Song by Beats Antique

+ Rehearsing a new duo lyra routine. It’s so pretty with lots of spinning – can’t wait to show you guys!

+ Serious lip stain addiction. I always have 4-5 Just Bitten stains in my bag at one time.

+ New skully sweater from Gypsy Warrior

+ New leo (and the palest lady in town)

+ Coming home to a very spazzy Piglet

I spent Saturday night drinking Joan Collins at the local comedy club. Previously, my only experience with live comedy had been at an amateur night while on a super lame date, so I didn’t have high expectations. I felt more hopeful when we showed up and the place was packed. The show ended up being an improve battle with a bunch of different games and audience participation. It was HILARIOUS. By the time the show was over my sides were hurting from laughing so much and we even stayed for the late night show where the performers pretty much drink and do whatever improv they want.

On Sunday Cheryl and I decided to expand our circus abilities by taking an acro class. I, being the smallest of the group, had the terrifying privileged of climbing on top of a six person pyramid, which then crawled forward as I held on for dear life! After class we did a super quick aerial practice. The next morning I woke up with sore everything, which is a rare occurrence, so I know I worked hard.

I received an email recently from Tara who signed up for her first trapeze class and had a few questions. She said, “I have just purchased my first session of classes for beginner trapeze and I’d love to know your tips for a first-ever class…Mostly I feel weird about what I’m supposed to wear ;)”

I’ve heard from a few other people who have picked up the circus bug and signed up for classes, so I thought I’d post the info in case others might find it helpful.

I recommend wearing snug fitting clothing that covers under your arms and the backs of your legs. I usually wear leggings and a tee or tank (something that isn’t cut too low so you don’t fall out when you flip upside down) and then bring a sweatshirt and leg warmers in case you need a little extra protection from the ropes. You could also wear leggings and a leotard  – I buy most of mine here >>>

If you’re not big on working out (I wasn’t at all when I started), your first class might be a little rough, depending on what tricks they teach. You can start working on building upper body strength with pull-ups or push-ups. (Make sure you do those pull-ups with your palms facing AWAY from your face as that’s how you’ll grip the trap and it works slightly different muscles) For core strength work on boat pose or crunches and a little flexibility will be helpful too!

Do get discouraged if you struggle with the tricks. Aerial is a HUGE challenge and it took me weeks to be able to just get on the trap in one smooth motion. My beginner students always struggle a lot during the first classes, but after a few weeks they’re all kicking major butt.

My motto has always been, If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. Go into class with a brave and determined attitude and remember, even if it takes a while, every time you touch the apparatus you’re building muscle and getting a little closer to completing the trick.

I don’t have a FAQ on the site just yet, so if you have any questions feel free to email me about aerial, web design or whatever is on your mind! xosillygrrl at gmail.com

Finally got pictures back from our crazy day at the Auto Show. I love when we get to perform 25-30 feet in the air – lots of space for really big, crowd-scaring drops!  The entire  time I was performing I could hear a little girl who was standing on the balcony going, “Whoooaaaa….oooooooo.” It was awesome!

Remember this post about the circus book release show? Well I finally got my hands on the video :) Love this routine – parts are easy, parts are difficult and it can result in lots of spinning!

This is what happens when rehearsal isn’t going well. When the parts of the routine I’m loving and the parts I’m having issues with are completely opposite from my partner. When I’d rather stand first and she’d rather sit and we can’t seem to get the tricks figured out. When the transitions are sloppy and the timing is all off. When all that happens…it’s time for THE FISH.

The Fish is when we climb into our hammocks, stretch out, spin, flail, and wiggle around until we are almost in tears from laughing so hard. Complete and utter sillyness. We swing back and forth trying to grab hands and then spin in circles, hanging half out of the hammock, trying to catch our breath.

There is no other possible cure for a rehearsal that is going to crap.

The moral of the story…when what you’re working on isn’t working at all, take a break and laugh your ass off for a bit.

Teaching has been a great experience so far. I love helping people go after things they aren’t 100 percent sure they can do and aerial is the epitome of that. It’s a huge challenge and all of my students have been gung-ho on pushing their boundaries and just going for it. And I think a bunch of them have already surprised themselves with what they can do!

I had a comment a while ago from Ailsa asking about stretching and conditioning for aerial. She said…You seem to be super fit and flexible, so I would love some of your workouts. I know a lot of it would be done during aerial class, but if you do any stretching or strength sessions at home I’d be really interested in that.

