Pole Community

Glossary

100 pole and aerial terms, defined plainly. The first sentence of every entry is the definition; the rest is the context a beginner actually needs. Journal posts link their jargon here.

If you have not taken a class yet, where to start with pole runs through the questions in order.

Active flexibility
Active flexibility is the range of motion you can reach and hold using your own muscles, with no hands, straps, or momentum helping. A leg raised and held is active; the same leg pulled higher by your hand is passive. Aerial shapes run on active range, which is why flexibility training for pole pairs strengthening with stretching rather than stretching alone.
Aerial arts
Aerial arts are movement disciplines performed on equipment that suspends the body above the floor, including silks, lyra, hammock, trapeze, and pole. Many studios teach several of them side by side, and strength and body awareness transfer between apparatuses. In this directory, a studio tagged with an aerial discipline teaches at least one apparatus beyond, or instead of, the pole itself.
Aerial hammock
An aerial hammock is a single loop of soft fabric suspended from the ceiling, also called a sling, used for wraps, supported inversions, and flowing shapes. It uses the same fabric as silks but is easier to start on, because the loop carries part of your body weight. Many studios treat it as the gentler entry point into aerial work.
Aerial invert
An aerial invert is an invert started from the air, after climbing, rather than from standing on the floor. It is one of the clearest dividing lines in pole levels: at the Pole Sport Organization, a Level 2 dancer can invert from the ground but not yet from the air, and aerial inverts are first allowed at Level 3. The level description asks for consistent, clean ones, not a single attempt. When can you invert on pole?
Aerial silks
Aerial silks are two long lengths of fabric hung from a ceiling point, used for climbing, wrapping, and controlled poses in the air. Silks reward grip endurance and body awareness, and beginner classes stay low to the ground while the basic wraps are learned. The fabric is soft but the discipline is not gentle; expect friction on skin in the first weeks, much like pole. Silks or pole: how the two compare
Aerial yoga
Aerial yoga is a yoga practice done in and around a fabric hammock, which supports poses, stretches, and gentle inversions. It borrows its apparatus from aerial hammock work but keeps the pace and intent of a yoga class. Studios that list it usually welcome complete beginners, since the hammock assists the body rather than demanding strength from it.
Air walk
An air walk is a pole move in which the body is held side-on off the pole by the hands in a bracket grip, with the legs making walking strides in the air, as PoleFreaks describes it. PoleMovebook also calls it a Fairy Walk. Studio Off Duty teaches it in Pole 2, its third tier, and Spiral Space Studio in its Level 3, so it is not a first-class move in either.
Allegra
An Allegra is an aerial pole split held with the back arched and the chest turned open. In the closed version the outside arm reaches behind the pole to hold the foot; in the open version that arm is free. The Pole Physio rates it a high intermediate to advanced move that asks for considerable strength and flexibility together.
Apparatus
An apparatus is the piece of equipment an aerial discipline is performed on, such as a pole, silks, a lyra, a hammock, or a trapeze. Classes are usually organized by apparatus, and each one has its own grip, conditioning, and safety habits. When a studio lists multiple disciplines, it is telling you which apparatuses actually hang in the space.
Attitude spin
An attitude spin is an upright pole spin with the legs in attitude, both bent, one forward and one back. Its name changes with the region: a survey by Slink Through Strength heard pinwheel in Seattle, sunwheel in Los Angeles and the Midwest, stag spin in Orange County, and snowflake in Australia. PolePedia keeps the sunwheel as a separate move, in which the front leg does not hook the pole.
Ayesha
An Ayesha is an inverted pole move in which the dancer holds their body weight on two hands, upside down, with the legs opened in a V facing the pole. Wikipedia describes it as an advanced position. It can be held in a split grip, a twisted grip, or an elbow grip, and dancers often reach it from a handspring or an extended butterfly.
Back hook spin
A back hook spin is a beginner pole spin in which the inside leg hooks the pole at the knee and the body falls backwards around it. PolePedia describes it as the reverse of the front hook spin, but mechanically different because of the backward momentum. Studio level lists often group it with the other early spins, such as the fireman, chair, and front hook spins.
