Okay, so the first version of the choreo was done. I started in early October and submitted it on 7 November, so I guess the process took about a month, which I was quite proud of, considering I was doing two term classes up to mid-October, and four (!!) term classes from 17 October. Why did I sign up for four classes? Cos I rambang mata, that's why. It did help that I didn't spend practice time on three of those classes, I suppose.
Costume-wise, I was envisioning a beaded 1920s-style top with a kain wrapped around me slinkily to look like Jessica Rabbit's dress, and I just rip off the kain at the start of the piece. But when I tested it, my legs were fucking trapped by the kain, so I reduced the cloth size to just a scarf around my neck. I was looking for something to match my ASOS top, and realised that the gold headscarf my mom bought me earlier this year is the perfect colour, so in it went. It's just draped on my neck at the start, and I swish it a couple times, then I ball it up and throw it away, as if I'm disgusted by you, the lover I'm pursuing.
Anyway, okay, submitted. I was so afraid that I would immediately be rejected at the preliminary judging round, because I don't have any aerial tricks in my piece. But I generally felt better than I did in October, as it was a load off my shoulders regardless.
The judges' comments came back within the week and.. Colour me shocked - they didn't say "Hello please add more tricks into your piece!" Instead, they basically wanted me to milk my moves and interact with the audience a bit more by moving away from the pole. Okay, that was totally unexpected to me. My brain started frantically thinking of which bits I could cut out to make room for the whole "let go of the pole and flirt with the audience" thing. At the same time, I was also wondering, But it's a pole competition, how come I have to let go of the pole? Also also, Tania was like, Don't throw away the scarf, you should reincorporate it later in the routine. I was like, Crap, why did I pandai-pandai go and include a prop?
But then! I started watching the Invert Bend and Balance Symposium videos from 15 November, where many of the speakers basically echoed whatever the judges advised me. They shared that the key to a successful pole performance was not a bunch of powerful tricks but instead making the audience root for your character. And that if you have a prop, you need to be interacting with it for most of the time that the prop is on stage. Otherwise, the audience will be distracted by wondering what's gonna happen with the prop. I learned so much from the symposium, and I'm glad I took time out to watch the videos.
I was sad, though. I really liked this one Kira Noire archback-slide-to-shoulderpike move that I put in the piece, and I was loath to remove it. But ohwell, we want to win this competition, do we not? Take it out and put it in another future choreo lor.
So yeah, scrapped maybe 30-40 seconds of the piece and replaced it with me rolling to the front and glaring (jeling, in Malay) at the audience, strangling myself with the scarf, standing up sexily, whipping the imaginary lover with my scarf, etc. I did think it looked waaay better after the changes, and I submitted it to the judges in early December during the feedback clinic. They also thought it looked better, and started giving me technical notes this time. So yay I guess!
Since then, I haven't practised the routine as much as I'd like to - only five pole pracs (2-3 full runs per prac) based on my calendar. It's partly because I'm starting to get tired of the song, I'm afraid I will lose the emotional engagement if I overpractise, and all the practising is starting to feel artificial without an audience. I find that for class choreos, even though I have it down pat for in-class performances, the moment I get to showtime, I forget some shit or end up doing other nonsense moves. So.. haha I'm so scared I will do it for this!
Also the scariest part I think is the "standing up sexily" part. Ya I can stand up fine in a static practice, but in the momentum of the choreo, sometimes I lose my balance. And if I lose my balance, I lose my face. I haven't fallen down yet but oh my God is it my biggest fear for this piece.
I made a list of the elements which I might screw up and ended up with ten things! Ten! And me with no more private studio pracs until the competition!
Okay so. Whatever. I will try not to overthink this. If you're catching the competition, I hope you enjoy the performance and know that I tried my best to stay calm for you, the audience. Lol.