Circus Coming to Town!

Hello everyone and happy Sunday!

I am writing to you this week to let you know we have another circus coming to town! Circo Hermanos Vazquez will be in Atlanta from July 12th through August 4th!

Circo Hermanos Vazquez was founded in 1969 in Mexico City. After much success touring Mexico and Central America for decades, in 1993 they began their tours across the United States. Today, they are constantly working to develop new ideas and improve their circus. They “strive to present you the most beautiful, amazing and entertaining acts!” With the changing times, they have also upgraded their architecture and technology so that everyone can enjoy this unforgettable family show!

I strongly recommend everyone go to this circus, just like I would recommend everyone see every show they can! Just this week, our company students performed at the Aurora Theater! Later that afternoon, I received an email from a parent who took her daughter to the show, and her daughter was so motivated by it all that she spent the afternoon in the park trying out some of the things she saw! 

How cute are these girls?!

Mom had no choice but to inquire about classes for her daughter! Shows are so great to watch because they INSPIRE! They give students an idea of where they can take their skills in the future. 

For more information on Circo Hermanos Vazquez, go to their website: https://www.circovazquez.com/about 

They will be here next month, so be sure to grab a your tickets before they are all sold out! Use code ATL40OFF for a big discount!

Catch you next week!

Mar

Circus Roncalli’s Holographic Animals

Hello everyone and happy Sunday!

Not sure how many of you have ever taken online personality quizzes that claim to tell you more about you than you ever need to know, but from time to time, when I have nothing else happening, I will partake. According to Buzzfeed, I am 483rd in line for the Royal Throne, and I am a glazed donut. 

Earlier this week I was “going down the rabbit hole” online, just following quiz after quiz and page after page, when I came across the coolest article! There is a circus in Germany that has replaced real life animals with HOLOGRAMS! Circus Roncalli has been around since 1976, but recently began using holographic elements in their performances. Check out this image of their holographic elephant!

The audience sits around a 360-degree screen, so everyone always has the best seat in the house.

The circus also features more traditional acts, like clowns, acrobats, and magicians, but how cool is the idea of using technology to supplement an already amazing experience!

Circus Roncalli is currently touring through Germany, but one can only hope they will make their way to North America!

If you’d like to get an idea of the displays, check it out here: Circus Roncalli

And not to worry, here are the links in case you want to see Where you sit in line for the Royal Throne, and What kind of donut you are.

Catch you next week!

Mar

Summer Training

Hello everyone and happy Sunday!

Summer Session starts tomorrow, June 3rd! Are you as excited as us?!

This means, that if you are coming to take classes with us this week, you probably haven’t done any type of aerial exercise in about two weeks. Did you know that within two weeks of not exercising, your body can start to show a 7-10 percent loss in strength levels? What?! Ridiculous! The numbers are baffling! Especially since I decided it would be great to cram in two vacations, one to visit my brother in South Carolina, and the other to visit friends in Las Vegas. You can bet that I did not go to the gym, and have not been watching what I was I was eating.

So if you’re like me and took full advantage of this mini vacation, you, or more likely your kids, are about to embark on the great adventure of building those muscles back up. My adventure started last night, and let me tell you, my legs hate me! Getting out of bed was so hard this morning! You might encounter the same with your kiddos this week, or yourself if you’re taking our adult aerial class! *Disclaimer: You should take this class; I started aerial training as an adult and have never looked back!*

Even though I’m in pain, like you might be this week, I want to remind you guys that it will go away. Since your body is used to the exercise, it will be easy to build that strength back up. Please do not get frustrated, especially if you have tired and cranky kids the morning after their first class back. It will get easier.

While we love having you and we wish everyone could stay with us for our Summer Session, we know that with schedule changes and planned vacations, we might not be seeing some of you until the fall. Summer is a great time to work on strength even if you are taking a break longer that two weeks. Stay active and don’t forget, you can always come to a week of summer camp, or even schedule a private lesson. Upper body strength is difficult to maintain, but it’s all about trying to stay active and consistent. 

We can’t wait to train with you!!

Catch you next week!

Mar

Showcase Pictures!

Hello everyone and happy Sunday!

As many of you know, last weekend we had our Spring Showcase! If you were there, you probably saw me going in and out in between each number switching out the equipment. If you hadn’t put a face to my name, that was me with the curly hair! And let me tell you, I absolutely loved it! I was so impressed by all of your kiddos! 

Did you know that with the exception of the itty bitty Akronauts, most of our students created those numbers all on their own?! Our coaches taught them the skills and gave them the necessary tools, but it is your own children who possess the artistry and creativity to put together everything you saw during the Showcase!

I saw a lot of you taking pictures and videos, but in case you missed it,or just wanted to see more, I thought it would be fun to share pictures that were captured by some of our parents! 

