Trapeze Private Lesson - Level 2

I had my private trapeze lesson to start learning level 2 tricks last night. It started snowing, so the drive there and back wasn't all that great. But, it was well worth it. I did 12 new tricks!

I started out with stretching. My instructor said that now that I have my front splits, that I should try to do hyper-extended splits (putting a book or something under my front leg so that it stretches even more).

Then, we got right to the tricks!

1. Mermaid Under the Bar - this was a beautiful position. You have your 2 hands holding onto the bar. Then, you go into the split under the bar trick. From that, you twist your body so that one arm goes down the middle of your back. Your legs are one on each side of the arm and extend outward, parallel to the ground. So, you wind up looking like a mermaid. Your feet are together to make up the main fish part of the mermaid.

2. 1 Knee Roll-Up. This is a cool transition from underneath the bar to sitting. Again, you start from the split under the bar position. Then, you go into a 1 knee hang. You lock your free leg around the leg with the knee on the bar, and then you place your hands on the ropes so that the bar is in the crook of your elbows, with your arms extending up as high as you can, holding onto the ropes. Then, you unlock your free leg, swing it down to gain momentum. Then, you swing it up and around the bar. Your body remains tucked in a ball as much as possible. Also, you try to keep the bar at your knee rather than letting it slide down. You wind up on top of the bar. Then, you bring the free leg up and over so that you're fully sitting.

3. 2 Knee Roll-Up. This is just like the 1 knee roll-up except that both knees are on the bar when you roll up and around. It's harder in that you don't have the momentum from the swing like you do in the 1 knee roll up. But, it's easier in that it's easier to remain tucked. Also, it's easier to keep the bar in the position at your knees. Both are very cool transitions, though.

4. Forward Straddle Drop. This was extremely terrifying to try. However, once I did it, it actually was pretty easy. I just had to have faith in myself. Essentially, you sit on the trapeze bar, with your legs straddled wide in front of the bar. There's just enough room on the bar between your legs to grab on with both hands. You have to balance for a bit in this position until you go. Then, you fall forward, rolling over, and wind up hanging down from the bar by your 2 hands. The scary part is that it feels like you're going to fall forward, your hands will slip off the bar, and you'll fall face first onto the ground. My instructor had me do a countdown from 3. I said, 3...2...1... And, I sort of moved, but didn't go. Lol! Then, I counted again and took that leap of faith and just went. I actually controlled my descent down, and it wound up being pretty easy. All you have to do is make sure you control yourself and not just flop around. I did this trick again and had no problems with it. This one reminded me of the scare factor in the forward roll trick from my performance. It looks really cool, though, and is very dramatic. I can see putting this into my next performance.

5. Fall Back Angel. This is simply a dramatic way to get into the angel sequence. You start sitting on the bar. You grab the bar with your left hand, and spread your right leg open wide with your foot flexed. You fall backwards, letting the rope slide down your leg, catching on your flexed foot.

6 & 7. Scissor Roll-Up & Seahorse. These are tricks where you wrap your legs up in the ropes while doing a half split. Then, you roll up with the ropes rolling around you. It was actually quite difficult to do, and it was actually fairly painful where the ropes cut into your legs. I forgot how to exactly do them. The Seahorse was easier I think. In the scissor one, it was hard to get the bar along my butt crack so that I could roll up and around it to the 2nd half of the trick. These definitely look dramatic, though. So, I can see doing this in my next act. They will take some work, though, to perfect.

8. Zip Drop. This was my favorite trick. It starts like the shoulder stand (standing on the bar, doing a straddle upside down and wrapping my feet around the ropes). But, it's done higher up on the ropes. And, instead of sliding down the ropes to my shoulders, I had to criss cross the ropes behind my back and then have my hands down to the bar - like doing a hand stand. Then, I had to bring the bar up to just below my pelvis bones. So, I'm only hanging on by my legs. Then, I had to unwrap the part of my legs below the knee, so my toes are pointed towards each other with my knees bent. Then, I had to unwrap my legs the rest of the way, releasing me into the drop. I dropped a couple of feet before catching with the bar just below my pelvis bones. It actually makes a pretty loud noise, which is why I had my instructor reach up to my shoulders to slow my descent. From there, I unwrap my body and finally get right-side up. It's an awesome trick, although you're upside down for quite a while. I guess it won't take so long when I fully know what I'm doing. This was so cool.

9 & 10. Toe Hang & Heel Hang. These tricks are ridiculous. My instructor introduced me to them, although I can see these as tricks that I may not ever do. For one, they're painful, especially the toe hang. 2, They're extremely difficult and would be very easy to fall out of. 3. They're very dangerous in that if you fall, you're going to land right on your head. For the toe hang, you flex your feet and hang from the bar, with the bar at the part where your foot meets your leg. You have to try to bunch the skin up so that there's something to grip so that you don't slide. For the heel hang, you point your toes and hang from the back of your heels. Yeah. Crazy. She had me do them but with heavy spot. I was not holding my entire weight at all. It was an introduction to the tricks, though. They don't let you put that in a show until you can hold it for like 5 minutes and with swinging.

11. Back Balance. This was similar to my straddle back balance trick that I did in my performance (right after the shoulder stand). Only your legs aren't straddled on the ropes. So, it's more of a difficult balance. One leg is out straight, and the other is bent. The bent leg is where you can control your center of gravity to balance.

12. Straight Up and Down. This is a strength move that looks really cool. You're standing on the bar. You pull up into the egg position. Then, you extend your body fully straight, so that your whole body is in line with the ropes. It requires the strength to hold the position as well as the body control/balance to hold yourself upright in that straight line.

So, that was my lesson. I got through learning a LOT. I have some fun new bruises in places that I've never had before. But, I felt very accomplished. I can't wait to do a level 2 routine. It will be so much fun. This is it for the trapeze for me for at least 4 weeks, though. My surgery is in 3 days.