If you stay around me long enough, you will see how easily influenced I am by movies, books and YouTube.

A few years ago, after seeing the movie “The Greatest Showman” I got it into my head that I should be a trapeze artist. I convinced myself that despite our 40+ years age difference if Zendaya could perform a routine without years of training then surly so could I.

I didn’t waste any time either; I did my research and found a trapeze school nearby. My Darrel didn’t want any part of this venture so instead I hoodwinked my daughter Kito, and niece Tanya into accompanying me. To seal the deal, I kind of sort of mentioned to Tanya that it was her birthday present. Then we were on our way, heading to the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts. Tanya said, while she was driving she was thinking, “Here we go, my aunt has hooked me into another one of her crazy ideas disguised as a birthday gift. I’m anxious, nervous and don’t know what to expect!” Kito said, “In my mind we were going to another aerial yoga class. No matter how many times you said trapeze, aerial yoga is what I heard and what I expected.”

Once we arrived and entered the building we were amazed at how spacious it was and that they were set up to teach a number of circus performances. Tanya said she settled down once she saw how friendly the staff was and that they seemed accustomed to working with first timers. Also, the familiar smell of the gym helped to ease her jitters. Kito said she got nervous when she saw it was not aerial yoga. “Like who is actually going to be flying through the air?” Once she got started she was excited and 100% committed.

As for me, after taking it all in and seeing the trapeze I reached such a level of excitement that I could hardly contain myself. I envisioned, after a few lessons, I’d get the hang of it and soon be performing a routine to the delight of my family and friends. You know where they would actually look up and see me fly by wearing a cute little sparkly outfit. Well… let me tell you about my experience. First, they start you low to the ground teaching you the basics. Ensuring that you don’t fall and hurt yourself. Then you go higher, learning to mount and dismount gracefully. I didn’t look very graceful rolling around on the floor, but we got a lot of laughs out of it. Kito and Tanya were naturals but I struggled to hoist myself up onto the bar. There was a lot of pushing on the instructor’s part and grunting on my part to get my rear end onto a skinny little tube of cold hard steel. Despite my initial struggles, by the end of the class there I was doing a few movements on the trapeze. What an incredible day!

My daughter said she got a boost of confidence and was proud of me for trying something new and thankful I pulled her and Tanya along. My time at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, experiencing a new adventure, laughing, and having fun with my daughter Kito, and my niece Tanya, is something that I will treasure for the rest of my days. I’m proud of us too!

Swing on a trapeze….check!

Amanda

Photo Credit: Tanya Hussey 2018; Kito Shani 2018; Thumbnail Amanda May 2018