Pole Fiend

Writer, nerd, and pole dance/aerialist extraordinaire in training. I love to spin! Pole. Aerial. Contortion. Movement. Age 23. Living and training in Colorado. 2015 graduate of the Frequent Flyers pro-track program. CS student at CU Boulder. Instructor at Vertical Fusion. Started poling from the ground up in late March 2012. No previous dance/gymnastic experience. Or any physical activity, actually. This is me derpin' around, for the most part, but also living the dream. Enjoy!

[polefiend]

[polefiend]

Check it!! There WILL be a livestream so I'll see you in August! #Repost @poletheatreusa with @repostapp ・・・ We are pretty sure our next featured competitor is the first to ever turn a pole performance into a university funded research project, and we can't wait to see what Meri Burgess brings to the stage in Semi-Pro Pole Art! Meredith Burgess is local to Boulder, Colorado, a 2015 graduate of Frequent Flyers professional training program for performance in aerial dance, a computer science student at the University of Colorado, an instructor at Vertical Fusion, and, most of all, thrilled to partake in Pole Theatre USA for the second year in a row. Her performance, "Graphic Impulse," will be the final part of a summer long individual research project funded by the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program at CU and advised by Dr. Dan Szafir in the Interactive Robotics and Novel Technologies Lab within the Atlas Institute at CU. The project will be an interdisciplinary experiment with live performance of a mixed dance style that parallels the technology and art dichotomy taking place on stage. If you want to see Meri competing at the Boulder Theater, RSVP to our Facebook event for Pole Theatre USA 2016, then buy your tickets online at http://www.bouldertheater.com/event/poletheatreusa-8-19

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@thenadia33 broke this flare down like a total boss today. Loving #milehighpolecamp!!! #poledance #poleboss (at Vertical Fusion)

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Morning shenanigans at #milehighpolecamp ...I forgot how awesome it is to train in classes all day long. I'm gonna be so sore by the end of the week! #acrodance #spinpole #flowmovement (at Vertical Fusion)

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Vintage look, vintage theater. Every time I'm doing stuff on the cube I find cool new poses. Backstage at a circus photo shoot :D Excited to see the pro version of this one. #contortion #cube #circus #contortioncube #contortionist #backbend #cirque #vintage #retro #victorian #showgirl #contorted #phantomcircus

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Aaahm back! I've got a million performances to work on...3 group fire dance at Denver Pridefest next week, 3 solos and 2 group acts with the Phantom Circus in mid-July, and Pole Theatre USA in August of course...but all my heart wants to do is derp around half on the pole half on the floor with my socks on. What's a girl to do? #pole #freestyle #fyf #findingyourfreestyle #poleflow #poledance (at Vertical Fusion)

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Vacation is going well #vacation #burgation2016 #feeltheburge #lakemartin #pbr #unicorn #poolside #bama (at Lake Martin)

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Relaxing on vacation #poolside #lakemartin #feeltheburge #burgation2016 #partnerexercise #bonding (at Lake Martin)

[polefiend]

Vacation has begun #theartistformerlyknownaskanye #burgation2016 #feeltheburge #makethelakegreatagain #lakemurray (at Lake Martin)

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I think I've decided I'm going to experiment with my choreographic process this go-around. Rather than devising moves and combos I am familiar with and then puzzle piecing them together, I want to try a more organic approach of deciding what kind of movement I want to portray and problem solving how to do that. Especially since I am trying to incorporate a very technical form of dance in a different orientation...here is a tidbit of my exploration from tonight. Trying to make a 6-step happen vertically. The first attempt was practiced, the second kind of just happened #realpole #poledance #poletheatreusa #poleplay #poleexperimentation #polefitness #polechoreography #translation #unitedbypole (at Vertical Fusion)

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I can't remember the last time my practice felt so playful and fun. This song feels like an internal anthem for me. It makes me want to move! It makes me want to play! First 3/4 of this combo is a variation of the mixed levels class I taught yesterday. Join me Tuesday night for similar things :) #pole #poledance #badkitty #poleflow #polecombo #playful #polefitness #glassanimals

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A few of my favorite photos from last weekend’s performance at the Colorado Pole Championships 2016. All taken by Nina Reed Photography. 

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Here it is, my COPC 2016 routine. This thing was my baby for the past few months. I’m honored to have taken 3rd for the 3rd time in a row, the skill level of the competition this year was the real deal. 

Two things:

1. No, I do not intend to take any commissions for light up costumes. But yes, I do intend to write a blog post tutorial about it so you too can have a super sweet light up leotard. 

2. I did 50 run throughs of this routine. 50! Committing it so much to muscle memory was extremely beneficial for me and gave me the opportunity to focus a little more on the character performance all the way through. And yet, all that practice and still sometimes your body goes rogue and your feet have a mind of their own. Goddammit. Also 50 run throughs on one side does not a balanced body make. I am paying for it a little bit right now. 

I have many other thoughts, but I think I will save those for later. Enjoy! 

[polefiend]

I suppose if nothing else I am consistent! I am now 3 for 3 for 3 in the Colorado Pole Championships...I thought Blitz could model my medals for me as I am too busy stuffing my face with pancakes. 😝 But seriously, I am amazed that I placed at all, there was so much talent on stage last night, it was crazy. Every year the show gets bigger and better thanks to @ninapoles and I am super grateful to be a part of it. Glad to know I'm keeping up with the development of talent every year lol. Already scheming again for the next one. #COPC2016 #3for3 #3isamagicnumber #bronzedbeauty #cat #catchampion #catsofinstagram #catstagram #caturday

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It's my third year taking a selfie in front of this marquee! Time passes insanely fast it seems. Trying to smile like not an insane person is hard when you are so nerv-cited! But the energy tonight is good, I can feel it! #COPC2016 #bouldertheater #boulder #polelife #boulderlife #performancetraditions (at Boulder Theater)

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Warm up freestyle from last night. Sometimes that first dance sets your mood for the whole evening. This one made me really happy. I'd never heard this song before, just the first 20 seconds to decide it might be fun to dance to...and I really really enjoyed myself, sliding around in my gross old sweatpants, feeling somewhat tribal and ritual dancing to the drums. Although I'm really excited for next week when I can give myself time to work on more difficult aerial combos :) #pole #freestyle #freedance #warmup #fyf #findingyourfreestyle #slide (at Vertical Fusion)

[polefiend]

Hey ya'll (you can think of this photo as me smiling and waving hello haha)...Colorado Pole Championships is this Saturday. Ticket sales are up, so if you are local and want to see the show buy them ASAP (they also go up $5 the day of the show!!) If you aren't local, there is a free livestream! Check it out at http://livestream.com/ninareed/copc2016 at 8pm MST. I go on later in the night (~10:30 MST) so make sure you drink your coffee 😊 Photo by the one and only @ninareedphoto #pole #poledance #COPC2016 #boulder #colorado #boco #ohhellothere #cubuffs #cu #cuboulder #beboulder #bouldertheater #boulderevents