Joanna Littlewood-Johnson has a background in professional dance. She was the first enrollment in her mother’s ballet school almost 40 years ago and went on to complete a Diploma in Dance at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. She has studied classical, contemporary, jazz, tap and Spanish dance, performed with the WA Ballet Company and professional dance and musical theatre around Australia.
She is now a mother with two very active boys and is a Professional Pilates practitioner with her own Pilates studio. Joanna loves the challenge, strength and creativity of pole dancing and is thrilled she still has the opportunity to perform and be able to share her love of dance and pole.Joanna began Core Pilates in 2003 with a passion for helping people improve their lives through body awareness, alignment, core stability & functional movement. She completed a Diploma in Dance & performed around Australia before having her children & discovering Pilates.
Joanna has had extensive, high quality PIlates training with Pilates International & the Australian Pilates Method Alliance. She is an APMA Level 3 Professional Pilates Practitioner and regularly attends a variety of workshops to be constantly kept up to date with new & relevant information & gets excited when she sees improvement in her client’s’ bodies, movements & quality of life. An internationally recognised & awarded Pole performer.
Joanna Littlewood-Johnson achievements in pole dancing
- Australia’s Got Talent Finalist 2013
- Winner Australian Pole Championships 2013
- 2nd runner up Australian Pole Championships 2012
- ULTIMATE CHAMPION (Masters) International Pole Championships 2013
- X-Pole Australia Brand Ambassador
- Grand Finalist (Top 10) World Pole Sports Championships London 2012
- 2nd place Australian Pole Fitness Championships 2012 & 2013
- She is a certified X-Pert Pole instructor and is very excited to now be adding pole classes to her studio to be able to share her love of this fantastic art form and sport.
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Joanna Littlewood-Johnson is winner of Australian Pole Championships 2013. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitness
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You had professional dance background by studying at your’s mother’s ballet school and later began Core Pilates in 2003, this was your catalyst that you reached the pinnacle of success in pole dancing where you stood 1st at Australian Pole Championships 2013. What factors you consider were responsible that made you achieve that?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
I definitely think my dance and performance background are an advantage, even though I had a long break between retiring as a dancer and didn’t start pole classes until I was nearly 40. Pilates helped keep my body and my core strong and once I started (and fell in love with) pole dancing and being back up on the stage I couldn’t stop!
I always challenge myself to improve and better my last show, both in my level of skill and my performance and I put a lot of time into preparing everything from the music to helping design my costume, doing my own choreography, training myself and then tying that altogether on the night. It all paid off and I was honoured to have won the Australian Pole Championships last year.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You studied and got Diploma in Dance from WA Academy of Performing Arts. You had high quality Pilates training with Pilates International & the Australian Pilates Method Alliance. You also posses an APMA Level 3 Professional Pilates Practitioner. With this knowledge and experience you innovated your own mesmerizing style of pole dancing. Elaborate on this concept ?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
Between my dance and Pilates training I am constantly discovering how amazing and interesting the human body is. I have the privilege of teaching people both Pilates and pole and to be able to see the difference small adjustments or muscle and body awareness can make is very exciting for me.
Ballet and Pilates both teach extension to elongate the body and create decompression and beautiful lines. I take that knowledge and body awareness into my own pole dancing to give me strength and length with lift and lightness. I also love to put lots of moves together to create flowing movement on and off the pole.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Your first win in competitive pole dancing came in 2010 when you were 2nd runner up at Miss Pole Dance Western Australia. What was that experience and how it fueled you with passion to succeed in pole dancing?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
That was totally unexpected as I’d been attending lessons for less than 6 months and it was a last minute decision to enter the competition. It was my first time back on stage in about 8 years and I loved being back up there and knew I wanted to do more! The following year I planned ahead, had my music picked way ahead of time to enter the same competition and won the title of Miss Pole Dance Western Australia.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Being a mother of two active boys what challenges you face in practicing and winning at competitive pole dancing ?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
Time is my biggest challenge. Between running my studio and teaching 6 mornings and 4 evenings a week, I’m kept busy running my boys around. They are at 2 different schools so school drops offs and picks take 45-60 minutes twice a day, on top of gymnastics twice a week and swimming and piano lessons.
