Dancezwithkittehz - I believe I can Fly

[dancezwithkittehz]

I am going for both literal and figurative flying here! This is expanding on some past goals as well as mixing in a few new twists!

Goal 1 - Reaching Greater Heights

How many names can I come up with to have the same basic goal on different challenges? Buahahahaha. I am afraid of heights. I am an aerialist in training. I need to make myself get more used to doing stuff UP high. I would like to do one thing up high at least once per week or on days when we for some reason don't do silks I need to make myself do one skill that kind of scares me! This is all about breaking out of my comfort zones even more! Even just climbing to the very top of the silks will count (Yes. I don't regularly do that for the sake of "saving energy" but I know it's not just because of saving energy!)

Goal 2 - Do you even lift (yourself), bro?

PULL UP YOU WILL BE MINE DAMMIT. I want to work on pull up/chin up progression work at least 3 times a week. Aerial days count towards this too as well as obviously any variety of pull up/chin up progression type moves. If I get an actual chin up un assisted by the end of this that would be SO COOl but the muscles will grow at the pace they want to grow at so we shall see.


Goal 3 - I am the paint. (AKA why I love dance)

I am so so so so happy to be back dancing. Don't get me wrong I LOVE aerial, but since I have such a strong dance background when I dance it gets to be ALL about expression most of the time and I looooove that. At least once a week I need to dance the hell out of some boss choreography and get purely into that flying and expressing mode (and out of my head!)

•  Bonus round: I am the painter. I'd like to choreograph SOMETHING sometime in the next six weeks, and ideally also video and post it to my youtube account. I have all these ideas swimming in my head for this!  Also the May showcase is  coming up and I may see if I can contribute to that if they haven't already picked the choreographers/ if they aren't sticking to just the teachers for choreography this time. We'll see! Serendipity! Oh hey while I was in the process of writing this I got the call from company contacts about who wants to dance in and choreography for the May showcase. I must get together my proposal by Monday. Perfect timing!

Life goal:  Debt paydown!

I am also keeping my debt goal from last round. No new things on credit cards unless I pay them back immediately/ no buying things I don't actually have the money for at the time. I am getting so much better on this ya'll!  My balances are getting better already, and that's even in spite of me having to make a few exceptions for special reasons. (Actual special reasons like because life happens and because I do not put hotel bookings on my debit card. Not special reasons like "but I want that right noooow.")
 

[starsapart]

HERE FOR THIS!!!!

[dancezwithkittehz]

My choreography pitch is submitted and at the very least class tomorrow and then open company class on Thursday with possible rehearsals after class. I'm not sure how fast they are jumping in to rehearsals buuut seeing as they want to do a show in May I think we'll be jumping on it pretty quickly!

 

I guess I don't get to count my pre challenge workouts but I totally did pull up work on Saturday wheeee!  Tonight is aerial so it will be my first official pull up workout of the challenge! (And air work. Wheee heights!)

[dancezwithkittehz]

Today in a small exception to my no credit card purchases rule. There are still spaces for camp and I had a devastatingly sad and angering weekend (yay personal betrayals I didn't see coming) and needed a vacation to look forward to soooo the rest is history!  Tax refund will pay back most of this and I need a vacation. Sanity and happy making experiences are worth it!!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Oh jeez. My do stuff up high goal for tonight did not go so well. Was having one of those day with no stamina and I couldn't even climb 10 ft up the silks before I was total jello. Argh!!! I also couldn't do anything on my "fun" side aka left today. Just could. Not. Compute. Lolol. On the plus side I was hitting things on the right side that I usually struggle with mechanics wise like hip key and at least the beginning of the same side knee hook straddle climb (but no juice to do the up and over! Ugh!) in spite of jello-ey weekness I am happy with what I got tonight! I got the muscle memory stuff that takes longer for me to get! Woooo!

Also, we learned a new climb that is only useful in that it is really really good footlock practice and conditioning but it is slow

And painful. Footlock climb! Literally doing foot lock to foot lock up the silk. I so need to go do this on open gym to torture myself!

Also. I think I found my new swimsuit for this year!

http://www.barenecessities.com/freya-tootsie-sweetheart-swim-top-as3602_product.htm?pf_id=FreyaAS3602&search

[starsapart]

That swimsuit is adorable.

 

That climb sounds exhausting.

 

And YAY CAMP YAY!

[dancezwithkittehz]

I need to decide if I want it in blue or in the black and white. I like both... Dilemma! I think I will probably do the blue buuut we'll see!

