3 Science-Backed Tips for Better Pole Freestyle

Dr. Rosy Boa shares a previously unavailable talk outlining three research-based areas to help pole freestyling feel easier and more natural: a mastery mindset, moving to music, and reducing self-consciousness. Drawing on improvisation research (largely from jazz and musical improvisation), she explains that improvisation relies on generating and selecting familiar movement options, so dancers are more likely to access skills they can execute successfully about 90% of the time; mastery approaches are also linked to less perfectionism and better body appreciation. She then summarizes entrainment research showing dance training improves rhythmic synchronization, and that music with strong, predictable beats, some complexity, familiarity, and slower tempo is easier to move to, while metrically complex or unfamiliar music is harder. Finally, she notes that watching oneself (mirrors, filming, self-view on Zoom) increases self-consciousness and can worsen body image, so for flow she recommends avoiding visual self-monitoring and reflecting via journaling and feedback.

Are you a pole nerd interested in trying out online pole classes with Slink Through Strength? We’d love to have you! Use the code “podcast” for 10% off the Intro Pack and try out all of our unique online pole classes: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/catalog/25a67bd1/?productId=1828315&clearCart=true

Join my newsletter: https://slinkthroughstrength.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9abf68e29e749e7ee06f01364&id=3d02188de5

Try a free sample class: https://mailchi.mp/slinkthroughstrength.com/free-pole-flow-class

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome and Episode Setup

01:28 What You’ll Learn Today

03:18 Mastery Mindset for Freestyle

07:14 Moving to Music Entrainment

12:20 Pick Music That Helps Flow

13:21 Ditch Mirrors to Lose Self Focus

15:11 Three Tips and Wrap Up

15:55 Thanks and How to Connect

Citations

• Levin, R. (2009). Improvising Mozart. Musical improvisation: Art, education, and society, 143-149.

• Bloom, Benjamin S. (March 1968). "Learning for Mastery" (PDF). UCLA - CSEIP - Evaluation Comment. Vol. 1.

• Andrzejewski, C. E., Wilson, A. M., & Henry, D. J. (2013). Considering motivation, goals, and mastery orientation in dance technique. Research in Dance Education, 14(2), 162-175.

• Cary, G. (2023). Dancing like Everyone’s Watching: The Impact of Competition-Contingent Self-Worth and Belonging on Dancers’ Mental Well-Being (Doctoral dissertation).

• Brown, S., Martinez, M. J., & Parsons, L. M. (2006). The neural basis of human dance. Cerebral cortex, 16(8), 1157-1167.

• Washburn, A., DeMarco, M., de Vries, S., Ariyabuddhiphongs, K., Schmidt, R. C., Richardson, M. J., & Riley, M. A. (2014). Dancers entrain more effectively than non-dancers to another actor’s movements. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 8, 800.

• Madison, G., Gouyon, F., Ullén, F., & Hörnström, K. (2011). Modeling the tendency for music to induce movement in humans: first correlations with low-level audio descriptors across music genres.

• Weineck, K., Wen, O. X., & Henry, M. J. (2022). Neural synchronization is strongest to the spectral flux of slow music and depends on familiarity and beat salience. Elife, 11, e75515.

• Nakamura J, Csikszentmihályi M (20 December 2001). "Flow Theory and Research". In Snyder CR, Lopez SJ (eds.). Handbook of Positive Psychology. Oxford University Press. pp. 195–206. ISBN 978-0-19-803094-2. Retrieved 20 November 2013.

• Radell, S. A., Mandradjieff, M. P., Adame, D. D., & Cole, S. P. (2020). Impact of mirrors on body image of beginning modern and ballet students. Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 24(3), 126-134.