Week 8

So this week has started with an assignment from Jamie:
the assignment is difficult, wonderful, challenging, open-ended, vague, and joyful.
It also is an assignment I have personally been waiting for.
The assignment from Jamie was,
TO PLAY
so, I've been waiting for creativity to add in to the mix for a while now.
Since I've been at NECCA, my strength has improved, my flexibility has improved, my technique has severely improved...but I didn't feel the thrill of using my creative mind. At this moment, there hadn't been any call to use that creativity. It was mostly just doing things to make me a better circus body, but not many activities stimulated my artist mind. I live for the thrill of setting out to create a new act, decide what tricks to put in it, how i want to move, is there a character, or is it a relationship to apparatus kind of piece (character minus a severe storyline), what interesting transitions can I make, how can I get into a certain pose in a new way, how can i get out of a pose in a new way. Can i change the effect of the pose?...etc my brain goes on and on.

So the big question is, how come my brain is at a dead halt?
During members only, i felt absolutely NO instinct to create, to question, to be confused.
I want to LOVE this week, but I don't know what I need to do to get my brain to calm down.
I think art of it has to do with the fact that all my teachers are absolutely amazing, and they have perfect technique and how to break from that technique, but right now I feel slightly like everything i do is under surveillance. Even when I'm just training in my own little world, it isn't unusual to hear someone shout out "point your foot" or "straighten that back leg", which is very fine when I'm working on the technique, but when I'm just playing and creating, I need to be able to be awkward, and hesitant, precarious. Cleaning all that up comes later, and I know I'm supposed to develop better habits, so I guess it's also a resistance to that edict.

I'm determined to create something this week, no matter how short or long, confusing, clear, dynamic, it is.
I want to project all my skills I've built here, and technique I've refined here into a tangible work.

So,
expect SOMETHING from me this week. I demand it.
I won't promise it will change my life or yours, but it will hopefully fulfill my week, and leave me with some sense of satisfaction from this week's assignment.

Jamie G D (that's grace duff, not god, even though you are quite heavenly), what is your take on the situation? do you have wise words?

WEEK 7 Part 2

So this week has ended now, and things are looking up.
Last week I was in a rut, I felt like skills were plateauing, strength wasn't increasing, flexibility DEFINITELY wasn't increasing...I was frustrated. BUT
this week came a long, and I have a feeling it was the week to get over the hump, and now upward movement will occur. This week I got back my elbow circles on hoop (and I think their form is nicer now), I'm still getting stronger and getting more reps out of strength activities at a time.

To end the week, I had a flexibility private lesson with Bill, which means A WHOLE LOT OF PAIN, but if you deal with it and just breath, a WHOLE LOT OF GAIN! Since before this program, my weakest stretch has been my pike stretch, where you sit or stand with your legs straight and together in front of you and reach for your toes. My hamstrings are so tight that I can reach my toes with the tips of my fingers on a good day, it's just excruciating for my legs to go any further. Before my private with Bill, standing, I couldn't even put my hands on the floor in front of my feet unless they were like at least 2 feet in front. By the end of my private with Bill, I could place my hands all the way on the floor DIRECTLY in front of my feet, and actually PUSH down on my hands (weight transfer such as prepping for handstands from that position, press ups and stuff).

Yesterday Bill said to stretch LIGHTLY (the day after Bill is apparently like the day after surgery), so I only stretched a little bit, and then I juggled with Tony (master juggler guy) who helped me with my club passing technique. After member's only training time, Christi, Katie and I went to...the HOLYOKE MALL! It's about 45 minutes away, but it's a mall, which is not something that could ever exist in or near Brattleboro. We went, and had a fun time. Katie and I bought a few select things, Christi...um she bought the mall.

Today, I have an interview at the Fireworks Restaurant, since I RE-followed up yesterday, and then Christina (a protrack student and very good friend of mine)-who is working there as a hostess- put in a good word for me with the boss, and now the boss seems to actually think she might hire me.
We'll see.

WEEK 7 Part 1

I know today is only Monday, and Week 7 has just begun, but I just had some thoughts to get out:

Today was a LONG day, we had 2 hours all together doing flexibility and trapeze conditioning with Jamie, then half of us broke off to go do dance (not my half) and my half stayed around to do theraband (those stretchy latexy bands that you pull on to work muscles) exercises with Jamie and some more abs, and stretching. So for my half of the group, it was 3 hours straight of muscle work, and improving flexibility.

My left split is pretty much on the floor, getting more comfortable with that as the days go by. My right split (damn you right quad muscle) is still iffy, but I'm persistent to opening up that leg (even if it means just getting an hour with Bill and tell him to just go to TOWN on it).

Apparently what I thought was my shoulders being inflexible, was actually just my shoulders being very flexible and my upper back not being flexible at all. Again, as I already know, all my back stretches just rely on my lower back (which is nicely bendy) to deal with all the bending.

My core strength is really increasing. My harder trapeze strengthening exercises are getting less hard and more possible :) I'm going to be filming a progress video sometime this week.

It was just a very long day. I also had Lyra and Sling class tonight.
It was ok, it was good for me strength wise, but today was ALL hoop stuff, and just review on sling, and I know all the hoop stuff we're doing, but it's good to make me have to do it with perfect form and stuff.

