Holiday Wish List

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Happy Holidays, everyone!  Okie doke, so let’s get one thing out of the way; I clearly don’t know when Chanukah is, otherwise, I would have sent this post LAST week!  My apologies to our Jewish families for not getting this out sooner (although I suppose that you have one more night to theoretically take advantage of this list if you need a last minute gift).  For everyone else that still has a Christmas list or non-denominational commercialized holiday list to shop for, BOY, have I got you covered!!!  Now, Jen gave y’all a handy list of at home aerial essentials waaaaay back in September (just to jog your memory: pull up bar, Thera band, exercise ball, foam roller, and peanut lacrosse ball were the essentials), but I thought I would go with the non-essentials…you know, the whimsical and novelty items!  Don’t get me wrong, I FIRMLY believe in all five of those items; in fact, I LIVE by them (just ask my Handstand and Flexibility students!), but you can buy those anytime.  The holidays are for whims and fancies and all things magical!  So grab yourself a hot beverage, buckle in, and make yourself comfortable, ‘cuz we’re about to embark on a magical journey of all things circus that you/Santa can gift this holiday season (no seriously, this is gonna take a while…)!

  1. PRIVATE LESSON: What kind of Akrosphere employee would I be if I didn’t try to sell you on our private lessons?  Private lessons at Akrosphere are a great way for little Suzie to get a completely personalized approach with one of our knowledgeable coaches in a relaxed atmosphere, where she/he is guaranteed to progress at her/his own personal pace!  Privates and shared private lessons are available on every apparatus we teach!  Starting at $90/hour, they can be booked by emailing info@akrosphere.com.  (Alright, shameless plug, I know – let’s continue)
  2. LEOTARD/ACTIVEWEAR: How about a new leotard to start the new session right?  My personal favorite for both performance wear and plain old activewear is www.discountdance.com.  They often offer free shipping at this time of year, and they feature such companies as Capezio, BodyWrappers, etc.  ANNNNDDDD they have men’s wear!  Want something lacy or velvety?  They have that!  Want something monochromatic and cottony?  They have that too!  Want something with sequins?  They have that, but please DON’T buy that, as it’ll destroy the aerial silks!!!
  3. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL  “Worlds Away” DVD/BLU-RAY:  Cirque du Soleil doesn’t always pass through Atlanta, but that’s ok because this production features snippets of seven different Cirque du Soleil shows, some of which include “O”, “Mystere”, and The Beatles’ “Love”, among others.  A beautiful on-screen introduction to the whimsical world of Cirque du Soleil, available through Amazon, among other places.
  4. CIRCUS BOOKS: Is your child a reader like me?  If so, I have two life changing books for them (I’m sure there are countless others, but these are my personal favorites)!  The first is “The Ordinary Acrobat: A Journey Into the Wondrous World of Circus, Past and Present” by Duncan Wall, who is now creative director of Circus Now.  I read this book right before auditioning for a professional acrobatic training program, and it was amazing!  It’s the personal account of a non-circus person who delves to learn more about the history and culture of circus, and he decided to immerse himself in it for his research purposes.  He soars through the air doing flying trapeze, he stands below a cascade of juggling balls, he tumbles through his studies while doing acrobatics, and he learns vulnerability through clowning.  A must read for any circus enthusiast!  The other book is called “The Spark: Igniting the Creative Fire That Lives Within Us All” and is a Cirque du Soleil book.  The story of a sports agent who has lost the passion behind his career, he has a chance meeting with a Cirque du Soleil director, who invites him to meet and get to know the artists, directors, and crew behind the CDS organization.  Through them, he learns that every person has a creative spark residing within themselves, but it is up to each of us to tap into that and foster it.  Both books are available through Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
  5. AERIAL JEWELRY: Not to be worn at class, this jewelry is perfect for the aspiring aerialist!  Starting at $17.99 through our friends at www.aerialessentials.com, this jewelry comes on a rope chain in metallic tones.  Features aerial silks, trapeze, lyra, and hammock/sling!
  6. CIRCUS THEMED COLORING BOOKS: For the graphic artists!  This book features 40 original illustrations of aerial silks positions!  Not only fun to color, but this book gives your little aerialist motivation to get to Levels 2, 3, and 4!!!  Aerial Silks Coloring Book: $9.95 on Amazon.  This next book features not only aerial artists but also contortionists, hand balancers, and other circus artists!  Also $9.95 through Amazon: Cirque Coloring Book
  7. doTERRA ATHLETE’S KIT: The perfect companion to a healthy lifestyle, the doTERRA Athlete’s Kit can help support healthy athletic activity, while counteracting the taxing effects of exercise on the body.  Features various aromatic oils, Deep Blue Rub (therapeutic grade topical cream that both cools and warms problematic areas), and a reusable zippered pouch.  $100 through doTERRA Athlete’s Kit
  8. JUGGLING BALLS: Perfect for either the beginner or advanced circus artist, juggling is a useful and entrancing skill!  Higgins Brothers provides bean bag style juggling balls starting at $6.50 per ball with a vast assortment of colors!  http://higginsbrothers.com/en/
  9. HANDSTAND BLOCKS: Take your circus practice anywhere with handstand blocks!  Unfortunately, my preferred company is sold out until 2019, but I’m sure you can find oodles of options on Etsy ORRRRR you can simply build your own!  They’re easy and cheap to make!  Any sturdy wood will do, and if you want to be really fancy, you can glue a piece of rubber mat underneath to prevent slipping.  My personal blocks are 5.5″L x 4″W x 2.25″D (you may want to go more narrow on the width to accommodate smaller hands).  Make sure to sand/file down the edges to avoid splinters and sharp edges.
  10. CIRCUS PRINT: Sooooo many beautiful options on Etsy, but here are a few of my favorites.  Typography Poster: Starting at $11+, this Etsy artist customizes each piece with your aerialist’s name and favorite colors!  Typography Poster My next fave is the watercolor prints done by LaureBPaintings on Etsy!  She has tons of designs that range from aerial to acrobatic, but she also does custom designs!  Search all of her artwork here: LaureBPaintings
  11. AERIAL SILK SCARVES: Our friends from Aerial Essentials are geniuses – rather than discard scraps of perfectly good (unused) aerial silk material, they convert these scraps into colorful, beautiful, and functional scarves!  For the aerial silks enthusiast – these scarves are crazy colorful and super affordable (starting at $30.00): Aerial Silk Scarves
  12. CYR WHEEL INK ART: For the Cyr wheel enthusiast, they have their very own artwork!  This Etsy artist can do custom orders!!!  Her prints start at $10, and custom orders start at $40.  Cyr Wheel Watercolor
  13. BIO GLITTER: This is heartbreaking for any circus artist, but more research has come out that glitter is terrible for the environment since it’s considered a mircoplastic that will clog landfills and oceans.  But there’s an alternative out there, at last!  Bio Glitter is an eco friendly, plant derived, mostly non-plastic glitter.  This site offers a network of different Bio Glitter retailers: Where to Buy Bio Glitter
  14. THE AERIALIST’S NOTEBOOK: A brilliant notebook for much more than just taking notes about skills learned in class!  This handy, easy to carry book asks that aerialists write down and track their goals and also keep track of creative work.  So genius!  $12.95 off of Amazon.

Jiminy Cricket, what a list, and what a blog post!  I think that I need a hot beverage at this point!   Alas, it was ridiculously fun to research and write, and I hope to have inspired some ideas that will delight your children this holiday season!

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays,

Angelica 0=)