Back support tuck
A back support tuck is a tucked pole shape that appears to float off the floor while both hands stay on the pole, as PoleMovebook describes it. The IPSF code lists a Back Support Tuck, and PoleMovebook also calls it a Teddy Tuck, Back Support Sit, or Tabletop Tuck. PolePedia files it as the Tabletop Tuck and rates it one step harder than PoleMovebook does; we found no studio level list that names it.
Ballerina spin
A ballerina spin is a pole spin with one leg wrapped around the pole and the other extended. PolePedia, which lists it for the spinning pole, also calls it a Pretzel Spin or Dancer Spin. It is a different thing from the Ballerina Sit in the IPSF code, a held flexibility element. PolePedia rates it one step harder than PoleMovebook does, and the studio lists we read teach it from their third tier on.
Baseball grip
A baseball grip is the basic overhand hold on the pole, both hands wrapped around it with the thumbs on the opposite side from the fingers. Superfly Honey describes it as the most basic hold and gives shake grip as another name, and the IPSF code calls its version the basic grip. PolePedia names it as a prerequisite for the fireman spin, both hook spins, the cradle spin, and the pole sit.
Body roll
A body roll is a dance move where a wave travels through the chest, ribs, and hips in sequence, done standing or against the pole. It is a staple of exotic and heels choreography and needs no strength at all, only patient coordination. Beginners drill it slowly in front of a mirror before it ever meets music.
Boomerang spin
A boomerang spin is a pole spin with both legs straight and opened into a V. PoleMovebook also calls it a Straddle Spin and places it at the Pole Sport Organization’s Level 1, and PoleFreaks describes the shape. Studio Off Duty in New South Wales teaches it in Pole 2, its third tier, which is one example of how far a spin can sit from the first class.
Brass monkey
A brass monkey is an intermediate inverted pole move in which the dancer hangs upside down, held by the crossed legs and a forearm grip, with one arm bent at the elbow as a shelf. PolePedia counts three points of contact and lists the pole sit and the forearm grip among its prerequisites. Both international federations name it in their codes, the IPSF in basic and extended versions.
Brass pole
A brass pole is a dance pole with a brass surface, often described as the grippiest of the common metal finishes. Sources disagree on whether brass suits hot rooms or cold ones better. It needs regular cleaning to keep its feel consistent.
Butterfly
A butterfly is an inverted pole move with one leg hooked over the pole and the other reaching away behind the body, often held in a split grip; the IPSF code lists split grip, forearm grip, and one-hand versions. For many dancers it is one of the first moves learned after the basic invert. In the extended butterfly, the hooked leg straightens and holds the pole by the ankle and foot, and it is one route into the Ayesha.
Carousel spin
A carousel spin is a pole spin taken in a split grip, with the knees drawn together and up and the body held away from the pole as it turns. PolePedia rates it intermediate, while some studio level guides list carousel among the first family of beginner spins, so where it appears depends on the curriculum you follow.
Chair dance
Chair dance is a dance class style that uses a chair as the prop for choreography, floorwork, and transitions. Studios often group it with exotic pole and heels classes because the movement vocabulary overlaps. It needs no pole skill at all, which makes it a common crossover class for people easing into the dance side of a pole studio.
Chair spin
A chair spin is a beginner pole spin in which the legs are bent in a seated shape, as if sitting on a chair, while the body turns around the pole. PolePedia lists it as a beginner move for learning how momentum works and gives Seated Spin and Sit Spin as other names, though those names are also used for the Dip Spin. It needs no particular flexibility.
Chopper
A chopper is an inverted pole shape with straight legs opened into a V around the pole, which the FireFly Pole Dance glossary calls the V Invert. PoleMovebook also gives Basic Invert and Helicopter as its names, and PoleFreaks titles a page for a spinning V invert or spinning chopper. Elite Pole and Fitness moved the chopper from its Level 1 to its Level 2 and asks for leg hangs entered from it.
