Analog acro yoga photography at Medieval picknick

Some weeks ago there was a Medieval picknick with the SCA club Frostheim. I dressed up in my jester costume, played some nyckelharpa, talked to nice people and learnt some viking chess resembling game.

We also managed to do some acro yoga on a sheep skin, which was captured on a very nice analog photo.  It is a little more than a year now since I tried acro yoga for the first time, and when I look back I can really see the development and things that seemed impossible then are easy now, and that is one of the things I like the most with circus!

The fact that my flyer is more than double my age also proves that almost anyone can start doing acro yoga!

Medieval days in Luleå - workshops, fire perfomance and midnight sun!

Every summer the Medieval club Frostheim arranged the fantastic event of the Medieval Days at the open air museum Hägnan, close to the World Heritage of Gammelstad in Luleå. It was an amazing location with old buildings bathing all night in the midnight sun.

Together with Phire I hosted a jester and juggling workshop twice a day to let both children and adults try some equipment. I sometimes think that the parents think it is as fun as the children, but need an excuse to start picking up things and trying them. 

Cleaning after circus workshop. Photo by Robin Forsman

The poi with the colorful tails was always popular, as well as the spinning plates. Among the 9-12 year olds quite many had tried the diabolo before and was able to pick up some new understanding and skills of that. Some years ago I did not enjoy teaching as much as practising myself, but this time it was very fun to teach and spread circus to people that maybe otherwise would not ave had a try. I think it is important to let people try juggling and circus sin order to raise both the status and appreciation of circus skills.

When I was not holding workshops I was enjoying the other things the Medieval days offered. I looked at amazing handcrafts, listened to music, watched people's great costumes and clothes and talket to all the nice people. I watched heavy fighting, attended dance workshops and played nyckelharpa to another dance workshop. One night we had some spontanious acro yoga workshop!

The other nights we were having barbecue, singing songs, listening to the band, trying out medieval drinks, dancing, and talking in the big house to escape the mosquitoes.

Doing acroyoga performance with Riia. Photo by David Granberg

The last evening Phire had a fire show that was among one of the best we have done together so far. I did an acro yoga routine, a fire fan dance and a partner poi choreography and was very happy with all of that. 

I some ways I was more nervous for this fire shows since the audience had seen many other fire shows before and could actually compare more fair than the general audience. I was also worried that the fire would not give the same effect in the sun, since the sunlight never disappears, but it turned out just fine and it was nice to not freeze while performing. The fact that one of the best jesters in Sweden was in the audience would maybe have made me nervous, but since we had been hanging out during the week I was surprisingly relaxed about that. I often think that since I dont judge people that are not as silled as me, people more skilled than me probably don't judge my performances either.

Fire fan dance. Photo by Kristina Espmark

Performing together really does a lot in getting closer as a group as it both puts some pressure and stress, and require a lot of cooperation. Being a part of a group has really helped me to move forward in circus skills, expand my comfort zone and doing circus with great people!

 

Group photo with all performers from Phire! Photo by Phire

Stockholm Juggling Weekend 2016 -reunite with friends and playing juggling games!

I am back after a long time with no see, but there has been quite a lot of juggling!

I spent the summer working in Göteborg which made it possible to go to Stockholm for Stockholm juggling weekend, a small juggling convention co-arranged with the Swedish national unicycle championships.

I also had a reunion with my friend from the time at circus school at Greentop, who came all the way from Ireland to visit the convention. She said it was cute that the convention was so small, but that it was nice because you got to talk with everyone, as we were just about 20 participants.

Jugglers practising at Stockhom Juggling Weekend! Photo by Rebecca.

I spent the days mostly passing clubs since I really like to do that but too seldom I have someone to pass with. I tried Brunos nightmare, and almost learned Roundabout. I took some time to get my head around it but after a while it got better, but I both want and need to practise them again.

I am always happy that people have the patience to teach me things, and I think in juggling (and maybe most things) it is a lot of  "pay it forward" when it comes to teach people new things. When I started learning how to pass clubs I always felt bad because I was always the one dropping but now I am more confident with just trying new things over and over again to learn them.

Practising Roundabout. Photo by Rebecca

When I was not juggling I watched some unicycle competitions with unicycle hockey being the funniest! At the evenings we watched juggling videos lying at a crash mat eating crisps.

I would say that the best things with conventions are all the juggling games! Maybe I appreciate them even more since I usually dont have enough jugglers around in Luleå to be able to play them. We did Jolleyball, Gladiator, and a (for me) new game that was like gladiator in teams, and of course some regular games!

Juggling fight! Photo by Rebecca