Royale

Did my first paid gig at the Royale night club in Boston last Friday night. Got the gig through my good buddy Morgan and the Boston Circus Guild. Morgan is a talented hand balancer, acrobat, aerialist, and owner of "The Cat With The Smallest Arms In The World" (see previous blog posting). Boston Circus Guild is a wonderful bunch of people who are trying, with significant success, to grow the circus community and facilitate opportunities for circus performers in Boston. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to work with them a bunch in the future. It is a cool thing to hang out with fantastic people, making money, and doing what you love. The fantastic people I got to hang with on Friday night were Chuck of Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band, and Mooch of A Different Spin. Both of these guys do a ton of work to ensure that the Boston Circus Guild runs smoothly and continues to grow. Also, they are a lot of fun, and they bring treats!

Morgan and I spent a bunch of the time the previous week up on the lyra (aerial hoop) together putting together our act for the night. Really, it was more like a series of poses and tricks than a polishes act, since the gig was ambient and not performed up on a stage. It was my first time working on aerial hoop, but lots of the stuff I've learned on trapeze over the past couple months helped me pick it up fairly quickly. And Morgan is a good teacher. She was also fantastic at putting together our costumes, doing my make up, and just generally reassuring me throughout the night that this was not a high pressure gig and that I'd do fine. And, surprise, I did! Both sets, performed between the hours of 12-1am went really well. And just as an added bonus, we shared the green room with was a fantastic Bhangra dance troup also performing at Royale that night. They were really nice guys, and their costumes were fantastic. Only bummer about that was the rival Bhangra group in the audience who made trouble for our new friends during their set. I guess when you're a Bhangra dancer in Boston you have to watch out for that sort of thing.

So here are some pics from the night. I really had a ton of fun. As soon as I get the video from Morgan, I'll post that too.

Me and Morgan feeling all good about things after our
successful second set.

That Chuck on the left, Mooch on the right, and the lovely
Morgan sandwiched in between.  

Super cute roomies

I just thought I should share that I live in Brattleboro with two totally adorable young ladies, Lauren and Emelia. They are both in the Protrack program with me. Together we live a block from school in a fairly big apartment that makes up one half of a duplex.

That Lauren on the left and Emelia on the right,
at my b-day party at Shin La.

Lauren and Emelia became good friends last year when they both did the Intensive program at NECCA. They fight and tease each other incessantly, and spend all their time together when they are not at school or working. I feel like I totally lucked out when I scored these two for roommates. Emelia, an absolute homebody, entertains my family or friends whenever they come to town. She became best buddies with both my mom and Nima both when they came to visit. Lauren is one of the hardest working people I know, seeming always to be either on her way to work, work study, or school. But when she's not, you'll find her hanging out with Emelia, and they'll probably be on the couch watching reality TV. Just where two circus ladies should be at the end of a long day.

On becoming an aerialist

So there are a few ways you can tell when an aerial habit is forming. Bruises behind the knees are a definite indication. Shore shoulders instead of knees is another sign. The last clue...landing a gig at a night club in Boston to perform...duo lyra? Yes, that's right, I'm headed to Boston tonight for my first paid circus gig. And it will be in the air (no mom, not high in the air), not on the ground.

Mucho gusto to my friends Morgan and Mooch for handing me this opportunity. I'm excited and looking forward to it...and also a little nervous. Morgan, my lyra partner, says it should be a low key, ambient gig, not like being up on a stage with an audience watching. So that's cool. A nice way to get my feet wet and hopefully it will open the door to working more with the Boston Circus Guild in the future.