Each pole student is unique and different. Each pole student has an interesting world that they live in outside of the studio. Every pole student’s schedule is different so we want to show you what life is like for Geena Renk, a pole student who’s been with us for just over a year.
Geena was a competitive gymnast between the ages of 3 and 17. After retiring she fell into a bit of a depression and struggled to fall in love with another sport until she began pole at Tantra.
“While I still have internal struggles that I battle daily, Tantra provides such a positive, encouraging and loving environment that if I could spend my entire day at the studio, I would. I certainly would not be where I am today without the love and support of our instructors and teammates,” Geena shared.
Check out what a week in the life is Geena is all about:
Monday (03/07)
6:30am: Wake up. I usually make a tea and put on some music while I get ready for work. The genre of the music tends to relate to how I feel that morning.
8:00am-6:00pm: The visual effects life begins. I’m usually at work between 8 and 8:30 am. Getting to the office before everyone else starts their day really helps. My first task is to write out our todo list for that particular day. I like to send it out before everyone gets in so that everyone is prepped by the time they get to the office. (I’m all about efficiency. Can you tell?) The rest of the day usually consists of reviewing shots, putting in notes, managing artists & schedules and talking to clients.
6:30-7:30pm: My favorite part of the day. Not that I don’t love my job, don’t get me wrong, I do. But starting off the week with Sonja’s TNA class is the best part of my Monday. She thrives on making every student the best they can be. Although we may complain how tough the class is while we are literally working our ass off, we still come back every week because we know we are making ourselves stronger. And strong is nothing but sexy, right?
8:30pm: I usually get home around 8:30 – 9 pm and just have a protein shake or some small snack. Although, a few Tantra girls have certainly gotten together on occasion after class to grab a quick bite to spend a little time together outside the studio.
11pm: I have usually already taken a bath and relaxed by now. I tend to be in bed between 11 pm – 12 am catching up on the news, browsing Instagram to see what our other Tantra members have accomplished that day and sometimes reading/answering a few last minute emails.
Notes from the day: Realizing that I only had 3 days left to prepare for TGIFF this week was super stressful. Those who know me know I am a somewhat of a perfectionist, so if a routine is not up to par I tend to get a little anxious.
Tuesday (03/07)
6:30am: My mornings tend to be fairly routine. Once I have a rhythm going, I tend to stick with it so this morning was the same as yesterday.
8:00am-6:00pm: Today, one of our new shows got turned over to us. So my day mainly consisted of prep work which includes talking to our remote offices, setting up specific preferences for the show, and getting detailed information for all our artists. Now, this may not seem like a lot but at times this prep can take up your entire day.
6:30-8:30pm: Tuesdays are usually my PoleFit and 303 days, however with the schedule changes it’s become 303 and Lyrical. I’ve been in 303 for over 6 months now, and even though my lovely instructor and pole sister, Jen, has tried to push me out and move to 404 and 505 – I still go because she kicks my ass in the best way possible. Stephanie is actually the one who convinced me to do Lyrical. As I have an easier time following choreography than making up my own, this class was a great fit. Some days are more challenging than others, but if everything were easy then there would be no room for improvement.
9pm: Tonight was taco night! Now, I know I usually try to keep it light after class but I was starving.
11pm: Took a bath. Layed in bed. I’ve never been the type to close my eyes, have my head hit the pillow and fall asleep in seconds. So, to try and make myself tired I watch a couple pole videos or post the routine we just learned on Instagram.
Notes from the day: Today helped. Knowing that I at least had some choreo for Friday put me at ease. Not that I still didn’t have a ton of work to do, I did. But at least the routine was slowly coming together.
Wednesday (03/08)
6:30am: My mornings tend to be fairly routine. Once I have a rhythm going, I tend to stick with it.
8:00am-6:00pm: Today consisted of more prep work and gathering information for the artists. Nothing too exciting, but still a very busy day. And I love being busy.
6:30-8:30pm: A couple weeks ago, I started going to Burnaby for Spin Pole and 505. I had actually never made it to this location before this, so it was a great new experience. Of course, your pole family is super supportive and always excited to see you which makes you want to show up for them. Spin Pole has become one of my new favorite classes! While I also love 505 because of the difficulty, I do need to work on my flexibility which will help with some of the tricks and poses we are learning.
