Week 1: Professionalism not Escapism

  

As I glanced up at the clock from a press-up position at 8.52 on Tuesday morning it really came home to me what the school director had said to all of us at the induction: he doesn't like the phrase 'running away to join the circus' (oops!) because it evokes a sense of haphazardness, and a lack of discipline – which are entirely contrary to the ethos of the both the school and the profession. He told us this would be the hardest, most committed thing we would ever do. And realising as I did on Tuesday morning that I had already done more exercise on Monday than I usually do in a whole week, had more training time on one day than I ever had face-time with tutors in a week at University, and spent more hours in the day there than I ever usually would in my old job at work – I saw that he was definitely right.

Week 1 has been tough. Incredibly demanding on the body: a serious mid-week slump on Wednesday that I somehow got over; muscles aching that I wasn't expecting to; the resurgence of old injuries and serious tiredness – no more deciding I can get away with a small lie-in! - if we are more than 3 minutes late we are excluded from class.

But at the same time it has been and is completely liberating. I feel fantastic. It feels more than ever like the right decision – and a decision that really came from me and belongs to me. Every now and again I step back and can't believe that I'm really here. That I am supposed to be hanging upside down at midday on a Wednesday. That that is what I do now. The luxury of it. The week has introduced us (a wonderful motley crew of jugglers, dancers, actors, acrobats and aerialists) to Aerial (Trapeze), Juggling, Performance, Acrobatics, Tumbling, Conditioning and Movement. In 6 weeks we choose two to specialise in...I won't commit myself now to saying what my second choice might be (Aerial, of course, being my first), as I know there will be plenty of time to fall in and out of love with the disciplines, and may have to let my body decide what it can cope with! For now, on with Week 2....