CHRISTMAS, HON!

We left right from the recital to rush home to Baltimore for our 3rd annual HOLIDAY SPECTAC-U-THON at The Patterson with Miss Astrid, Lukki, Paco, Bayo, Justin, Shortstaxx and the Stage Kittens.

Here's Monkey on 34th Street in Hampden...

Two days after Christmas, we opened up for The Dresden Dolls! Judging by the look on my face, it was practically an orgasmic experience!

The glamorous Meow Meow was charming as well...even on on all fours trying to pack her suitcase.

CIRCUS SCHOOL WEEKS 14 + 15

After 4 weeks of work, the NECCA Pro-Track's "Team Acro" unveiled our bad ass recital number- Kung Fu Fighting!
We really worked hard- learning tough, brand new skills and lots of choreography with 7 people in only 4 weeks. The night of the show, everything was going fantastic- we had tons of adrenaline and excitement. When it got to my first big move, I was pitched from Henry and Colleen into a "Oiseau" above Monkey's head...we were so pumped up I literally flew OVER his head! He caught me low on the legs instead of the hips, but Monkey broke my fall entirely! We went down like a ton of bricks! We both jumped up and goofed our way into place, immediately picking up with the rest of the sequence! The irony is that that trick wasn't the one that terrified me the most- the one below was! Luckily we have had enough clown training to cover even this major fuck up! It was still fun and funny for many days afterwards...only Monkey is still nursing a sore shoulder- poor Monkey!

This is a back flip of Monkey's shoulders. (The photo is from rehearsal, I didn't have a spotter at the show...just so you know!)

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: