Take Four – January 25, 2009

My last class in January, and I was finally getting used to going to a class that met regularly. My plan for Senior Project was to ultimately learn how to do moves, and if I got the chance, to create a routine on the aerial silks. Our instructors, Mary Kelly and Jackie, were clearly avoiding the silks and I wanted to know why. So finally, I opened up to Jackie about my purpose for taking this class, as a test pilot for my senior project, to confirm my suspicions that this would be an exciting and interesting way to spend three weeks participating in, writing about, and researching. Her answer was that I was right; she was hesitant about taking us onto the silks because the silks are a lot more material than the corde lisse, and can therefore be much more difficult to handle. I told her how much I wanted to only learn on the silks and that there was no course based solely on the silks until the advanced level, which I was clearly not ready for. She did promise that we would go onto the silks very soon though, once she felt confident that everyone would be able to handle them without being too much of a personal safety hazard.

We did the same warm-up as the previous three classes. My goal for the rope climbing was the same, to get over my fear of heights and to make it higher than before. This week, I made it my highest yet, coming within mere feet the top. Tired, but proud of myself, the gym’s owner, and my senior project sponsor, Shana Kennedy, realized that I was making the climbing much harder for myself that it needed to be. She suggested not grabbing so far above my head so that I could use my arms more effectively in the climb and not to go all limp. By keeping my body tighter, my abs (I have strong abs) did much more work than my legs and arms, I felt my less tired. Yay progress!

This week, we didn’t learn anything new on the corde lisse. We reviewed the “elbow lean away”, “1-hand hang”, “squat”, “back arch”, “thigh side lean”, “back of knee hang” and “upside-down descent”. The “thigh side lean”, which I am terrified of and probably always will be, was made even more terrifying when one of the instructors, Niff, told me that I had to lean over even more. Clearly not what I wanted to do when I already felt so uncomfortable. The rope pinched and I felt so unbalanced that after about a second and a half in the position, I asked her if it was alright for me to come back up. The only other interesting thing to happen on the corde lisse was that I tried the “upside-down descent” from the air. If I had seen myself, I probably would’ve laughed. I now know that I did the entire thing wrong. First, instead of keeping my arms and shoulders (biceps, triceps, and deltoids) engaged, I just hanged there and hoped for the best by way of trying to create some momentum by swinging my legs back first. Jackie spotted me, and probably did most of the work, and therefore could not see my flaws, for fear of dropping me.

After quickly going over the birds nest move on the trapeze, we began to learn the “mermaid sequence”. Obviously, we started with the “mermaid”. We then did the “½ angel”, a move where you let go with your inside leg (right leg if your ankles are hooked to the left and left leg when your ankles are hooked to the right in the “mermaid”). Essentially, you are holding on with your left ankle and right hand, with the right leg and therefore you abdomen/torso pointing toward the floor. Next came the “back angel”, a move where you pull the leg pointing toward the floor through the gap between the bar and your body and let it point down to floor on the other side so that your abdomen/torso is facing the ceiling and your back is facing the ground. The final move was the “one-hand one-foot” move. Perhaps the simplest move, you switch hands holding onto the bar, from my right hand, to my left hand so that I looked like one of those monkeys that link onto each other to create chains. Mary Kelly and Jackie promised that we would learn the rest of the “mermaid sequence” next class because we had simply run out of time.

Class again ended the same as it always did. On course with my record of slow improvement, I realized that I did not need spotting on my toughening moves but I still needed someone, or a team, to help me with the strengthening ones.

Overall, this class was mostly review, with the only exciting moments coming when I messed up a few times on the rope and learning the “mermaid sequence” on the trapeze. I still had fun and I could feel myself becoming slightly stronger and slightly more flexible. My flexibility goal is now to get my split on both legs and return my straddle to its former, nearly perfectly straight glory. I can do it, I know I can.

