October 21, 2026

Open practice and pole jams: what they are, and whether beginners go

Open practice, which studios also call open pole, open studio or studio rental, is time on a studio's poles with no class: you practise moves you have already been taught, and a staff member is there for safety rather than to teach. A pole jam, going by the two US jam pages we read, is a looser, shared session where people train side by side and trade ideas. Both were run by circus or aerial schools and included Chinese and aerial poles as well as dance poles, so treat that as what these two events were like, not a universal definition. Whether a beginner can go depends on the studio. Of the six studio open-practice pages we read, five set some kind of floor, from "a class or 2" to five classes or staff approval. One says all levels are welcome. The two jams we read are for intermediate and advanced dancers.

Every page below was read on 14 October 2026. Several are booking pages for sessions that have already happened, and the Pole in the Wall page is a 2024 listing; we quote them for their standing rules, not their dates.

What actually happens at open practice?

You train on your own. The studios we read describe it in nearly the same words:

ROC Pole & Fitness in Rochester, New York: "This class is dedicated to practicing your skills. An instructor will be available to spot and give pointers. This is a self-guided class with no instruction."
Pole in the Wall in Springfield, Massachusetts: "studio rental sessions are considered unguided practice, and rental students should safely practice only what they have already learned."
Alpha Studio Fitness in Brunswick, Georgia, puts it at the top of its page in capitals: "THIS IS NOT A CLASS".
Flight Aerial & Pole Dance in Randolph, New Jersey, calls its version an "UNINSTRUCTED, 2 hour monitored pole studio time".

So the format is the same at the studios we read: your own warm-up, your own list of moves, your own music if the studio allows it. Pole in the Wall caps its 90-minute session at four students, so "everyone registered will get one pole during the session".

What does booking look like?

You book a slot in advance, like a class, and the slots are small. Besides Pole in the Wall's cap of four, the Queen Bee's and Alpha booking pages showed five and eight spots. Sessions run one hour at ROC, Alpha and Queen Bee's, 90 minutes at Pole in the Wall and two hours at Flight. Alpha's rules say "1 person per pole".

The rules have teeth. La Bombe says "we will have to ask you to leave if these rules are not followed", and Queen Bee's says its instructor "can restrict a student from attending future OP sessions without a new round of approval".

Is there anyone there to help?

Yes, but for safety, and how much they will do varies.

At ROC, "An instructor will be available to spot and give pointers."
At Pole Buzz @ Queen Bee's in San Diego, the instructor on site is there "strictly to monitor class for safety and to answer questions/offer guidance with technique or other issues". The same page says the instructor "may offer support with spotting if instructor feels able to do so, but no guarantee of this", and "will ask a student to work on something different if what student is doing looks unsafe".
At Alpha, "Instructors to monitor and make sure everyone’s safety, please do not ask for spotting or anything out of your level".
At Pole in the Wall, "An instructor will always be available for safety".

If a move still needs a spotter, do not count on getting one: Alpha asks you not to ask, Queen Bee's makes no guarantee, and only ROC says an instructor is available to spot. The rules about not teaching or coaching other students at open practice are covered in our post on pole class etiquette, so we will not repeat them here.

Can beginners go to open practice?

Sometimes. Here is the spread across the six studios we read, from most open to most restrictive:

ROC Pole & Fitness: "All levels welcome."
Flight Aerial & Pole Dance says the session "is open-level, great for beginners and intermediate students alike!", but also that it "is for current students, or those students with at least intro-level pole experience through a professional instructor", and that "newcomers without professional training may not attend."
La Bombe Pole Fitness in Millcreek, Utah: "No First Timers", and "You have to have attended a class or 2 prior."
Alpha Studio Fitness: "Open pole is for training material that you have already attempted in a class." It adds: "Please do not use this time for teaching yourself or others tricks you have not already worked on with an instructor."
Pole in the Wall: "Rentals are available for experienced dancers only. We recommend you take a class or a workshop first so you can learn how to safely navigate yourself through a solo rental practice."
Pole Buzz @ Queen Bee's lists its session as "BY APPROVAL ONLY", for "seasoned Beginners and above", meaning at least five classes or staff approval, and warns that a reservation from someone not yet approved will be removed.

So "beginner" does not mean "first visit" at five of the six. Most of these floors are low: a class or two, or some intro-level training. The common thread is that open practice is for moves you already know, which a true first-timer does not have yet. Even at ROC, the one studio that says all levels, the session is self-guided.

