Well, I’ve gone dark the last few months, but not because I haven’t been trapeeeeezing. In fact, I’ve made more progress in the last 6 weeks than ever. My body’s finally feeling very, very strong. I can do a pull-up from a dead hang now. W00t! I am also able to do some basic transitions more easily – up and over without cheating on the ropes, I can now (barely) go from front balance to sit and I have finally conquered by block on straddles – it was literally all in my head. As in the weight of my head. I was looking in the wrong direction!
So here’s my latest video. The goal here was to stay on for at least 3 minutes and I ened up staying on for over 4. This isn’t a choreographed routine or anything, just a bunch of technical moves I improvised along the way. I can see the areas I need to work on more. But I’m really happy I had the stamina to carry on for this long. It gives me a lot more confidence that I’ll be able to get a routine ready by Flipside.
Check it out. I just found a fantastic resource on FEDEC’s site for basic aerial skills and training here
Click on the Pedagogicals Tools tab and you can download the chapters most relevant to you.
It’s the only guide I’ve found that provides both photos/diagrams and descriptions. The European Federation of Professional Circus Schools provides resources and helps network the schools throughout Europe.
I’m a bit bummed today because I had a chance to go to a silks workshop, but the London public transportation system was not working in my favor. Yar.
Ryan has helped me get one step closer to building strength in the comfort of our home. He got me a pull-up bar for Christmas!
I have no idea if my form is correct. It feels a bit narrow but the bar set up doesn’t allow me to put my hands where I’d really like them to go – just slightly wider. It seems like the wider apart they are, the more they isolate the lats. We don’t do wide-arm pull-ups in class because of the nature of the trapeze bar – it’s a fairly narrow apparatus. But I figure this set up is better than nothing.
Here are a couple of videos I took at Shunt Vaults of aerial performances. The first is Catrin Osborne, who teaches silks at the Hangar where I take trapeze classes. She did this performance last night for the New Year’s Eve event.
And here’s another I took at Shunt in October. I don’t know her name, but she’s with Airealism.
I am going through trapeze withdrawal. I haven’t been to a class in a week and half. My callouses are disappearing. I miss the bruises and sore muscles. I did some sun salutations yesterday and pathetically, my anterior deltoids are tender, tender, tender.
We went out last night and all I could think about when I looked around is what I could hang from. There was a great rig set up that would have been ideal for trapeze. There was a rope sculpture that I’m sure could have been climbed. I want to climb a rope. Badly.
My family has accepted my trapeze obsession. Mom and Dad got me a package of lessons for Christmas. Ryan gave me several books on trapeze (I’ve already read 2 of them) plus a pull-up bar. W00t! One of my goals for 2009 is to be able to do one pull up from a dead hang.
Also, 7 Doigts de la Main is coming to London in Feb/March with Traces. Dan, Nadia and I are planning to go. Shana Carroll is with this troupe. I posted this fantastic video of hers in an earlier blog post.
It’s been several days since I’ve looked for new videos and found this one. I’ve seen some of Amanda Crockett’s comedy trapeze routines, but this is the first fancy solo one. She is very inspiring.
There’s something strangely comforting about seeing a trapeze artist from more than 100 years ago shaking her groove thang. She’s doing many of today’s popular moves like nest and some quick!-before-you-miss half angels. Who knows what the real link to Thomas Edison is, but I think this video is absolutely cool.
Here’s a video of the new routine I’ve been working on to practice transitions. While learning each technical move on its own is a lot of fun, I completely underestimated how challenging stringing them all together — AFTER climbing the rope — would be.
While I’ve got a looong way to go before this gets anywhere near “good,” you can see I’ve made a bit of progress. Particularly just being able to do an up and over from hang into front balance. But I warn you, it’s not pretty. And the half turn to sit at the end is utterly pathetic. I’d like to build onto this so I’m moving for at least 2 minutes 30 seconds to build my stamina.
Nadia found a great space at BTS Project in South Bermondsey that rents their artist loft by the hour (SUPER cheap too) and it’s all set up for aerial rehearsals. They’ve got the rope, silks, hoop and static trapeze set up and ready to go. Dan, Nadia and I were all quite pleased that we can actually go off on our own now and practice some of the things we’ve learned.
We’ve decided to practice there every Saturday morning in addition to our Wednesday class. And I just might squeeze in an extra one every now and again. If I honestly think I’m going to do a performance at Flipside, I’ve got to step it up.
Here are a couple of inspirational videos my friend Nadia found:
I think she’s on a single-point trapeze and it’s bungiefied somehow. She’s a monstah!!
And this rope act doesn’t allow for embedded HTML, so here’s the link. YOU MUST WATCH THIS. It was taken at Shunt Vaults which is my favorite place in London and may not be around for much longer.
Also, Airealism is performing there in mid January and I get to help out backstage!! Very excited about that.
