My Planet Angel performance

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Pictures from the show

The run-up!

*Planet Angel hoop extravaganza!*

So, here it is! It was a night to remember. A night full of of butterflies, glitter and Lucozade. Friday 10th February 2012 was the night of my first ever aerial hoop performance! The Ibiza Bar was where I was to be performing, and by 10pm was already full of people, drinking tea and eating cake from the cafe stall and playing giant Jenga on the carpeted floor. I warmed up in the 'crew-only' area and applied my cirque-esque make-up in the light bulb mirror, like a true performer. I expected nerves, but they had somehow evaporated When the compare announced my name and the music started, all I felt was elation. This was it. 

As I performed the moves I'd practiced time and time again, they flowed together better than they ever had in rehearsals. I relaxed and took in the audience. So many smiling faces. It was a beautiful feeling.

James and my friend Alice were leading the applause as I finished. It felt incredible that people had actually watched and appreciated something I'd created. But it felt like it only lasted for a second! So much preparation for something that lasts a few moments. The memories and the photos were well worth it though!

So, there you have it, my debut at the Lightbox went down a storm! Video to follow soon!

Olympic Joggling 2012

Olympic year is upon us. Athletes are preparing to compete in their sport on the world stage while the rest of us wait in anticipation of world beating achievements. 205 nations battle for gold in 300 events, 4 billion will make the journey to London, or tune in to support their county. Yet there appears to have been a problem somewhere during the planning...

Where is Joggling?

Yes I know squash is yet to make the cut, putting the likelihood of a juggle based addition to the Olympic schedule slim at best, but does that mean we can't hold an event anyway?

Following the intrigue that has surrounded our most recent video, we got wondering whether it may be feasible to create our own event during the summer Olympics in London?

We want your thoughts on the idea to get a feel for the interest, and please also spread the word if you know somebody who may be interested. Hopefully we can give this sport a stage of its own.

Please let us know...

We are contactable via either the comments to this thread (Below) or on twitter @iamnotabeggar.

Olympic Joggling - My Progress

Update: Is this real?

• Beginning Bar Flair
• Doll Roulette - (hard to explain, just have a watch)
• Extreme Picnic - (Again this is hard to explain, it is ridiculous :)

Just one week til' showtime!

Things are certainly hotting up here (especially nerves), with my first performance only one week away. I've been training so much, which has been great fun. Unfortunately I've come down with a cold and am stuck in bed as I write this. Nooo! Hopefully it will blow in time for my final practice, and of course, before the show...

So I've been going to Aircraft Circus to practice three times a week, then, once a week I have rehearsals for Funk da Cirque. I train from Sunday through to Wednesday after work and often don't get home until 11pm!  By Thursday I definitely feel like I've earned some rest. Maybe this is why I'm a bit under the weather at the moment!

Each week I feel myself getting stronger and more fluid on the hoop. I love the way you can really see progress with aerial. It's definitely ALL about the training and strength building. I am also finally able to do the splits on both sides (something I thought was not possible!) which is certainly a breakthrough....now just have to work on those box splits- ouch! I've also begun to learn some fast, dynamic moves and I've even put a few into next week's routine...watch this space!

I've been deliberating for ages over what to wear for a costume and have ended up spending quite a bit on it. I'm sure it will be worth it though.. I was browsing the internet and stumbled across this site which sells really cool trapeze boots...so decided to splash out on some custom-designed ones, which I received this week. They are made of white leather, with gold glitter shooting stars on the sides and turquoise ribbons, which lace up the back. They're even better than I imagined! Pictures to come soon...

I've bought a turquoise sequin leotard and gold glitter tights to set the boots off. You'd think it would be easy to find these tights. I must have searched most shops in London- apparently glitter tights are not on trend in the fashion world at the moment! Eventually I found some- only at the most expensive tights shop in Covent Garden! Never mind, eh....

Not fashionable?!

There's still a chance to get tickets for the Planet Angel Valentine's Ball to check out my first performance ever here! If you can't make it, not to worry...there will be video and photos available for you to see after the event!

 I hope you have an amazingly circus-filled weekend...if you're stuck for ideas I saw these guys practicing rope tricks at AirCraft last Tuesday....In the meantime, Happy Friday!

*A debut aerial hoop performance*

Wow, things are certainly going full-speed ahead with those New Years resolutions! I have already begun practicing with the street circus troupe at the Roundhouse...and tickets for the show (which we haven't created yet) are on sale?!!