Biceps, rest tonight.

Week 6

This past week has been meh,
I was out of Brattleboro from LAST Friday afternoon till Wednesday morning for a family matter.
I missed Monday Intensive class, dance class, lyra/sling class, and fabric class.
BUT, I have already learned what I missed in lyra/sling, and I talked to the teacher of fabrics, I'll pick up the choreo in dance, and Intensives was stretching, which I did a lot of while I was gone.
I drove from Boston to Vermont at 630am so I could make my 9am class with Jamie on time on Wednesday.
Wednesday morning circuit was nice, but it wasn't as hectic and brutal as I wanted it to be.
Physical theater class was good. I witnessed the MOST INSANE YES GAME improv i'd ever witnessed in the history of watching improv games, or being in them for that matter.
In the scene, Adam was jumping on a trampoline with everyone else, he falls through a hole, he breaks his legs, they steal his wallet, take him to a hospital, fix his legs, leaves him on the floor, bury him, watch him crawl his way out of the earth, swam away from zombie adam, found Treasure Island, took as much gold from treasure island as possible, went to God to buy Adam's life back, got SHOT by Adam.
It was EPIC!

Anyway, I'm feeling stronger as the days go buy, and my skills are increasing in control. I don't feel like I've reached mastery of any new tricks, but my strength and endurance is definitely increasing, so obviously mastery will come soon after ( i hope).
I'm almost getting past double front hip circles into TRULY continuous ones.
Will post video once I get that darn trick.

DOUBLES TRAP featuring BENT AERIAL and LEGS MONTANA!

It's the middle of week 5, my body is getting more used to the constant abuse it's receiving :)
My back got hurt at the very end of last week (weird nerve muscle thing), and I discovered on Monday that Jamie asking me to do some forward rolls was the solution to my back problem. It instantly cleared up.

On Monday night, we had Deena for lyra and sling class. Now, let me say it here, before you hear it anywhere else.
I FREAKIN' LOVE DEENA! She is really one of my most inspirational teachers here. She doesn't just look at circus as a sport/technique based performance. She uses it as a tool as well as dance and some theater to create really beautiful stage pictures, emotional connections. This is WHILE doing really beautiful skillful tricks.
So class was nice, she actually spent about 20 minutes having us just put together and sequence tricks that we've learned in little groups. I thrive on that kind of creation, and not just learning tricks. I love sequences, and finding new ways to combine tricks. Oh btw, she's also a really cute mom.

Tuesday was a little bit of member's only working on trapeze stuff. Then, Christi and I went to the gym to run for 45 minutes. About 40 minutes later (yikes), I returned to take fabric class. Caroline (my original fabric teacher for this class) returned, which means, the special brand of ASSKICKING that Caroline serves up has returned as well. It was a very challenging class but I feel like my endurance is getting back, and I can actually work on her "I'm the only one who can do this, but how bout you guys try this" tricks.

This morning was spent as a joint workshop between Protrack and Intensive, where we spent the first hour learning the essentials of rigging knowledge (most of which was covered previously, so I wasn't that interested, but I obviously paid attention to make sure I picked up anything new, and remembered older things). Then the next 2 hours were spent with a nutritionist who basically just spent 2 hours telling us to NEVER EAT ANY FORM OF SUGAR, and make sure you eat veggies. I was a little uncomfortable about it, because I feel like many times experts are brought in to speak to a group of people, they take an EXTREME stance on something (i.e. Don't eat any form of sugars, no matter what. You might as well kill yourself). I would much rather "i understand you will probably eat sugar, here is the best way to MODERATE what kind of sugars you are eating".

Then.... I had my private lesson for the week.
An hour long private lesson with Eileen to learn

The Art of Doubles Trapeze from Jamie.

Now, just to fill you in, at a huge dinner party a few weeks ago, we came to the conclusion that my circus/porn name is Bent Ariel, and Eileen's is Legs Montana.
So, to start, Jamie just had us get used to me taking Eileen's weight from catcher's lock on the trapeze. (Catcher's lock is a staple of doubles trapeze when one is basing the other under the bar. The catcher starts from balancing on their front hips on the bar, then as they tip forward, their legs seperate and straddle to hook around the ropes to create a nice grippy position to pick the flyer up in.)
We started learning some of the basic moves between a base and a flyer on doubles trapeze (cause once you know the main techniques, a lot of it, is just playing around and creating interesting transitions and pictures).
I learned that being a base is a lot of deceptive performance. One might think that the base has to basically just hang their and be strong. Well...let me tell you. Being a base takes a sh*t ton of strength and pain tolerance. After just an hour of class, I have bright red marks where the bar dug into my upper thighs in catchers lock, and my butt has a dent in it from the bar. I LOVE it though, I am really excited by doubles trapeze when it's done well. Eileen is a great partner, and I love that when we starting hashing out our notes from the private, she mentioned her "downstage" leg (a theater term) and I completely didn't realize that we were talking theater and not circus.
To end this post before I have to go to inversions class tonight, I wanted to post a link to Tempo Trapeze, the duo trapeze couple I saw perform at the big E the weekend before last. They are really great performers, and I love their techniques, and style of doubles trap.

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.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

BE VEWWY VEWWY QUIET!

While Sari was moving me in the first weekend, we found this stylish hunting vest.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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.