Week 4

Well, week 4 has mostly been uneventful in the bigger picture, but a very useful week.
The weather here has been nothing good, so morale is slightly low at Camp Necca.
On Monday, I had ballet again, but this time with Deena, and I found it so much more accessible.
She explained what the terms meant, and why they are called that, and explained more about the body and its catalysts for all the ballet movements.
According to Deena: EVERYTHING IS AN AB EXERCISE!
We also had conditioning and stretching with Jamie as usual. We learned the GIRLY ABS exercise

(quick backstory: Elsie and Serenity were once asked to teach a class somewhere and it was a bunch of buff gym body guys, and when they heard that Elsie and Serenity were gonna give them an ab workout, someone mentioned "blah blah they'll do girly abs"...Els and Seren proceeded to rip those guys to shreds with this ab workout.)

Let me tell you, those abs were a killer, and I'm pretty sure we didn't do it for the full time it was supposed to be done (ran out of class time), so i am worried :)

Monday night's Lyra/Sling class was a whole bunch of tricks that my shoulders don't like doing. Since i'm really broad shouldered, certain moves where you have to squeeze your shoulder blades together are not very doable by me. Since I've been on hoops for so long, I've figured out my own way of doing tricks that still look like the trick just have adaptations to accommodate my body (which is what many performers do), but since i'm in class, we're doing the technically accurate way, so it was difficult.

Tuesday was a non morning class day, so Christi and I went to the gym after Member's Only Training Time (btw, Member's Only Training time is time for just people in Intensive and Protrack (and a very select few others) to train in the school, it is a block of time almost every day). We did our cardio, and worked on hoop stuff and some trapeze strength work.
Tuesday night, however, I had more advanced aerial fabric with Elsie. I tell you, that woman knows how to KICK MY ASS! But in such a good way. We worked on some really cerebral body connected fabric tricks, which take a lot of work both physically and mentally to do perfectly. Elsie said I was doing a fairly good job at the windmill (instead of the drops where you just let go, spin while plummeting and then catch yourself, the windmill is a CONTROLLED roll down the fabrics, where you actually create the spin as you descend). She gave me some really good feedback, and I quickly realized that Elsie knows exactly how to teach ME, as a specific individual. She seems to understand how my mind works to understand tricks (probably one of the many reasons why her and Serenity are known as some of the best aerial teachers in the world). We also learned a climb Elsie by accident invented, which inadvertently cleaned up my messy bicycle climb (a hard climb for me because of my hip flexers, but somehow her climb made it easier, even though it's a harder climb...i love when that happens). The result of the fabric class was that I felt gross, and sweaty and exhausted, but I also felt severely accomplished, and that I had made a lot of progress.
Wednesday, we had Jamie conditioning class in the morning (accompanied by my playlist I created for the occasion). We did more of the circuit training list created by FEDEC (fedec.eu if you're interested) which is the federation of circus schools of Europe. They have manuals on everything, including a list of 20 exercises that if done, work all the muscles you need to do circus (kind of weird to think that they can make such a concise list). I decided to take Member's Only off for the day, to give myself a day of little aerial. I ended up working with Shannon on her meathooks for a few minutes, and then juggling with Cooper, but nothing crazy.
At 2:30, Christi and I had our shared private lesson in Gyrotonics by Deena. It was nothing like what I expected, but it felt really hard and really good at various times, sometimes at the same time :) Deena said that my hip flexers are sooo locked that my legs can't access my abs. Which is the problem that occurs with my pike stretch on my right leg, and splits with my right leg...basically I HATE MY RIGHT LEG.
after the Gyro private, we had some time, so I went home and made linner (lunch/dinner) before Inversions class. I had a really frustrating Inversions class this week. I'm having a really hard time realizing that though I could hold a handstand for a good while, it wasn't proper form, and so now I'm holding less of a handstand because i'm doing it correctly. Meh. It will get better, I'm just being stupid and frustrated.
Anyway, it is Thursday, I am off to Member's only in a little while.
Until next time.