[dancezwithkittehz]

I figured out a way to distract myself from slipping into a bad mood today. I have this open on a tab and keep popping over whenever I start getting bummed out or angry etc.:

 

 

I am pretty sure I will complete the whole hour by the end of the day!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Ohh maaaaaan. So I knew I shouldn't look at the set list for Coachella Friday since I was missing it and then I realize this super awesome LA circus/aerial troupe was performing Friday only. SAD! Here is one of their past performances:

I am almost tempted to try and hit Lighning in a Bottle in a few weeks just to catch them. Maaaan so cool!

On the plus side, my tax return just got here this morning which means I will be eating SO MUCH DELICIOUS from all the gourmet food trucks.

Coachellaaaaaaaaaaaa! And vacation by myself weekend! (I am realizing I really love solo vacations. I do what I want waaaaant wooooo!)

[starsapart]

Sometimes I wonder if I should try solo vacationing... it always seems like it would be  so lonely to me, but then so many people seem to really love it.  Maybe one day I'll be brave!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Do something where you have a lot of things to keep you busy for sure. I've now done a cruise and a music festival and both were fun! If you like to chat with people you can make friends but then ditch them whenever you feel like it. Good times! It's definitely worth trying!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Fun lessons learned in aerial this week: if doing a pullover on a low hammock be careful to lower your hips down into place. Overshot and landed right in the middle of my stomach and I'd eaten a way too big lunch. Not fun!  I had to take a few minutes to get undizzy and let my stomach recover (I imagine this is similar to accidentally punching yourself in the stomach.)

 

Goal 1 - Reaching Greater Heights

This is so done for the week! I did not have a recurring issue of sad noodle arms this week. Woohoo! I climbed to the top of the silks and back down twice. Including some having to hang for a second to re-wrap my foot while way up high and all without any panicky-ness. Woowoo!

In general I am so proud of all my aerial stuff last night. My climbs went great and I totally got the split roll up to crossback straddle transition thing that was completely befuddling me two weeks ago. I think it was opposite day though because silks are usually my weaker skill compared to hammock but last night I totally had silks no problem but hammock was just NOT happening.

Goal 2 - Do you even lift (yourself), bro?, (so far 1 of 3 minimum for week)

Going well so far for the week! I did aerial yesterday plus I did assisted chins and some inverted rows before I went to class.


Goal 3 - I am the paint. (AKA why I love dance)

Not yet!  Dance is tonight. This was SO checked off for last week thought; I danced sooooo much at Coachella. So so much. Happpyyyyy

 

Life goal:  Debt paydown!

My tax returns came in and I made extra payments towards both of my credit cards. (The extra payment this month will offset the purchase of my spot for camp. Definitely going to try to keep making double payments or big payments until after I am sure camp and all related things are paid off, plus extra!)

[dancezwithkittehz]

Yesssssssssssss. I am making progress!

 

Goal 2 - Do you even lift (yourself), bro?, (so far 2 of 3 minimum for week)

I can do more reps of assisted chin ups!! YAAAAAAAAAAY! 

I did a full set of 5 assisted chin ups (up from the only 2 or 3 I could do previously.)

I also did two sets of 5 assisted pull up negatives. I feel like i could probably be doing two sets of 10 of these, or maybe I should just do these un-assisted for now until I work up to doing assisted pull ups from the negatives. Maybe both!

 

Goal 3 - I am the paint. (AKA why I love dance)

Done for the week!  We finished all but 30 seconds of the current song we are working on so we will probably just finish out next week rather than switch to something new.

[dancezwithkittehz]

Goal 3 - I am the paint. (AKA why I love dance)

 

This is even EXTRA done for the week. I made it to the Thursday night modern class last night and it was wonderful and taught by another of my very favorite people. I'm really happy that I seem to be past my burnout on modern dance and I loooooved to be back to my Martha Graham roots!

[dancezwithkittehz]

I got distracted over the weekend and forgot to post. I met all three of my goals for the week woohoo! Still dealing with personal betrayal and was afraid all the anger and sadness would distract me from getting things done, but I prevailed!

 

Here is my update for Saturday:

 

Goal 2 - Do you even lift (yourself), bro?, (3 of 3 minimum for week)

Done for the week. This workout was

1 set of 20 inverted rows, chin up grip

1 set of 20 inverted rows, pull up grip

1 set of 3 assisted chin ups

1 set of 5 assisted pull up negatives

1, 10 second hang in tuck position (I initially planned to do a 10 second hold each in pike and straddle as well but I was exhausted already. I was working sets of squats, sit ups, and burpees for the challenge between each of these sets.)

