Author Archives: Lewitwer

Superhuman Front Balance Time!

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…. It’s…. SUPERHUMAN FRONT BALANCE!!!! Whether you’re getting your pelvis squished between two gossamer strands of fabric, or enjoying that metal bar nestled smartly in your hip crease, we can’t get enough front balance…. Or CAN we?

What it Is, Where You See It

Front balance gets around! You’ll see it on silks, hammock, trapeze, lyra, partner acrobatics, and bookoodles of invented apparatus. We use it when we want to look like a superperson zooming across the heavens, as the starting position for drops, as a transition, a strength building exercise, etc.

Just for fun? Play the “Where’s Front Balance” game the next time you’re killing time on social media – it’s like “Where’s Waldo” but with a lot more circus. Look for this position as you scroll through Instagram, YouTube, FB, etc – you’ll see it EVERYWHERE. Sooooo, it’s in your best interest to master it, for realz.

What Usually Goes Wrong

  • Noodles! No, I’m not placing my usual Japanese food order. I’m talking about the dreaded noodle body, in which the student lacks sufficient strength or tension to achieve/maintain the position, and drapes across the apparatus like an overcooked strand of linguine.
  • Rigidity! If you’re so stiff that you forget to be responsive (wink), you’ve got a rigidity issue. Balance is active – you’re constantly making adjustments to recapture it.
  • Terror! “I will fall on my face! Oooooooh no! Now I will fall backwards! Aaaaaargh, now I will fall on my face again!” I get this! I really do. Problem is, terror makes you super grabby and prone to wild overcorrections.
  • Uncommitted! You’re stopping juuuuuust short of the final goal, which results in a not-so-charmingly-assy position. Friend – MY EYES.

How to Manage That Mischief

  • Viagra-vate! Using the exercises at the end of this post, you’re aiming to find enough essential tension to make and hold that flying superhuman position. Remember to think about pushing your hips into the ground or apparatus as you lift your torso and legs. Is your butt squeezed? Not even a little? Yer doin’ it wrong. ♡ Mastered it on the floor? Try it on yoga blocks, a foam roller*, or low apparatus. (*careful with placement – sudden rolling onto your abdomen should be avoided).
  • Respond! If you find yourself pitching forwards and backwards like a drunk toddler on a teeter-totter, sloooooooooow dooooooown. Use your hands on the apparatus to help you find your superhuman position, then SLOOOOOOOWLY take your hands off. Sudden movements are NOT gonna help you find that balance! Try flinging your arms around while trying to balance on one foot. Did it work? Of course it didn’t, silly. Chill.
  • Place it correctly! For most of us, the happy zone is nestled right in your hip creases (my students call them the “golden arches”). Try this: fold at the hips with the apparatus tucked right into your hip smiles and find a ball position. Feel where that is? THAT’S where you want to keep your apparatus. You do NOT want it on your hip bone (ouch!) or your waist (gah!) as you extend into position.
  • Hug the floor! If fear is your nemesis, keep it low enough so you know you could touch the floor with your hands if you needed to, and that should go a long way towards short-circuiting that fear. TRY to keep your hands hovering close to the ropes/hoop/silks, but you should feel a bit better knowing you won’t face plant or fly backwards.
  • Don’t stop! A little higher, a little higher, THERE IT IS! Don’t stop until there’s at minimum a straight line from your collar bones to your toesies. Got a little detour at the hips? Press your hips into the apparatus, slowly lift your chest, lift your legs.

Practice front balances until the position is easy to hold, then have fun! Play with arm and leg positions, changing your focus, or working it into transitions. I’ll see you (r front balance) in the air! Love and pullups, Laura

The Song of the Competent Student

I am a Very Very Competent Student. If I am in your class, you never have to worry about me doing something questionable or stupid (SAYING something questionable or stupid is another story entirely). I know my body, can easily follow most directions, and am perfectly happy finding my own modifications for things that are too hard, too scary, or to work around an injury. All of these things make The Competent Student super easy to have in class! They also tend to render them invisible.

Chinese pole class with the effervescent Ivory Fox.

Teachers Gotta Triage

In a group class, your coach is in a constant state of “triage”. We identify students most likely to test our insurance, beginners who are now questioning ALL their life choices, and students who are going to need a challenge. If you’re somewhere in the middle, you may sometimes legitimately feel overlooked.

“WHY AM I FEELING INVISIBLE? I NEED COACHING TOO!”

Friend, that is REAL. You absolutely do. Let’s get on that.

Gimme Some of That Teachin’ Love!

Here are some things to keep in mind and a few ideas for how you might eek your way back onto the radar.

