Joanna Littlewood-Johnson is winner of Australian Pole Championships 2013. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitness
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You had professional dance background by studying at your’s mother’s ballet school and later began Core Pilates in 2003, this was your catalyst that you reached the pinnacle of success in pole dancing where you stood 1st at Australian Pole Championships 2013. What factors you consider were responsible that made you achieve that?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
I definitely think my dance and performance background are an advantage, even though I had a long break between retiring as a dancer and didn’t start pole classes until I was nearly 40. Pilates helped keep my body and my core strong and once I started (and fell in love with) pole dancing and being back up on the stage I couldn’t stop!
I always challenge myself to improve and better my last show, both in my level of skill and my performance and I put a lot of time into preparing everything from the music to helping design my costume, doing my own choreography, training myself and then tying that altogether on the night. It all paid off and I was honoured to have won the Australian Pole Championships last year.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You studied and got Diploma in Dance from WA Academy of Performing Arts. You had high quality Pilates training with Pilates International & the Australian Pilates Method Alliance. You also posses an APMA Level 3 Professional Pilates Practitioner. With this knowledge and experience you innovated your own mesmerizing style of pole dancing. Elaborate on this concept ?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
Between my dance and Pilates training I am constantly discovering how amazing and interesting the human body is. I have the privilege of teaching people both Pilates and pole and to be able to see the difference small adjustments or muscle and body awareness can make is very exciting for me.
Ballet and Pilates both teach extension to elongate the body and create decompression and beautiful lines. I take that knowledge and body awareness into my own pole dancing to give me strength and length with lift and lightness. I also love to put lots of moves together to create flowing movement on and off the pole.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your first win in competitive pole dancing came in 2010 when you were 2nd runner up at Miss Pole Dance Western Australia. What was that experience and how it fueled you with passion to succeed in pole dancing?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
That was totally unexpected as I’d been attending lessons for less than 6 months and it was a last minute decision to enter the competition. It was my first time back on stage in about 8 years and I loved being back up there and knew I wanted to do more! The following year I planned ahead, had my music picked way ahead of time to enter the same competition and won the title of Miss Pole Dance Western Australia.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Being a mother of two active boys what challenges you face in practicing and winning at competitive pole dancing ?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
Time is my biggest challenge. Between running my studio and teaching 6 mornings and 4 evenings a week, I’m kept busy running my boys around. They are at 2 different schools so school drops offs and picks take 45-60 minutes twice a day, on top of gymnastics twice a week and swimming and piano lessons.
I usually have a couple of hours to train before picking them up on a school day and I also have a pole at home, although it doesn’t get as much use now I have my own studio.
Travelling is also a challenge especially when I am away during the week, like when I went to Singapore for the International Pole Championships and for Australia’s Got Talent when I was away 3 times in 3 weeks.
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