Since I had to pull myself out of my cozy apartment & all the way to Williamsburg on a misty, humid day, I couldn't have asked for a better group of flyers to welcome me to my duties...!
Newcomer Emily celebrated her birthday w/6 other friends including Anya (the natural of the group), Liz, Joanne, Lucy, Asumpta & Sarah. Emily, Anya & Asumpta all made their 1st Knee Hang catches & Liz was extremely close! One of the coolest things about this group was that virtually all of them have those great English accents! We hope to see them again soon!
Earlier in the day, the very talented & very cute Maya F. (w/mom Nina in tow) did double duty w/the 1st 2 classes of the day. Maya got to try her swing out of lines for her 1st time ever! (She said it was quiet.) And, newcomer Meagan K. made a good impression on our Randy. Our Manny recently got his Reverse Suicide out of lines! Our Susie W. taught the 1st 2 classes of the day before teaching some rope to some students near the rig.
"May you live all the days of your life." - J. Swift
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007, Brooklyn, NY
In the last session of this Catching Workshop, those such as Suzanne M., Fran, Sebastian, YK, Erik T., Eli & Ross M. went over the timing of the catcher's locks, the timing & height of Knee Hang & F/E positions, and the dynamics & corrections for flyers who are early & late off the pedestal.
Awesome Allegra G. is getting back on that horse by honing her B/E Uprise Fwd Over. The nubile Nicole A. warmed up out of lines before making some easy B/E Splits catches & returns. Lovable Lauri W. has a much improved swing! It's only a short amount of time before she's conquering her B/E positions like dominoes! The urbane Maryam W. practiced her Planche Turn Around before snagging some B/E Whip catches. Frantic Fran is recapturing what she learned at CG but still rushing for her returns. Nurse Leslie W.'s had a breakthrough w/her take-off & swing as they are suddenly better than ever! Great flying, Leslie! And, she caught her 1st B/E Splits! Tight Thais K.'s form is SO much better as she worked on her Layout!
Psychological Susan worked on her B/E Whip & smoothed out her take-off. You're getting there, Susan! Stalwart Lex R.'s swing has become more powerful as he smoothes out his take-off & lifts his toes more in the F/E of his swing! French Emmanuelle C. learned her Cut Away w/some nice, initial results before making some B/E Straddle Whip catches. The lithe & worldly Emma S. got some really nice POP in her swing & force out! Compared to a yr ago, Emma's become much tighter & stronger than we expected! And, Sharron (sans her normal pigtails) learned & caught her Hox Off all in one night!
"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life." - Albert Camus
"The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." - Allan K. Chalmers
As w/that last quote, for some of us, flying trapeze encompasses all three essentials...!
Have a great day.
Me "sneaking" a kiss w/my Catherine after (during!) a catch. (Talk about happiness...!)
Awesome Allegra G. is getting back on that horse by honing her B/E Uprise Fwd Over. The nubile Nicole A. warmed up out of lines before making some easy B/E Splits catches & returns. Lovable Lauri W. has a much improved swing! It's only a short amount of time before she's conquering her B/E positions like dominoes! The urbane Maryam W. practiced her Planche Turn Around before snagging some B/E Whip catches. Frantic Fran is recapturing what she learned at CG but still rushing for her returns. Nurse Leslie W.'s had a breakthrough w/her take-off & swing as they are suddenly better than ever! Great flying, Leslie! And, she caught her 1st B/E Splits! Tight Thais K.'s form is SO much better as she worked on her Layout!
Psychological Susan worked on her B/E Whip & smoothed out her take-off. You're getting there, Susan! Stalwart Lex R.'s swing has become more powerful as he smoothes out his take-off & lifts his toes more in the F/E of his swing! French Emmanuelle C. learned her Cut Away w/some nice, initial results before making some B/E Straddle Whip catches. The lithe & worldly Emma S. got some really nice POP in her swing & force out! Compared to a yr ago, Emma's become much tighter & stronger than we expected! And, Sharron (sans her normal pigtails) learned & caught her Hox Off all in one night!
"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life." - Albert Camus
"The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." - Allan K. Chalmers
As w/that last quote, for some of us, flying trapeze encompasses all three essentials...!