  • First, ask yourself how you respond to feedback. If the answer is anything other than “graciously”, consider this: if it is unpleasant to give you non-essential feedback (you argue, roll your eyes, get moody, or just ignore it), you’re not going to get as much of it. Your coach probably isn’t a glutton for punishment, so don’t make giving you corrections painful. Repeat after me: “Thank you!”
  • Talk to your coach! If you are consistently feeling overlooked, it’s time to have a chat with your teacher. This probably shouldn’t be a 45 minute dump-all-your-feelings-on-the-table kind of talk (oh glory, please no), but rather a quick, “Hey Mergatroyd! I’m loving this class so much! Could I get a little more feedback from you? I’m really looking to level up, and I feel like I need a little more direction.” If you have something specific you’re working on, even better.
  • Ask questions! Pick one thing you really want help with, and then feel ZERO guilt asking for your coach’s full attention for a few minutes. For example, I’m fairly certain that I will die a slow and terrible death if I walk belly-to-the-wall in handstand class. It gives me ALL the feels. So, I ask Miss Ivory to stand right next to me to ensure my survival (it’s worked so far! I am not dead!).
  • Accept that you may be doing just fine, and whatever you’re working on just needs more time. You may be doing everything just as you should, just where you are. The most common feedback I got in circus school? “Again.”

If, after all that, you still feel invisible, it might be time to look at switching to another class or booking some private sessions. Just remember though – a full class of 10 with 7 beginners is REALLY different from a class with three people, and sometimes we just have to be our fabulously competent selves while our coach focuses on folks who need them a little more today. Communicate with your coach, don’t be le poo when you DO get criticism, and share the love. Feedback and pull-ups, Laura

Don’t Let Me Die! Why You Don’t Need All That Spotting

Hey you! This post is about teaching and being an adult in classes. I do not and will not teach children (COOTIES). Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog.

If you’ve ever been a beginner in one of my aerial classes here in New York City, you may have noticed something – after your first day, you don’t get a whole lot of spots. What gives? Do I not love you? Do you have BO? Do I not care about your circus wellbeing and want you to succeed? Oh, Dear Dangler, if only you knew! Of COURSE I love you, no you do not have BO, and I absolutely care about your wellbeing and want you to succeed. I just want you to do that on your own. Without kicking me in the face.

Why We Might Spot

There are several reasons we might trot out our spotting magic.

  • To avoid face smashing. Beginners especially do *creative* things, so a carefully placed hand may prevent some very bad choices. Example: a hand hovering above Jericho’s ankles when he’s doing his first knee hang reminds him to not straighten his legs and fall on his head.
  • To boost confidence. Sometimes, you just need to know your coach is there because you’re having ALL the feelings. Example: standing in front of Morgan and encouraging them as they whirl into a new tinkle-inducing drop.
  • To guide movement. “Tap my hand. Tap my hand. Tap my hand.” If a student is having trouble with a new movement pattern, I may use the Follow My Hand method. Example: Becky is completely mystified about how her leg is supposed to get from behind her head to between the silks. Tap and follow my hand with your foot, Becky.

The Trend of Over-Spotting

So often, the thinking goes: if a little bit of spotting is a good thing, then a whole LOT of spotting must be better! Right? Not so fast, sparkle panties. While it’s essential to have a big ole bag of tricks when it comes to keeping students safe, hands-on spotting isn’t always the way to go. Consider:

  • As a coach, I am more likely to be injured while spotting a flailing student. Every teacher who’s ever gotten a kick to the face, raise your hand!
  • If your instructor has to person-handle all your body weight through a move, well, that’s just not a good use of anyone’s time! Do you need to be stronger before attempting that triple spinny salto thingy? Does the coach need to break it down into smaller, more manageable steps? Let’s take a moment for some real talk. I am not 22, and you are not 8 years old and 65 lbs. If you cannot manage a move under 90% of your own steam, we’re not ready to go there.
  • If your coach is locked into one on one with you, they’re not able to give their attention to anyone else in the class. Once in a while, this is completely appropriate! Every 5 minutes is monopolizing the teacher’s time and attention; it makes your fellow students have stabby feelings – don’t do it.
  • Spotting can short-circuit a student’s perception of what’s happening, how it should feel, how much effort it takes, etc. We take in tons of input through our feel-y bits. As students, we need to be able to feel the parameters of a move. For example, if I simply hold you in a knee hang, you get absolutely no sense of how that knee hang might ever happen on your own; if I hover a hand over your ankles or allow you to use a mat to support some of your body weight, your muscles have to do some work, and you have a much better understanding of how one might hang by their knees.
  • This one is actually the main reason I limit hands-on spotting: self-efficacy. Spotting is a transference of ownership. When I am being spotted, I’m handing over a portion of my responsibility for completing a move over to my coach. This may be a great thing, this may not be a great thing – it depends on the move, the student, the apparatus, and the day. That said, a HUGE part of my teaching philosophy is that students thrive when they participate in their own learning. Enter: SELF-EFFICACY. When we cannot move without our instructor practically right on top of us, that’s a problem now and forever. But, when we take appropriate ownership of our safety, our bodies, and our understanding of the work, magic happens! Allowing and encouraging ownership = everyone wins.

