Pinterest is getting loads of attention because it’s just so darn beautiful. I recently created a board Women Circus Artists from the Past and thought I’d post those images here for you to check out.
We just held a grand opening for Sky Candy’s new aerial studio last weekend and Ryan took some fantastic photos of the teachers and students. I’ll share more of his photos once they are edited, but here are a few sneak peeks of my photos on the rope. I’m really happy with them.
I went to London last month – my first time back in a year – and was thrilled to get to take a rope class and some private lessons with my rope teacher. It was so rewarding and satisfying to hear her say how much I’ve improved over the last year – that I’m at a different level than when I left. Since there are no rope teachers in Austin, apart from what we do at Sky Candy, this was incredible validation that we’re doing something right:-)
This is sure to be the perfect holiday gift for the aerialist in your life. Harriet Heyman is a true inspiration. She found the aerial arts later in life and took her journalistic abilities, mashed them up with her love of the circus and created this beautiful photo book, Private Acts: The Acrobat Sublime together with photographer Acey Harper.
Private Acts: The Acrobat Sublime is a multimedia project embracing photographs, essays, and video that looks at acrobats and the acrobatic arts in an entirely new way.
Visit http://www.acrobatsublime.com for more information.
Exciting news, everyone! I have the privilege of becoming a co-owner of Sky Candy Austin, the only aerial arts collective in Austin that offers a broad range of aerial apparatuses and performance opportunities for students. We just raised $7,500 in start-up money thanks to everyone who believes in what we are bringing to Austin. This money is going towards new equipment, insurance and – most excitingly — a new, permanent home in East Austin. Stay tuned for an update on the new space where we will offer loads more classes.
On a personal level, the last few months have been quite tumultuous and challenging as I grappled with relocating back to the US as well as dealt with some crappy medical issues. Both caused me to be out of training, teaching and performing for more than 3 months.
It’s felt so good to get back into training. I also have been filling in on teaching beginning trapeze and I adore teaching. My students are frickin’ amazing. And I’m also gearing up for my first rope performance in Sky Candy’s upcoming production of The Red Shoes (mark your calendars for May 6 – 8!).
It’s also been infuriating, frustrating and humbling getting back into shape. While I was out, I gained about 5 pounds and lost nearly all my strength. I couldn’t do a single pull up. Not. A. One. And I also couldn’t invert on the rope.
After 4 weeks of somewhat steady training, I can do 1.5 pull ups (yay) and my inversions are slowly coming back. Unfortunately, I pushed myself too hard and managed to tear a deltoid, pull a hamstring and gouge out part of my middle finger (the part that gets trapped when all your weight is in your grip) so that’s slowed me down. Grumble.
If anyone is interested on tips to get back in aerial shape after being out for several months, I’m thinking of doing a post or video on that since I’m livin’ that dream right now.
I’m recommitting to maintaining my blog more frequently now that life is settling into a more predictable routine.
The rope skills are coming along slowly but surely. Here’s one of the longest sequences I’ve managed to do and am getting closer and closer to having a full routine in the hopper. Starting to focus on drops over the next few weeks before I move back to Austin so I hope to be able to add a few whiz-bang moves to spice this up. The music is something I just picked out tonight to put over the video, but it scary how well it flows!!
I’m pretending like I’m not leaving London where there is an incredible aerial community – my people.
More to come on the move.
Also, I’ve got a top-10 static trapeze conditioning moves video on the way, too. Just need to carve out time to edit it. It’s a monster.
Shows = 5
ER visits = 3*
Audience members = ~450
Money raised = TBD
Lives changed forever = 40
We did it. We actually pulled it off. Many of us students from Aircraft Circus performed in a real-life circus show for the first time ever this past weekend in London. A full-fledged production with lights, fog machine, winches, trusses, confetti bombs and FIRE.
Our director, Alex Frith, started a performance class in February for us to begin building a show around Chrysalis’ freak show act. We worked on a shoestring budget in order to raise money to insulate our space, which is wicked cold in the winter time. Many of the aerial students were also pivotal in making the show a reality. Elizabeth Schuch, hoop artist extraordinaire, designed an incredible set using salvaged props, old sets and scaffolding. Here’s an early look at her design, and you can read more here.