Have a great day.
Me "sneaking" a kiss w/my Catherine after (during!) a catch. (Talk about happiness...!)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007, Brooklyn, NY
This Wednesday was a decent night w/good learning coupled w/some good fun...!
During staff training, Tanya E., YK H. & Eli concentrated on lines pulling. For YK & Eli, it was their 1st time ever pulling! Tanya (who has more experience) was honing her lines for catches. Our Susie W. caught our Manny's Planche (talk about a role reversal!)! Lisa R., Rachel M. & Randy K. played around out of lines. Cassie J.'s swing is getting better quickly!
The ever-smiling Michelle from IBM returned for her 2nd class to learn her Set Split. She brought her friend, Joe, who learned his Knee Hang. Kitao S. threw some excellent Double Back Tucks w/snappy opens but was fatigued when it came time for catches. He caught his Layout to work his return. Mandy from Baltimore honed her swing & made a B/E Splits catch & return! European Nicholas learned to put the Half into his Cut Away Half before making an Uprise Shoot catch & return!
Nice flying, everyone!
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth w/your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci
During staff training, Tanya E., YK H. & Eli concentrated on lines pulling. For YK & Eli, it was their 1st time ever pulling! Tanya (who has more experience) was honing her lines for catches. Our Susie W. caught our Manny's Planche (talk about a role reversal!)! Lisa R., Rachel M. & Randy K. played around out of lines. Cassie J.'s swing is getting better quickly!
The ever-smiling Michelle from IBM returned for her 2nd class to learn her Set Split. She brought her friend, Joe, who learned his Knee Hang. Kitao S. threw some excellent Double Back Tucks w/snappy opens but was fatigued when it came time for catches. He caught his Layout to work his return. Mandy from Baltimore honed her swing & made a B/E Splits catch & return! European Nicholas learned to put the Half into his Cut Away Half before making an Uprise Shoot catch & return!
Nice flying, everyone!
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth w/your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci
Tuesday, July 24, 2007, Brooklyn, NY
In this, the last session of the current Skills Program, we had a good night as the students in attendance made some last minute omelets...!
The incredible Samantha W. dropped in to the Skills class for her 1st time. She not only got her Straddle Cut/Catch but also her Reverse Suicide all on this night!
Samantha's Straddle Cut/Catch into Reverse Suicide:
Type A (but just as nice) Elena G. concentrated on smoothing out her B/E Uprise & the pull in her swing. The wonderful Marisa B. (nursing a tweaked shoulder) worked on laying out her Layout & made some nice improvements along the way.
The ardent & positive Renee F. tried adding a little more straddle to her Straddle Cut/Catch. The powerful & adept Allegra G. honed her F/E Uprise into her Back Hip Circle & Shoot before taking some stabs at her 360/Pirouette. It was a pleasure to watch such gymnasts like Samantha & Allegra play on the trampoline. I only wish I had video of them to share.
Though fatigued from the intense weekend at Club Getaway, the elegant Maryam W. practiced her B/E Uprise (and is close to mounting it!) as well her Turn Around & Planche Turn Around. The lithe & worldly Emma S. focused on her swing & staying tight before finishing off w/some Planches. And, our Denise M. w/her Luciano in tow started off w/a nice Straddle Cut/Catch before attempting out some F/E Uprises.
Samantha, Denise & Luciano:
And, w/but an affirmative promise to herself, the comely Kristy M. said she'd get her Planche Turn Around & she did! After taking up the Planche in pursuit of the Turn Around, she accomplished the Planche Turn Around in her last turn of the night! Nice work, Kristy!
The group resting after class:
"Nothing makes a person more productive than the last minute." - unknown
The incredible Samantha W. dropped in to the Skills class for her 1st time. She not only got her Straddle Cut/Catch but also her Reverse Suicide all on this night!
Samantha's Straddle Cut/Catch into Reverse Suicide:
Type A (but just as nice) Elena G. concentrated on smoothing out her B/E Uprise & the pull in her swing. The wonderful Marisa B. (nursing a tweaked shoulder) worked on laying out her Layout & made some nice improvements along the way.