What are you expected to handle yourself?

More than in a class, because nobody is leading. Queen Bee's says you "Must be comfortable with and disciplined about warming yourself up when you begin your Open Pole time, as well as stretching when you are done, to prevent any risk of injury." Our guide to warming up for pole covers what that warm-up should include.

Alpha is blunt about mats: "USE. A. MAT", and explains that "this is a matter of your safety and understanding that pole carries risk." Alpha does not say which kind of mat; if you are unsure, ask staff where the crash mats are and use one under anything you could fall from. Queen Bee's asks you to bring your own yoga mat and towel, and some studios ask you to clean the pole yourself afterwards, which the etiquette post also covers.

If you have never been to a particular studio before, Alpha asks you to "check in with the supervising staff before you train." That is good practice anywhere: staff can tell you which poles are set to spin or static, and Queen Bee's notes its instructor is "available to change poles into spinning or static mode".

The same goes for equipment you have not been taught on. Pole in the Wall's rental page says: "It is unsafe to use an apparatus you are not trained to use." That matters most at a jam or a mixed session where spin poles, aerial poles or Chinese poles may be set up next to the dance poles.

What is a pole jam?

On the two US jam pages we read, a shared practice session where the point is the group: people bring skills, try ideas, and train side by side, without a set lesson. Both jams are run by circus or aerial schools, so a jam at a dance-pole studio may look different.

Pole-a-Palooza, run by the New England Center for Circus Arts in Brattleboro, Vermont, describes itself as "a participant-driven apparatus meeting". The organisers provide the space and the workshops; in the page's words, "the skill shares, jams, and creative energy during open training come from YOU." Its 2026 schedule lists a five-hour pole jam session on each of three days, Friday to Sunday, with Chinese poles, aerial poles and dance pole stages. It also says "everyone is expected to be physically involved", and that "there will be no auditing or public viewing."

Air Temple Arts in Woodbridge, Connecticut, describes its Pole Playtime as "an advanced pole jam featuring Chinese pole, aerial pole, and more", and "a moderated jam (not a class) for advanced students comfortable practicing in a self-directed setting such as open studio." When we read it, the page listed no upcoming dates.

The difference from open practice is mostly social. Open practice is your own session in a shared room. A jam is closer to a meetup, where trying what someone else is working on is part of it. Pole-a-Palooza calls these "skill shares".

Can beginners go to a pole jam?

Not to the two we read. Pole-a-Palooza "is open to enthusiasts with a intermediate training level through professional-level pole artists ages 18 and up with a regular pole practice." Air Temple's prerequisites say "Participants should be comfortable executing shoulder mounts and inverting in the air multiple times", and its dance pole students "should be able to do leg switches, brass monkey, and extended butterfly."

That is two events, not a survey. Jams vary as much as studios do, and a local studio jam may be far more relaxed than a multi-day meeting. In the pages we searched, we did not find a US jam page that said it was open to beginners, so we cannot point you to one. If you see a jam advertised near you, its page or its organiser will tell you the floor.

How do you know when you are ready?

Use the studio's own floor, and ask if the page is vague. A few signs from the pages above:

You have taken at least the classes the studio asks for, whether that is "a class or 2" or five.
You have a list of moves you have already been taught and want to drill. If you are not sure what those are yet, our post on the first five pole moves covers what most beginner classes teach first.
You can warm yourself up without an instructor leading you.

Our guide to pole class levels explains how studios group students in class.

Quick answers

What is open pole? Time on a studio's poles with no class. You practise moves you have already learned, and staff are there for safety, not to teach.

Can beginners go to open practice? At one of the six studios we read, yes, all levels. The other five want something first, from a class or two to five classes or staff approval.

Is there an instructor at open pole? Usually someone is there to monitor safety. One studio we read says its instructor will spot; another says spotting is possible but not guaranteed.

What is a pole jam? On the two event pages we read, a shared practice session where dancers train together and swap ideas rather than follow a lesson.

Can beginners go to a pole jam? Not to the two we read, which are for intermediate and advanced dancers. Local jams vary, so check the event's page.

What do I need to do at open practice? Warm up and cool down yourself, use a mat, stick to moves you have been taught, and follow the studio's rules on sharing and cleaning.