Spring Semester

[Victoria]

(copy of the latest email sent out to the list)

My dearest anemones and jellyfish,
Well, it's spring semester! Don't ya'll just feel springy and fresh as you trudge through the wet, cold...nevermind. Let's focus on happier things.

CIRCUS!
First things first, playtimes. We are going back to our fall schedule, which is to say that Friday playtimes are in the south lounge from 6-8.

Second things second, our spring show, Creatures! Sundays (slounge, 2-4) are being devoted to show development, and that's starting this Sunday (Feb 3rd). If you want to be in the show, help out in the show (stage manager, costume design, set design, publicity, or moral support), have thoughts for the show, or think you might be vaguely interested, come. We're hoping to have a fully collaborative show that will be the rawkz0rz. But more about that on Sunday.

Fourth things third, conditioning! Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed there is conditioning in the south lounge 10-12. We've been doing a lot of core work, cardio, arms, legs, and streeeeeeeeeeeeeetching. We sweat and tell our dreams/bad jokes/random stories while trying to distract ourselves from the pain-er, that is, weakness leaving the body.

Third things moved to fourth and still quite bitter about it, but planning on taking it up with the higher powers, Relay For Life. Yep, I'm still talking about it. Muahaha. Join the Circus Folk Unite! Against Cancer, donate money, or make your own team! (It's not really that stressful at all, I will offer any help you ask for, and I'll also hug you thoroughly. Unless you don't like hugs. Then I'll shake your hand enthusiastically.) Our team page is still:
main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeNewEnglandDivision?pg=team&fr_id=7252&team_id=190201
It's a crazy big block party where you get to hang out with a bunch of cool circus kids and a bunch of people you probably don't know but will inevitably end up befriending because you need them to climb into a tree to attach your silks to that precariously high branch, they happen to have a warm fire going, they're telling ridiculous stories, they're singing your favorite song, or because you happen to be the only two people on that stretch of the track.

I'm pretty sure the absurdly-long-sentence police are gonna be hunting me down...
Run away! (to the circus)
Love,
Victoria

[Jamie]

hey there, since it's chilly out.... i was curious if there are Burns going on in the Amherst commons as of late? thanks!


-Jamie

[James]

Mm, nope! There haven't been any since, gosh, since November! We need to rectify that, don't we?

[Victoria]

I kind of figured they'd start up again when it gets warm. As of now, it's just cold, wet, and gross. No one wants to stand in the mud late at night. We will of course post/email when they start up again.

[Blue Hair Sar]

Precisely. Plus, I'm not yet in a position where I can safety and/or burn. They'll probably start up in april (I'm mad busy in march, yo) unless someone else wants to take over. But, we do still burn after Drum & Dance, which is usually the first Friday of the month: this month it's on the 8th.

[Red Kate]

Hello!

Holy Cow. There are circus folk in Western Massachusetts?? Where have you been? Where have *I* been?

A friend of mine and I (living in Northampton) have been trekking up to Nimble Arts in Brattleboro once a week, but positively pining for something closer to home. She has been doing adult beginner circus for a couple of years, I have been doing it for almost one year (punctuated by a couple of minor injuries). Both of us are serious in having fun and working up to being able to do the trick! Might we come by and meet/play with/balance with you? Friday's are the days?

Many, many thanks in advance!

Red Kate!

[e-mail]

[James]

We'd love to say that you're welcome to come, but unfortunately the powers that be are trying to say we can't have community members at our practices (for liability reasons). Naturally it is our response that this is totally bogus and we're trying to get them to change their minds. Tara knows more about this than I do, I expect she'll come along and post any minute now. We'll keep you posted.

[redkate]

Ah, darn.

Perhaps if we signed a waiver? We promise not to sue you if we injure ourselves?

*wonders about going back to college to be a student again*

Thanks!

Red Kate

[James]

Well, that's actually the angle we're going for. Currently circus members who DO go to Hampshire have to sign wavers in order to come to the circus meetings, which is a brand new policy, and so we're trying to figure out why this doesn't work for community members.

If this doesn't work we might let you come by clandestinely and if you do get injured we can just claim that you were injured off campus and then sucked into a rift in the space-time continuum and dropped back off in the middle of our practice. It's not like anybody actually checks up on us.

[Victoria]

Yeah, unfortunately it really is a dumb situation. The people who are normally in circus at the school have to sign waivers. :\ Pret-ty annoying. If the regulations change, we will of course keep you updated!

[tarapeze]

Hey, yeah, sorry about that - that's new (well, newly vocalized this semester), that student groups are for students only. If we push for it, there might be the 'but you're funded from student activities money' arguement, which sucks. Most student groups (publications, chess-playing and the like) are totally gonna get less flack 'cause no-one's gonna get hurt, either. Gragh!

[tarapeze]

and a super-good way to make sure we stay in touch with you is to post your email here or shoot an email to [e-mail] for our records

[James]

pssst! tara! She already did that. In her first post. Just sayin'.

[redkate]

Hmmm. It is a problem. Thanks for looking in to it/pulling for us, though!

Might my friend and I drop by to meet you and see you practice? We would not participate, due to regulations etc. Just drop by to say 'hi' and show any school administrators that we're serious.

Perhaps we could pay a fee for the semester, plus sign a waiver, thus ensuring that we won't sue the college AND the school/students get some bucks.

Incidentally, my friend's name is Lee and her email is [e-mail].

Oooh. Also, Nimble Arts has been looking for a place in Western Massachusetts to hold some classes. It has to be a space that they can just drop in and use, not a building to rent, if that makes sense.

Okay, it's far too early and I have clearly been babbling. I shall stop.

Thanks again!