Aerial circus school - play time

Circus school started in Jo'burg this week! I've been so envious of the Capetonians with Zip-Zap and National Circus and now we've got something here - well, at least for six months. I heard about it on Monday via a friend on Facebook (this platform has its advantages) and I went for my first session last night (last night was the first night).

The focus here is on aerial arts like chinese pole, silks, straps, ropes and trapeze and for now they're working on conditioning exercises to build our strength to be able to execute moves. Goodness gracious! It was hard, hard going. We did three disciplines last night. I found the straps to be quite challenging and although the silks really work your hands, I like them. Chinese pole is quite different to my normal pole but I feel quite at home with it - the pole is familiar.

As I'm not teaching pole at the moment (as of this week) for the first time in three-and-a-half years, I'm focusing on playing. For me. When you teach then you don't get to play much and I've found that over the past 18 months I really haven't progressed much with my pole stuff. My strength is reasonable, my balance is inherently good, flexibility is ok and I'm not scared of heights or of trying new, challenging moves. I manage but I'd like to be better, especially with the aerial/balance/strength moves which I really get a kick out of and for which I have an affinity.

Circus school offers the best of all worlds because I'll get conditioning and strengthening training in various aerial disciplines. So I'll give straight-up pole a break and instead jump into the (circus) ring to play, play, play for the next few months.

As my mom quite rightly put it last night, play time will be good for me because most things I do are work (some have elements of 'fun' but they are work) - where I am responsible for something or an outcome.

I spent only six months in pole classes before I started teaching, which means planning classes, always coming up with new stuff and a weekly responsibility. I've been involved in a  project for the orienteering federation for the past year - I'm writing manuals, organising this and that... AR is often work with writing articles, maintaining the website, organising AR Club evenings and admin... Work, work, work.

I wanna PLAY!