Scene Three - January 18, 2009

I arrived for my third class invigorated and excited for the challenges that todays class would bring. If there is one thing that I am good at, it is putting all my effort into something and to get myself excited about it. Noticing that I was rather weak from the past two lessons, I decided to visit the gym a few times that week. I did my usual 10 minute warm up on the treadmill and then a 30 minute or about 500 calories according to the machine, cardio on the elliptical. I used various arm and leg strengthening machines and did body circuits.

We did the same warm-up as the previous two classes. My goal for the rope climbing was the same, to get over my fear of heights and to make it higher than before. I found that by just looking up, and concentrating on what was above me, it was far less scary than looking down at what my feet were doing. I made it a little higher, but was still too scared to go all the way to the top.

This class, we learned about half of the foot block moves. After the disaster that was last class, the week leading up to my second class, I reviewed in my head how to do a foot block. I felt confident that I could actually do it on my first try this class and…I DID! So I climbed up about two climbs and painfully tied my foot into the foot block. We then set to work learning six new moves all based on our knowledge of the foot block.

First, the “elbow lean away”. Very simply, with my right foot in the foot block, I stood up and hooked my right elbow around the rope and leaned away. Feeling pretty confident, I advanced to the second move, the “1-hand hang”. Again, very simply, standing up with my right foot still in the foot block, I held onto the rope with my right hand and leaned away. (example of a 1-hand hang) I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to finish the foot block moves that required the participant to stand up and advanced to the “back arch”. Holding onto the rope with both hands (very tight I might add), I swung my body around the rope so that it was behind me. I then did the stag pose that we learned on the trapeze, except instead of a bar, I had the rope tied around my foot and instead of holding onto both ropes of the trapeze with each hand, I held onto one rope with both hands. My foot began to really hurt, so I decided to come down for a quick break and to move the skin on my foot back into place.

Finished with my break, I scaled the rope again two climbs and retied my foot into the foot block. For my fourth move, I tried the “back of knee hang”. It is another standing move, but this one gave me a very peculiar and uncomfortable pulling sensation in my knee. Standing up and holding onto the corde lisse with both hands, I swung my left leg up and hooked it around the rope. Quickly, I grabbed my ankle with my left hand. Once I felt secure (and with the owner of the studio standing beneath me), I let go with my right hand. To get out of the move (as I mentioned it was not a comfortable one), I accidentally grabbed the corde lisse underneath my leg instead of above and had to awkwardly untangle and climb my hands above my left leg again. Continuing with awkward, painful and scary knee moves, I tried the “thigh side lean”. With my right foot in the foot block, I pinched the rope to my right knee with my left foot, leaned my body over into a semi-straight position and made myself let go with my hands. It pinched awkwardly and I basically hated it. At least I tried it.

We ended our daily stint on the corde lisse with the “squat”. Simply, hold onto the rope with both hand, and while still in a foot block, slide down the rope until in a squat position and lean back for style. The untied leg should be straight and pointed.

We did nothing new on the trapeze, re-trying the birds nest (bent and straight legs) both from sitting and from under the trapeze, and the mermaid.

The strengthening and toughening exercises were the same as the day before, doing either 10 seconds of each position for the toughening ones and 10 reps for the strengthening ones

This third class was the first that I truly felt like I could do something extraordinary. None of my friends (with the exception of Shmulie Smaters) was doing this. I found it on my own, and I could feel myself getting better. It was exciting becoming stronger and more aware of my body. It is an unusual activity, with a high yield of confidence. I could feel myself tightening up and becoming more toned through my efforts of both going to class and going to the gym to support going to class. It is definitely a more fun way than plain old going to the gym to get in my cardio and strengthening workout, and since it is sustained over about an hour and a half, I know that I am getting a good one.

(here is another cool video I found, hopefully I'll be able to load the pictures that my dad took of me during one class very soon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RgWIDk0nuU&NR=1

Try Number Two - January 11, 2009

January 11th was my first full day as an 18 year old, legal adult and what better way to celebrate it than by going to the studio for my second class.

