Push your hips forward, and straddle really wide," Jill said. Normally I'd slap a stranger who told me to spread 'em. But not today. I was at my first aerial circus arts class at The Actors Gymnasium in Evanston. And our instructor, Jill Heyser, told the class that opening your legs while suspended from the silk ropes can make the difference between a beautiful pose and a face plant into the mat. So I didn't protest.
I closed my eyes, said a prayer, and slowly opened my legs to the straddle position, which is supposed to look like a center split done cheerleader style. Except you're hanging upside down. Four feet above the ground. When I opened my eyes - face towards the mat but not squished into it - I was relieved that I listened to Jill. But we didn't start the class doing star poses on the ropes. First we did a warm-up, which began with handstands. When I threw my body downward, palms planted on the mat, my legs would get nervous and flutter kick the air. After a millisecond, I fell down. To avoid doing more handstands, I picked up my pad and pretended to take notes. The warm-up continued with some stretches. The stretching made me feel comfortable - at least mentally - since I was familiar with it from my dance training. And, like a dancer, Jill was dressed in blue tights and a leotard. Her dirty blonde hair fell to her toned shoulders. She looked like she could have been the Beach Boys' muse.
Next, Jill had us go into a bridge position. We held it as she came around to mold us into the perfect shape. She'd move a leg or hold up a torso so we would know what it felt like to have the correct form. "Really good bridge," Jill said when she came over to me. "Thanks," I said with the satisfaction of a teacher's pet. Perhaps I had some potential. Perhaps I was destined to be a circus performer. When I was younger, I used to dream about running away with the circus. And with my graduation from NU pending and no job prospects on the horizon, I revisited this childhood reverie.
After the warm-up, Jill introduced us to the silk rope. The strip of luxurious, navy fabric hung from the ceiling and was about a foot wide. She tied the rope to create a loop with a knot; it looked like a U-shaped swing. When the rope was set, Jill showed us the moves. She flipped and dipped and posed and twirled. Her transitions were fluid and as silky as the rope from which she dangled. Her toes were pointed, and her hands were like a ballerina's - loose and leading with the index fingers. Before the expressions of awe could fade from our faces, Jill told us that it was our turn. "Let's start from this end," Jill said, pointing to a little girl who sat on the left end of the horseshoe. The girl vigorously shook her head "no."
Since the timid girl didn't want to go first, we started at the other end of the horseshoe, which was where I was sitting. I walked over to the rope, and Jill showed me where to place my hands. She told me to hoist myself and kick my legs up and over. This took a few tries and Jill had to throw my legs over my head. But I flipped. With the sling of rope holding me up, I looked like Superman flying through the air. I brought my legs down and the sling moved from under my stomach to behind my back and under my armpits. Jill told me to let go of the rope and hold my arms out to the sides. I hesitated. I asked her if she was sure it was OK to let go, and she said yes. So I did.
The next position was the "star." "How pretty," I heard someone say when I finally got into it. "Really?" I thought. I felt like a hippo ballerina from Fantasia. Gravity made my love handles spill out of my spandex. When I came down from the rope, everyone applauded. Then the other students went. But when it came time for the timid, little girl, she turned pale and kept wiping her hands on her pants to remove the sweat. "Come on, Anna, you can do it," we said. With our encouragement, she did the trick. Although Anna may not become a circus performer when she grows up, she will be grateful that she had the opportunity to push herself in this class. I am. Today I wasn't "swinging with the greatest of ease." Aerial circus performance is a lot of work. But I haven't given up on my dream of running away with the circus. The Actors Gymnasium has a juggling class coming up, and I plan on being there.
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