CHRISTI KICKED ASS TODAY!

At the Big E

The Eastern States Exposition also known as the BIG E is going on right now. NECCA is performing to represent Vermont, but the expo also has the BIg E Super Circus which has a Coca Cola grand chapiteau.
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BE VEWWY VEWWY QUIET!

While Sari was moving me in the first weekend, we found this stylish hunting vest.
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THE LAST 3 WEEKS Pt. 3

Since assessment day, our weeks have generally been like this.

Monday morning: Running class with Jim (let's pretend that never happened, it was a 2 week only thing), Jamie conditioning class, where she gives us fun stretching, and circuit training to make us STRONG LIKE BULL. Then we split into half of us going to dance class and half of us staying with Jamie for more stretching and conditioning.

Wednesday morning: Hour with Jamie, more fun circuit training (20 different strength exercises each one done as many times as you can during a minute, wait 20 seconds then switch to the next one).
After Jamie hour, we have Physical Theater for 2 hours (love it, though I feel sometimes as if I'm in Freshman year of Temple all over again, but whatever, I can shut up and learn).

Every afternoon, for 2-3 hours, there is Member's Only Training, which is time for just the Intensive and Protrack students to use the entire circus school to work on our training and practice things we're learning, and solidify things in class.
Also, once a week each person gets a private lesson. In September, all our private lessons were with Jamie so she could get to know us (she's our program director), and see what we need as a circus artist. With me, Jamie and I started doing some aerials, but we both kind of felt like I will get enough aerial for now on my own time and in my aerial classes, so we really worked on stretching my less flexible joints.

Jamie has become slightly intrigued by my particular flexibilities. Apparently, the flexibilities that I have naturally contradict her generalizations about people, so she has fun inspecting me. I have never really had to work that hard for my straddle split, it's just always mostly there, and I just need to wake it up. My lower back has always been flexible, and all the bends that I put in my back quickly migrate to my lower back, cause my upper back doesn't want to bend. This makes certain balance tricks in aerials place higher on my back than most aerialists. Which is fine cause it's my back's balance point, but she has fun playing with it.
Mostly in our privates, she has been getting my splits deeper, and opening up my hip flexors for my pike. Right now, if i sit with my legs straight out in front of me, and try to grab my feet, i can hunch over and barely grab my feet, eventually the goal is the have a flat back and be complete folded at the hips so my torso is flat against my legs. This is by far the hardest stretch for me, and my body's panic reflex while stretching this has has some angry moments. I started crying in my private last week, just as a reflex of my body panicking while stretching. Jamie has faith in me somehow, I'm already getting better at letting go as she pushes me into the pike stretch.

Also, I have Hoop/Sling class Monday nights, Advanced Fabric Tuesday nights and Inversions Wednesday nights.
Right now, Inversions is my favorite class, even though it's the hardest class for me. It deals mostly with back bends and all the very acrobatic work involving back bends, My back has really opened up in the last 3 weeks, and I now can be in a bridge, and kick my legs over my hands into a standing position (video to come).

Also, me and Christi keep each other honest and we make sure we go to the fitness gym almost every day to either do weights or cardio. She and I have become a weird little fabulous team.

As October is coming up soon, we were allowed to start asking for privates (now that we aren't just by default with Jamie doing personal investigations). In October, I will have a handstand private with Aimee (she's a goddess, I'm so excited to finally work with her), a hoop private with Deena (which I'm probably gonna ask to switch to trap so we can just nail down some momentum tricks), a contortion private with Bill (basically, he manhandles you way past where you can stretch yourself, and you get more bendy), and a double trapeze private with this LOVELY LOVELY woman Eileen who's in the Intensives program with me. She's an actor in NY who's sooo hillarious, she founded an aerial theater group in NYC, and we make each other laugh way too often. We thought that we might work together well, so even though I have no positive experiences with doubles trap, I'm willing to give it a try with her.

Ok, well that's pretty much we're I am at now, circus in the morning, circus in the afternoon, cardio/weights in the afternoon, and more circus at night...and repeat.