So, If I’m Not Spotting, What Am I Supposed To Do?

Save your bodies, teachers! There are oodles of alternatives to hands-on spotting we can consider. Here are a few of my favorites, and I’m sure you have some of your own (leave ’em in the comments!).

  • Break it down now! Baby steps baby steps baby steps. Break that move down into the next teensy tiny step that the student can safely complete on their OWN.
  • Floorials! Ain’t no shame in doing something near or on the floor! I do it all.the.time. It’s a fabulous way to get up close and personal with a movement pattern, but without the wedgies. WIN!
  • These moves are made for walkin’. Learning to walk down drops or other moves means you’ve got the power! Basically, you spot your own darned self.

Know what I’m NOT a fan of? Students spotting other students. Ever. Are they trained to do that? No. Did they sign up to be responsible for another student’s safety? No. Will your insurance cover an accident that happens between students? Probably not. Just say no.

The main takeaway is this: is that hands-on spot really necessary? Is it really? If the answer is no, then explore other options. If the answer is yes, someone will die without a spot, then spot away! There are some apparatus that are naturally safety line or spot heavy (swinging trap, I’m looking at you), and some that should require very little (aerial silks in the house!). You do you! Be safe, have fun, don’t smash your face (or smash your coach’s face). Love and pull-ups, Laura

Keep Me Hanging On: The Arm Position That’s Killing Your Stamina (and my eyeballs)

Let’s play a game! A little quiz-zy game.

Is the most popular arm position for students in aerial silks class:

  • A) Straight arm hang
  • B) Fully bent arm hang
  • C) That panicked half pull-up position that looks like a cat trying to avoid the water bottle as she climbs the curtains

If you answered C, congratulations! You’re correct – the half pull up position (the “gargoyle”) is beloved of students around the globe. The problem? It’s killing your stamina (and your grip, shoulders, and elbows). Is there a better way? (Spoiler alert: YES).

Yay Positions

Broadly speaking, there are two hanging positions that are vastly preferable to the Gargoyle: the straight arm hang and arms fully bent (the “backpack”). The former is pretty self-explanatory: arms are lengthened, shoulders engaged but not forcefully pulled down, ribs and hips connected. The latter isn’t crazy complicated either – hands are in line with the meaty part of the shoulder, elbows are glued to your waist, ribs and hips are connected.

So, if these two positions will save our stamina, WHY do we go for the Gargoyle? Because our bodies LOVE to cheat, and it takes time to build the strength needed to hold ourselves reliably off the ground without flailing like an angry badger. It’s OK! For now, just be aware of when you’re defaulting to a position more suited to perching on Notre Dame than wrapping a foot lock.

Troubleshooting

Backpack Hang

  • If you’re “makin’ boobies” and rounding your upper back, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Return to the start, move your hands towards the outside of your shoulder, point your nipples straight ahead, and try again.
  • If you’re arching your back, think about connecting your ribs and your hips, or tucking your ribs into your pants (my favourite).
  • If you start strong and then find yourself melting, you’re in excellent company. Think about pulling your elbows towards your waist, and know that if you consistently train the position, it will come.

Straight

  • If your grip feels like spaghetti, have your coach check your shoulder position. You can also try this: imagine your armpit is a dog or horse ear that swivels towards sound (I know it’s weird, just go with it). Is your armpit swivelled towards the front? Start there.
  • Take a little video. Are you still pulling with your bicep (bending your arm)? Give yourself a little spanking (wink), and remember that old habits die hard.

Arm positioning can be tricky (everyone’s body is different), and our understanding of it is being reshaped all the time thanks to more resources geared specifically towards aerial arts. Not sure if your positioning is le poo? Check in with a knowledgeable coach and have it evaluated, and remember that Notre Dame wasn’t built in a day. Save the gargoyles for Paris, and I’ll see you in the air! Love and pull-ups, Laura

It’s Not You, It’s Me – How to Break Up With Your Circus Teacher

How we feel when you leave…..