Thanks again for letting us teach your children! We are closed next week, but we hope to see you all once our summer session begins on the week of June 3rd!! Don’t forget to keep stretching!

Catch you next week!

Mar

American Experience: The Circus

Hello everyone and happy Sunday!

Do you remember the first time you ever went to the circus? I do. I was 5 years old and I went to “El Circo de la Chilindrina,” which translates to “Chilindrina’s Circus.” No worries if you don’t recognize that name; she was a character from a 1970s Mexican sitcom that became extremely popular in Latin America. I loved this character so much that I even dressed up as her for Halloween one year. I wish I had a picture of my costume, but here, I’ll show you what she looked like:

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You can see the character is an adult woman dressed up as a little girl. She looks crazy, and kind of creepy if you ask me, but I loved her! When my grandmother found out her circus was coming to Puerto Rico, she surprised my siblings and me with tickets! I don’t remember much about the actual show, but my grandmother, to this day, will talk about how I did not stop smiling the ENTIRE time.

I was always that kid who loved to entertain my family at parties, and I’m sure a lot of that had to do with everything I saw that night. The circus has not only influenced my life, but it has had a huge impact on all of North America! 

“American Experience: The Circus” is a four hour PBS mini series that tells the story of the American circus. It talks about how it all began in the 18th century with Barnum and Bailey, and how they eventually joined the Ringling Brothers creating one of the most famous circuses of all time. What I loved about this series is that it talks about the good—like how it provided entertainment for the masses and created so many job opportunities—and the bad. Part of the series explores a variety of issues, like race, women’s suffrage, and animal rights. It can be hard to watch the negative side of something so wonderful, but the series did a great job of putting it all out there and showing us the impacts the circus has had on modern life. 

The circus was the dream of a boy. It was my dream too. And if you can’t run away and join the circus, it’s always nice to know you can escape, even if just for a night, whenever it comes into town. 

“American Experience: The Circus” can be found on Netflix and on Amazon Prime.

 
Catch you next week!
Mar

Hang on! The Right Way

Hello everyone and happy Sunday!

Students are always asking when it will be time for them to move up. Usually, even if you know a lot of skills, lack of strength is the number one reason we don’t allow students to move on to the next level. As you get to higher levels, you start learning more difficult skills, and we need to know that each student is capable of climbing on the apparatus, completing the skill safely, and being able to get back down from the apparatus. Now, we know that new skills do not always go as planned the first time around. What we are also looking for are students who have the strength to come out of a skill safely in case something goes wrong. 

Recently, to the dismay of my students, I have been incorporating some upper body strength exercises at the end of class. The biggest and hardest one is chin up hold! This is an exercise that can be done on any aerial apparatus! I follow Laura Witwer, of SassyPants Aerial, and she very recently wrote about the importance of hanging on an apparatus correctly, as well as how to perform the holds properly.

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Laura Wither talks about the “gargoyle” hold and why many students do it even though it makes them lose stamina!

Check out her blog here: https://www.laurawitwer.com/2019/03/07/keep-me-hanging-on-the-arm-position-thats-killing-your-stamina-and-my-eyeballs/ 

You’ll have a better understanding of the exercises we’re doing in class and why!

 
Catch you next week!
Mar

Healthy Cinco de Mayo!

Hi everyone!

And Happy Cinco de Mayo!

While many believe that Cinco de Mayo, or the 5th of May, is Mexico’s Independence Day, it is actually the day the Mexican Army was victorious over the French Empire in 1863.

Believe it or not, it is actually more widely celebrated in the United States as a commemoration of Mexican-American culture, but most importantly, as a reason to eat very yummy Mexican food!

Mexican food is my favorite! I am extremely guilty of over-eating, especially when it comes to guacamole, burritos, and fried ice-cream! Still, there is no reason why these foods have to be so bad for you. That is why I found a delicious and healthy recipe for Cinco de Mayo! The recipe is for:

Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas!

This recipe is from Fit Foodie Finds and it is by Lee Hersh. Here is the link: https://fitfoodiefinds.com/vegan-sweet-potato-quesadillas/

I will warn you that these quesadillas are vegan, so there is no cheese in the recipe. However, I am a cheese lover! My quesadillas will have plenty of cheese! It is a celebration after all!

Catch you next week!
Mar

The Secret to a Better Life: Water!

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great week!
 
Today, I want to talk about a substance that is vital for human survival and makes up to 60 to 70 percent of our bodies: WATER! 
 
Drinking water helps maintain the balance of body fluids, which is useful because it will help lubricate your joints, aid in better digestion and WEIGHT LOSS, and keep your skin looking young and beautiful! I don’t know about you, but these are things that sound extremely appealing to me, especially with my wedding coming up in a few months! 
 
