Circus Chroma 2

Time for one, last, short performance!  Tonight I performed on the silks. I find the silks harder to conquer than any of the other circus disciplines I've tried so far.  There are so many things to remember and practice in order to stay safe in the air while dangling from two, slippery pieces of fabric.  All I know to do at this point is to try my best and to make sure I follow all of the safety rules my teachers have taught me.  You can see the video of my friends, Miss Mariah and Miss Melissa, performing with me on silks below.  My classmates are great!  We support each other and cheer each other on.  They inspire me to keep practicing so I can be as good as them soon!

All of the performances are done for this semester!  Miss Mariah, Miss Melissa and I celebrate...woohoo! Jumping for joy for a job well done! 

See? Being silly is fun for grown-ups too sometimes!

Circus Chroma 1

We had our first student showcase of the semester tonight.  The theme is Circus Chroma.  "Chroma" is a word to represent a colorful theme.  Each class performed a little of what they learned this past session to a song about colors.  Tonight's show had 4 year olds through grown-ups performing!  That just goes to show that ANYONE can join in circus fun!

I performed on the lyra and on the unicycle tonight.  A Lyra is a metal hoop that hangs from the ceiling. People use their strength to perform tricks in the air on the lyra. I am working to get stronger but could certainly use more time to develop the muscles I need to do my best in the hoop.

The unicycle has been proven to be a very tricky skill to learn for me, especially since I feel it is harder to balance on it as a tall person.  Here are wise words of advice for my students..."learn how to unicycle NOW, before you grow super tall!"  Nevertheless, I did learn how to ride and how to do a few tricks in a group during these past few weeks. 

High five on a job well done! 

Taking Flight

After visiting my family in Virginia, I headed to Washington D.C. for a meeting this past Monday.  I usually go to Circus Place in Hillsborough on Monday nights for my static (still) trapeze and lyra class.  I knew I would really miss it, so I looked online to see if there were any classes in Washington D.C. I could take.  Unfortunately the class was late, during the time I had plans for with some other people who work with schools.  They did, however, have a FLYING trapeze class earlier. So, I figured I should give it a try!

What an amazing experience!  With each new attempt I got better and better.  I would absolutely love to fly again soon!  I am posting some photos and a video below.  Enjoy!

Waiting for my teacher's command.  In circus they say "HEP!" instead of "go."  "Go" sounds too much like "no."

Here I go!

Double knee hang

Going for the catch

Got ya!

There were very few books on circus arts in the Somerset County Library System, but here are three you can take out:

Showtime!

Last night was our student showcase at The Circus Place!  It was a jungle-themed, wildly good time.  We have been working so hard on our routine during class on Wednesday nights.  Afterwards it was so nice to high five and hug my classmates on a job well done.                                            

Our teachers looked so proud of us too.  :-)  I certainly know how it feels to be a proud teacher (I have the best students in the universe afterall)!  Our instructors really do a wonderful job of being patient and careful to help each and every one of us to stay safe and to do our very best at The Circus Place.  I ventured out on some new adventures over the summer in order to see how it feels to be a student again.  I am gaining more and more insight with each new lesson.  I am loving the challenge!  It is making me to be both a better student and a better teacher.  :-)

Here are some photos of my group performing to music from Lion King the Musical:

Ms. Millers was nice enough to braid my hair for the show.
I loved the way it looked!

NO HANDS!!!  ...OR FEET!

I remember how scared I was the first time I tried this move!  Now I can do it without a thought.  ;-)

I was so happy and lucky to have two of my
friends come to cheer me on!

Ann was in my class in the summer.
She is AMAZING in the air and is such a hard worker!
I've learned so much from watching
all of the other students during classtime!

     I now wish that I took photos with those wonderful teachers I was talking about...
NEXT TIME!!

Practice Makes Progress

During the middle of the summer I decided to begin a few new hobbies.  I had chosen to continue on with aerial arts class at The Circus Place this fall.  I have even recently been saving up to take two classes per week starting in the winter.  I find these classes to be a great challenge and have learned how important it is to stretch and exercise in between my classes.  What a difference that makes!

When I first tried the trapeze I had difficulty even getting up onto the bar.  Getting down from the trapeze with grace was even harder!  In the summer I would tend to flop down out of the sky with a "PLOP!" onto the mats each and every time.  With practice and exercise I am now able to gracefully let myself down from silks, ropes and the trapeze.

I make sure to take notes when I am at class so I do not forget what my teachers tell me and I make sure to ask plenty of questions to help me learn more about the best ways to perform in the air.  Of course I also realized that I needed to practice, practice, practice while I remained patient.  It is tricky to practice often when I do not always have access to the equipment I need.  Instead, I have to work on exercises to keep my muscles strong.  I am also going to go to The Circus Place on Saturday night, when the gym is open for anyone who would like to practice climbing or doing tricks on the apparatuses (that is a big word to describe all of the equipment we use in class).

Next week all of the students will have a chance to perform.  My group has been working hard to practice our routine.  Here is a sneak peak of me at practice...

My kindergartners have been practicing reading, writing and math in the classroom.  Practice is important in order to make progress.

Here are some books available at our town's library about practice:

Climbing High

I think by now my students all know that my favorite field trip is to The Big Apple Circus each year! The acts are always so wonderful and inspiring.  I have always thought it would be an amazing feeling to fly through the air while trying out the trapeze.  I know that I can do almost anything I put my mind to, so I thought about how I could become strong enough to try out the trapeze.  I decided that I need to make sure my arm muscles are stronger so they can hold on and keep me safe.

While searching for fun things for my students to do over the summer I came across an interesting site. The site was for somewhere called The Circus Place.  Since I absolutely LOVE the circus I clicked on the link right away.  I learned that not only are there classes and parties for children, but they have classes for adults too!  I signed up right then to take aerial classes each week until September.

Aerial performances can include silks, ropes and trapeze.  This is only my second week, and last week I learned how to climb the rope and the silks  I can climb and hold on with one hand.  Today I worked on the trapeze to learn how to get on the right way, get off the correct way and how to do four tricks.  Our teachers make sure that we know how to be safe.  They also make sure that we all stretch and do exercises to make our muscles stronger each time we come to class.  It is a lot of hard work, but it isn't anything that I can't do!  I will just keep listening to my teachers and will keep trying my best. With practice and patience I will continue to get better.

What act would you do if you were in the circus?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Check out The Circus Place in Hillsborough, NJ to see what classes they have for kids.

http://www.thecircusplace.com/

Here is a woman who has been practicing for a while now on the silks...