Ever thought about competing at PSO? Our honest opinion: You should absolutely consider it. Not because of medals or rankings, but because preparing for a competition can completely change the way you train, move and experience pole.
Having a goal, such as a performance or competition, gives your training direction. You suddenly train differently, more focused, more consciously, more creatively. You start thinking about musicality, transitions, expression, storytelling and details you might otherwise never work on.
This year, PSO Switzerland will take place on October 31 and November 1 — Halloween weekend, which honestly makes it even better 🎃 And we would love to see some Gravity Arts students on that stage!
Why participate in a competition?
Competitions are not only about ranking, medals or comparing yourself to others. For many people, preparing for a competition becomes a very personal journey:
- It gives your training a focus.
- It challenges you in new ways.
- It pushes you to be creative.
- It makes you work on details, musicality, expression and storytelling.
- And most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to step on stage and share what you love.
Standing on a stage, under the lights, performing something you worked on for months, is a very special experience. There is a moment before the music starts where everything becomes quiet, and then suddenly it’s just you, the music and the pole.
And when you walk off stage afterwards, there is this feeling of relief, pride, adrenaline and happiness all at once. It’s hard to describe, but everyone who has done it knows that feeling.
You are not alone – we’ll support you
If you decide to participate in PSO Switzerland, you will not be alone in this process. We want to support our students as best as we can during their competition preparation.
We will therefore organise several things for all Gravity Arts students who plan to participate:
- PSO Q&A Session on May 21: We offer a Q&A to explain the rules, levels, categories, sign-up procedure, and answer all your questions about PSO. Sign up here.
- WhatsApp Group: We will create a WhatsApp group for all Gravity Arts participants. This group will be a space to share information and reminders, organise joint training sessions, ask questions, share music ideas, costumes, struggles and progress and support and motivate each other. Because preparing for a competition is much nicer when you are not doing it alone.
- Performance Training Slots: We organise multiple training slots where participants can work on their routine and perform it in front of others. At least one instructor will be present as well to give feedback, tips and help with details. These sessions are free of charge and extremely helpful to get used to performing in front of people before the actual competition. Find them here.
In addition to group training, some students also decide to book one or a few private lessons during their competition preparation. Private lessons can be very helpful if you want to work on specific elements of your choreography, clean transitions, improve technique, work on expression, or simply get focused feedback and full attention for a moment. This is of course optional, but it can be a very useful tool during the preparation phase.
If you want to know more about our privates, have a look here.
More than a competition
Preparing for a competition is not only about the day of the competition. It is about the months before.
It is about choosing a song, creating a choreography, repeating it a hundred times, changing parts, trying again, getting frustrated, improving, finding your style, working on details, learning to perform, learning to deal with nerves, and slowly seeing something come together.
It is a creative process, a physical challenge and a mental journey at the same time.
Many people who participate once say afterwards that they didn’t do it for the medal. They did it for the experience, the process, the stage, the people they met, and the feeling of doing something that scared them a little.
Maybe this is your year
If you have ever thought about performing, competing, or creating your own choreography, maybe this is your sign to think about it again.
And remember: You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t need the hardest tricks. You don’t need years of experience.
What you need is: a song you love, a choreography that feels like you, and the courage to step on stage. And we will be there to support you along the way.
If you are interested in participating in PSO Switzerland, talk to your instructors or send us a message. We will share more information about the Q&A session and the next steps soon.
Maybe we will see you on stage this Halloween 🎃
