WHITE ALMOST-CHRISTMAS

After a tough week of rehearsing our group acro number and getting to know a new coach (Mark) who busted our butts, we spent an awesomely reclusive 3-day weekend at Bradford and Chase's "CHALET" located 17 miles north of Brattleboro (see September archive for a fall photo of the Chalet). It snowed on top of snow- and piled up quickly! With a fire place, cable TV and an awesome internet connection all wrapped up in a snowy Vermont package, we left feeling refreshed, inspired and productive!

Meal preparation was quite rustic. Due to changes at the Chalet, there wasn't any silverware....so we got creative:

I made progress on some Vermont-inspired past times- beer drinking, fire tending AND embroidery...

While "Monkey- the Meteorologist" kept track of snow accumulation...16 inches and counting!

CIRCUS SCHOOL WEEK 13

We busted our butts this week learning skills for our show in a few weeks- most of which have been kinda tough to photograph because they involve dynamic things. Despite that, here are some of the things we spent HOURS on this week.

Standing on Monkey's head- truly killer on the legs to hold onto his head "like suction cups" as Serenity instructed. Monkey looks like he's having a GREAT time, doesn't he?

Below is a Hand-To-Foot Roll-Over. I start standing in Monkey's hands with his arms straight, then he starts to bend his arms as he rolls over to elbows/belly and then rolls all the way back to his back. It's crazy weird and involves all kind of nuanced balance and adjustments for us both, but this is some of the harder stuff we came here to learn.

FIRST SNOW

It's Vermont in Winter! The snow was six beautiful inches.
Below is the view down Elliot Street from our living room.

CIRCUS SCHOOL WEEK 12

Holy cow- taking time off for Thanksgiving didn't do me any favors! Tricks that were easy before the break now seem like a distant memory. I had to try hard to smile and enjoy the wild world of sensation that awaited me this week- apparently you pay threefold for each day with out a split, handstand or backbend! To make up for it- I spent quality time stretching with my roommate Chris the contortionist:

In class this week, we separated into our groups for our "RECITAL" (that's what I'm calling it anyway!) on December 21st. There are 3 groups: Trapeze, Fabrics and Acrobatics (that's the one Monkey and I are in). We alternate each day between working on our act and continuing to learn skills on Trapeze and Fabric:

THANKSGIVING BREAK

We had 10 days off for our Thanksgiving break, 7 of which we spent in NYC performing 5 nights at The Box and one night with our beloved and brilliant friend, Bradford, in his "TURKEY DAY WITH PILGRIM WILLIAM SHOW." Monkey and I were the Turkey Day Dancers and performed a moronic ribbon dance and our "Cirque De So Gay" number.

Me, Miss Saturn, Bradford aka Pilgrim William, Fisherman, Monkey, Dirty Martini as Poke-a-hot-ass, Julie Atlas Muz as Masha Potata, Bambi, and Pinky Special

Lots to be thankful for- much love was shared....

Lukki, Dirty, Scott, Monkey, Tigger, Me, Bradford.

BIRTHWEEK!

I turned 33 this week and instead of putting all the pressure on one day to satisfy my feeling of specialness, I always* celebrate a BirthWEEK. In honor of that, I am doing 33 of something different every day.

DAY ONE- 33 drops into back bends from standing (plus one for good luck)

DAY TWO- 33 one-minute splits plus one for good luck (17 each side)

DAY THREE- 33 beverages (and one for good luck)

DAY FOUR- 33 minutes in the toe-point stretching device (torture!)


DAY FIVE- 33 bruises and blisters from trapeze and acro (things are getting WILD!)

DAY SIX- 33 pike-up headstands with my two roommates- Chris and Adam

DAY SEVEN- 33 other things that start with "o" (with a grand finale in one of the bathrooms at The Box in NYC that is outfitted with a padded cushion above the toilet, handle bar and foot shelves at the proper angle for....you know...comfort and stuff.)