The ardent & positive Renee F. tried adding a little more straddle to her Straddle Cut/Catch. The powerful & adept Allegra G. honed her F/E Uprise into her Back Hip Circle & Shoot before taking some stabs at her 360/Pirouette. It was a pleasure to watch such gymnasts like Samantha & Allegra play on the trampoline. I only wish I had video of them to share.
Though fatigued from the intense weekend at Club Getaway, the elegant Maryam W. practiced her B/E Uprise (and is close to mounting it!) as well her Turn Around & Planche Turn Around. The lithe & worldly Emma S. focused on her swing & staying tight before finishing off w/some Planches. And, our Denise M. w/her Luciano in tow started off w/a nice Straddle Cut/Catch before attempting out some F/E Uprises.
Samantha, Denise & Luciano:
And, w/but an affirmative promise to herself, the comely Kristy M. said she'd get her Planche Turn Around & she did! After taking up the Planche in pursuit of the Turn Around, she accomplished the Planche Turn Around in her last turn of the night! Nice work, Kristy!
The group resting after class:
"Nothing makes a person more productive than the last minute." - unknown
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Friday to Sunday, July 20 to 22, 2007, Kent, CT
I wish I could live a million lives. Then, I could do wkends like this forever w/great friends, new experiences & flying trapeze...
A very good grp of us traveled to Kent, CT for this yr's 1st Club Getaway flying trapeze wkend! There was much flying & catching coupled w/static trapeze, silks & stretching. Our flyers had some breakthroughs & some 1st times! The weather was perfect & everything that was good was plentiful: friends, flying, food, dancing, laughing, catching & fun!
Samantha & Marisa:
We approached this weekend w/a little more "maturity" & prudence w/our flying & partying. We didn't push it to our ultimate limits each session b/c we knew there's still much more to come...!
Here's Marisa, Heather (mounting riser) & Jenn:
We started on Fri afternoon w/some light flying to get used to the rig. Sat was filled w/more flying then static & silks, then lunch & lake-side beach time then more flying! W/an '80's theme that night, we partied after dinner.
Dino w/'80's side-do:
It was also the anniversary of our much loved & missed Leslie F.'s legendary b-day party! All who were at that party last yr remember it was a great one!
Samantha, Marisa, Denise, Renee:
Oleg, Amy & Denise:
Marisa & Denise:
Denise's Half Turn to the Net:
Rebecca & Renee:
Partying hard!
Heather, Oleg & Marisa:
Sun was a calm day, but we had more flyers willing to keep going than ever before! All of them were hardcore as we got in more flying & catching.
Marisa, Heather (taking off) & Jenn:
Jen E. & Jenn B.
The wonderful Marisa B. flew mostly out of lines, taking it easy but getting in a lot of air time. The beautiful, effervescent Samantha B. dusted off her swings & tricks including her Cut Away Half. The flyer-formerly-known-as-Amy W. flew her Layout & Splits out of lines. We even got to work her Splits to Cut/Catch w/attempted return a few times out of lines!
Denise "Candy Wideback" M. worked her swings out of lines as well as her "go to" Straddle Whip before partying late into the night!
The intense & faithful Tanya E. & multifaceted Jen E. were both flying out of lines & working up to developing their tricks out of lines, too. After smoothing out her take-off a little more, the new & improved Renee F. did her 1st B/E Splits out of lines! And, the confidently-flying Heather W. was throwing her Layout to catches out of lines for most of the wkend.
Heather's Layout Catch:
Philadelphia's Jeremy M. learned his Hox Off & tweaked his swing timing. The surprising, ebony-tressed Alison C. came w/her stronger swing & B/E Whip. (I've become Alison's personal catcher!) The vibrant Kristin R. got her 1st exposures to static & silks in between tweaking her B/E Splits. The anti-relaxed Fran S. took her 1st swings out of lines as she had an epiphany: to use less power, flex more & simply SWING!
The elegant Maryam W. was pleasantly more talkative as she got to relax more w/everyone. Maryam got to take her 1st swing out of lines!