Chrome pole
A chrome pole is a dance pole finished in polished chrome, the most common surface in studios and home poles. Chrome offers a middle ground of grip for most skin types, which is why it is the usual default. Some people with metal sensitivities react to the nickel in chrome plating and choose stainless steel or brass instead.
Code of points
A code of points is the rulebook a pole competition is judged against, listing the moves a routine can include, the value of each, and how judges score them. The International Pole Sports Federation publishes one, and other organisations write their own, so the same move can carry a different name or value from one competition to the next. Pole competition levels and divisions
Combo
A combo is a short sequence of pole moves linked together without coming down, such as a spin into a sit into a climb. Combos are how individual tricks become dancing, and instructors introduce them early with beginner-safe pieces. Building one teaches transitions, which are often harder than the moves they connect.
Conditioning
Conditioning is the strength and endurance work that supports pole and aerial training, such as grip drills, core work, and shoulder stability exercises. Classes often end with a conditioning block, and many studios run whole classes of it. It is the unglamorous half of progress; a stuck move is very often a strength gap wearing a technique costume.
Cool-down
A cool-down is the finishing block of a class that brings the heart rate back down and stretches the muscles that just worked, typically forearms, shoulders, and hips after pole. It is short, often five to ten minutes, and easy to skip. Regulars tend to guard it, since it doubles as the flexibility work beginners say they never have time for.
Cradle spin
A cradle spin is a pole spin in a split grip with the hips and the tops of the thighs against the pole, the legs tucked around it and the body near horizontal, as the IPSF code describes its Cradle Spin Tuck. PolePedia also calls it a Tuck Spin, and PoleMovebook a Baby Cradle. Published level lists do not agree on where it falls, so where it appears depends on the curriculum.
Crash mat
A crash mat is a thick foam mat placed under the pole or apparatus while learning moves with a fall risk, especially inverts and drops. Studios bring them out for new aerial skills as standard practice. A mat does not make a move safe by itself; it reduces the cost of a slip while spotting and sensible progressions do the real work.
Crucifix
A crucifix is a pole hold in which the legs grip the pole and the hands let go. Held upside down it is an inverted crucifix, the most common name for that shape in one survey of regional move names, which also heard it called an Inverted T. Vertical Wise treats holding an upright crucifix as one sign of readiness to invert, and PolePedia lists Crucifix Climb as another name for the basic climb.
Cup grip
A cup grip is a hand position with all the fingers and the thumb on the same side of the pole, so the hand forms a cup. The IPSF code defines it as a thumb-down hand with fingers and thumb on the same side, and it does not accept a cup grip in its Iron X. PolePedia’s holds guide says it requires finger strength, and PolePedia names it as a prerequisite for the shoulder mount.
Dead hang
A dead hang is a conditioning exercise in which you hang from an overhead bar with straight arms, building the grip endurance that holds you on the pole. It trains support grip, the ability to keep the hand closed under load, which a long climb or a held trick also asks for. Our grip strength guide calls it the closest off-pole stand-in for a climb. Grip strength for pole
Drop-in class
A drop-in class is a single class paid for individually, without a membership or series commitment. Drop-in rates are the easiest way to try a studio, though many studios ask true beginners to start with an intro offer or a beginner series so the material stays sequential. Prices vary widely by city, and the drop-in rate is the honest comparison number. What US studios charge for a drop-in and a first class
Elbow grip
An elbow grip is a hold on the pole taken in the crook of the elbow rather than in the hand. The IPSF code defines it as the crook of the elbow, with the other hand in a fixed position of choice, and names a change from elbow grip to hand grip as an example of a scored regrip. The Ayesha has an elbow grip version.
Exotic pole
Exotic pole is a pole dance style built around flow, floorwork, and musicality, usually danced in platform heels. It leans into the dance and performance side of pole rather than tricks alone. Class descriptions vary between studios; some run exotic as choreography-based classes, and most welcome beginners who already have a few pole basics down.