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Poppy Flint was a genius in creating the costumes. My favorite were the can-can dancers corsets and skirts. So much frill and lace.
And from all of this, Madame Pain’s Boudoir Circus was born. The show featured swinging trapeze, silks, hoop, static trapeze, doubles & triples trapeze, dance trapeze, vertical rope, pole dancing, acrobalancing, fire swallowing and so much more.
Here are videos from our two routines – Nadia and I were conjoined twins who were so desperate to be free from Madame Pain’s exploitation that we separated ourselves.
The first routine is my favorite because, as a base, I get to do a lot more than sit and go to catchers, which is what I mainly do in the second routine. The first routine was really challenging to choreograph and it took us ages to figure out how to get from point A to point B (especially in corsets), but I love what we ended up with. We spent most of our time working on that routine because the second one was just the rest of our doubles trick repertoire, and while the audience seemed to like it a lot, it was very traditional doubles moves and not particularly creative.
Overall, I’m ecstatic about what we accomplished. We pushed ourselves to the absolute maximum on these routines and only had one major error during our first show (which was 100% my fault) and we recovered brilliantly. The only thing I abhor is that damn red jumpsuit. It’s diabolical, but there was no time to think of an alternative.
And here are a couple fabulous posed photos before our last show that Ryan took:
I’m still lacking the words to describe this experience with these brave, creative and stoopid-talented individuals. I love and thank you people. And am honored to have been a part of this life-changing experience.
*Thankfully, none of the injuries were serious. Whip lash, a torn pectoral and bruised fingers were the extent of them.
Here’s a quick video of a wall running taster class I took a few weeks ago. I think I could absolutely fall in love with it. My hip flexors will never be the same again. If only I could clone myself and get to do this full time. Perhaps in another life…
The first part looks like a crab scurrying across the sand, but the cartwheely bits at end were the most fun of all.
I’d love to start doing a lot more of this later in the summer after Madame Pain’s Boudoir Circus wraps.
Finally, something to show on the rope.
Sequence:
Closed back balance
Half catchers descent (total crap)
Front balance (got caught on my leggings and actually ripped them!)
Hip lock, but ran out of space
While it’s not much to look at, it’s the start of a longer sequence in development. I’ve taken about 10 vertical rope classes so far and am in absolute love with it. For lack of a better word, it’s “pure.” It’s insanely challenging, painful, frustrating, painful and yet rewarding. Did I mention it was painful? It makes me feel strong and empowered. It also challenges my brain in ways the trapeze doesn’t. Just trying to figure out where the rope is taking weight and how to navigate around it without falling out of the shape takes a lot of mental power. If I zone out even for a second, I’m hosed.
I honestly hope to have something relatively entertaining put together for Flipside in May, but it’s going to take a lot of work. Between this and preparing for Madame Pain’s Boudoir Circus in June, I’m at my max. Nadia and I will be doing a doubles trapeze piece for the show – it’s been a fascinating experience to be a part of the production process and see the show finally start to take shape. Although Nadia and I still have no idea what exactly we’re going to do yet. But it will be cool. At least we hope.
I’m a little bit overwhelmed right now between balancing opportunity and obligation. There is so much right at my fingertips, but it would come at the expense of so much. So, so much. But I’m guessing I probably only have about 4 – 5 years left at aerial stuff before my body starts to protest. I suppose I don’t need to figure it all out today. But it must be sorted out soon.
So I’ve been working a bit on the lunge over the last couple of weeks and it’s made such a tremendous difference. Both in my technique as well as my fear of being on the high bar.
Each time I go up, it gets better and better. The very first time, I was trembling up there and couldn’t stop until about an hour after class.
It takes time to build up the trust with the instructor – my teacher is absolutely amazing. She helps me “not looook like and octopoooos” on the bar (with her strong French accent.)
The first drop in the video is a front balance to a 1-leg hox. I love it.