Now, the pictures/videos, blogging should become more of a regular thing now that I have my laptop.

THE LAST 3 WEEKS Pt. 2

Pt 2, of the 3 week recap of the beginning of my NECCA Intensives program.

So the first day of our Intensives Program was our FIRST Assessment day:
What is an assessment day you ask?
It is a day where your physical strength and flexibility is measured by doing various exorcises:
For example: how many pullups can you do, how many v ups (hang with hands on the trapeze bar, and raise your straight legs until your toes touch the bar) can you do, how long can you hold an  L sit (hang hands on bar, legs straight out in front of you at a 90 degree angle in the air, hold for as long as possible). How many pushups can you do. How low are your splits, how low is your straddle, how long can you hold a handstand...etc the list goes on.
The goal is to take WHEREVER we are at now, and compare it to an assessment we will do in the middle and at the end of the program, to compare, and see our growth.
I was awarded LONGEST Hollow body position held amongst the Intensives group (my little proud moment of the day).

That assessment kicked our asses nice. We have a long way to go, and I'm excited to get there.

THE LAST 3 WEEKS Pt. 1

So I'm going to break the last three weeks down into smaller chunks of readable content.
Here's pt. 1:

Moving into Brattleboro September 2nd was quick and easy. My best friend Sari helped as we drove from Boston to Montpelier in one car, grabbed more of my stuff, including my mattress, and then drove the truck from Montpelier to Brattleboro. I like my apartment. It's cute, enough room for me, my bed, some walking space, and my eventual sewing studio (which is how I intend to make my money this year). It also has an ample kitchen area where I've been enjoying cooking meals of modestly epic proportions :)

The first weekend here was kind of lonely, since I hadn't met any of the other people in the program yet, except I knew Trevor, and I knew Lauren both from Smirkus.
Lauren is conveniently living a few blocks down on the same street as I am.
Trevor is living at the "NECCA HOUSE" which is a building owned by Elsie (co founder of NECCA)'s husband Jim. He rents rooms out to NECCA students. Trevor lives in an apartment with: Shannon (Intensives program), Anthony and Christina (a couple from Alaska, in Pro Track), Christi (my new best friend, from Texas, in Intensives), and Stacy (a stripper from all over, pro track).

On the first Monday here, Christi, Trevor and I decided to go to the Guilford Fair where NECCA was performing throughout the day. We ate "Mexican food" (aka, a Vermont lady who put hot sauce on rice with onions and cheese, and saw some good acts. I finally met the bald guy whose head Cat stands on, his name is Henry Wheaton, and he's utterly fabulous. and Clara (Pro track last year) performed double aerial sling, which was très encroyable.

At 4, Intensives finally met as a group for our Orientation. Our year was vaguely mapped out, and hopes and dreams were discussed, followed by a tour of the school, and info about how to be at the school. It seems like an interesting group of people from vary different circus and life backgrounds.

The next day we didn't have anything during the day, but I had my Advanced fabric class at night.
Let's have a moment about this. about 16 people are in the room getting ready for the Intermediate/Advanced fabric class. It's a mixed level class taught by two teachers, so they are hoping to split us up into Intermediate and Advanced. Out of the 16 people that were there, eventually it has become me, and 2 other girls in advanced, and everyone else in intermediate. Caroline is the advanced fabric teacher and she is KICKING MY ASS, and i hate and love it. The good thing, is super good coaching with so few people, the bad thing is, there's almost never an excuse NOT to be up on the fabrics, because it's not like you're waiting for your turn.

I've found that teaching beginner level circus all summer has made me sadly lose some of my strength for more advanced level tricks, which I essentially didn't get to train all summer. I'll get them back soon enough, but these first few weeks are going to suck.

GENESIS

Hello everyone, I have wanted to start a blog about this year, but I didn't have my computer until a few days ago. So I will tonight start writing what happened these first 3 weeks of the program, and then I will try to keep posting regularly, and providing (what hopes to be) lots of progress videos, photos, information, and lovely anecdotes. I hope you enjoy.