We’re always talking about how important it is to drink more water, but if you’re like me, life gets in the way! And I know it’s silly to say you forget to drink water sometimes, but it happens! I know there are people out there who don’t particularly love the taste of water, but I am not one of those people. And call me weird, but I love the flavor of Georgia tap water. It was honestly one of the selling points to me moving here! Now I have delicious water that comes straight out of my sink, but I’m still not drinking enough!
So I decided to do some research on ways to drink more water, and I found this great article with 22 different tips! 
 
But first, give me a second, while I go get some water; talking about water is making me extremely thirsty. Maybe tip number 1 should be to think about water because that’s definitely working for me!
 
Ok, I’m back. Let’s dive in! Here are some of my favorites:
 
The first tip is to add flavor to your water. While I like water, let’s face it, it can get boring. Adding fresh fruits, veggie slices, and herbs is a great way to mix it up and make it feel like you’re drinking something different every time!
 
The next tip is to make a rule that every time you work out, you take a full water bottle and finish it by the time you are done. Having been a gymnast since such a young age, working out has become a part of my daily routine! I know this is similar to a lot of our students who do circus. Circus is hard! I’m sure your kids will tell you how much conditioning they do every class before they even climb up on the apparatus. That conditioning will make them stronger, but each exercise is actually breaking down the muscle first and then rebuilding it. Drinking water is CRUCIAL for muscle recovery! If you’re dehydrated after a workout, your muscles will not recover as quickly and your body will feel sore and tired longer. Nobody wants that!
 
The last tip I loved, honestly because I needed a reminder, is to eat water-rich foods! So simple! Our body requires water, but we don’t always have to drink it. Add more fruits and vegetables to your meals, like cucumber (96% water), zucchini (95% water), watermelon (92% water), and grapefruit (91% water). What a sneaky and delicious way to add water into your life!
 
Like I said, those were my favorite tips, but everyone is different. Other tips may work better for your lifestyle, so here is the link: https://www.self.com/story/how-to-drink-more-water
I really hope you’ll check it out because it has some really cool ideas and links to different recipes that you might love!
 
If all else fails, live by this:
 
 
 
Catch you next week!
Mar

Volta by Cirque Du Soleil is Coming to Town!

Happy Sunday everybody!
And happy Easter! Hope you got all the treats from the Easter Bunny! 
 
So, I know that Angelica had a bit of a series going with shows that are coming to town. Well I’m happy to say that I am keeping the series going!
Volta by Cirque Du Soleil is coming to Atlanta! The show will open on October 10th under the Big Top at Atlantic Station and tickets are already on pre-sale!
 
Volta is a 2 hour and 15 minute performance, including a 25 minute intermission, and is meant to entertain the whole family! Volta is Cirque Du Soleil’s 41st production and while it incorporates more traditional acts, like tramp wall and aerial straps, it’s different in that it features extreme sports! Some of these extreme sports include roller skating and BMX, or bicycle motocross. I love that Cirque has taken incredible sports like those, that most of us deem as recreational activities and has featured them in their show. 
I believe that a huge part of being a performer is doing research, and there is no better research than watching other extremely talented performers do their thing. 
 
Volta will be in Atlanta from October 10th to December 8th, 2019. I haven’t purchased my tickets yet, but I will be doing so soon, and I hope you all will too because I just know it’s going to be an AMAZING show!
 
Catch you next week!
Mar

Don’t Stress! Try This Instead

Hello everybody! Hope you’re all having a great Sunday so far!
 
I will be honest and say that I was so nervous about taking over these blogs for Angelica, but I’m honestly having so much fun thinking up of different topics to talk about! I just hope you will all enjoy it as much as I already am!
 
Here at Akrosphere, we’re all on our first week back from Spring Break! I had a lovely vacation in Florida, but as you all know, it was time to come back to school and work and all of the regular responsibilities of everyday life. Not only that, but our students have been getting ready for our End of the Year Showcase! While we are all excited about showcasing new skills we have learned this year, we are in the process of choreographing and learning a multitude of acrobatic numbers, which can be a bit stressful for teachers and students alike. Not only that, but I’ve heard school state testing and finals are coming up, and let’s face it, that can be a stressor for parents as well!
 
It would make sense for a circus gym to talk about physical health, but I think mental health and stability are so important! Sometimes even more so, because if your brain is fried, it’s really hard to function! I came across this coping technique for when it all gets a little too crazy and you need to relieve a bit of stress and anxiety. It’s the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise, and it’s really easy to do!
First, stop what you’re doing. Then:
5: Name 5 things you can see,
4: Name 4 things you can touch or feel,
3: Name 3 things you can hear,
2: Name 2 things you can smell, and 
1: Name 1 thing you can taste.
 
Cognitive behavioral therapists believe your thoughts are linked to how you feel. If you can refocus and change your thoughts, it will help you feel better. Try it now and you’ll see your thoughts will shift. So easy and so cool!
 
That’s it for now! Take it easy this week and remember to BREATHE!
 
Talk to ya next week!
Mar