From the age of 10 to 15, I attended circus school on Wednesdays during the school year. We could choose which activity we wanted to do. The choice depended on which teachers were there. I started with balancing acts and walking on the globe and practicing rolla-bolla or diabolo or spinning plastic plates. I particularly enjoyed the fixed trapeze, but especially the flying trapeze. At first, it was hard on my hands, despite the powder. Eventually, the skin on my hands toughened up and it was fine. At first, I was secured by a belt. But after four years, I was able to perform the flying trapeze without ropes. In the end, I even tried acrobatic trapeze: for example, pretending to fall but actually catching myself on the pole. Once, during a show, I was on the static trapeze. During one acrobatic move, I locked my feet in the rope and let myself slide down, grabbing onto the bar. My mother screamed because she thought I was falling! But nothing happened, everything was under control. It built up my muscles so much and without any effort, just having fun, that when we were offered the chance to go climbing at school, my middle school sports teacher put me in the most difficult group, where apart from me, there were only boys. I also enjoyed juggling. Because I could not coordinate well, I wasn’t very good at it. But no one ever pressured me. The teacher would patiently explain the technique to me and let me practice at my own pace. I could see that the other children were more skilled than me. Some of the beginners were better than me, who had been practicing for a long time. But no one pointed it out. After four years, I finally managed to juggle three balls well, with some irregularity with four. I could also juggle three clubs. These exercises certainly played an important role in improving my coordination. When I was younger, I couldn’t catch a ball. As for acrobatics, it was difficult for me. You have to be able to do a handstand, a cartwheel, and a bridge bef…
The circus school: www.aurianneor.org/the-circus-s...
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