circus – the Flying Wallendas

The Flying Wallendas are still going strong. The Wallendas are one of the most famous circus family acts and they still are acclaimed for the 8-person pyramid in the 2003 Guinness Book of World Records.

This photo is the 7-person pyramid they have been doing for decades.

7pyramide.jpg

video – Powerskip boots

Wow. I want a pair of these?

Click on the video below or watch it on YouTube.

They are not the same ones I found on the jumpboots.com website.

Warren suspects they are made by Powerskip in Germany..

Here’s a video of a double front into a pit using Powerskip boots:

movie – Stick It – a success

10m.jpgGymnasts like it. And the new gymnastics movie has been a financial success — but critic Peter Sobczynski calls it a “brainless and soulless example of marketing masquerading as moviemaking”.

One wag took this as a compliment.

Seems this little movie did some creative advance work with a sophisticated MySpace page.

Disney also packaged a special mailing of the “Stick It” trailer and the Missy Elliott video “We Run This” to International Gymnast magazine’s 30,000 subscribers.

Savvy Gym Clubs organized Stick It parties for their teams. GymnasticsZone posted a positive review, from a gymnastics perspective.

I am happy for the success of the film, but am already slightly dreading “Stick It, Again.”

photo – heart jump

Wonderful photo, don’t you think?

heart jump

Larger version on GrinnellGirl’s photostream.

I found it on flickr using a cool search page by Air Tight Interactive.

If you want to use a flickr photo in a project (as I am here) first check the copyright restrictions. In this case the photo is in limbo, source unknown. Add a comment if you know where it comes from.

Brian Bakalar, GymnasticsRevolution.com

The best use of the internet for teaching skills I’ve seen is The Front Handspring Vault by coach Brian Bakalar of Gymnastics Revolution, Connecticut.

vault-heel-drive

Then check Brian’s photo and photo sequence database of basic skills he calls Gymnastics Interactive.

gymnastics coach salaries in 2001

salaries table

This is the best last salary review I have seen. Bill Sands collected data from 76 coaches; half male, half female. (34.2%) college, (59.2%) club.

What Do Gymnastics Coaches Make? — USA Technique magazine

movie – Stick It

I’ve been waiting for this.

The successful predecessor to this film, Bring it On, helped popularize cheerleading. Stick It will do the same for gymnastics, I think.

How did we not know about this sport?

Reviews have been less-than-Oscar-worthy so far. To see for yourself click the video below and watch the trailer.

Stick It – official website

dance – Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Montreal

Dancer

Just saw the latest Chouinard show titled bODY_rEMIX/gOLDBERG_vARIATIONS.

… erotics of disability: gorgeous dancers, prosthetics and crutches at hand, twisting tortuously into orthopedic poses of pleasure and pain.

The other day Tiger Wood got blasted for saying his play was spastic. He (and I) learned that word is offensive in 2006. The lexicon of political correctness is ever shifting.

The show is based on the Goldberg Variations as interpreted by Glenn Gould. I liked the electronically distorted sampling of a radio interview with Gould.

Modern dance is my favourite style. Thumbs up from this talent scout!

Marie Chouinard website

Review from the North American Premiere in Oregon.