Freedom and the feeling of being able to do ANYTHING!
Julia's classic outbursts of the week were "this is such freedom" and something to the effect of feeling like she can do anything. As a teacher, I must say, those were pretty cool words to hear. :)
Julia Langenberg came all the way from Texas to work with me and so there was no way I was going to cancel lessons even though things at work were going crazy and I was sick. I had a terrible cold, and behind in my train-up happening at work. Julia felt bad, but I reassured her that it really was a blessing to have something fun to do to take my mind off the hardship of train-up. Plus, I badly need the exercise! I have been on fabric only a handful of times in the past few months. Luckily, the type of movements that I specialize in require technique more than strength, and I am able to do a whole heck-of-a-lot with simply grip strength getting me by.
At first Julia was weary of my opening exercise for each day. I have become very fond of asking students to start out my improvising in the knot. It allows students to find their flow on the fabric without having to worry about how they are wrapping (or at least keeps it to a minimum). On the first day, Julia did a few moves hesitantly and unsure of what to do during the improv time. It had been a few years since she had done improvisational exercises like this. But she is an amazing mover, and by the last day, I wanted to learn her whole piece on the fabric that she improvised. The movement felt so uninhibited; she had really begun to find her flow.
The words "fabric theory" often scare people, and Julia was brave to embrace jumping into it with me. I warned her and Julianna (who joined us for several of the lessons) that they would feel like they were in math class as I was going to give them problems to solve. And they definitely knew what that meant by the end of the week, and they loved it! It was the perfect exercise for the brain.
The problems that I present come from simple questions such as how do I get from point A to point B? Often times we just don't stop and ask the question and so we miss out on a lot of choreographic opportunities. Sometimes the solution is hard, and take forever to think of, but more often than not, the solution is actually quite simple. It may not come to you right away, but it is elegant and simple. One of the problems that I gave Julia is a problem that I see aerialists encounter often: When you go into the sitting position from hip lock (via a hip hitch), you have to split the fabrics first which can be quite awkward. So I asked the simple question: Is there a way to get into the hip hitch while having the fabrics continually separated so that we can skip the trouble of separating the fabrics. The solution is actually quite elegant and leads to a very simple pose in the air that can even be elaborated upon to create an entire new sequence leading up to the hip hitch and sitting position.
Teaching this week made me excited to do more advanced teaching of fabric theory in the future. I hope more people come out to train with me, and I pray that the Charleston weather continues to cooperate so nicely so that I can continue to play on my outdoor rig.
Julia Langenberg came all the way from Texas to work with me and so there was no way I was going to cancel lessons even though things at work were going crazy and I was sick. I had a terrible cold, and behind in my train-up happening at work. Julia felt bad, but I reassured her that it really was a blessing to have something fun to do to take my mind off the hardship of train-up. Plus, I badly need the exercise! I have been on fabric only a handful of times in the past few months. Luckily, the type of movements that I specialize in require technique more than strength, and I am able to do a whole heck-of-a-lot with simply grip strength getting me by.
At first Julia was weary of my opening exercise for each day. I have become very fond of asking students to start out my improvising in the knot. It allows students to find their flow on the fabric without having to worry about how they are wrapping (or at least keeps it to a minimum). On the first day, Julia did a few moves hesitantly and unsure of what to do during the improv time. It had been a few years since she had done improvisational exercises like this. But she is an amazing mover, and by the last day, I wanted to learn her whole piece on the fabric that she improvised. The movement felt so uninhibited; she had really begun to find her flow.
The words "fabric theory" often scare people, and Julia was brave to embrace jumping into it with me. I warned her and Julianna (who joined us for several of the lessons) that they would feel like they were in math class as I was going to give them problems to solve. And they definitely knew what that meant by the end of the week, and they loved it! It was the perfect exercise for the brain.
The problems that I present come from simple questions such as how do I get from point A to point B? Often times we just don't stop and ask the question and so we miss out on a lot of choreographic opportunities. Sometimes the solution is hard, and take forever to think of, but more often than not, the solution is actually quite simple. It may not come to you right away, but it is elegant and simple. One of the problems that I gave Julia is a problem that I see aerialists encounter often: When you go into the sitting position from hip lock (via a hip hitch), you have to split the fabrics first which can be quite awkward. So I asked the simple question: Is there a way to get into the hip hitch while having the fabrics continually separated so that we can skip the trouble of separating the fabrics. The solution is actually quite elegant and leads to a very simple pose in the air that can even be elaborated upon to create an entire new sequence leading up to the hip hitch and sitting position.
