7/11
you know what’s great? life. working for the circus. being surrounding by people so amazing that you couldn’t have imagined them if you tried. how did i get so lucky?
willow, my head counselor, is one of the most fun, silly, positive people in the world. but what’s even more incredible is that she is so responsible, smart, trustworthy, and capable. i admire her sense of play just as much as i admire her know-how and work ethic. what i like most, though, is that she is a “yes” person. when the kids want to do something off the beaten path she makes sure it’s safe, and then says, emphatically, “yes!” When Andrew or I take initiative and come up with new ideas or ways of doing things, she doesn’t assert an “I’m the boss” attitude, but rather says, “yes! let’s give it a shot! great idea!” And when, as per usual, I come up with some crazy idea like, oh say, going to canada, Willow cocks her head to one side, grins a little bit and says, “okay dani, we’ll go to canada. yes.”
(canada antics to follow shortly)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
proud parents
my latest entry into the trouper parent blog:
As a youth organization, Smirkus is a thrilling place to be a kid: we travel, we play, we watch movies, tell secrets and learn new things. As a circus, Smirkus is world class: we have 70 shows in 7 weeks, hit 16 cities, play to sold out crowds, and we have some of the world’s best coaches. It’s when you put these two things together, however, that Smirkus is really unbelievable. We have 29 troupers away from home for 10 weeks traveling outside of their cities, states, and countries. We have 10 year olds dangling from triangles and teenagers doing handstands in the most unlikely of places. We ask them to wake up early, work harder than probably any other kid in the country, perform two shows a day, and we even make them wash dishes!
In Essex, a huge storm came through that had us all taking shelter, and the troupers’ actions had me feeling incredibly proud. As the wind blew and the rain pounded the roof, they spent the time passing juggling clubs and working on the tight wire, not complaining about the lack of sunshine. During the second show, it came to light that the aerial fabric had gotten wet, and our coach made the call that it was not safe to perform on. Only minutes before the act was supposed to begin, we had to rearrange the show order! I have never seen performers act so quickly and so calmly to solve a problem together! One trouper even went up to the bandstand and informed the musicians so that they knew what was going on! Hula hoop girls scrambled to gather props, the hat boys raced to places early, and everyone rallied together to help wherever possible. It was a muddy, yucky, potentially problematic day, but these kids made me SO proud with their positive attitudes and professional efficiency. I shouldn’t be surprised I guess, because they impress me so often. My heart swells with pride every time they nail a new trick, improve an old one, come up with a silly gag, or even gracefully cover up a dropped ball or imperfect tumble. I got teary eyed on opening night, I clap wildly at each act I'm lucky enough to watch, and I eagerly look forward to the improvements in every show. My heart is full of joy when they excitedly call my name and show me the one armed handstand or tough hoop trick they’ve been working on since training. They are fun and silly and hard working and so wonderful to be around. I am so immensely proud of them, and I’ve only known them for a month. I can scarcely imagine how you feel. Thank you for sharing these amazing young people with me, I am so privileged to know them.
As a youth organization, Smirkus is a thrilling place to be a kid: we travel, we play, we watch movies, tell secrets and learn new things. As a circus, Smirkus is world class: we have 70 shows in 7 weeks, hit 16 cities, play to sold out crowds, and we have some of the world’s best coaches. It’s when you put these two things together, however, that Smirkus is really unbelievable. We have 29 troupers away from home for 10 weeks traveling outside of their cities, states, and countries. We have 10 year olds dangling from triangles and teenagers doing handstands in the most unlikely of places. We ask them to wake up early, work harder than probably any other kid in the country, perform two shows a day, and we even make them wash dishes!
In Essex, a huge storm came through that had us all taking shelter, and the troupers’ actions had me feeling incredibly proud. As the wind blew and the rain pounded the roof, they spent the time passing juggling clubs and working on the tight wire, not complaining about the lack of sunshine. During the second show, it came to light that the aerial fabric had gotten wet, and our coach made the call that it was not safe to perform on. Only minutes before the act was supposed to begin, we had to rearrange the show order! I have never seen performers act so quickly and so calmly to solve a problem together! One trouper even went up to the bandstand and informed the musicians so that they knew what was going on! Hula hoop girls scrambled to gather props, the hat boys raced to places early, and everyone rallied together to help wherever possible. It was a muddy, yucky, potentially problematic day, but these kids made me SO proud with their positive attitudes and professional efficiency. I shouldn’t be surprised I guess, because they impress me so often. My heart swells with pride every time they nail a new trick, improve an old one, come up with a silly gag, or even gracefully cover up a dropped ball or imperfect tumble. I got teary eyed on opening night, I clap wildly at each act I'm lucky enough to watch, and I eagerly look forward to the improvements in every show. My heart is full of joy when they excitedly call my name and show me the one armed handstand or tough hoop trick they’ve been working on since training. They are fun and silly and hard working and so wonderful to be around. I am so immensely proud of them, and I’ve only known them for a month. I can scarcely imagine how you feel. Thank you for sharing these amazing young people with me, I am so privileged to know them.