If you’re part of the zany world of circus, at some point, you and a teacher are going to “break up”. It doesn’t have to be awkward, but it certainly can be! When should you say “toodles”? More importantly, how do you say it in a way that preserves a good relationship, or so feelings don’t get hurt? Here is the penicillin for your burning questions, friends.

Why Might You Need to Say Goodbye?

There are oodles of reasons you might need to stop or pause your training with a particular coach:

  • You’re moving! We’ll miss you.
  • You’re pregnant and you need to press pause for a while while you grow a person. (Note: you don’t have to stop training while pregnant – do what’s best for you and the little kumquat.)
  • You’re injured and need to rehab and heal.
  • You’re in a difficult or busy season of life, and you need to focus on other things.
  • You don’t have the money, honey! Sometimes, we need to stop and get our finances in a better place.
  • The class times changed, and it conflicts with your schedule.
  • Your current coach or class is no longer meeting your needs. Legit!
  • You don’t have particularly good chemistry with your teacher.
  • You’re done with circus (or this apparatus), and moving on to other pursuits.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but you get my drift.

How to Have “The Talk”

Oh glory, not THAT one! Call your mom or use google for that talk. No, I’m taking about the “I’m leaving” talk. What’s that? You weren’t going to have that talk with your teacher? You were just going to stop coming to class? Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, go directly to the next section.

Still here? Great. This talk is actually really simple! If you have a lot to say, or you want to phrase things a certain way, write it out in an email, and say goodbye in person if possible; if you have been training together a long time, face to face means a lot. Be honest (but kind) about why you’re leaving. If you’ve enjoyed working with your coach, please tell them! We get terribly invested in your circus education, and getting the chance to say goodbye or “see you soon” means a lot. Here are some quick n’dirty examples:

  • “Ms Mergatroyd! I wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed your class! I’m (moving, pregnant, broke, whatever you’d like to put out there), so this is my last class for a little while. Sad face!” (cue hugs)
  • “Mr Methuselah! I wanted to thank you for all your teaching and support! It’s time for me to move on to other things, but I wanted to say that I’ll see you around!”
  • “Ms Universe! Looks like I have shoulder tendinitis, so it’s off to PT with me. I’ll be back as soon as my physical therapist gives me the thumbs up!”

… and so on.

What NOT to Do

A few years ago, a student who had been with me for years told me they were going to take a break from training to get stronger, and then come back. Imagine my surprise when I saw pictures of them on social media training at a different studio! OUCH. That really hurt. It doesn’t have to go that way, folks!

Please don’t:

  • Lie. A little buffer to spare someone’s feelings is one thing, a Big Whopping Lie is another. Be honest about going to train at other studios or with other coaches, or if you’re not planning on coming back. Polite? Yes, please! Fibby? No thanks.
  • Ghost. If you’ve only taken a few classes, fuggedaboutit; but, if you’ve been there a while, please consider not ghosting. It hurts our feelings (yes, we have them)! Let us know if you’ll be gone for a bit (or for good).
  • Say you’re coming back if you’re not.

And now, a note for teachers. Students will come, students will go. They may switch studios. They may go to your most hated competition. They may take 10 lessons, steal all your moves, and open up a studio two doors down for $5 per class with free margaritas. Yes, it’s awful. Yes, it’s unfair. Know what else it is? Out of your sphere of control. You do you! Make your classes so damned good that people will forgo the cheap thrills and margaritas in favor of your awesomeness. Make your vibe so unique it’s like apples and oranges. We can let it make us bitter or better – what’s it gonna be? (That said, you KNOW I love a candid conversation, so make sure to have one of those if a former student is being super shady. Conversation done? Make like Frozen and let it go).

Breaking up doesn’t have to get messy! It doesn’t have to be drama! Remember that your coach is invested in you, and closure is good. ♡ Love and pull-ups, Laura

But When Will I Get Good?

Le sigh. If we’re being really honest, this is the question your circus teacher dreads the most. THE MOST.

Miss Emily didn’t get this gorgeous overnight!

It’s not an unreasonable question! You’re wondering about a realistic time frame for getting your (fill in the blank – inversion in the air, crossback straddle, handstand without the wall, quadruple-super-twirl-flip-wedgie-maker-thing, etc); you want to know if you’re learning at a “normal” pace; you want to know if it’s hopeless; you think you should have your (xyz – see above) by now, and suspect that there’s some secret your teacher isn’t telling you.

There is no secret. There is no time frame. There is no normal. Sorry.

