The Review

Warm Up

The warm up on this DVD does not include a brief aerobic exercise routine prior to stretching, although Tracey DOES explain that it is important to do this beforehand.  Tracey starts her warm up with pre-pole stretches, and shows you have to execute them properly.  Her instruction is very clear, her demonstrations are very clean, systematic and sensible.  Tracey starts at the top and works down to the bottom of the body, explains how to stretch each muscle, showing you a front and side view of each stretch so the viewer can correct your posture accordingly.  Could probably do with a couple more leg stretches at the start as a hip flexor, calf stretch and soleus stretch for example are missing.  The warm up is thankfully not too long – it’s difficult to get this right as instructors generally want to include as much warm up material as possible for safety sake, and also to mobilise the muscles fully – but sometimes this can seem to take forever for a beginner and most people are too tempted to just fast forward to the pole bit!  But I do feel that maybe there should have been a brief aerobic exercise routine beforehand and a few more leg stretches.
Poses

Beginner DVD

This DVD includes some poses, which is useful for beginners as it gives them a starting point for routines and is a non strenuous way to get used to ‘working with’ the pole.  Kat (a second instructor on this DVD) demonstrates four powerful poses for the viewer to try.
Transitions

In this DVD Tracey also demonstrates transitional moves, this is an area easily forgotton about on a lot of DVD’s as it’s mostly regarded as common sense, but to be honest, when you first start out in ANY sport or new hobby, you just don’t have any common sense!  it takes time to build up that kind of learning but fortunately Tracey and Kat give you some basic moves to set the ball rolling.  Also, there are many ‘basic pole dance transitional moves’ that DO NOT come naturally to a lot of people.  The body wave for example, if you’re naturally snake hipped and watch a lot of R&B music videos, this might be pimps for you, but for anyone else sexy moves like bodywaves and hip circles takes practise! and it helps to have some actual tuition on HOW TO move yourself in a certain way.
Floorwork

Hooray for floorwork!  So many DVD’s forget about floorwork altogether!  As a basic rule – beginners start low on the pole, then as they get better the higher up they get.  So floorwork, poses and transitional moves are equally as important to learn at this stage as tricks on the pole in my opinion, otherwise people get into the thinking that pole dancing is all about what you can do on a pole, when really it is SO much more then that!  The best pole dancers and pole performances feature routines that use the whole of your dance space…INCLUDING the floor so of course you need to learn how to do it!

In this DVD Kat demonstrates some basic floor moves, they are relatively simple, pretty, and teach the viewer how to get used to cavorting a bit….WITH STYLE!  Tracey then follows her to demonstrate some more exciting floor moves.
Spins & Pole Tricks

Beginner DVD

This DVD includes the First Spin (Fireman), the Forward Hook Turn (Closed Front Hook), the Backward Hook Turn (Back Hook), the Ballet Turn (Attitude/Sun wheel), the Fairground (Carousel), the Sitting Turn (Chair/Seated Lady), the Reversed Ballet Turn (Backwards Attitude/Backwards Sun wheel), the Spin Up (which is like a fireman from the floor), the Tuck (position is like the Cradle), the Strong Hold (like the Jump & Slide), the Pole Sit, the Pole Cartwheel (Fan Legs), the Shoulder Mount Backslide, Climbing the pole, Basic Invert.

Intermediate DVD

The Backwards Hook Turn (the Back Hook) , the Tuck Spin (the Cradle/Orbit), the Wide Leg Spin (Boomerang), the Reverse Grab Attitude (Back Hand Grab), Climbing the Pole, Basic Invert & Dismount, the Crucifix, the Serpent Dismount (or chest dive she calls it), the Thigh Hold (the Tammy), Upside Down Leg Hooks 1 & 2 (Gemini & Scorpio), the Caterpillar, the Butterfly, the Crossed Leg Release, Straight Leg Release, the Archery Position (the Bow & Arrow), the V-Leg Wrist Seat, the Arm Hold (the Teddy), the Ipcia (the Iguana), the Shoulder Mount.

Advanced DVD

The Switch Up (changing direction mid-pole from inverted crucifix to upright crucifix), the Knee Grip (2 Knees), the Reverse Climb (Caterpillar Climb), the Straight Edge, the Aysha (shown as a variation of the Straight Edge), the Supergirl (Superman), the Spider Girl (Pole V), the Hanging Splits (the Jade), Straight Edge Dismount, the Monkey Pose Dismount, the Handspring (including leg variations, jacknife etc), Handspring from up high, the Flag Pole, the Rocket (Rocketman), Lowering the Ipcia, the Matrix (Twisted handspring), the Chinese Flag (including leg variations).
Combo’s

Advanced DVD Only

In the Advanced DVD, Tracey and Kat also teach the viewer some pole combo’s – combining several tricks at once and demonstrating how they flow into each other.  This again is unique to this series of DVD’s as usually tricks are demonstrated one at a time.  This is definitely for the more serious poller or instructor and should not really be attempted by students.

Combo’s  include

The Spider Girl with turn & Knee Grip, Reverse Climb & Straight Edge combo, The Straight Edge & Supergirl, Helicopter to Straight Edge, the Arm Hold with Leg Variations, Shoulder Mount Combo’s, the Monkey Pose & Sitting Up, the Monkey Pose & the Straight Edge, the Monkey Pose & the Archery Position, the Supergirl & Shoulder Mount, the Supergirl & Arm Hold, the Supergirl & Hanging Splits, Handspring into Leg Switch, the Rocket & Leg Release, the Rocket & Flag Pole, the Ipcia with V-Leg Wrist Seat & Sitting Up, the Chinese Flag from the Caterpillar, the Chinese Flag & Return.
Cool Down

Again the post-pole stretches sensibly start from top to bottom.  Clear descriptions, clean demonstrations, generally an all round good cool down.