Learning To Soar (Part II)

A soul in tension that's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I
...
There's no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, A state of bliss
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I
--Pink Floyd

"Rock back right. Step straight forward left. Left hand grabs his right shoulder. Swing your legs up. Don't collapse your arm! When you come over his head make sure you spot the ground. Land with both feet." Congratulations! You've just completed a helicopter.


The general rule of thumb is that as you get older you tend to settle down, stay more firmly rooted in place, and learn to see risk as "danger" as opposed to "adventure." But there are some who never stop wanting to fly. We can't wait to ride the latest, fastest roller coaster and we envy trapeze artists and astronauts. Earth is OK, but space is where it's really at.

Most dancers are pretty content to stay on the ground because the right partner can make you feel as weightless as a cloud. But there is a level of swing dancing known as "aerials" where the dancers strive for that atmospheric realm. You can usually catch a few aerials in the big dance numbers in films--a girl being thrown in the air or somersaulting around her partner's waist or diving through his legs--but you don't see it too often on the dance floor anymore.

After 3 years of dance lessons, I was itching to take the plunge. When I heard that a local dancer was looking for a new aerials partner, I figured it must be fate. I went to my 1st aerials class with some trepidation, not really knowing what I had gotten myself into this time. The teachers--Kim Clever & David Frutos--didn't seem too concerned about my being a total newbie and suggested I try a helicopter my first time out. Trying to sound cool and collected I said, "Sounds good. What's that?" "It's just a flip over his head."

*Zoinks!* A flip over his head?!? Were they crazy?!? Did they see how tall he was?!? I'm sure I told them I was a beginner! Well, the good news is that Kim & David are professionals and they were able to break down the move for me easily & almost painlessly. And the other good news is that within 45 minutes I was soaring through the air, attached only remotely to the ground through Herb.

Have you ever gotten on a swing after the age of 25 and jumped off mid-air? If so, you'll know exactly how I felt when I first went airborne. As a kid it seems so natural to fly, but as an adult your stomach lurches and your old-lady brain tells your body that it shouldn't be there, and then the body panics and scrambles to find it's way back to the ground--all within the space of 3 seconds. It literally feels like the moment when Wile E. Coyote realizes he's stepped off the cliff. I do believe my 1st & only mid-flight word was, "Whoa!"

But I survived it and I loved it, so I keep going back for more. The next mornings are usually the worst--the sore limbs and bruises. I just keep reminding myself that Herb's got it worse than me. He's the one who's got to do all the heavy lifting and take my body slams standing still. And while I wish there was time to learn every aerial ever invented, I am quite grateful for this small opportunity I've been given to fly. I try to remember to spot the ground but I always hope it will take it's time meeting me, because how often do you really get to soar?