The Pace at Which You Learn

Everyone starts circus training in a different place. Some folks have 15 years of dance training, rock climb twice a week, and run marathons (for FUN) on the weekends; some folks are exploring movement for the first time, just bought their first pair of sassy leggings, and would rather get a full body wax – twice – than take a Pilates class. Friends – these two students are both circus beginners, but are going to have WILDLY different progression timelines! And that’s OK! Know why? Because unless Cirque du Soleil accidentally offered you a contract, you do not have a deadline. Here are a few factors that will influence how quickly you bust a move:

  • Body awareness. Do you know where your body is in space? Are you sure? Circus will really challenge that.
  • Muscle strength, control, and flexibility. It’s a never-ending adventure! You will never “arrive” (sorry). We are all constantly building muscles, learning to control our bodies, stretching things, rehabbing, and pre-habbing. You will never be done. When you can do one pullup, the goal changes to two. When you can touch your toes, the goal changes to getting your face to your knees. Make peace with it!
  • How frequently you train – circus and otherwise. If the only time you move your body is in my class once a week, your experience will be reeeeeeeally different from the student who trains outside of class or multiple days per week.
  • Processing information. Do you process information in nontraditional ways? Are you training in a language other than your first? Do you speak your apparatus’ language? Does it intuitively make sense to you, or does it challenge you? I understood silks from day 1 – it made perfect sense to me. Wheel? HAHAHAHAHA! Not even a little bit. All of this affects how quickly you’ll pick things up.
  • Your beliefs about how easy or hard it should be. Did you sign up for classes thinking you would pick up these skills quick like a bunny? Has your experience been more slow like a tortoise? Did you come in thinking it would be impossible like Congress (sorry not sorry)? If you thought circus would be a breeze, or that you would be turning fabulous tricks in two weeks, you may need to manage your expectations….. That said, it’s not impossible! Hard work + perseverance + you = AWESOME CIRCUS.
  • Prior injuries, a changing body, or special needs. Bodies have history, and every body is wildly different. Many of us bring prior injuries to class, or have pain we need to work around; some students are undergoing hormonal therapies, or have had surgical modifications that need to be factored in; some students need a creative approach to the work to accommodate special needs. EVERY body arrives with a story, and that story is a huge part of your training journey.
  • Fear. Are you a cautious mouse like me, or are you an “every-time-my-teacher-turns-their-head-I-go-for-gold-and-hope-I-don’t-die” kind of student? The amount of fear you experience (or don’t) is a big player in the progression game.
  • How willing you are to be a student. Can your teacher give you candid feedback? Do you argue with them? Does a correction send you sulking into the corner for the rest of class? OR, do you soak up all that feedback like a (very good natured) sponge?

All of these things factor STRONGLY into how you progress, and how quickly; you can change some of these to tilt the scales in your favor, but some are what they are. There is no norm. I can tell you that most students training once a week will get their in-air inversion in 6 months to a year, but hey – you might get it your second class, or your second year. You are where you are, you are WHO you are, and things will take the time they take.

It’s a Set of Skills, Not a Bag of Tricks

One of the most useful perspectives I got this year was this:

You’re (hopefully) aiming to build a set of skills, not fill a bag of tricks. Skills take time! If you’re looking for instant (or even quick) circus fabulousness, or a few pictures for your Instagram feed, book a private, sit in a hoop, take some photos, and call it a day. You won’t get much respect from our community, but maybe you don’t really care about that.

Meaningful progressions in circus happen in months and years, not days and weeks. It doesn’t mean you won’t be frustrated by a slow streak, it doesn’t mean you’ll have peace about the pace of things, it doesn’t mean that nothing will come easily; it does mean that you understand that you will be trading instant results for lasting skills. It’s like fast food nibbles versus the slow food movement: one is quick, cheap, and unfulfilling, the other is slow, has depth, and makes your life infinitely richer.

When you hear yourself wondering when you’re going to be able to wrap your leg around your head three times while spinning by one wrist and singing excerpts from “Aida”, remind yourself that it’s a marathon.
Slow your roll, Sparkle Britches. Take a deep breath, take stock of the awesome progress you’ve already made (write it down!!!!!), and make sure you’re celebrating tiny milestones – you earned it! If you feel you should be progressing faster, check in with your coach and see what they think – your teacher may recommend supplemental training, direct you to resources, or raise an eyebrow and reassure you that you’re right on track. Wherever you are in your training, repeat like a mantra, “It’s a skill, not a trick.”, and let the awesomeness unfold. Over time. Love and pullups, Laura

Let’s KonMari… Our Circus Lives?

Oh yes, I’m going there. Unless you’ve been living under a rolla bolla for the past few weeks (and hey – some of you actually have), you’ve probably been hearing about the magical KonMari Method of tidying ad nauseum. What is it? Should you care? Can it be used to “spark joy” in other areas of your life?

What the Heck is KonMari?