Fan kick
A fan kick is a pole move in which both legs sweep wide in an arc while the hands hold the pole. PolePedia also calls it a Windmill or Fan, but Studio Exclusive in Sydney lists Windmill and Fan Kick as two separate moves, and PolePedia has a separate floorwork Windmill too. It is commonly taught in first-level classes; four of the studio curricula we read place it in their first tier.
Figurehead
A figurehead is a pole hold facing forward at the front of the pole, also widely called the hood ornament. PoleMovebook describes the split between those two names as a heated naming controversy, and Slink Through Strength also heard masthead and shoulder mount prep, with many respondents never having seen the move at all. Studio lists name it in their second or third tier, under either name.
Fireman spin
A fireman spin is usually the first spin taught in pole class: both hands on the pole, legs wrapped loosely around it, sliding into a controlled turn toward the floor. It teaches how grip, body position, and momentum interact without demanding much strength. Nearly every beginner curriculum includes it within the first lesson or two.
Flag grip
A flag grip is a hold in which one elbow is bent and the pole is gripped by the underarm and the hand, as the IPSF code defines it, the other hand and arm in a fixed position of choice. The code builds its Basic Brass Monkey on a flag grip, and a half fonji ends in a brass monkey or a flag grip.
Floorwork
Floorwork is the part of pole and exotic dance done on the floor, including transitions, leg lines, and choreography around the base of the pole. It looks low effort and is not; knees and hips do real work, and kneepads are standard equipment. Beginners meet floorwork early because it builds musicality before strength on the pole arrives.
Fonji
A fonji is a dynamic pole regrip that travels between a shoulder mount and a brass monkey or flag grip. The IPSF code counts each half separately, a half fonji being one movement from shoulder mount to brass monkey or flag grip, and two halves making a full fonji. PoleMovebook mentions it in its description of the Pole Sport Organization’s Level 5.
Forearm grip
A forearm grip is a hold on the pole with one hand and forearm against it, the other hand in a fixed position of choice, as the IPSF code defines it. The code also has a wrap grip arm position, the forearm against the pole. PolePedia calls its version the Forearm Grip Shelf, also known as the Holster Grip, and lists it as a prerequisite for the brass monkey.
Front hook spin
A front hook spin is a beginner pole spin in which the inside leg hooks around the front of the pole at the knee as the body travels forward around it. PolePedia also calls it the Front Spin or the Showgirl Spin, and both of those names belong to other moves as well, so a teacher calling for a front spin can mean more than one thing. Why pole move names do not agree
Gemini
A Gemini is a pole leg hang, with the body hanging from one leg hooked over the pole at the knee. Studios disagree about which leg, and about how it differs from a Scorpio. PoleFreaks describes the Gemini with the inside leg hooked and titles that tutorial "Gemini (or Scorpio)", while a small survey of names by Slink Through Strength found the inside leg hang called Scorpio and the outside leg hang called Gemini. Why pole move names do not agree
Grip aid
A grip aid is a product applied to the hands or body to improve hold on the pole, usually by drying sweat or adding tack. Common types are alcohol-based drying liquids, tacky waxes, and rosin. They supplement technique rather than replace it; instructors usually want beginners building bare grip first, then adding an aid where sweat genuinely interferes.
Grip strength
Grip strength is the hand and forearm strength that lets you hold your weight on the pole or apparatus, and it is the first limiting factor most beginners meet. It builds through ordinary class attendance faster than people expect, with hangs and holds as common accelerators. Forearm fatigue and next-day soreness in the first weeks are normal.
Handspring
A handspring is an advanced pole move in which the dancer turns upside down and holds the position with the two hands alone, the legs off the pole in a shape such as a straddle. With only two points of contact, it is not allowed at the Pole Sport Organization’s Level 2. The IPSF code lists handsprings in straddle and pencil positions.
International Pole Sports Federation
The International Pole Sports Federation (IPSF) is the federation Katie Coates and Tim Trautman formed in 2009 to promote pole as a sport. It now goes by International Pole and Aerial Sports Federation, keeps the IPSF initials, hosts the annual World Pole and Aerial Championships, and publishes a code of points. It is not the only federation: POSA, the Pole Sports and Arts World Federation, publishes its own code. Is pole dancing a sport?
