Youth Pole Dance Grading Success at Pole Guns, Newcastle, UK.

PDC Approved 4 star pole dancing instructor Lesley Jackson held the UK's first ever youth grading at her studio in Newcastle.  The day saw Daisy who has just turned 8 years old, Nidun who is 11, Tyler who is 9, Jess who is 9 and Tyla Faye who is also 9 all complete successful gradings at Level 1 of the Pole Dance Community Core Moves Syllabus.

Lesley Jackson tells us more about the youth grading success and what the gradings mean to her students:

Picture above left of Lesley Jackson with her students.
Pictures above right of Tyla-Faye Jackson with her certificate and grading passport and
Tyler and Nidun Robertson with their grading certificates.

After teaching my youth pole class for a period of time we decided that the children needed a goal, something to work towards and as a PDC grading assessor the PDC dance grading was the way we wanted to go. This really excited the children.

The support that I gave through the process was extremely important as children need more guidance and encouragement as their attention span is not the same as an adult, so for them it was paramount that they didn't feel to much like they were working towards a test.
Classes where made fun as well as structural using the syllabus core moves.

I definitely found the whole thing very different to my usual adult gradings, a lot of the level 1 moves I found not really suitable for the age of the children I was grading due to the way themoves might be perceived e.g. Bodywave, Cat Crawl.

The group of 5 children worked together and we all picked the same 10 moves for their assessment. The small routine was put together as a group and performed as a group so they all had the support of one another, which it is extremely important with children.

The assessment was videoed from many angles by parents so I could watch them back and carry out each assessment.

I would definitely recommend grading to pole schools as working towards a goal is a great way to monitor your progress.

If you would like to participate in a pole dance grading a grading you can purchase an aap membership for you or a youth grader via our online shop. Select from the classic membership or e-membership option. If you would like a copy of our grading sheets and grading advice forms just drop us an e-mail.

If you wish to become a grading assessor simply apply for an instructor application and then we can send you full details on request.

Gradings can be carried out inhouse or on-line. Each aap membership includes one free on-line grading.

Congratulations to Lesley Jackson on her students success.