Today began like the previous class. We did the same warm up as last weeks’ class, climbing with each foot and doing the jumping jacks and push ups. Knowing what was to come for the rope climbing did not make it any easier this time. I was terrified and still felt as weak as last time. I wanted to climb to the top, eventually, but the sweaty palms and cold sweat that broke out all over my body prevented that from happening.

Today we learned another very back move that all aerialists need to know, the foot block. The foot block is a way of tying the foot (or feet if on the silks) so that your foot is literally locked in the rope to prevent you from going anywhere. The rope wraps once around your ankle, starting and ending in between your legs. You then hold onto the rope with your hands and lean back to provide slack. You push the rope with the top of your non-rope foot, across the top of the rope bound foot, and under so that it comes back up on the arch side. We first tried it sitting on the ground. Having partially mastered that, we tried it by holding onto the rope and jumping into the air to try to tie it off the ground. Needless to say I hopelessly tied myself up in knots and had to be untangled several times by my instructors. It was fairly painful, but everyone has to start somewhere.

After we had enough of that, we tried our upside-down descent moves off the ground (and from the air for the stronger set). Just as last class went, I was a hopeless mess. I admit, I had improved a bit from watching everyone and I was able to get up without the help of an instructor, but my lack of strength was extremely apparent.

Upon more than proving our incompetence at basic corde lisse moves, our instructors shuffled us over to the static trapeze. We began with a simple review of yesterdays’ lesson of the rock and roll mount onto the trapeze. It turned out to be just as challenging as it was last time, and I still needed Mary Kelly to give my butt a little boost. Once the review session was over, we learned three very simple moves. The first was stag. For the stag, you stand up on the trapeze, and reach and grab the ropes far above your head. You then draw one leg up into a tuck position, perpendicular to your body, but still bent (or straight if you want, but it is much less pretty). With one leg tucked and one foot still straight legged on the trapeze bar, arch your back, tilt your head back like you’re trying to look at a spot on the wall behind you and lean forward. It’s simple, but the first time you do it, it is a little nerve wracking because you can’t see where you are going.

The next move we learned is called the birds nest. This move was not scary for me at all, but I could tell some people were nervous performing it. You start in a pike position under the trapeze bar, holding onto it with just your hands. You then push yourself into a handstand position but arching your back until your body is straight up and down, with your back resting against the bar that your hands are holding onto. You then straddle your legs and hook each ankle around each rope. Variations on this move are whether you choose to bend your legs or keep them straight while in the correct position. I guess some of it as to do with abdominal and back flexibility, but they both look pretty when done right.

The last move we learned was even simpler, the mermaid. The mermaid is the first move in a seven move sequence called the Mermaid Sequence. The mermaid starts the same way the birds nest starts, but instead of straddling the legs, both ankles hook around one rope on one side of the trapeze. You slide your ankles down the rope until they are touching the actual trapeze bar and are tucked into the right angle where the rope and bar meet. You then let go with hand trapped uncomfortably behind your back and make your body into a slightly curved line, holding on with your ankles on one side and one hand on the other.

We ended the lesson with the same toughening and strengthening moves that we had learned last time, but this time, we did 8 pull-ups, 10 tuck-ups and 10 sit-ups. After all, we need to be getting stronger, not stagnant.

I felt like this lesson had been more successful than the last. I still felt weak, but the goals seemed attainable and I had made some minor improvements since the last class. I was curious what we were going to learn the next class and definitely more excited to continue.

The First Class - January 4, 2009

Today was my first Aerial Beginner A class. There are roughly 12 people in the class and I am the youngest, at 17 years old. Most are graduate school age or late college. A few are older than their mid30s.

The class started with a brief role call and name game session. The instructors introduced themselves, Jackie and Mary Kelly. Jackie has been doing this for several years and Mary Kelly used to work as a clown and trapeze artist. They both seemed very nice, knowledgeable and approachable with questions.