Intro offer
An intro offer is a discounted first class or starter package a studio uses to welcome new students, such as a cheap first week or a bundled beginner course. In this directory, a listing notes an intro offer when we found one on the studio website itself. Terms change often, so treat a listed offer as a pointer to verify, never a promise. What US studios charge new students, with the median
Invert
An invert is any pole move where the hips go above the head, entered from the floor or from the air. The first invert is a milestone skill and a common source of impatience; it needs core and grip strength that take months to build. Good studios teach conditioned progressions first, because a rushed invert is a common way beginners get hurt.
Iron X
An Iron X is an advanced pole strength hold in which the body sticks out sideways from the pole, held up by two straight arms, the top one pulling and the bottom one pushing, with the legs open wide in a straddle. The ideal is a body at a right angle to the pole, which only very strong dancers hold. With the legs closed it becomes the human flag, which the Pole Physio calls a step up.
Jade split
A Jade split is a pole move in which the dancer holds a split in the air, the pole pressed into the waist, the armpit, and the inner thigh of the front leg, with no hand gripping the pole. In the version the Pole Physio describes, the inside hand rests on the hip and the outside hand pulls the front ankle across the body. Studios often shorten the name to Jade, and the IPSF code lists a Vertical jade.
Jasmine
A Jasmine is a side-on pole hold on the inside hand, the top of one thigh, and the crook of the outside knee, with the inside arm extended away from the pole, the shape the IPSF code calls an Outside Knee Hook. PolePedia also calls it Apprentice or Chest Man, though PoleMovebook gives Apprentice to the Jamilla, and PoleMovebook lists Viva and Jagged Edge, which some studios teach as separate moves.
Kneepit grip
A kneepit grip is a hold on the pole in the fold behind the knee, the grip under every leg hang. PolePedia’s holds guide calls it one of the most common places to grip the pole, and PolePedia names it as a prerequisite for the front and back hook spins, the secretary sit, the Jasmine, and the layback. The IPSF code describes the hook spins by the crook of the knee.
Layback
A layback is a hands-free pole move in which the dancer leans back from a seated position on the pole until the body hangs away from it, held only by the legs. PolePedia calls its Cross-Knee Layback a milestone intermediate move, also known as Basic Layback, Figure 4 Layback, Cross Knee Release, or Cross Ankle Release. The IPSF code lists crossed knee and crossed ankle versions separately.
Leg hang
A leg hang is an aerial pole move where one leg hooks the pole at the knee and holds the body while the torso and free limbs extend. Inside and outside leg hangs are usually the first shapes learned after inverting. The knee pit takes real pressure at first, and bruises there are close to universal while the hold is new.
Low flow
Low flow is pole dancing done close to the floor, linking movement around the base of the pole and on the floor without climbing or aerial tricks. The Pole Sport Organization’s category guide describes a Floorwork and Low Flow category in which dancers may not go higher on the pole than their hands reaching overhead. One instructor we read points new dancers to it as the more accessible way in, since it skips the climbing.
Lyra
A lyra is a steel ring suspended from the ceiling, also called an aerial hoop, used for spins, poses, and transitions in the air. Beginners usually start seated in the bottom of the hoop, learning basic mounts and shapes. Like pole, the bar presses on skin and bruises early on, and it builds grip and core strength quickly. Lyra or pole: which to start with
Passive flexibility
Passive flexibility is the range of motion your joints allow when an outside force does the work, such as gravity, a strap, or the floor in a supported split. It is always larger than your active range. Passive stretching opens range, active work makes that range usable in the air, and serious flexibility programs train both on purpose.
Pencil spin
A pencil spin is an upright pole spin with the body held off the floor in one straight vertical line. PolePedia also calls it an Assisted Pencil Spin or Pike Spin, and both PolePedia and PoleFreaks list it for the spinning pole. Pencil is also a leg position in the IPSF code: legs extended and closed, body and legs in a straight line. PolePedia rates it one step harder than PoleMovebook does.