[sylph]

Erk! How did I not find you before this. Whoops!

 

In, now.

[dancezwithkittehz]

Better late than never! Yay!

Aerial tonight was pretty damn awesome but I am a sleepy panda sooo write up tomorrow!

[sylph]

Hooray for awesome aerial.

[dancezwithkittehz]

Goal 1 - Reaching Greater Heights

 

Goal 1 is so done for the week. I did:

 

2 solid climbs up to the top and down to the bottom. With no panicking when I got up high. YAYS.

 

I am really happy with my basic climb technique again. I feel like I FINALLY am back to where I was with climbs back in December before my injury, which is crazy to think it's taken that damn long to feel back to really being on it, but c'est la vie!

 

I think in general that is how I am feeling with aerial now. Like I've rehabbed enough to feel like I should actually be in the class I am in again. It's been tough sticking it out in the advanced beginner when I feel like I lost most of my ability to really hang with that class, but then the beginner beginner classes are just too too easy. I no longer feel like an impostor! Woohoo! I am actually able to at least TRY all the things now, even if I can't necessarily do them in complete form but I can actually WORK on them now.

 

Things I am working on (with varying degrees of success. lol):

Hip keys - I CAN DO THIS NOW?! WHAT?! I always struggled with these and then I just sort of did a few to see what would happen right at the end of class. And I did it. And my teacher was like THUMBS UP GOOD JOB. Suprise!!

 

Crochet Climb - Definitely a work in progress, but my strength is better and I can invert with control. I can solidly get into the first invert and crochet and just need to work on the moving it UP the silks part

 

Split Roll Up to Cross-Back Straddle - I have the split roll up DOWN and this was totally baffling to me a few weeks ago. Progress! I can even solidly get into cross back each time. The Straddle part is not there yet, but it will be!

 

Twisty Entry thing to Cross-Back - This is befuddling me. And it should be way easier than the split roll up entry. My teacher told me she had issues getting down the twist part because it's counter-intuitive to what we do on a lot of other things, but once I get it it should be super usefull!

 

Egg-beaters/Dancer foot-locks - We actually haven't worked on these in forever so I am glad to get work on them finally. I have down the motions of how to get into this but was too noodley to hold myself up long enough to do it in the air. I'll call this a success though and I want to try this earlier in class next week

 

Slack drop - I think I will have this soon. I want to have my crochet climb down a little more solidly before I do this! (And she showed us how to slowly lower into this so I can baby step my way into the actual drop.) For this you 1) inverted straddle, 2) crochet both legs up, 3) wrap tails around your lower back and then hold the silks out in front of you, 4) lean forward to come back to upright and also grab onto the top parts of the silks above the part you just wrapped around your back (so you have that, + your slack held in your hands), 5) egg beater/double wrap each leg in the part dangling down in front of you (but don't actually step into a dancer lock!) 6) Straddle over to inverted straddle (you'll only be holding onto one layer of silks in each hand again/ just the slack you set up earlier) 7) let go of your slack and drop (or slowly lower yourself)

 

Also, the group last night in class was even more awesome than usual. We had a few people who are actually way more advanced come take the class. We ended up having almost the entire group being people who were in the show/working on the show back in February, so we all know each other well and lots of camaraderie. It was awesome to have the super buff awesome gymnast dude in class. He is both super strong AND graceful at the same time (we have another guy who is strong but is....not pretty to watch.) We all spent a lot of time watching him be badass. This is the guy who can do a "climb" almost in iron cross by inverting and rolling up the silks over and over (SO COOL BTW.)

[starsapart]

Oh wow, sounds like an amazing session!!!!!

 

I am all fired up for tonight's class now!  Though I'm worried it will be Too Slow Yet Again.

 

Also, I want a video of this drop.... I can't quite visualize, but it sounds so cool!

[dancezwithkittehz]

I should have video-ed super buff amazing dude doing it! I always forget to video anything. I'll try to see if I can find a youtube of it!

[dancezwithkittehz]

The angle on this one isn't great but this is it:

 

[starsapart]

Oooh, I've never seen this one but it's really cool!

[sylph]

we call that "upside down crucifix." Super fun. Especially on slightly bouncy fabric.

[dancezwithkittehz]

I love that I can slooooowly do it and ease myself into it. I think it will be a good starter drop for me!