After the little meet and greet, we set to work. We climbed up the corde lisse (thick fabric covered rope) once on each foot. By climbing on each foot I mean wrapping the rope once around one foot and squeezing it against the other to provide a base to climb on. I was too weak and too scared to climb all the way to the top on either foot. But climbing with my left was definitely scarier since I felt weaker and less secure on that side. After reaching my version of the top (about a meter below the actual height) I slid down the rope to either start again on the other foot or to stretch out.

The warm-up continued. Beginning at seven, and moving all the way down to one, we did jumping jacks then second position plies then mountain climbers. Following the blood pumping warm-up, we did a series of yoga stretches before settling down to business.

We began with the basic moves. Holding onto the corde lisse with our hands and with our feet starting on the ground, each of us attempted the upside-down descent move. Upside-down descent is when your body is positioned one side and you straddle your legs above your head so that one knee is hooked around the rope. You then let go with the outside arm and wrap it below your body. Finally you let go with the inside hand so that you are holding on with one knee and one hand, upside-down. (me doing upside down descent during a later class). At first it is scary, and to someone so out of shape, it is actually difficult.

The second move we learned was the Rock n Roll. It is a way to mount the trapeze where you hold onto the bar, pike your legs through and curl your knees around the bar. Let go with your hand and swing up as high as you can to grab the ropes above the bar. Then lean back, flatten out your body and lever your way into a sitting position. We simply leaned backward to dismount and pike our legs back through the space between the bar and our bodies.

We finished the lesson with three “toughening” exercises and three “strengthening” exercises. The toughening exercises were simple. Hold onto the trapeze with only one leg/knee (once for each leg), an ankle hang where yes you hang onto the trapeze ropes by the crook of your ankle and finally by hanging onto the trapeze with each elbow. They were painful, but definitely got me used to the type of things I would feel in the future. We finished with the strengthening exercises which comprised of 5 pull-ups on the trapeze with assistance, 5 situps hanging on the trapeze with spotting and 5 tuck-ups (pulling a straight body into a pike position and through the space between your body and the bar) 5 times.

If I had stopped there, I would have left feeling empowered, yet ultimately unsatisfied with myself. Where had all my strength and flexibility from years of gymnastics, field hockey, track and crew gone? I was bulging out of my spandex, the fat between my legs was touching and not because there was muscle to push it out of the way. I was determined to get back in shape.

How I found it

Basically, I created this blog and a twitter account to log my progress for my senior project. I decided to learn how to perform on the aerial silks. So how exactly did I come up with this idea? Well after the Senior Project Director, Mrs. Manlin, presented to us the concept of senior project, I brainstormed what I might like to learn. I had it narrowed down to snorkling/scuba diving and documenting the extent of coral bleaching on the Caribbean island, St. John, relearning the level four gymnastics routines, or learning how to perform on the aerial silks. I threw out the St. John idea because it just seemed too complex and expensive for my purposes. I threw out the gymnastics idea after realizing that I was at least 6 years older than everyone who would be in my potential class, and private lessons would again be too expensive. So, I chose the aerial silk option.

For those of you who may be wondering exactly what aerial silk performance entails, this is what it is for the most part. Think of Cirque du Soleil. During the show, there is usually a performance that involves a thin, flexible acrobat flipping and twisting, and falling, and tying themselves up in two strips of fabric several meters of the ground. That is what I am learning.

So how did I find this? Well my friend, whose name rhymes with Shmulie Shmaters (I have not asked her for permission to publish her name online) works as an instructor of aerial acrobatics at Independent Lake Camp. She takes classes at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts. That is where my idea was born. I simply did a google search until I found a circus/acrobatic gym in the Philadelphia area. Only after considering the program did I learn that Shmulie also took classes there, and she wat able to tell me more about her experience in the classes. Once my class began, we occassionally ran into eachother.

That is how my project started. more to come on the actual experience and progress.

here is a video (admittedly not of me) of what a Cirque du Soleil aerial silk performance looks like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zty1Lql09P0&feature=related

it's out of control cool, but i doubt that I will ever be that flexible. I would be content being able to do variations on some of her tricks.