Permanent-mount pole
A permanent-mount pole is a dance pole fixed into the ceiling structure with hardware rather than held in place by tension. Fixing a pole to a ceiling beam gives more stability, and it is the usual answer for high or vaulted ceilings that a pressure-mounted pole cannot span. The trade-off is drilling, which most rental agreements will not allow. Home poles: what to check first
Phoenix spin
A phoenix spin is a handspring performed as a spin, the inverted two-hand position still turning around the pole. The IPSF code scores it by rotation rather than by a held count, asking for at least 360 degrees from the point where the body leaves the floor. Judges there expect a clear break between a phoenix spin and a handspring that follows it.
Pirouette
A pirouette in pole dance is a controlled turn on the floor around your own axis, usually with one hand on the pole for balance. Borrowed from dance, it links moves together and appears in beginner choreography early. Clean pirouettes come mostly from posture, foot placement, and knowing where you will finish, not from strength.
Points of contact
Points of contact are the parts of the body touching the pole in a move, such as the hands, the inner thighs, or the back of a knee. Move dictionaries count them to describe a shape, and competition rules use them to separate levels: the Pole Sport Organization requires three points of contact while inverted at Level 2, which rules out a two-point move like the handspring.
Pole art
Pole art is a competition category in which judges score a pole routine on performance, theme, originality, and choreography rather than on a difficulty count. Pole Theatre USA scores Pole Art as one of its four categories, and it is the usual home for routines that bring in another dance style, such as lyrical or contemporary. Wikipedia lists it beside pole sport, exotic pole, and pole theatre.
Pole burn
Pole burn is the friction sting skin feels against the pole during slides, grips, and new moves, distinct from the bruising of a pole kiss. It is sharpest in the first weeks while skin is new to the work, and it eases as skin conditions to the surface. Covering up through it removes the skin grip most moves need, so the usual answer is patience.
Pole climb
A pole climb is the basic technique for getting up the pole, with the legs doing the work: the shins and knees clamp the pole, the core lifts the knees, and the legs stand up on that clamp while the hands hold on to stabilize. First climbs often feel like pure arm effort; they get easier once the clamp takes over. Nearly everything above floor level starts with one.
Pole fitness
Pole fitness is pole dancing taught as exercise, with the focus on strength, flexibility, and learning moves rather than on a sensual style or a stage performance. On a studio timetable, a class called Pole Fitness is usually the general technique class where beginners start, alongside names like Pole 1 or Intro to Pole. Many studios also carry the phrase in their business names. How pole class styles differ
Pole heels
Pole heels are platform high heels built for dance, with a tall heel and a thick platform that keeps the foot angle manageable. They are standard in exotic and heels classes, where the shoe becomes part of the technique, adding weight for leg lines and a hard surface for slides. Beginners usually add heels only after basic pole technique feels stable barefoot.
Pole kiss
A pole kiss is the small bruise pole dancers get where skin is pressed or pinched between body weight and the pole, most often on the feet, inner thighs, hips, and backs of the knees. They are nearly universal for beginners and are not a sign of doing pole wrong. They fade as skin and technique adapt, though new moves bring fresh ones at any level.
Pole sit
A pole sit is a foundational move where you hold yourself on the pole in a seated position, gripping with the inner thighs, hands free or styled. It is often the first taste a beginner gets of skin grip doing real work, and the inner-thigh pinch is famous; the discomfort fades over weeks as skin adapts. Sits are the gateway to many of the moves that follow.
Pole sport
Pole sport is the competitive, athletic form of pole, in which routines are judged on difficulty and execution against a code of points. Wikipedia names it alongside pole art, exotic pole, and pole theatre as one of the styles pole dance has grown into. Federations run national and world championships for it. Is pole dancing a sport?
Pole Sport Organization
The Pole Sport Organization (PSO) is a US pole competition series, based in Los Angeles, whose Levels 1 to 4 are amateur and Level 5 professional. Competitors assess themselves and choose their own level. Alongside its scored Championship category, it runs a Showcase with no scores and no judges’ feedback, and a Showcase Plus, where judges give written comments but no scores or placings. Your first pole competition
Pole walk
A pole walk is the stylized walk around the pole that opens most beginner classes: one hand on the pole, steps on the beat, shoulders down. It looks simple while doing quiet work on posture, hand placement, and moving around a fixed point, the base layer under every spin. Choreography returns to it at every level.