Last year, I read Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”. I parted with three items, thanked my socks a few times, and moved on. Fast forward to this year, when Netflix aired her new show, and BOOM. I don’t know if it was just the timing, a fairy dusting of inspiration, or the fact that my Mister is now working from home (in a very, very messy corner), but I went ALL IN. All. IN.

In a nutshell, the KonMari Method includes:

  • envisioning your ideal home situation
  • committing to completing the process within a short time (so you see noticable results)
  • get rid of items that don’t spark joy, make sure everything else has a home
  • tidy by category, not by location
  • tidy in the correct order (clothes, books, papers, komono, sentimental)
  • ENJOY!

So, I did it. Yes I did. I KonMari-ed high, I KonMari-ed low. In NYC, we’re pretty used to getting rid of clutter, but I always felt like chaos was waiting in every color coded bin (it was). The change in my home was astonishing, and (I’m gonna say it!) life-changing. I was chatting about it while putting my Dear Danglers through their warm-up, and someone in the throes of hollow-body holds grunted, “I should do that with every area of my life!”

….. you guys…….

We can do the same thing to our circus life! Think about it. Wouldn’t you love to reconnect with your circus joy? Are you swimming in span sets? Is your training regimen feeling more like a burden than a blessing? Hmmmmm……

Costumes & Training Clothes

If you’re anything like me, you’re awash in spandex and spangles. Because honestly, why wouldn’t you be? 😉

  • Figure out how you use stuff. Do you have complete training outfits or costumes, or do you mix and match? How often do you need to get at ’em?
  • Dump it all in one place. If it doesn’t spark joy, donate or sell it! If you’re struggling with an item, would someone else use it more? Would they let you borrow it? If an item needs to be repaired, or could be altered to spark joy, get on it or get rid of it.
  • Fold fold fold. Containers containers containers. Google videos of her method of folding – it legit gave me tons more space, and it’s amazing to be able to see everything at once. (Note: don’t stress about containers. I made them out of cereal boxes, Amazon boxes, shoe boxes (shoe stores often give them away for free!), the carton my mushrooms came in from the grocery store, etc. You’ll find them!).

Equipment

I couldn’t imagine being able to get rid of anything, but actually found a number of things to pass on (I’m looking at you, Pepto Bismol colored silk). I also – finally – really organized the Bins of Chaos.

  • Divide everything into Used Frequently and Used Infrequently. You want to be able to easily access and inspect stuff.
  • Anything (in good condition) you almost never use? Is it something you could pass on or let someone else have, on the condition that you can borrow it here and there? Is there a circus school who might need it? Everyone wins!
  • Does anything need sprucing up or repair in order to become useful again? Did you know that you can pay people to re-cover trapezes if you don’t want to do it yourself, or send equipment out for repair? Just saying. Do the thing!
  • Consider starting with apparatus, then moving to rigging.
  • Store everything in a way that looks *together*. Pay attention to the way things like to be stored; for example, rigging might like being in a backpack with lots of compartments and space for biners, swivels, etc. Silks don’t like plastic bins (stinky), but do well hanging. Lyras and trapeze can stack on hooks, etc. Whatever works in your space! Just make sure it’s easily accessible and suits what you’re storing.

Classes

This one’s a little tougher, right? It’s not a physical thing that you can hold and ask, “Does this spark joy?” I mean, sometimes I can’t wait to get to class; other times, I’m tired or done with everything and the only reason I show up is because I paid for the class. Sometimes we’re in it to win it, other times we’re battening down the hatches.

Classes are like a relationship, so this is what I came up with.

  • First, ask The Question. Does it spark joy? If the answer is a clear yes or no, there you have it. But, if it’s a maybe, we’ve got to dig deeper. Is it because of life circumstances? Are you crazed and stressed with work or family or both? Are you feeling squeezed? Or, are you not sure you want to continue, but have spent all this time and money learning and you don’t want to quit now? Are you cancelling or no-showing to classes often? Consider taking a short break and seeing how you feel.
  • Is it time to mix it up? Consider training with multiple teachers, finding a new resource, or switching studios. You’ve gotta keep the romance alive!
  • If it’s time for a break, for the love of all that’s holy, do not ghost on your teacher. Especially if you’ve been training with them for a while, email or tell them face to face that you’ll be taking a break; we sometimes take disappearances personally!

Training

Oh glory. This is a toughie. I don’t know a single pro who rushes to training giddy with joy every day. Some days, you’re excited! Some days, I’d honest to goodness rather have a root canal. You’re tired. You’re in pain. You just don’t wanna.

There’s a lot of discipline at play here, but I also think sometimes we make ourselves suffer needlessly. When I find myself dragging my carcass to training, or – GASP – skipping it entirely, I know it’s time for an intervention.

