Gingerly GingerLee: It's like wife swap...

So, over a month into the show and we've really settled into a very nice groove. We have group rehearsal 3-4 times a week prior to shows, beer and stretch/handstand time post-show, impromptu singing in the dressing room, a regular wordly factoid from Sara during makeup, and lazy mornings filled with updates from home and the smells of eggs, meats, and veggies coming from the kitchen (with the occasional tart). Bridget and I finally feel like we can breathe a little bit during the cupcakes act, enjoying the headspace to engage in more crowd interaction and character development. Oooh, I wish it could last! (Insert ominous music here).

Okay, so I'm being a bit melodramatic. But I am totally bummed that Jill has to return to Seattle early, at the end of December, and we have to bring in a replacement. Part of that, I'm sure, stems from my Virgoan resistance to change, but also, Bridge and I have been together as partners for the shortest amount of time and have just hit our honeymoon phase of partnering, where we have our tricks smoothed out and can just give each other little helpful notes after each act to affect change within the routine versus having to workshop choreography over and over. The other partner pairs have been living in this blissful place for years, as Bridge and I are the new additions to the group and the cupcakes choreography has been around in various versions for over 3 years. The other part that is a bummer is, well, Jill is flippin' cool and my hero and I will miss her!!

We will have to bring in a new person, and it is impossible to find someone to fill the flyer part that Jill plays. So we will bring in a new base, Lara will become a flyer and work with Bridget (this has to do with body proportionality), I will fly on Sara, and Viv will fly on the replacement. Everyone has a new partner and, now, a whole new relationship of trust and communication to work out. Sigh. I am by no means disappointed to work with Sara, she actually taught me the act and I have almost a starstruck amount of admiration for her skills as a soloist and in partnering. It just is a very different person, different body, and I lose my free ride on Mirror Butt (our final trick...Bridget totally carries me into position, which is not how it is usually done, and I've definitely been the benefactor of THAT technique we've developed).

As always, this new challenge is going to present an amazing opportunity for me to get stronger and develop a wider skill set, and I AM thankful, just feeling a little lazy about the work ahead. Forge on, Aerialistas, another chapter to write!

Oh yeah, some random pics...