The lithe, worldly & funny Emma S. was rejuvenated as she got to take her 1st swing out of lines, too! Between readings of the latest Harry Potter book, self-professed geek, Rebecca S., worked hard to take her 1st swing out of lines as well! From her escapades on Sat night, she won the "Best Pole Dancing" award!
Here's Rebecca taking a much needed rest from all the flying, reading & partying:
The powerful, adept & very nice Allegra G. attended for the last day. She flew over a net out of lines for her 1st time! And, Allegra did her 1st B/E Splits out of lines ever, too!
The organizer & spearhead of the whole weekend, Jeff L., got to catch & fly & spend some quality time w/his beautiful wife, Elena. Montreal's Joan came down to work some lines & teach some static trapeze in the boathouse. Jenn B. helped to work the board the whole weekend & even get in some flying. Our Bobby H. taught some static & silks then gave the group a great stretch on Sunday! The mighty M. Fix worked the rig & hung out w/us over the weekend.
Fix & Dino:
Club Getaway's circus leader, Beth F., her husband, Effe, & teammate Ann-Marie welcomed us warmly. Beth & Effe performed both Sat & Sun nights in the boathouse, doing their great silks acts. And, long-time flyer & instructor, Arano, did double duty as he flew in a show w/us & then manned the DJ booth in the evenings!
On Sat, Beth, Arano & Jeff flew to me as an informal show & demonstration for the guests. Beth threw her Straddle Whip, Splits & Layout to me. Arano threw his Planche & Full Twisting Layout. And, our Jeff threw his Planche, Half Turn, Flexus/Flexus, Layout & the triple-time Planche Turn Around into a Half Turn! Virtually everything was returned, too! Not bad for a group that has rarely flown together before that day; and, Arano has never flown w/us before!!
Beth's catch w/Dino:
Arano's Planche catch w/Dino:
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007, Brooklyn, NY
This Wednesday's Staff Training was packed, filled w/friends, flying, learning & fun...!
We wish our Randy K. the happiest of birthdays!
We say a warm "Farewell" to our amazing Christine C. as she leaves for Paris before leaving the Streb company. On this last night, she got to catch that "Louganis" (piked Uprise Fwd Over) w/our Manny in addition to her Cut Away Half! We wish her not only to be well but also only the very best in her experiences & adventures ahead...
Relative newcomer, Eli, practiced some positions on the low bar & in the air while giving his swing a go. Another relative newcomer to staff, Kitao S., threw some Layouts, a peculiar Shooting Star, and helped out on the board. Web-mistress YK H. worked a little on her swing & threw some positions while taking it easy on her tender shoulder. Back from Australia, Alyssa M. flew a little, helped out on the pedestal & dusted off her lines pulling. Tanya E. also got in some swing & tried honing that pesky, elusive half turn to the net/mat. Dap stretched out his back & tried his hand at a F/E Planche catch!
Chem is getting the tempo of his swing rather quickly, but he's still reconciling the dynamics of the gymnastics high bar & the power of the flying trapeze. True to her form & almost too easily, Cassie J. got into her 1st B/E position ever (Splits) w/o a problem or hesitation! Our Manny M. was nice enough to herald the lines before going up for some nice catching! The earnest & experienced Yoni was put through the ringer as he worked the board & got a decent number of catches thrown at him! The highly experienced Lisa warmed up her swing & Layout out of lines before getting some Layout catches to our Manny.
Our Bobby H. got a few catcher's locks in between organizing out space. Denise M., w/the growing Luciano in tow, threw her "go to" B/E Straddle Whip to Manny cold yet safe & good! The "source-of-all-balls", Randy K., stopped by to swing high & practice his Double Fwd Under! The fiery-locked, cool Susie W. caught her 1st flyer (me!) ever! Congratulations, Susie! Welcome to the club! To end off the night, I flew a little & even snagged another 360/Pirouette...!
"He who has a strong enough why can bear almost any how." - Friedrich Nietzsche
We wish our Randy K. the happiest of birthdays!
We say a warm "Farewell" to our amazing Christine C. as she leaves for Paris before leaving the Streb company. On this last night, she got to catch that "Louganis" (piked Uprise Fwd Over) w/our Manny in addition to her Cut Away Half! We wish her not only to be well but also only the very best in her experiences & adventures ahead...
