AcroFlow

Today we rocked out a serious sequence. Here goes. At the start I thought, this is *long*... by the end, I think I got it.

* Throne
* wild dance on throne
* legs wide, no hands throne
* unhook legs
* hop / throw to forward flying
* flyer grasps ankles, full bow
* flier bends forward, base arms on shoulders
* flier grabs base ankles, powers up to
* shoulderstand
* stag
* legs wide, grab bases feet and bring them to hips to
* folded leaf
* the twisty thing to turn them over into reverse leaf
* they go pike and grab their ankles
* pashi
* base releases and relaxes feet (yum), all weight on hands
* flier up to headstand
* base toes to fliers back
* flier backbends over into whale / upside down flying
* flier grabs ankles
* rock flier back, forth
* ???
* reverse shoulderstand (fliers arms behind back, grasping base ankles)
* i have no recollection of where this went next or how it ended. like i said, its *long* :)

I <3 Acro!

Piloboli

Well, long time since I posted. Here's the skinny:

Went to my 9th Burn, Burning Man 2008. It was great. One of my absolute highlights (in addition to fornicating in the middle of the open desert) was kicking it wild style with the Contact Improv kids. It was a rocky start, but once we were in flow, we were in FLOW. I literally just closed my eyes and followed my body (and the body of my partners) through a rollicking flow of inversions, wrestles, lifts, crawls, rolls... you name it! 20 minutes later I left the floor completely out of breath and I hadn't even realised the exertion I was putting into the practice. I talked with the people, especially Renee, and he explained to me some of the fundamentals of the form.

I left Center Camp resolved to begin a Contact Improv community in Atlanta. Upon arriving back home, I followed my classic "Shoot! Aim! Fire!" routine, and emailed several people and my favorite yoga studio asking for space and time to gather. Of course, 2 hours later, after a little google research and some emails, I found out that there already is a *thriving* contact improv (CI) community right here.

Better yet, I found out that there was to be a 3-day workshop with Matt Kent, choreographer for Pilobolus, beginning in just 5 days! I signed up immediately.

Matt was the first person I met upon walking into the backstage door of Atlanta Ballet. And he quickly clarified to me that this was a dance workshop, not contact improv. No matter. It was awesome! And to me, it *was* contact improv, because, aside from like two times that we were gifted 10-15 minutes to synthesize a "piece", all the activity was improvisational and immediate. What's more strange is that out of 30 participants, I was the *only* male! Fine. I've been to the Hoop Convergence. I can handle the estrogen :)

AcroYogi / AcroBat

This Sunday we had another Jedi Kula class with Todd at Jai Shanti. A good diversity of players. We started off with simple and deep therapeutics, then moved to some forward flying, advanced to forward flying bow, and just as I was starting to think: "Oh, this is all such basics!" Todd threw us into some serious full inversions, including both candlestick and some other thing which required SERIOUS abdominal / core pushes along with real arm strength for both the base and the flyer. In fact, in this class, I began to realise the limits of my body, and where some old old injuries came out.

Playing with PC was very fun. She has a joyous and confident and ambitious energy to her that is fun to be around.

It was funny enough how the class began. Late to show and just in time was Vincent(?), a classically trained acrobat and dancer who had actually spent several years in the Circus... like, as a real job! He gave me some very detailed tips about how to place my hands and how to work grips that really allowed me to get into the advanced work.

In the end it was Trish and Vincent and I pushing the limits of our bodies with an inversion. As I tried for the second time, I could feel my muscles beginning to literally pop in both my triceps and legs, like I was going to pull one. That scared me a little. Nothing would suck like pulling a muscle while upside down 4 feet off the ground. Nonetheless, I was determined to hit the pose, so after stretching and breathing and jumping jacks for a few minutes, rejoined the fray... and damn if I didn't HIT IT! BAM!

Once I was up and in layout, it was all about balance and less about strength... hooray!

We also began to learn about "wrist love" in addition to the core practice of "leg love." Good stuff all around.

I realised leaving (in a very high state) that we had really begun the transition from AcroYoga into Acrobatics. Great stuff. And I now know where I need to build strength (arms and core). Boom! :)

Capacitor

epiphany / mantra

Yesterday I was feeling suicidal again at work, so I left at 1pm and headed home to hug the children. When I'm with the kids (especially one on one), I can always just revert to my inner child and experience the pure joy of simple being in the Now, a smile, complete spontaneity without consequences, play, natural existence.

To my surprise, the house was completely empty.

To my relief, the house was completely clean.

I went about a little personal cleaning. Since my possessions can now all safely fit in the back of my truck, this is fairly simple. A little laundry here, a few pieces of old mail and file folders there. And then, I rediscovered my costumes and my Miata.

It was about this time my inner voice said "I can do art." It was that simple. And I heard it over and over and over again. And it brought a smile to my face. As I hummed, I remembered my dear old friend Belle, who used to pass out business cards that said in big stenciled letters on the back "ART SAVES LIVES". And then my hum broke into a chant, and soon the chant became a song, and I was singing! It was a wonderful beautiful harmony melody dance of notes, and it brought pure joy to my heart and lungs.

I Can Do Art, ICANDOAT, ICanDoArt, EyeKanDooArt, I CAN DO ART

I wrote on my door of madness, and instead of the robotic entheo-runes, out flowed natural, zen like calligraphic script! The big word said:

ARTIST

Throughout this I ran into little doubt machines, and I summoned my strength and banished them.

My first project, somewhat questionably (doubt machine again? BAH!), will be the manufacture of an art car.

1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata >>> Transforma! >>> The Mach 5

I got out the BEASTdrill (an old 1950s direct drive 1/2" drill that puts any modern machine to shame), throwing blue sparks everywhere, and drilled out the last stubborn stuck bolt holding the passenger seat to the chassis. I now have a pristine Miata, new roof, no seats, ready for mod.

My awesome grounded Georgia neighbor Hugh came over later that night and we surveyed the car for like 30 minutes, comparing it against my c. 1988 Fujimako MX-5 model car kit, mapping out the mods. Playa ready by 2009. Let the art begin! :)

inspiration NOW

Step strong, know yourself first. Step through and beyond your wildest dreams. Let yourself go to the next level today, right this minute. A new spring has come, a pivotal year in a time of tremendous change. You are the leaders, the ones we have waited for.

- from Amo -- http://amoration.wordpress.com/

Bhagavan Das plays the Sitar

A sitar is a very complicated instrument. This one had dozens of strings, and I didn't know how to tune it. I didn't know where to begin, so I left it in the empty room next to Ram Dass' room. Every day I'd bring it flowers and worship it as Sarasvati -- the goddess of music, art, and letters. For weeks I sat with it and meditated.

One day, the sitar spoke to me and told me to pick it up. I picked it up very respectfully, as if I was holding a beautiful woman in my arms. Then it said, "Tune me." And I started tuning the strings. For the next couple weeks I spent hours tuning the sitar, never playing it. Finally, something happened and it all came together. I started to play. But it didn't feel like I was playing the sitar -- it felt like the sitar was playing me. Sarasvati was playing the sitar by using my fingers. I never had a lesson. I just surrendered to the Goddess. The music was sublime.

-- Bhagavan Dass, "It's Here Now (Are You?)