create, destroy, create again
(written 7/5)
we’re in essex, the first stop on our 7 week tour, and all of the troupers have gone to their respective home-stays. for the first time in a month, i have the night to myself. i have time to process this crazy life i’ve jumped into, and time to write my thoughts down. my brain is exhausted, my body is exhausted, and sleep will be sweet tonight.
i have been wrestling with the decision of whether to go to burning man after smirkus. i haven’t been in years, and i miss it. it costs a lot of money though; but i consider it a fruitful investment in myself physically, emotionally, artistically, and intellectually. i could do something new and different with the time and money; however, it’s not as if i’m going to visit a city that i’ve already seen: each experience at the burn is entirely unique. one of the biggest lessons i learned from burning man was the temporary nature of everything in life, the importance of letting go, and the need for constant forward motion. create, destroy, create again. that has been missing in my life the past few years, things at school got stagnant, my friends remained the same and the scenery rarely changed. i was working towards goals and forging relationships but nothing was being torn down and rebuilt. it was an uphill climb. a successful one, but one that left me on a plateau saying, “ok, now what?” degree in hand, i had the whole world in front of me and very little obstacle. that was frustrating. i needed a tear down, a strike of sorts, so that i could start again. so i left. and now i’m in a city i’ve never even heard of with people from all over the world taking care of 29 circus kids and learning about a part of life that i barely knew existed. it’s amazing, and spending a month at a barn in the middle of nowhere was brilliant. getting to know the kids was heart warming. learning about circus was thrilling. the real joy though is coming now, now that we’ve hit the road and i’ve gone from camp counselor to tour counselor. the realization set in today that i’ll not be in the same city for more than 3 days for the next 7 weeks. i’ll be in 16 cities, driving new routes every day, seeing parts of the country i’ve never seen. we’ll be tearing down the tent, loading up the props, moving our living quarters over and over and over and over... for months. we’ve created this living breathing circus thing, and we are continuously destroying it in order to share it with as many people as possible. set up, perform shows, tear down. move. set up, perform shows, tear down. move. set up, tear down. move. create, destroy. create, destroy, create again.
well whatta ya know?
perhaps i have had my fill of port-a-potties and temporary cities. for this year at least.
we’re in essex, the first stop on our 7 week tour, and all of the troupers have gone to their respective home-stays. for the first time in a month, i have the night to myself. i have time to process this crazy life i’ve jumped into, and time to write my thoughts down. my brain is exhausted, my body is exhausted, and sleep will be sweet tonight.
i have been wrestling with the decision of whether to go to burning man after smirkus. i haven’t been in years, and i miss it. it costs a lot of money though; but i consider it a fruitful investment in myself physically, emotionally, artistically, and intellectually. i could do something new and different with the time and money; however, it’s not as if i’m going to visit a city that i’ve already seen: each experience at the burn is entirely unique. one of the biggest lessons i learned from burning man was the temporary nature of everything in life, the importance of letting go, and the need for constant forward motion. create, destroy, create again. that has been missing in my life the past few years, things at school got stagnant, my friends remained the same and the scenery rarely changed. i was working towards goals and forging relationships but nothing was being torn down and rebuilt. it was an uphill climb. a successful one, but one that left me on a plateau saying, “ok, now what?” degree in hand, i had the whole world in front of me and very little obstacle. that was frustrating. i needed a tear down, a strike of sorts, so that i could start again. so i left. and now i’m in a city i’ve never even heard of with people from all over the world taking care of 29 circus kids and learning about a part of life that i barely knew existed. it’s amazing, and spending a month at a barn in the middle of nowhere was brilliant. getting to know the kids was heart warming. learning about circus was thrilling. the real joy though is coming now, now that we’ve hit the road and i’ve gone from camp counselor to tour counselor. the realization set in today that i’ll not be in the same city for more than 3 days for the next 7 weeks. i’ll be in 16 cities, driving new routes every day, seeing parts of the country i’ve never seen. we’ll be tearing down the tent, loading up the props, moving our living quarters over and over and over and over... for months. we’ve created this living breathing circus thing, and we are continuously destroying it in order to share it with as many people as possible. set up, perform shows, tear down. move. set up, perform shows, tear down. move. set up, tear down. move. create, destroy. create, destroy, create again.
well whatta ya know?
perhaps i have had my fill of port-a-potties and temporary cities. for this year at least.
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