Georgia on my Mind

No, really, I am in Georgia and California is on my mind, but no one wrote that into a song.
I do have to say that Georgia is quite beautiful, and besides the humidity, the woods are pretty and the thunderstorms are fun and the southerners sure do know about hospitality and kindness. I am amazed at how sweet everyone has been and I have been eating some good southern food: eggs in a basket, butter beans, fried okra, corn bread, spinach soufle and all kinds of things I would have never thought to cook.

So what am I doing in Georgia? Well, one of the other girls in the circus company, Ashley, is from Georgia. We came down to teach and perform last February on our southern tour and we were asked back to do a week-long residency at a great space called Canopy. Canopy was started by a woman who never had kids and instead made her love for dance and trapeze into her child by opening this studio on the north end of Athens, Georgia. (Athens is like a little Santa Cruz in the middle of the south. Cute little town). She has a great studio with over 12 rigging points so you can have numerous people on trapeze or silks at the same time.

Ashley was already down here for a wedding, but they wanted one more person to help teach classes and set up a show for the end of the week. Well, that was me. I suppose I am the only one who was disposable enough to leave for a week since I am not in any acts right now. Also, I am also the only one with trapeze experience and Canopy has more trapeze students than silk students, so it was a good choice, I think. I never knew I had such a knack for directing, but I really stepped in and had a great time running the show.
So ya, we taught classes and I picked the music and set the counts and modified the choreography I was given to work with and put together a show. Ashley and I also performed a short silks duet that we never even rehearsed fully with the music, so that was a little nerve-wracking. We also spent a bit of time modifying the 4 person ground acrobatics act (that I was in before I was injured) so we could perform it with just two of us. That was a real hit, although next time I have to remember to wear a shirt that isn't so low cut cuz I literally fell out of it while in a handstand, if you catch my drift.

We are headed back to NYC today. I am kind of dreading going back. I am really homesick and much prefer the beauty of Georgia to the smelly ghetto of Brooklyn, if I must be away from California.
I pushed myself too hard here and my old injuries are really giving me grief, but I guess that is okay cuz I don't have much longer that I will have to deal with such force on my body. For those who haven't heard yet, the director and I decided that it is best if we cut my contract short due to my continual injured condition and I will be moving back to California next month. I am so excited to come home, be with the people I love and give my body a break from circus work.

There will be a coming home/house warming party in September at Corbin's new house. Details will be posted next month.
hugs all around.