  • Give yourself what you need (no, you do not NEED that fourth Snickers bar). Do you need a rest day? Do you need to eat or drink? Do you need to be more deliberate in how you’re spending your time? What do you need?
  • Mix it up. Find the training equivalent of a trip to Babeland and put a little something different on the menu – new exercises, new moves, even a new apparatus.
  • NEXT! We all have exercises we despise (I will NOT do burpees, and you can’t make me). Swap out exercises you hate with conditioning that hits the same areas. Life is too short for burpees training you hate.
  • Explore adding other people to the mix (wink). Have you ever trained with a partner? What about duo work? At the very least, it can add accountability (just be careful you don’t spend the whole time gossiping and eating Raisinettes).
  • Take a private! Sometimes, you just need a good, swift, kick in the a$$.
  • Sign up for a show. If you’re performing regularly, consider doing a show where you get to do something a little less commercial – something experimental, funny, or brand new.
  • Artist dates! Going to see a fabulous circus show can often reawaken the magic and rekindle that fire.

And then, there’s the day when you may decide that it’s time to let it go, or at least this incarnation. Have you reached that place? That’s OK too.

I highly recommend the book! It may not be for you, you might think it’s the best thing since low-stretch fabric. But – it’s a ridiculously freeing thing to get really, really honest about what brings us joy, and what has gone from blessing to burden. This stuff goes DEEP! Remember: it’s circus. It’s essence should be joy! If it’s not, it’s time to declutter. Love and pull-ups, Laura

Are You Strong Enough to Start Aerial Classes?

Yes.

Oh – sorry – this is a blog post, so I should probably elaborate.

Yes. You are.

 

The Question that Gives Your Coach All the Feels

As circus teachers, it’s the number one thing we hear:

“I have NO upper body strength.” (we know)

I’m totally out of shape.” (I feel that way all the time)

“I’ve never done anything like this before.” (that’s what she said)

Seriously – it’s FINE. Repeat after me:


You come to aerial classes to BUILD the upper body strength, get in shape, and learn the skill. That is literally why you go to class.


You’re in excellent company! At some point, every. single. person. in circus is a beginner. We all start in the same (very humbling) place, and we go from there. The vast majority of folks who get involved with circus do not show up on day one with rippling muscles and a magical intuitive understanding of the apparatus! In fact, most people when they begin cannot:

  • Hold their body weight off the ground easily or at all
  • Get their bodies upside down without help (thoughts and prayers!)
  • Crank their splits to 180 and still be able to walk the next day
  • Do ALL the fancy things in the air

… nor do we expect you to.  We KNOW you’re a beginner! We know you don’t have as much body strength as you’d like. We know you’ve never done this, or only did it once, or just experimented in college, whatever – we know you’re a newbie. And it’s OK! It really is OK!

You will NEVER feel strong enough to start circus. If that’s your excuse – I say this with love – that’s some bull doodinky right there. We build the strength we need for doing circus by actually doing circus! And yes – it will take time. Yes – it will take effort. Yes – it will take hard work (note: if you hate time, effort, and hard work, may I suggest macrame? Circus is not for you.)

SO. It’s a new year. Do you want to start taking classes? Want to get back to training? There’s no “5 Steps for Going to Circus Class” – you just go. It really is that simple. Scamper into your leggings, grab your things, sign up via your phone, and get out the door. Excuses be damned, and I’ll see you in the air! Love and pullups, Laura

 

When Should I Begin Cuing for Technique?

“Straighten your leg and point your toes!”

“Elvis your pelvis – tuck that tailbone!”

“Squeeze your tushie!”

“Connect your ribs and your hips!”

“THUTT muscles engaged!”

That, friends, is the sound of technique being taught. For our purposes today, the term technique refers to a way of correctly, safely, and efficiently performing an activity. When should you start cuing your students for technique? Yesterday, friends. Yesterday.

Why Teach Technique from the Get-Go?

There’s a lot more to teaching than just showing someone a handful of moves and hoping they complete them without dying. We want our students to be able to dish up what they’re serving with a dash of flair, a drizzle of autonomy, and a big ole heaping helping of correct placement, engagement, and lines. We’re looking for the primary elements of technique:

  • Correct body placement – what the body is doing in space. (“Reach your right hand towards the ceiling and grasp the fabric. Your other right.”) This is where a lot of new instructors want to stop. Do not stop here.
  • Appropriate muscle engagement – it’s great to squeeze things, but we want to be squeezing the correct things. This becomes wildly important in everything from injury prevention to efficiently executing that triple swirly plummeting zoom drop (“Squeeze your tush and brace your abs as if I were going to poke you in the stomach. I probably won’t, but it’s good to be prepared.”)
  • Lines & maintaining essential tension – lengthening limbs, stabilizing the core, and discouraging your students from flopping around and gasping like goldfish out of the bowl (“Viagra-vate your legs and feet! Reeeeeach with your toes and pretend you don’t have knees.“)

“But it’s just a bent knee – is it really that big a deal?”