Relative newcomer, Eli, practiced some positions on the low bar & in the air while giving his swing a go. Another relative newcomer to staff, Kitao S., threw some Layouts, a peculiar Shooting Star, and helped out on the board. Web-mistress YK H. worked a little on her swing & threw some positions while taking it easy on her tender shoulder. Back from Australia, Alyssa M. flew a little, helped out on the pedestal & dusted off her lines pulling. Tanya E. also got in some swing & tried honing that pesky, elusive half turn to the net/mat. Dap stretched out his back & tried his hand at a F/E Planche catch!
Chem is getting the tempo of his swing rather quickly, but he's still reconciling the dynamics of the gymnastics high bar & the power of the flying trapeze. True to her form & almost too easily, Cassie J. got into her 1st B/E position ever (Splits) w/o a problem or hesitation! Our Manny M. was nice enough to herald the lines before going up for some nice catching! The earnest & experienced Yoni was put through the ringer as he worked the board & got a decent number of catches thrown at him! The highly experienced Lisa warmed up her swing & Layout out of lines before getting some Layout catches to our Manny.
Our Bobby H. got a few catcher's locks in between organizing out space. Denise M., w/the growing Luciano in tow, threw her "go to" B/E Straddle Whip to Manny cold yet safe & good! The "source-of-all-balls", Randy K., stopped by to swing high & practice his Double Fwd Under! The fiery-locked, cool Susie W. caught her 1st flyer (me!) ever! Congratulations, Susie! Welcome to the club! To end off the night, I flew a little & even snagged another 360/Pirouette...!
"He who has a strong enough why can bear almost any how." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Tuesday, July 17, 2007, Brooklyn, NY
This Tuesday's Skills Class may have been a little frustrating for some but it was just as cathartic & productive for others. Planche Turn Arounds seem to be the "in thing" lately...!
The wonderful Marisa B. is nursing a tender shoulder, so she's limited a little bit but still gave it her best efforts in a good spirit. Type A Elena G. & the comely Kristy M. are both learning their Planches in pursuit of smooth Planche Turn Arounds. Since she already had a solid Planche, Renee F. got her Planche Turn Around all in one night! And, the lovely Nicole A. remounted the board a few times (much smoother, I must add!) and was introduced to the F/E Uprise before practicing her B/E Uprise.
The elegant Maryam W. practiced her Planche Turn Around (getting a few sessions ago) as well as her regular Turn Around to make Full Round Trips possible in her near future! The lithe & worldly Emma S. took a step back to basics to hone her swing & form a little more. And, workaholic Lisa B. joined us to try her Planche for her 1st times in hopes of getting her Planche Turn Around, too!
Here's Renee helping Kristy w/her lines on the pedestal:
Marisa waving "Hello!" from the trampoline:
Marisa & Nicole watching Lisa prepare to bounce on the trampoline w/Josh:
"Extreme positions are not succeeded by moderate ones, but by contrary extreme positions." - Friedrich Nietzsche
The wonderful Marisa B. is nursing a tender shoulder, so she's limited a little bit but still gave it her best efforts in a good spirit. Type A Elena G. & the comely Kristy M. are both learning their Planches in pursuit of smooth Planche Turn Arounds. Since she already had a solid Planche, Renee F. got her Planche Turn Around all in one night! And, the lovely Nicole A. remounted the board a few times (much smoother, I must add!) and was introduced to the F/E Uprise before practicing her B/E Uprise.
The elegant Maryam W. practiced her Planche Turn Around (getting a few sessions ago) as well as her regular Turn Around to make Full Round Trips possible in her near future! The lithe & worldly Emma S. took a step back to basics to hone her swing & form a little more. And, workaholic Lisa B. joined us to try her Planche for her 1st times in hopes of getting her Planche Turn Around, too!
Here's Renee helping Kristy w/her lines on the pedestal:
Marisa waving "Hello!" from the trampoline:
Marisa & Nicole watching Lisa prepare to bounce on the trampoline w/Josh:
"Extreme positions are not succeeded by moderate ones, but by contrary extreme positions." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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