9pm: Tonight I met up Stephanie and Jen at Flying Pig. Since Stephanie is usually either in Gastown or Mount Pleasant on Wednesdays, we meet up for dinner afterward and swap stories about class that night.
11pm: Same old, same old. I got home and took a bath, which always feels amazing after Spin and 505. I stayed up fairly late tonight trying to think of choreography and more tricks for Friday’s performance.
Notes from the day: Only having one more day to practice and run the routine through before TGIFF had me more stressed out than usual. Mainly since I still had the whole second half to put together.
Thursday (03/09)
6:30am: My mornings tend to be fairly routine. Once I have a rhythm going, I tend to stick with it.
8:00am-6:00pm: Today consisted of more prep work and gathering information for the artists. Nothing too exciting, but still a very busy day. I organized material into our proprietary system and got shots ready for artist assignment.
6:30-9:30pm: Tonight, I was in Gastown for Splits-Ability with Ashara and Open Studio. This is always a great combo so you get a good hour of stretching in before running through your routine. Although, tonight I was struggling. No matter how many times I played the song I could not get anything to work. Combos, choreo, none of it.
11pm: I think I slept a total of 4 hours, knowing that I might have to make up my whole second half on the spot. Not a great night’s sleep.
Notes from the day: Although I love performing, I have always had a fear of it. My heart starts beating really fast, palms get sweaty (which any pole dancer knows, is your worst nightmare), and I try to remember the routine from beginning to end. And of course, this escalates when you don’t feel you have everything together…
Friday (03/10)
5:30am: Of course, I happen to wake up earlier than usual, because my brain just wouldn’t stop going and thinking of tricks and transitions and choreo. I tried listening to my song more in hopes that something would spark my mind.
8:00am-6:00pm: Another fun, busy day at the office. Most of my prep work was now done so it was not as hectic as earlier in the week. I do love Fridays because if we are not terribly busy at the office then our entire group goes out for Friday group lunch, and we usually have a blast together!
7pm-11pm: TGIFF TIME! I got to Burnaby early to warm up & stretch and also try and think of a couple moves I could do at the end of the routine. By the time it was my turn to perform, I still had nothing that I was in love with so most of my second half was made up on the spot. A few of my coworkers came to watch, which was extremely sweet and encouraging.
11pm-1am: My coworkers and I grabbed a bite to eat at Earls after TGIFF, then shaved ice for dessert (because it’s guilt free.) Even though I only did one routine, I was starving by the end of it!
Notes from the day: Although I was not satisfied with the end result, my teammates thought that the routine looked great which was nice to hear even though deep down I felt differently.
Saturday (03/11)
8:00am-9:00am: Every other Saturday I take singing lessons. I have been singing my whole life but I’ve always wanted to improve technique and expand my vocal range. I’ve never really thought about taking this anywhere, but it’s something else that makes my extremely happy and that’s good enough for now.
11am-12pm: Back at Tantra for Open Studio! We happen to have our usual group that shows up on Saturdays, which is really nice. A few stretch, a few work on tricks from the past week and others are just there for support. You can’t ask for much more from your teammates!
1:30-2:30pm: In Gastown for Aerial Fit! While Pole and TNA certainly get you into shape, Aerial Fit takes it out of you in a whole other way. It works different grips and other muscles you didn’t know you had. Taking this class on Saturdays has certainly helped my progression in Pole.
5pm: Time to chill! I picked up a bottle of wine on the way home, lit some candles and laid in the bath for about an hour listening to music. This is another escape for me.
10pm: I crashed early since I didn’t get much sleep all week.
Notes from the day: I spent the entire day thinking of my routine from the night before and what I could have done differently / better.
Sunday (03/12)
10am: Woke up and make breakfast. Sundays are usually crepes or french toast. I try to be good with our meal plan during the week so I can enjoy some luxuries on weekends, but some days are harder than others.
11am-12pm: Cleaned the apartment and finished laundry.
12pm-6pm: Laid on the couch all afternoon and let the body recover.
What is life like for you as a pole student? How many classes do you get to in a week? One class? Six classes? Everyone’s life is unique, different and beautiful and hopefully, Geena’s week showed you what life can be like with balancing work, life, and Tantra.
Note: Geena’s performance at TGIFF was amazing!