats.com.

When I see her dance, I don’t see her pole tricks or pole moves, all I see is an artistic and etheric flow. And maybe this is the best compliment I can give to her… a pole is just the media she uses to create magic.

So I’m on the mission to discover her magic and to see if somehow in a way I can catch her magic myself.

And for that, it’s no surprise that Marion Crampe – one of the most known pole stars – is called also a »Pole fairy«.

I’ve prepared myself a little bit different this time for the interview. I asked pole community »What would you ask her if you had a chance«, so here are some questions and answers I’m sure can relate to.

So dear Marion thank you so much for accepting my invitation to this interview here on Boomkats and I really can say that I’m privileged and honored to learn from the greatest.

Thank you so much.

So when I talked with the pole community, it seems that everybody that knows you in person seemed to be equally enchanted by your personality as well as by your pole performance. Even more, I would say that to them mattered that you are a nice and a sweet person more than anything. So do you have anything to say about that?

Well, first of all, thank you so much, everybody! I really appreciate this and I’m glad that this is coming out as a general opinion. Actually, I think that at the end of the day it’s probably even more important to me, to be seen like this, as a human being and not only for what I’m creating on the pole. We can create so many amazing things on this planet but I believe that how we humans are is probably the most important. So if I’m perceived in this way I’m sure it’s also because I received the same energy in return from all those people amazing people.

Photo credit: HDKN production

About her Pole Fairy Magic

True! All the pole community is really soooo supportive. And some girls even had no question for you! They just said “all I want to do is just see her dance next to me”, and I thought “OMG,  this has to be the best compliment a girl could get”. So what do you think, where does this magic of yours come from?

I myself believe in magic, in energy and many other things that probably are not seen with a human eye. Since I was a little girl I felt very different, always thinking out of the box. I had absolutely no friends and I suffered because of the bullying. People around me didn’t understand me so I was always the one left on the side. I was just to weird for them.

And when growing up and evolving as a human being I started to acknowledge that, yes, I am different and that’s okay. I started to accept and understand how to use this difference in the right way first for myself and then for the others and towards the others. I’m still very different from most of the people but now it’s much easier to deal with it for me.

Thank you for sharing this intimate story with us. Well, in my opinion, magic also happens when you align your body and thoughts. They become one, when you’re in the “now” moment, when you become one with the universe… “the zone”, call it sportiest. I know “you’ve been there” so you know what I’m talking about… Is meditation something you would advise to a pole dancer and why?

Well, I would advise meditation to any human on the planet. I do meditate quite some time now, but not until recently I started to meditate in a constant way. So for two years, I meditate every single day and I have to say that this practice really has a massive influence and evolution of my own self. It was just yesterday… I was in a company of the professional cyclist when we started to talk about meditation and his thoughts were that he’s not a “person for mediation” and that he can not stop thinking while meditating. Well, you don’t need to be a special person to meditate. And meditation doesn’t mean you should stop thinking because you can’t, because you’re human. Meditation is just creating space between you and your thoughts for a little moment and that’s why I recommend it so much.

There are a lot of amazing applications for your mobile phone, use them for good. There are apps that will guide you through the meditation process and help you to understand what exactly is meditation. Meditation is something very important, especially nowadays than ever before, when we are always so busy, running around… Many people told me that they don’t have the time for that and this is simply not true. I think we all make choices based on our priorities and on what’s important to us in our lives.

One master said once that you must meditate an hour per day but if you don’t have time then you must meditate two hours per day.

(laughs) Yeah, exactly! But don’t let that stop you. Even five minutes can be good, there’s nothing wrong in that. Even if you are conscious during one inhale and exhale, you’re already meditating. So why not? I have friends that meditate for much more than two hours and some people start with ten minutes. I started with ten minutes two years ago and now I can do forty-five to one hour and I’m fine. I feel comfortable and it’s a time well spend because benefits of meditation are really incredible and I evolve every single day. It’s amazing!

Pole dance is a very intense sport and listening to your body is quite crucial. Is this possible if one does not meditate, any advice on that?

Yes, sure! There are a lot of people that are super healthy, doing amazing things and keep going in their lives and they never ever meditate. We’re all very unique and I believe that you have to adopt what is the best for you. Something that works for me doesn’t necessarily work for the person next to me. And I think definitely you can listen to your body and be healthy and be amazing even if you don’t meditate.

What about mental conditioning? It’s half of the success, I would say.

Well, I’m visiting a lot of pole studios and I think there’s more and more talk about the mental side of pole training.