Powder-coated pole
A powder-coated pole is a dance pole with a painted coating over the metal, giving a tackier surface than bare chrome or stainless steel. Wikipedia credits powder coatings with improved friction and grip, X-Pole describes the finish as useful for people who struggle to grip standard metal poles, and Dancing Dust suggests it, with brass, for dry skin.
Pressure-mounted pole
A pressure-mounted pole is a home dance pole held between the floor and the ceiling by tension, with no screws, bolts, or drilling, so it can be taken down and stored. It is the most common and most renter-friendly type of home pole. X-Pole’s guidance is that it needs a solid ceiling or a joist above it. Home poles: what to check first
Scissor sit
A scissor sit is a pole sit with the legs opened apart rather than crossed. PolePedia also calls it a Split Sit or V Sit and names the pole sit as its prerequisite. The two move libraries disagree on its level, with PolePedia rating it one step harder than PoleMovebook, and Spiral Space Studio in Ventura, California, lists it beside the wrist sit in its second tier.
Scorpio
A Scorpio is a pole leg hang, with the body hanging from one leg hooked over the pole at the knee. Which leg makes it a Scorpio, and whether it differs from a Gemini at all, depends on who is teaching. One small, Seattle-skewed survey of move names matched Scorpio to the inside leg hang and found the plain names, inside and outside leg hang, preferred in every city but one; the competition codes use them too. Why pole move names do not agree
Secretary spin
A secretary spin is a side-seated pole spin with both feet off the floor and the body kept close to the pole. PolePedia also calls it a Ladysit Spin or Pretty Spin, lists it for the spinning pole, and names the secretary sit, a held side-on seat, among its prerequisites. PoleMovebook adds Basic Hook, Spinner, Hobbit, and Side Sit as other names, so the move travels under several.
Shoulder mount
A shoulder mount is a pole move where you press the back of one shoulder against the pole and lift the legs up and over from behind. It is an intermediate strength milestone, usually trained well after the first invert, with conditioning drills that build the pressing pattern before the full move. Expect it to press hard on the shoulder at first.
Showcase
A showcase is a pole performance with no scoring, where dancers perform routines for an audience instead of competing. In pole it usually means a student night that a studio produces for friends and family, with routines built in class. Competition series run them too: the Pole Sport Organization offers a Showcase category with no scores and no feedback from judges. What happens at a student showcase
Side climb
A side climb is a way up the pole with the body side-on to it, held between the back of the top knee and the front of the lower ankle, as PoleFreaks describes it. The IPSF code lists the side climb beside the basic climb and rates its difficulty simple to moderate. The studio lists we read place it after the basic pole climb, in their second or third tier.
Silicone pole
A silicone pole is a dance pole coated in grippy silicone, tacky enough to be used fully clothed. It behaves differently from bare metal: skin contact is not required, so leggings and sleeves stay on, but sliding moves drag against the coating. Studios use silicone or powder-coated poles mostly for classes where bare-skin grip is not the point.
Spin pole
A spin pole is a dance pole that rotates freely on its own axis, so the pole turns with you once momentum builds. Most modern poles switch between spin and static modes with a fastener near the base. Spin carries momentum you manage rather than create, reduces friction on skin, and usually enters classes after static basics are solid.
Split grip
A split grip is a two-hand grip on the pole with the hands in mirror image, which the IPSF code defines as a hand position in a mirror image without rotation in the shoulder. Superfly Honey calls it the bracket grip or full bracket grip, and Slink Through Strength heard it called the stopper grip. PolePedia lists it as the prerequisite for the carousel spin, and the IPSF code uses it in the butterfly.