I usually have a couple of hours to train before picking them up on a school day and I also have a pole at home, although it doesn’t get as much use now I have my own studio.
Travelling is also a challenge especially when I am away during the week, like when I went to Singapore for the International Pole Championships and for Australia’s Got Talent when I was away 3 times in 3 weeks.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you shall like to share?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
I teach Pilates 6 days a week and pole from beginners to advanced 4 days a week so that keep me pretty fit, although I am spotting and correcting a fair bit of the time. My Pilates classes include a combination of core strengthening (abs, pelvic floor, back and shoulder stability) core stability (balls and rollers) resistance work (bands, weights, magic circles and reformers) massage (rollers and balls) plyometrics (jumpboard) and stretching.
When I am training for a competition I try to do at least one full Pilates sessions for myself a week as well as some extra stretching and gradually increasing how much of my routine I run to build my stamina.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
I drink lots of water and take Isagenix vitamins, shakes and bars on top of my meals. I don’t have much dairy (except in my chocolate – which I probably have more of than I should!) and don’t eat bread. When I’m training for a comp I don’t drink alcohol and even in ‘non-training’ mode, I rarely have more than a glass or two of wine a week.
I do love my coffee and drink it black and I mostly eat salads, vegies, quinoa, sweet potato, meat, chicken or fish, brown rice, avocadoes, nuts, dried fruit, muesli, fruit (mostly bananas, mangoes and berries) and I make my own protein slice using raw cacao nibs, agave, coconut oil, maca and protein powder. When I’m in serious training I need to make sure I keep up my food intake so that I don’t lose weight!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding pole dancing girls who all are your fans, they shall like to know from you, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in field of pole dancing ?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
Stay safe! Make sure you train smart to avoid injuries. Good technique is important. Know your limitations and work to your strengths.
- Have fun! Do what you love and it will show through. Dance to music that inspires you or create characters you can immerse yourself in.
- Find your own style.
- Watch lots of other pole dancers. (I’m a big You Tuber!)
- If you want to compete there are plenty of amateur as well as professional comps around now, and some fun ones as where you have the chance to do something more theatrical. Or just get experience performing – at your studio, to your family or just videoing yourself.
I would never have made it into Australia’s Got talent (or any of the comps I have been in) if I hadn’t put myself out there and submitted an application. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
- If you are competing , make sure you read the criteria and know what is expected of you.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How did you feel before and after being a Grand Finalist (Top 10) in World Pole Sports Championships London 2012?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
Again a last minute decision. After coming 2nd in the Australian Pole Fitness Championships I found out I was eligible to compete in London and accepted the invitation with 5 weeks to find royalty free music, raise money and put together a costume and show.
Amazingly I did, and I made it to London, made some incredible new friends from around the world and couldn’t believe it when, after the preliminary round I made the top 10 and was through to the grand final. Being my first time on the international stage and, I think, the oldest in the competition, this was something I had never expected. Such a memorable experience and I’m so glad I went.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Tell us about the activities of your endeavor at “Core Fusion Pole Studio”?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
After running my Pilates studio out of my home and the local hall for 10 years I decided it was time to get a ‘proper’ studio and while i was at it ,to add a pole studio. I wanted to share my love of pole and offer a place where anyone would be welcome and not be intimidated.
Core fusion Pole Studio is still a baby really, but we have classes running 6 days a week from beginners to advanced and, on top of making sure everyone has fun, gains confidence, gets excited when they achieve new moves and start to notice changes in their bodies, my main focus is to teach good technique so they pole with strength and control and are less likely to injure themselves.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Who has been your greatest influencer and motivator in your success in the field of your career in competitive pole dancing ?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
I have trained by myself for the most part so have had to stay very motivated and focussed, but my family area a huge motivation for me. I know that I am setting a good example for my kids by working towards and achieving goals and that they and my husband and parents are very proud of me.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Joanna Littlewood-Johnson:
Womenfitness.net is a fantastic website with such a wealth of information from pregnancy to diet to fitness and so much more all in one place. I love that I can go to one site and find so much great advice and interesting articles.
Thank you again for inviting me to be a part of your wonderful website.
To know more about Joanna Littlewood-Johnson, Check out at: www.corefusionstudios.com.au
Women Fitness Team thanks Joanna Littlewood-Johnson for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Finess and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.