I think we’re a generation – I have in mind generation between twenty-five and fifty, sixty years old – that is going back to the basic. We as a human beings came very far but we lost control over everything – what we’re doing to the planet, killing each other, all those terrorist attacks…  I feel that more and more people want to go back to the roots. Humanity is the solution and is becoming more and more powerful every day. And when I’m visiting pole dance studios I can clearly see these changes.

There is much more power in our minds than it is in our bodies. So regarding the mental conditioning, it depends who runs the studio and what is her/his motivation. Actually, the most important is not what tricks you’re doing, but with who and what you share that with. Pole dancing is an excuse to connect, to get together and to get stronger together.

It’s true, it much depends on the owner of the studio, the atmosphere, and the energy.

Definitely.

Photo credit: @rhaul

About Perfection and Mastering the tricks

You said once that you are a perfectionist and control freak and I know exactly what you’re talking about (laughs). So how to overcome this obstacle and feel the beauty and feel good about yourself regardless of the underachievement or whatever that might be?

Yes, I might have said that two years ago. I was definitely younger and probably less mature. So today I would put some water on what I said with who I am today. I think I’m still… I wouldn’t say control freak anymore, but I’m still a perfectionist because it’s something interesting in seeking for perfection that you can absolutely never really reach. I like seeking perfection because it gets me to challenge myself.  And being a control freak… well, I would rather call it more a discipline. A very famous ballet dancer said once that discipline is the base of freedom and not the opposite, and I can completely relate to that.

My discipline is the door to my freedom. When I’ve done all I had to do, I’m free for the rest of the day and I have many hours left to do whatever I like to do.

Nobody can do all and every pole trick in the world… or am I wrong and we just don’t work hard enough like you? Is there anything you can’t do?

There are a lot of things I can’t do! There are many moves that I don’t do and I’m okay with that because I can do many other stuff.

I don’t think people can’t do something because they don’t work hard enough. I think people in the pole industry work really hard, almost like crazy. They really love if they have the power to conquer a new move, but trust me, it’s still very fine if you can not do everything.

I like to challenge myself trying new things but there is some stuff that I don’t do. Also because I’m not twenty years anymore. Of course, I’m not old … I’m thirty-four now but if I know that some movement can injure my body I won’t keep pushing and try to nail it just so I can post a picture on Instagram – not really. So sometimes when I can not get into certain move or trick, I try to do it my way and it becomes a new variation of the move, something that fits my style much more, fits my body and yeah, my health.

But I think this is totally fine because otherwise, it would be so boring if we all would do the same things.

Photo credit: @michelle_photographydubai

Her Pole Journey

What was the hardest part of your pole dance journey?

I don’t have it.

Really?

Pole dancing has changed my life in a magical way! I’m still so passionate, so happy and so proud to be a pole dancer.

And if you could go back to the beginning of your pole journey and give yourself any advice, what would you say to yourself, to your younger self?

I would say, “do the same”.

Ahh, the perfect answer!

Yeah, because… you know… the good and the bad things made me where I am today and I’m very happy and grateful for that. So I would do the same.

You also have a coaching degree as a sports educator for disabled people. I’m impressed because this somehow proves, again, who you truly are… that you want to support and help others less fortunate. So beautiful.

I think we all have a mission. For some people, it’s programming websites, for some people to create clothes and for some to help others. Through my spiritual path and past life regressions (I’m very into stuff like these) I discovered that my mission in this lifetime is helping people. And that probably explains my qualification. True, I have quite a lot of people, very good friends around me with a handicap, but I’ve always seen those people exactly the same way as anyone else. But I don’t think this was the main reason for this specific qualification that I got. Being “disabled” doesn’t only mean the physical disability, being an invalid. It can be also any physical healthy state but with a disability that comes with age (getting older), a special condition (being pregnant) and so on. So the coaching degree gave me the knowledge and understanding of this kind of conditions.

It is true that at a young age you weren’t strong or flexible enough?

Definitely! I have this funny story to tell… the other day my mom said to my friend (who is also an amazing dancer)… she said to her: “You know that Marion wanted to dance as a little, but she was really bad?”

Oh, no… I can hardly believe that!

I was a little girl who was much better at something else, but I always wanted to be a dancer. And I think the fact that I wanted to be a dancer and as I was a firm believer in what I want to do since very young age, made me work for it. So I worked really hard and I’m still working very hard to have this dream.

– End of Part 1 –

You want to know what are her thoughts about bendy shapes, food, and bullying? Then stay tuned for the second part! Coming up next week!

The post Marion Crampe interview – Part 1 appeared first on BoomKats.com.