Rehearsals started last Wednesday from 6-9pm. The session was intense, but incredibly fun- and the directors are still just as cool as they were on Sunday. I came straight from work and didn't have a chance to eat anything, so during the time I spent rolling around on mats and learning  high-energy 'hype' dancing (it's all in the name!) all I could think about was food... Next time I'll definitely eat before!

We have intensive rehearsals until show day, and on the week leading up to the show we rehearse full days (I had to book time off work, but this is definitely worth it!). The performance is in the very preliminary phases at the moment; all we know is that it will showcase a fusion of circus, acting and dance which could be based upon themes such as 'Gremlins', 'the colour green' and 'competition'. I'm sure it will come together in the end! At the moment the only concrete aspect of our show is the name, 'Cirque da Funk!'...

There will be more updates coming this way soon!

In the meantime, I have something very exciting to share with you, which is lined-up for the coming month of February. On 10th February 2012, I will star in my first ever aerial hoop performance at none other than 'The Lightbox' in Vauxhall!

Check out the pretty sexy venue!

The night itself is Planet Angel's 'Valentine's Day Ball', which will be packed with performance, dancing and of course, fruit platters all round! If you've not been before then you're in for a treat...it's an incredibly special night (and goes on until dawn...and thereafter!)

Check it out- I'm even on the website!!  

I've been practicing so much, I think my hands may just fall off; but I'm sure it will be well worth it...

...Hoop to see you there!

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Another circus audition...

Circus is fast becoming an obsession. Hopefully, this isn't bad? At least it’s an exciting and hopefully life-changing obsession. Even though I've been doing intensive circus-related exercise everyday of this last week, instead of feeling lethargic and lacklustre, I have more energy than ever. In fact, I decided to have two days free from training and felt worse off for it! They say exercise is addictive, and I think I’m experiencing just that…

Anyway, let me explain why I’ve been so busy J. So, last Sunday I had another audition. A different venue, a different project. I was so tired this time, I had half a mind not to turn up. I had been practicing aerial hoop so much, my whole body was aching. On Saturday I had taken the new, then unused hoop to the local park and rigged it up in a tree. There was frost on the ground, and by-passers were wrapped up in coats and scarves, but there was me, in leggings, legwarmers and a leotard, swinging from a hoop on Tooting Common. People must have thought I was mad! I did attract some strange looks. Nobody approached me, but a guy stood watching for around 15 minutes and wrote/drew furiously in a notebook. I guess it wasn’t a sight to behold everyday. To be honest, it wasn’t that spectacular a spectacle, as the hoop was only rigged up about a foot off the ground (I couldn't reach up high enough/climb the tree safely to get it up any higher!). But it was fun (even though it did contribute to intense muscular ache the proceeding evening…)

Just hanging isn't all that relaxing!

Anyway, back to the audition! Come Sunday morning, I really wanted to rest my aching muscles and stay in bed until at least midday. But then my motivation somehow kicked in, I begrudgingly left James sleeping away, spent an intense half-hour choreographing an audition piece (containing a variety of props, including a contact ball, clubs and diabolo), packed up and set off for the Roundhouse in Camden town in anticipation. Instead of feeling deterred by rejection at the Olympic Torch Audition the previous week, I felt a fresh sense of hope and excitement. This audition was for a part in a youth street circus company, which would be performing as part a contemporary circus celebration entitled, ‘Circus Fest’, in April, along with acclaimed circus troupes.

It really is round!

This time, the audition would run from 2-5pm, instead of the day-long marathon of endurance at Circus Space, which although was fun, was completely exhausting. Being a compulsive early bird, I turned up at least half an hour early. It was much less busy than the previous audition, and already seemed far more relaxed. I signed in and was given another sticky label bearing my name, to be worn where the judges could see it. I sat down in the waiting area next to a tiny girl, who immediately started talking to me. Eleanor, as she was called, turned out to be a pro at street dance at the tender age of only 11! God, I was starting to feel old. The age range for the audition was between 11-25, so I was fast approaching the upper-band of the age limit. But this didn’t seem to matter, as there was a whole spectrum of ages at the venue. I got chatting to an incredibly nice 23 year old named Jess, and some 16 year olds who were taking their GCSEs... 

