28I love to flyMy disciplines are the aerialrope and the silks. The ropehangs from a 25-foot ceilingin our school, and I climb andwrap and unwrap myself invarious ways, often includingdrops of 10 or more feet. Thesilks are similar except thatthere are two pieces of fabrichung from the ceiling.Photo: David Sosnowemma
The rush of performingThe adrenaline you get from having a public is unlike anything else.Performance is also the ultimate gratification for months of work, andthe place where you get to test your artistry. It is where, if you’re good,you get to force people to think outside the box and feel things theydon’t normally feel. That is the whole point of art when it is done well.29Developing a tough skinIt takes months to habituate your skin to the tear of the rope and yourhands to the hold you need to stay in the air. Most ropists (includingme) wear jeans to practice and perform, as tights just don’t cut it. Itrequires a huge amount of strength as well—the majority of movementsstart with a pull up, at the very least. Constant concentration isimperative when you’re talking about acrobatic movements at 20 feetin the air—one misstep and you break a vertebra. Not an uncommoninjury, unfortunately, at FLIC.At the end of the day I have just enough energy left to get home,cook dinner and pass out. In fact, I’d like to take a moment to apologizeto all of my lovely <strong>Emma</strong> girls for my absolute lack of contact.I love and think about you all! I just can’t move most of the time!I spend my days trying to reachthe limit of what physics (andcommon sense) permit.My class scheduleFor one hour in the morning we have physical preparation, whichconsists of either strength building or flexibility training. We’re talkingan hour of pull-ups, push-ups, ab closures, jumping, etc., in every possibleconfiguration the devil can come up with—hands close together,hands far apart, elbows wide, elbows at 90 degrees, squatting, legs at 30degrees, legs straight jumping with only your ankles, and that doesn’teven begin to explain the depth of variation. Flexibility focuses onlegs, joints (hips/shoulders), and back. This means minutes in all three,splits, bridges, straddles and so on. Physical prep is followed by acrobatics—Ican now do a round-off back handspring and am working onmy round-off back flip! We then have modern dance class. It’s superexciting to mix disciplines; that is, throw a handstand or a cartwheelinto a dance choreography. This interdisciplinary fluidity is the objectiveof FLIC’s training. We also have physical acting classes, mask andclown workshops, as well as intense stretching lessons. The final pieceis, of course, circus class. Aerial rope and the silks. Swinging trapeze,aerial hoop, tight wire, hand to hand, roux cyr, German wheel, Chinesepole, acrobatic ball, ladder, hand standing, and if you are interested youcan work on juggling and contortion as well.Not just clowning aroundContemporary circus is nowhere nearthe “TA DA!!” of traditional circus—traditional being the sort with paradinganimals and trapeze artists in glitteringtutus. Today’s circus is closer to a mixtureof modern dance, acting, and madskills. It is about pushing the audience,and performer, into a world where thelaws of physics and common sense areless applicable. It is not easy and oftenit is not fun in the sense that the word“circus” brings to mind.What circus means to meIt is about using the body as your artisticinstrument—learning to controlyour movement and your discipline(mine is the rope) in such a way thatyou can express something deeper thanthe sum of your tricks. In this worldthere will always be the gymnasts anddancers that began at age six who bestyou technically—the challenge is to findwhat makes your performance moving,to find how you can use your body toshow your soul, your ideas, and to usethat to move people.Forget sick daysConsistency is also a huge, huge elementfor physical fitness. In mostschools if you are sick they tell you tostay home. At FLIC, unless you can’tmove you better show up. A cold is notan excuse; neither is a pulled muscle ora twisted ankle. The first show at theschool I performed with a fracturednose from doing a certain type of twopersonfront flip.Summer 2012
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