Teaching this week made me excited to do more advanced teaching of fabric theory in the future. I hope more people come out to train with me, and I pray that the Charleston weather continues to cooperate so nicely so that I can continue to play on my outdoor rig.
The video below shows Naomi leading warm-up for Julia, Julianna and me. She is a little over 1 year old, and has a pretty good sense of rhythm, and a good sense of humor as well...you should too if you watch the video. :)
Julia's Reflections
The following is an e-mail I received from Julia after the lessons. Reprinted here with permission.
"I've been meaning to write to you since I got home, but I wanted to
make sure I had enough time to compose an email to describe just how
much your teachings have changed my life! Seriously! :) I came back
to San Antonio so inspired. I couldn't wait to get back on my silks,
which was convenient because I went straight from the airport to the
gym to teach 2 classes! I actually felt comfortable enough to
demonstrate your knot improv exercise to my students as they were
warming up. All of my students were so impressed and said that they
wanted to move like that too! I'm still brainstorming ways to teach
your technique/theories to my beginning students. Swinging in the knot
is a good start so far. Many of my students have looked you up on
YouTube and are emailing me about your technique and wanting to know
more, so you're influencing a whole new group of aerialists here in
San Antonio! One of my advanced students is thinking about purchasing
your outdoor rig as well.
I absolutely love fabric theory since taking 2 theory classes at [another circus school]
a few months ago. However, I spent 2 1/2 weeks there and I didn't
change at all compared to how much I grew in 5 lessons with you. I
love that you not only think about different ways to wrap, your
theories come from "problems" aerialists face and you come up with a
solution to fix them. Your solutions then lead you into an entirely
new, creative sequence. It makes so much sense. Thank you for
challenging me to think about silks in such an innovative way.
I also appreciate the sequences you've created to combine all of your
teachings. The sequence I learned during my last class is packed full
of everything we worked on, so I can return to each piece and remember
everything you taught. I have a lot of work to do to embody everything
I learned!
I feel that I can finally move the way I've been trying to move in the
silks for the past few years. I feel like a modern dancer again. As
I improv in the air, I find that I want to move on the ground again.
My transitions between the floor and the silks are much more fluid and
everything seems to connect once again. I finally feel free! My
limbs can extend and reach and my movement is no longer bound by the
apparatus.
I'm happy that the lessons were mutually beneficial. Thank you for
meeting with me through your sickness and craziness at work. I
appreciate you making time for me."
-Julia
"I've been meaning to write to you since I got home, but I wanted to
make sure I had enough time to compose an email to describe just how
much your teachings have changed my life! Seriously! :) I came back
to San Antonio so inspired. I couldn't wait to get back on my silks,
which was convenient because I went straight from the airport to the
gym to teach 2 classes! I actually felt comfortable enough to
demonstrate your knot improv exercise to my students as they were
warming up. All of my students were so impressed and said that they
wanted to move like that too! I'm still brainstorming ways to teach
your technique/theories to my beginning students. Swinging in the knot
is a good start so far. Many of my students have looked you up on
YouTube and are emailing me about your technique and wanting to know
more, so you're influencing a whole new group of aerialists here in
San Antonio! One of my advanced students is thinking about purchasing
your outdoor rig as well.
I absolutely love fabric theory since taking 2 theory classes at [another circus school]
a few months ago. However, I spent 2 1/2 weeks there and I didn't
change at all compared to how much I grew in 5 lessons with you. I
love that you not only think about different ways to wrap, your
theories come from "problems" aerialists face and you come up with a
solution to fix them. Your solutions then lead you into an entirely
new, creative sequence. It makes so much sense. Thank you for
challenging me to think about silks in such an innovative way.
I also appreciate the sequences you've created to combine all of your
teachings. The sequence I learned during my last class is packed full
of everything we worked on, so I can return to each piece and remember
everything you taught. I have a lot of work to do to embody everything
I learned!
I feel that I can finally move the way I've been trying to move in the
silks for the past few years. I feel like a modern dancer again. As
I improv in the air, I find that I want to move on the ground again.
My transitions between the floor and the silks are much more fluid and
everything seems to connect once again. I finally feel free! My
limbs can extend and reach and my movement is no longer bound by the
apparatus.
I'm happy that the lessons were mutually beneficial. Thank you for
meeting with me through your sickness and craziness at work. I
appreciate you making time for me."
-Julia