Spotter
A spotter is a person, usually an instructor, positioned to guide or catch your body while you attempt a move with a fall risk. Spotting is standard when learning inverts and other new aerial skills, often paired with a crash mat. Asking for a spot is normal studio practice at every level, not a beginner concession.
Stage pole
A stage pole is a freestanding dance pole that rises from its own wide, heavy base, with no ceiling or floor fixing. Because it needs no ceiling, it works outdoors, in garages, and in rooms that cannot take a mount, but it costs more, takes more floor space, and flexes more at the top than a mounted pole. Home poles: what to check first
Stainless steel pole
A stainless steel pole is a dance pole with a bare stainless surface, kinder to sensitive skin than nickel-plated chrome. Dancers with nickel sensitivity often prefer it. Sources disagree on whether it grips less than chrome, so try one before judging it.
Static pole
A static pole is a dance pole that stays fixed in place while you move around it, so every spin and climb runs on momentum you generate yourself. Most beginner programs start on static because cause and effect are simpler to feel there. The same hardware usually converts to spin mode at the base, so this is a setting, not a purchase decision.
Step-around spin
A step-around spin is an upright pole spin on two hands in which the body travels around the pole with the feet off the floor. Its name varies: PolePedia also calls it Around the World, Front Spin, or Basic Spin, and PoleMovebook treats Dip Spin as another name for it, while PolePedia gives the dip spin its own page. PoleMovebook calls it probably the first move a dancer will learn.
Stronghold grip
A stronghold grip is a pole grip with three main points of contact, both hands and the pole held against the inner arm, as PolePedia’s holds guide describes it. Superfly Honey calls it the Strong Hold Grip. PolePedia names it as a prerequisite for the basic invert, the fan kick, the teddy, and the high kick hold, a straddle it lists as conditioning for inverts.
Superman
A Superman is a face-down pole hold across the pole on both inner thighs and one hand, with the legs extended and closed and the hips and legs parallel to the floor, as the IPSF code describes its Basic Superman. The code also lists a Superman V with no hands on the pole, and PolePedia has a Superman Prep page. The studio lists we read place it in their third tier or later.
Teddy
A teddy is a pole hold with the body beside the pole, held by the armpit and the hands, and the legs extended forward and parallel to the floor, as PoleFreaks describes it. PoleFreaks also calls it the Teddy Bear, PolePedia lists a Hello Boys variant as another name, and the IPSF code has a Closed Teddy. PolePedia rates it one step harder than PoleMovebook, and studios place it in their second or third tier.
Thigh grip
A thigh grip is a hold on the pole between the inner thighs, the grip that makes the pole sit work. PolePedia’s holds guide lists it, PolePedia names it with the baseball grip as the prerequisites for the pole sit, and its Superman Prep page asks for thigh grip strength. The IPSF code counts the thighs as points of contact in shapes such as the hook spins and the Superman.
Trapeze
A trapeze is a horizontal bar hung from ropes, used in aerial classes for hangs, mounts, and shapes above the floor. Studio classes are almost always static trapeze, where the rig stays in place, rather than the flying version from circus performance. It builds grip and pulling strength fast, and the pressure of the bar on skin takes some getting used to.
Twisted grip
A twisted grip is a variation of the split grip in which one wrist wraps around the pole instead of mirroring the other hand. The IPSF code defines it as one wrist wrapped around the pole with the other hand in a fixed position of choice. PolePedia names it as the prerequisite for the ballerina spin, and the Ayesha has a twisted grip version.
Warm-up
A warm-up is the preparation block at the start of class that raises the heart rate and readies joints for load. Pole warm-ups bias toward wrists, forearms, and shoulders, because grip work loads them hardest. Skipping it to save time is the classic beginner error; cold grip is weak grip, and cold shoulders are the ones that complain later.
Wrist sit
A wrist sit is a pole move in which the dancer sits on the lower hand and wrist against the pole, with the legs off the pole in a V. Its name overlaps with the Hello Boys: PoleMovebook treats Hello Boys and Eye Opener as other names for the wrist sit, while PolePedia says the Hello Boys is performed from a wrist sit. Several of the studio lists we read teach it in their second tier.