It was 2pm and time to get started. We were brought through to a round brick space, with moody lighting, where we met the (incredibly cool) judges. I recognised one guy from Pineapple Dance Studios. Sure enough, it was Xavi, a Spanish dude, who’s street dance classes I sometimes go to. The other directors looked suitably 'down with the kids'…I think this was going to be fun! Unlike last week’s audition, we were told exactly what was going to happen, and instructed to take it easy and just relax. Easier said than done!

Xavi started us off with a warm up hip hop routine. He went really fast and I noticed that everyone was picking up the moves instantaneously. Argh! Jump to it Sarah! Everybody certainly had the moves. After the warm up, we had to learn a “choreo”, which I just didn’t get at first at all. Lots of people were getting really stressed out about it and the choreographers were telling everyone to relax.

We were given just one minute to perfect the moves before we showed the routine to the judges, in groups of four. I panicked and couldn’t concentrate on any of it. Stress! FOCUS!! Just as I thought time must surely be up, I kicked into gear. I joined a group of people who were practicing and my panic somehow melted away. I motivated the group to go over the moves with some high energy! This definitely paid off J.

Then it was performance time. I really went for it and although I got a few moves wrong, it didn’t seem to matter that much. Then came phase two. This time, we had to perform the sequence using the emotions of anger, sadness and joy. Wow, this was hard work. It was funny watching everyone else. There was lots of screaming, wooping and crying escaping various mouths as everyone tried their hardest to convey the strongest emotions they could muster.

Next, we had to think of a story and then tell it to somebody else, using only movement. This was funny. I enjoyed the opportunity to be so expressive, and the good thing was that most people guessed what my story was about (about to get married and then discovering my finance was dead…slightly macabre, but easy to demonstrate through movement). Others chose rather more light-hearted topics, such as being told off for not doing enough homework and winning a dance championship, to name a few.

At this point we were roughly halfway through the audition, and I was starting to feel the intensity of it. Again, there was not really much chance to eat or drink anything (luckily it was after lunch this time!), and we pressed on to the next session.

As expected, we then had to do a class in acrobatics. Much the same as my previous audition, we were instructed to forward roll, handstand, full-twist and cartwheel our way down a blue tumble mat in front of the judges…Here was the gymnasts’ turn to shine as they leapt and bounded over the mat. I dedicated as much energy I could in the few moves I could perform with confidence. I just wish I could back flip (definitely another goal for 2012!).

After exerting ourselves in jumping around, it was time to sit down to watch each others' devised pieces. Here, the street dancers came to life and little 11 year old Eleanor took to the stage. She was incredible! Parkour experts turned somersaults off walls, poppers demonstrated incredible body manipulation and two girls performed creative acrobalance. Then it was my turn. I was the only person who had chosen to use circus props. I laid out the clubs, ball and diabolo in front of me and hoped I wouldn’t drop them in the display…

…..phew! It went well! Got a cheer for the diabolo throws and club spinning! Only dropped at the end, but sneakily turned it into a bow to finish. It felt nice to have a chance to show something of my own creation and receive applause!

The audition was almost drawing to an end. Before finishing, Xavi called over all the people who could perform aerial circus skills. There was a group of around six people; all who could perform ropes, silks, trapeze, hoop and flying trapeze. There was me with my single aerial skill! Oh well, it was worth a try. There was a guy from Circo Colombia, who showed us a video of him balancing on his head, on a trapeze, juggling clubs. Incredible... How would I stand a chance against this sort of competition??

It was finally home time. I have to say that audition was definitely more relaxed than the one I wrote about last week- and I certainly felt more hopeful about my performance, even if the standard of competition was once again mightily fierce. We were to be told if we’d got the part the next day. All I could do was wait….

….The next day came. I was nervously and incessantly checking my phone. Nothing. Midday had passed. Then it got to 3pm. I started to assume they weren’t going to call, although thought it a little unreasonable not to let me know either way. Oh well, there would have been intensive rehearsals to go to and I would've had to have booked a week off work for the performances. Never mind, next time I guess!

However at 4.30, my phone rang, displaying an unknown number. I picked it up with haste. It was Josie from the Roundhouse! She started by thanking me for my time, so, assuming she was going to let me down gently, I jumped at the chance to tell her I’d had a really good time at the audition. Then she said, ‘Well that bodes well, Sarah, because we’d like to offer you the part!

I am speechless and elated. For the half an hour that remained at work I floated round in a happy daze, forgetting I had to do any work at all. Rehearsals start Wednesday. Performances are on 5^th and 6^th April 2012. You can even book tickets now! ARGHHH!!!!! J

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More to follow!

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