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Monday, January 10, 2011

Soon, this will be ME.


Ok, probably not quite that.  But remember when we were all talking about the New Year's Word, and I off-handedly mentioned aerial dance?  I TOTALLY SIGNED UP FOR CLASSES.

They start tomorrow.  I'm going with my friend Kim.  Who is a legitimate dancer.  I am nothing of the sort ... but oh well.

To get excited, I was looking at videos and pictures of aerial dancers all weekend, and it reminded me of this "imagination game" my roommate and I used to play in college. Every time we'd meet someone, we'd cast them in an ongoing, imaginary circus, invented by the two of us. This didn't include just friends; it also included our professors and family.  Every time we'd be in a class together, and the professor would make a certain gesture, all I had to do was mouth "tightrope walker" to Kathryn, and she'd giggle in agreement.

Anyway, of course we both had to cast ourselves, too.  Kathryn was one of the girls with the huge feather headdresses that rode the elephants; I was trapeze!


 (PS. The name of this file, when I found it on the internet, was "Tito on trapeze again.GIF."  How funny is that?  Who named that file?  There goes Tito, again.  Always on that damn trapeze.)

Anyway, it's all coming together now.  I'm taking this trapeze business and making it a reality. 




Kim and I just signed up for beginner classes, and I actually found a video of beginner dancers at Blue Lapis Light -- where we're enrolled -- below.  It's pretty inspiring!  They do drops, and twist themselves up in the scarves, high in the air.  I really can't wait.

(It gets going about a minute in).


Here are some more videos of Blue Lapis Light dancers.




Anyway, I will keep everyone up to speed on my progress. I am not the most graceful person.

Yesterday, for example. I was carrying a basket of laundry outside, and because I have a tendency to shuffle I didn't pick my foot up quite high enough, and stumbled on a tiny, pointy twig sticking up out of the ground. I sprawled out in the side yard by our house, and my clothes went flying! (But fortunately it was the dirty pile.)

I think it might be a sign that my true grace isn't found on land, but in the air.

UPDATED:  Ok.  I just got home from my first class, and it WAS. AWESOME.

I cannot wait to go back.  I thought we'd just learn, like, "this is the mat.  And this, this is the floor" but we actually learned tricks and stuff!  I'm not a floating butterfly yet, but I'm not hopeless either!

UPDATE #2 (1/26/10):  Check it out.  This is class #5.  You can't really see my face, but what it's saying is, "please don't die."



16 comments:

Megan said...

Remind me to tell you about my first trapeze lesson. It looked like the scene in "There's Something About Mary" when the guy faking a disability drops his keys on the ground and shakes violently when trying to bend over in his crutches and pick them up in order to get sympathy. As I finally swung across to the other side, I looked like a frog kicking its legs. It was a spectacular failure.

I eventually learned a few actual tricks and even did a 'catch', but I still wince/laugh thinking about that first go.

Kim, of course, had a fantastic lesson. I can't wait to hear about it! Wish I could join you two!

Tanya (a Taste of T) said...

Fun! Can't wait to read more you brave gal!

Le Tigre said...

Awesome! I need to sign up for classes too!! Good luck!!

Unknown said...

So, I will forever be grateful for your post in regards to the aerial dancing. I'll be seeing/meeting you for the first time tomorrow...I signed up too and can't wait.

Austin Eavesdropper said...

@Megan -- you know it was partially your trapeze lessons that inspired this whole thing.

@Tanya -- I will document it. I am more excited about this than anything athletic/exercise-related venture I have ever undertaken.

@Le Tigre -- You should come and join @Katie and me tonight. :)

@LanguageFriendly -- Ok! Welcome!

Rachel from Love a la Mode said...

I took a trapeze class once and it was the most fun thing ever! Aerial dance looks fantastic, can't wait to hear how it is.
Bisous,
Rachel
lovealamode.wordpress.com

Kathryn said...

omg!!!! hilarious. only you would manage to locate that class- and sign up for it! i loooove the circus joke. no one else, and i mean no one, thinks it's even slightly funny! love tito on the trapeze. are you still coming to visit me in feb?

Austin Eavesdropper said...

@Rachel -- Oh fun!! @Megan above took a couple too, and she was part of the reason I tracked this down.

@Kathryn -- HAhahaha. I knew you would love it. Why doesn't anyone find our circus funny?! Tito is the best, and, DUH -- of course I'm still coming to visit! :) I'll FB message you with some dates I'm thinking about.

Some Korean Website Highjacker said...

that's so exciting AND brave! it's so good you're going with a friend too. omg, i totally get in hysterics sometimes over what people name their files. it's off the charts funny and Tito, well...dude is rockin' the Lorenzo Lamas look very effectively! happiness to you on this latest grand adventure. ♥

Austin Eavesdropper said...

@Lynn -- Thank you!! We're pretty pumped about it, Kim and I. I am getting more giddy just talking to people about aerial dance!

And LOL, how hysterical is Tito? I how I'm that smiley/confident when I'm up in the air. Lorenzo Lamas!!!

Anonymous said...

http://www.agentred.net/donate

Austin Eavesdropper said...

@Anonymous: Thank you for sharing that link.

Everybody, Agent Red -- a beautiful dancer here in town -- had an accident during a recent performance that left her injured. The above link enables you to make a donation to her recovery.

(Thank you again, @Anonymous.)

Chelsea Holcomb said...

Awesome, Tolly. I also have a recent obsession with the circus. I just finished the book Water for Elephants and highly recommend it. It will take your obsession to a whole new level. Good luck :)

Corey Wilkey said...

OH MY GOD! This is so cool! I went to one of their shows in vegas a year or so ago, and it was so crazy cool! and then cir de sole was hired by the theater here in my town, tuacahn that i work for and we used them in our production of tarzan! it was SO cool! So good luck! i bet you are going to have so much fun!

Unknown said...

This looks like so much fun!

Anna said...

I just had my first trapeze and fabrics lesson today. It was from a voucher on Living Social. I'd thought I would hate it since I was never the arm swinging type at all, but I actually loved it! I was shocked at what I was actually able to do - even if it was with a little help at times. I never thought I'd enjoy hanging upside down in such positions or spinning in circles several feet off the ground but I really did :D I might take it further as well ...