Let me preface this by saying when I started aerial two years ago I had no upper body strength and ZERO flexibility…I could not even touch my toes without a lot of straining. So, if you look at these pictures and think you can’t do this stuff, YOU CAN, it just takes some work.

CARDIO // The best all around workout for aerial is climbing. I works your arms, legs, core, butt, and go up and down and few times and you’ll definitely be out of breath. I climb silks, but obviously most people don’t have access to that, so climbing a rope at the gym or one hung from a tree in your backyard will work just as well. I found this video of a chick doing a bunch of different climbs that might be helpful.

TONE YOUR ARMS // I couldn’t do a pull-up at all when I started aerial classes. Even if you can’t pull up (YET!) just do a little jump and hold yourself up there for as long as possible. Iron Gym pull-up bars are awesome, but since they don’t fit on my door frame I have a $20 tension bar and it works great.

ROCK HARD ABS // While you’re up there holding that pull-up, try lifting your legs in a pike (first photo) or a V. You’ll work your abs even more if you try it on monkey rings at the park and swing your legs up over your head into a straddle. Go up and down as many times as you can without touching for floor. That one definitely takes some practice!

ROCK HARDER ABS // Another great ab workout is planking. Put your feet up on the wall, forearms on the ground, straight back, suck those abs in an hold it! Then try and lift one left at a time or start with your hands on the ground and lift your right left and left arm and then switch and do the other side.

BEAUTIFUL BACK // Doing handstands against a wall is great to tone your back. Try an upside down push-up or taking one leg off the wall and holding it. If you want more back flexibility start lowering your butt toward the wall or lower your legs into scorpion.

STRETCHING // I’ve never been able to do the splits in my life, but after stretching like this for a year I got them! I generally stretch at night in front of the TV, holding each pose for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. This is not yoga where you want to push yourself like crazy. Holding these poses can get very intense and even painful, so ease into it and back-off if it gets too uncomfortable. I hated my first yin yoga class, but after a few weeks it became really relieving and comfortable to relax into the poses and just chill out.

DRAGON // Make it even more uncomfortable by moving both hands to the inside of your bent leg and lowering yourself to the ground. THIS will get you your splits!

PIGEON // Again, if this feels comfy, lower yourself to the ground, sort of laying on to of your bent leg.

Then reach back and grab your leg. I like to do this first with my right arm and then with my left as you get a different stretch from turning to each side.

COBRA // Take it easy on this one and maybe even start with your forearms on the ground. You’ll find after sitting like this for 5 minutes it’s very uncomfortable to straighten your back, so go slow.

So that gives you a general idea of my workout and how I get all muscly and bendy. Thank you to Irina for taking the pics! Feel free to post questions in the comments, I’m happy to answer them!

* And just a disclaimer. I’m by no means a trainer or anything like that. I know aerial, I know how I went from an unflexible weakling to a bendy aerialist. What works for me may not work for you. You can definitely hurt yourself doing these exercises and stretches, so take it slow and listen to your body. There is a definite difference between an intense stretch and bad pain.

Remember when I said I was going to be in a book about Detroit circus performers? Well…it’s here!

Saturday was the book release party at the hacker space where we sometimes rehearse. By 7 p.m. the entire space was packed with the local circus community all dressed up for Cheryl’s big night. It was pretty magical to have all those people together to celebrate the Detroit circus community.

There was a huge line to pick up the book and Cheryl worked the entire night to write everyone a personal note inside the cover.

Irina and I did a little hammock performance to Beats Antique’s “Caterpillar.” We found these vests at the thrift store and Irina added all the trim, epaulets, and new buttons. We also wore little ruffled shorts and fishnets, which left me with a lovely fishnet patterned fabric burn one the back of my knee >_<

My favorite part of the entire book are the first and last pages. Cheryl had us do a bunch of silly faces when we were taking our headshots and I absolutely love the collages she created. I think this would be perfect to hang in my dining room so my big circus family could make me smile every day.

If you’d like to get your own copy of Feast Your Eyes you can find information here >>>

We’ve formed a second circus troupe at the space where I teach classes and have been working on an acro routine for a show in February. I missed the dismount on one pose and ended up on my ass just inches off the mat on the concrete floor – not an enjoyable landing at all. I’m getting better at standing on people’s shoulders though. Obviously Anny is incredibly talented at this!

I learned a belay combination (first two photos) and a new drop with a simple set-up and scary pay-off. Depending on how many times I wrap I can drop 20 feet or so. I love scaring the bejesus out of people for the few seconds when they’re not sure if the trick has gone horribly wrong or not.