Yes, it is. Technique and tension are foundations of circus arts. A bent knee tells me a lot about what muscles my student is (not) engaging, and that laxity often travels right up the kinetic chain (floppy foot -> slightly bent knee -> core disengaged = a poor foundation). That poor foundation may just mean the student is working way harder than they need to, OR, it could put them at risk of significant injury.

New teachers often feel that muscle engagement & lines are best left until a student has “gotten” a move – kind of like the icing on the cake. Problem is, once a student – particularly an adult – has gotten used to working with crappy lines and zero tension, you have a way of working that isn’t going to yield a particularly good cake. In fact, it’s going to be a hot mess. A cake made without baking powder won’t rise, and an aerial foundation built on ignoring technique and rushing them on to trick after trick means your student won’t rise either. Literally. I think I’ve beaten (get it? beaten?) this metaphor to death, let’s wrap it up.

When should you begin cuing for technique and lines? YESTERDAY, friends. First time in splits? Straighten your knees. First time sitting on trapeze? Lengthen your back and viagra-vate your legs and feet. First handstand? Push the floor away. Do not wait, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Cue for technique and lines today, this hour, this minute. Once you are sure a student is secure, check their technique. Students may have to hear you repeat your cues for YEARS before they connect the dots and actually engage whatever it is, or straighten whatever you’ve been hollering at them to straighten. That’s OK. It will happen eventually, and they know what they’re aiming for, even if it takes a bazillion tries. Make like a broken record and TEACH THAT TECHNIQUE. Love and pull-ups, Laura

 

Caller, Please Hold (On) – Your Phone in Aerial Classes

Once upon a time, in the olden days when I was in circus school, there was no such thing as a cell phone outside of the movies or the very rich (and even then they were HUGE and not at all smart – just a gigantic phone you could carry around). If I wanted to take video of myself in class, I had to use – no lie – a video camera WITH A VHS TAPE IN IT. Yes. It’s safe to say we’ve come a loooooong way! That said, is your phone a tool or a Big Giant Distraction during your aerial classes? One ringy-dingy….

YES to Phone!

While I prefer paper, lots of students keep notes in their phones. This is a great use of available technology! One of mah bebbehs is even keeping a photo record of the moves we do in class so she can mentally review between sessions. From reminders of moves to notes on technique, writing stuff down is a good thing.

I also allow and encourage students to video themselves during classes; there’s nothing like seeing that wonky knee bend (that I’ve hollered about 10,000 times) for yourself. Love you! Videoing classes or training can be a fantastic way to keep it real, and to keep yourself motivated, but (DING) if you leave (DING DING) your notifications on (VIBRATE VIBRATE VIBRATE)…

You might get sucked into…. THE DISTRACTION ZONE!!!!!!

Put that Damned Phone Away

If you’re anything like me, you absolutely cannot resist the siren song of a notification. It’s stupid, but so real. Thing is? It’s not only distracting to your student brain, it’s often super rude to the Sainted Teacher trying to get some good circus into you. Thankfully, we live in the future! There’s an app for that. You can:

  • Turn off your notifications at the start of class.
  • Use an app that blocks distractions.

Or, you know, have your teacher take your phone away if they see you facebooking during class. Cause I will do it.

If you have long breaks between turns*, you have options. Consider actually watching other students (you’ll learn A LOT). If this doesn’t work with your learning style, bring homework! I bring my PT toys and do all those exercises I totally meant to get to during the day.

(*Note for teachers: if you’re seeing a lot of phones coming out, or students disengaging from class, it might be time to revisit your pacing, or include and engage the group that’s not actually working. You can try talking through technique, pointing out similarities (“see that arch? that’s where you’re getting stuck too”), assigning conditioning, or adjusting the length of turns so folks get a rest, but not a slumber. )

Like so much of our modern lives, phones make for great employees, but terrible bosses. Give yourself that hour or 90 minutes to really be fully present! Show up for class with your whole self – Instagram will survive without you. For now. Love and pull-ups, Laura

Have you signed up for a class yet? What are you waiting for?

Seriously - these classes are not going to take themselves! Jump right in. Whether you "have zero upper body strength" or have been around the aerial block a few times, I'd love to see you in sessions!