Spiral

As much as I would like to say that the creation is moving along slowly, its not. Its moving along at breakneck speed. Maybe not so far as setting the actual content goes, but the time and the days? That would be yes.

Last week, we started a new schedule where everyone has set training time on stage. I was very excited about this, thinking how wonderful it would be to have the entire space to myself and actually be able to work properly. As it turns out, the schedule is so strictly set that I have my two hours and only my two hours. It used to be that I could sneak in here and there and at least work on my straight line figures, but not anymore. Especially since there's trampo-mur all the time. Guh. I am in the trampo-mur number, of course, and so I do want the number to be good and I do want to work on those figures as well. But when my secondary act is getting more of my time than my lovely wheel? That's where I draw the line.

To add to my frustration, my hours were at 9:00am and 9:30am, respectively. I'm not much of a morning person as it is, and I am hardly acrobatic that early in the morning. Plus, at that time, the heat has been off in the Chapiteau for at least 12 hours. Unless you practice some kind of winter sport, you should not be able to see your breath in your training space. Also, I don't know if you've tried handling large metal objects that have been in the cold for many hours, but I can assure it is not nearly as enjoyable as you may think.

Now, I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty good at what I do. But that doesn't change the fact that I need to practice a lot. There are three categories of skills that I perform (straight lines, spirals and dismounts) and each of those require a certain amount of training time. Plus, I need to better understand the space I'm working in because as it is right now, the dimensions of the stage really mess with my head. Then there's the artistic element that needs work, and frankly, when you don't have a stable apparatus (its a wheel, it rolls) you're essentially working technique.

Did I mention I also have to create the number? And run it a whole bunch of times before we open so that I actually have the endurance to get through it? Because as of right now, my muscles pretty much give out midway through.

Sigh.

Some might say (and have said) that I should cut down on the technique. But I am a stubborn, stubborn woman. There are those in the circus world who believe that technique is everything. There are those who believe that artistic is more important and that its okay to sacrifice technique for artistic. I don't fall into either camp. I believe that as circus artists, we should strive for the highest level of technique possible, with the richest degree of artistry we are capable of. People don't go to see the circus to see simple tricks. They want death defying feats! But they also expect more. I could easily go watch a gymnastics competition if I want to see big tricks. But at the end of the day, I'll have experienced nothing.

And that is where the magic of circus lies.

Circus takes the incredible acrobatic prowess of gymnastics and combines it with the flare of the theatre, and the physical expression of emotion of dance. Its the combination of these three things that raise circus to an art form.

Hm. I went a little off topic there, didn't I?

The good news is, I've found a solution to my training problem. I've just about tripled my training time by soliciting the local elementary school for space in their gym. Now I can train like a crazy woman at the school, and use my two piddly hours on stage for what they were meant for: working with the musicians and running the number.

Now if only I could figure out how to make the day a little longer...