*Unless it's a new decade- then I celebrate BirthMONTH (ie: turning 20, 30, 40, etc)

CIRCUS SCHOOL WEEK 9

This was our last week with Zina. She's moving out to Circus Juventas in St. Paul- so sad to lose her! I never got upset when she yelled at me to tighten up or mocked me when I said something was hard...."Oooh, it's haaarrrrd. Of coursse it's hard!" And she also never let Monkey get away with losing a fraction of exactitude as a base- be it with hands, legs, feet or arms. She is a tough and awesome coach- I'll miss her. Here was some of the partner acro we worked on with her this week.

Before:


After:

CIRCUS SCHOOL WEEK 8

Our primary teachers are still in China at a circus competition, so we had one day workshops in aerial dance, mime and then our regular acting class. As a result, this week was less painful than most, but was bizarre in that I became obsessed with increasing the dexterity of my left hand. It started to feel like a phantom limb or like it was alseep really deeply as I worked my duck-claw-daisy exercises. I thought often of how babies must feel when the learn to walk or like how Uma felt in Kill Bill when she was trying to wiggle her toes. Our mime teacher, Rob Mermin, taught us the Etienne Decroux method of corporeal mime (Decroux was an old French master who taught Marcel Marceau). Corporeal mime is really poetic- universal emotions and ideas made totally physical and tangible in microscopic moments. You just have to be really freaking dexterous with all of your limbs. The main things I gleaned were about leading with the elbow in arm gestures and on playing with fluidity and sharpness with hands. This stuff below you have to do fast and with many repetitions...kind of harder than it seems.
DUCK:

CLAW:

DAISY:

DECOMRESSION & BAM

My Camp Love Letters peeps and I made an appearance at the NYC Decompression Party at the Queens Museum of Art. Below Alice helps collect love letters at the mailbox...

L-O-V-E was dispersed despite high winds, cold temperatures and a tragic lack of inebriates. Despite all that, the UNI-SPHERE was unifying...



I also had a gig at Brooklyn Academy of Music that same night. The crowd was wrapped around the block!

BAM was a bitchin' venue- even at midnight the wardrobe lady fitted my baggy pants and helped amp up my SEXITUDE, in order to rock out with my hoop out. Here we are in her shop-

I also had some quality nap time on the World Famous BOB's soft pillows...ahhhhh, home at last!

(She really is that tall- no squatting, heels, or other enhancements used in the taking of this photo)

TRIP TO DC

Monkey and I flew to Washington, DC this weekend for The Lobsterboy Revue's last show ever. We have performed with them since they started- we only missed 2 shows in their 4 year history. They totally went out with a BANG!

Our flight down was delayed so we made good use of an extra 3 hours at the airport...

CIRCUS SCHOOL WEEK 7

This week we worked on jumping up to hands-to-feet. It was awesome working so much with Zina- she had a partner act with her hustband for many years where she would do one-hand handstands atop a giant pole that he would hold. Our private lesson was with Zina this week as well- we got the infamous "treatment" from her during an hour of majorly intense stretching.

The fall leaves are in full form- some of my favorite spots to watch the TREE SHOW...

BALTIMORE WEEKEND- SHOW, ZOO, WEDDING

Home after 6 weeks- this is our show at The Ottobar...so much love. (Camp Love Letters spotted far left!)
Bradford- I'm soooo sorry I had to post this photo- but Dr. Donut undressed is PRICELESS- just know I didn't make any money off this "Celebrities- They're Just Like Us- They even drink beer in their underwear!" moment.

I started researching a new show about the relationship between animals and their trainers- inspired by the real-life relationship of Scotty and Jumbo the elephant circa 1880's. Thusly, I went to visit my friend, Rick, at the Baltimore Zoo to see the educational animals and had the amazing opportunity to watch him and another employee brush Yang the Alligator's teeth! Small- but scary and scaly. They are like fleshy yet stony at the same time- positively prehistoric. And there WAS a small amount of blood shed even in this weekly dental routine!

On Saturday night, a dear old friend also got married in a Vedic ceremony- please have all the people I love gather around to shower me in rose petals ANY TIME. I think I would spontaneously combust, orgasminate, phosphorese and squeal with reckless abandon!