Texas, Round 2

Let's have a chat about Texas, shall we?

I landed at the airport and nearly walked past the man in the shiny hat holding a sign with my name on it. He had a limo waiting. WHA?! That was a first. I actually had to tell him thanks but no thanks. I'd rather ride with Devin. Headed with Matthew to Austin where solid training, solid learning, and awesome little kids proceeded to rock my socks in a box for most of the week. Matthew has a gift for coaching, and it was great to learn some tips from him.

Then it was off to San Antonio to train with other good friends of mine on the streets and in the gymnastics gym they should call a second home. Devin, Mike, Jereme, Rebecca, and crew were all really fun to watch and train with. Very inspiring in their attitude towards training, and how they conquer fear. Rebecca and I even tried some acro-balancing and got close to sticking some poses. Wonder Twin powers activate! Late nights washed into early mornings faded into a sleepless night spent dressed up like a zombie and drooling fake blood over gorgeous girls. Nice.

There was also a photoshoot in Houstin with a man named Micheal Shulz who takes the most epic shots. I mean.. this guy takes a picture of you standing (just standing) and, magically, you look like a BAMF. I'll be posting up his pics as I get them, so stay tuned for that.

The main reason I was in Texas was a performance for an Ortho-Nutrogena corporate conference. Performing/training with Devin and Matthew is a really cool experience. Super humble and supportive fellas, those two. They seem to have a way of getting me to go 100% and accomplish things I wouldn't have thought I could beforehand. Can't wait till the next time.

The actual performance was really nerve wracking at first. We only got about an hour to set up, choreograph, and practice our gig before we had to give the stage back to the speakers to practice on. I was so nervous that I couldn't keep any food down that morning, and by the time I was waiting in the wings to run into the spotlights, my heart was beating hard enough I could feel it in the tips of my fingers. When I started running though, it was just like training by myself. Everyone else in the room but Matthew and Devin faded to grey and my mind was totally calm. The boys were just awesome in their stunts, fluidity, and timing.. and I surprised myself with what I pulled off too. Apart from the actual movements, I actually skipped, danced, giggled, and got the crowd to clap to the beat for us during the show. :) Next time I won't waste time puking.

We got to stay at the Hyatt that night with free reign of the hotel.. heck yes. If that's where parkour and movement will get me, I'm going to dive harder and jump higher every day. That makes all the sore muscles and cat rashes even more worth it.

Texas is a crazy little vortex of ambition and foul jokes (Tomato, Tomaaahto Matthew). They've got great big hearts, great big goals, and a great big heap of hard work ahead of them. So do I though, but this trip will help me with that. Seems like every time I head down, I end up growing exponentially as a traceuse. Fear just becomes less important. So yes, I did puke three times out of nerves before that performance, but I performed flawlessly when it got down to it. And yes, I did stay up ALL NIGHT dressed up in silicone and fake blood for that zombie movie, but when it came time for me to get thrown into a wall at 7 in the morning, I was still totally down for it. And yeah.. I guess I was asked to take my shirt off in the middle of Houstin for a photo shoot.. but I stood tall then too. Whatevs. You live, you learn, you find better ways of removing fake blood (rubbing alcohol and two hours in a hot tub does the trick). So Texas, some people think you're too hot to go to.. but I just want to jump on you a little. Say hi to your mother for me.

Off to Texas again!

Just as the title implies, I'm off to the lonestar state once more for fun, training, and work. Just a few of the things I plan to achieve this go round include: 1) become a zombie. 2) teach lil kiddos gymnastics basics. 3) get chased by secret agents. 4) train! 5) performance time. Wish me luck!

Back from Texas

I boarded the plane to Texas with mixed emotions. People in Seattle tend to talk about Texas in hushed tones, like an evil that they pushed into the corner of the US. People use "the south" as a synecdoche for racism, bigotry, and small-mindedness. I was scared. What I found in Texas though, was completely unexpected. I was welcomed whole-heartedly, treated with respect, and taught a lesson in grace. Turns out you can't really know someone (or someones) until you go meet them on their turf.

The days were filled with filming, training, dancing, giggling, and bananas. The nights were packed with more training, a gymnastic gym, great conversations, and more bananas. A few spectacular biffs were sprinkled in among graceful movements, and at the end of it all I got to vault to a cat hang on a bridge, and drop to a boat. No complaints there. :)

Parkour in a suit is a new experience for me. Never have I been so obsessive about tucking in my shirt, even now I find myself reaching around to tuck in tails that are no longer worn. Commitment to movement on the first go is also new for me. I've always wanted to be able to work like that, but haven't really done it. When the cameras are rolling though, some kind of intense zen washes over and blam, commitment. I hope I can get that to carry over into my everyday training.

So, it's interesting. I'm home now, and very contemplative. I made a little mistake while filming , and consequently am working on a tender ankle. So instead of training full-force, I'm conditioning and doing a lot of thinking. Here's what I have so far: Pre-judgment is a waste of time, stereotypes are bullshit, sometimes those labeled "open-minded" are guilty of the opposite, and even at your best you can walk backwards into a cactus at any time.