Waltzing with sledgehammers

 

It is a delicate form of dance that one invents when a sledgehammer meets the gentle flesh of fingers.. It involves a complex series of steps, leaps, aggressive marching, and grabbing at ones hand.. It also has an expressive facial distortion and sometimes  even a vocal element. This, my friends, is the Sledgehammer waltz.

 

Jerry helps with laying out and lacing up the big top

 

Luke battles the rock hard ground to beat in our peg-line

I must admit, that like most of the gender stereotypes might suggest - I am somewhat more familiar with the stardust of the show than the sledgehammers. In the last two circus jobs, I was assigned to marketing and performance for the majority of the time, and although enjoyed pulling the big top down after the show, had done a very limited number of put-ups.
Needless to say, although it was super exciting to be putting up our own circus tent - I think my talents are a little more suited to sewing on fringing and sequins!

 

Lacing the top of the tent together

 

Jerry tensioning the ropes

 

 

Heaving tent skins into position

 

The day was highly successful, despite the brief 'sledgehammer dance' interludes. The big top went up ok, and it was a great feeling to see it standing. We only had the field for a day, and a storm was threatening overhead - so we didn't put up the blue and white striped walls which will really finish off the look of the tent, but you can imagine what it will look like from some of the photos here.

Five weeks until we launch!

The tent goes up in Invercargill!

The bus shook and rattled as an over zelous crew member rapped on the windows and doors of our sleeping quarters. it was ten to nine and our alarm had failed to wake us, the circus lot was already a flurry of activity, a buzz with little balls of warm wooly coats filled with humans readying themselves for the day. Luke managed to drag himself out of bed with relative ease, while I lay there for a moment with the morning sun on my face still in a sleepy daze of dream state. The next thing I recall was waking again with Luke standing over me smiling quietly and holding a coffee, time to start the day.

I exited the bus and wandered over to the collection of performers by the chuck wagon, people were finishing breakfast and coffees and they all seemed to have one thing in common.. They were all far more awake than I. A moment later Damo walked away from the group, stopped by the side of the tent and belted out the fist instruction for the team, being a man of few words this instruction was simple "WINCHES!" Luke bounded up followed by the other winch handlers and within a tenth of a second, Les and I were the only two left by the food caravan. Lucky for me, today was a marketing day, so I have a few more minutes to wake my brain up.

There is something magic about watching the tent get lifted, even in my half asleep state I got a sparkle of excitement from seeing it go up, one minute there is a large stripey canvas lying in the grass, and the next it looks like the circus is in town. Every stand is so different, let's see what Invercargill audiences are like.

Marketing mission!

The clock struck 8AM and the circus burst into a hive of activity! Fences were rolled out, Pegs were being thrown down in a huge circle, Mary was standing on the top of the pole wagon handing down the wind poles and side poles and Damo was yelling something that may or may not have been understood by whomever it was directed towards.

Paddy, Les and I were racing from one end of the lot to the other in a flurry of posters, fliers, clip boards and free-give away circus tickets. Les was training me up as one of the promotion girls so I was handed a new red and black Circus Aotearoa T-shirt, a pile of posters and we were thrown into a small volvo and handed a cup of coffee.. Off to Te Anau!

It was a long drive through some of the most amazing views I have seen of New Zealand so far. We were deep in "Lord of the Rings" territory and we had to stop to take it in. A huge gorge loomed by the side of the road, with a small drive in loop. We all just stood and stared in silence at the amazing site before us.

We got in to Te Anau just after lunch and stopped in a small cafe for some food and to sort out our posters. Les and I took armfuls each and headed out in opposite directions to ask every single shop in the town if they could display a poster. Paddy headed off to the library, police station and city council to deliver fliers and finalise the booking on the lot.

We trawled the town, people were excited about the show and most took posters. There were two older ladies that ran a small wool shop at the end of the main road, and they got so excited that they put up three posters and started announcing to any customers that walked through that they had just met a real trapeze artist and that now everyone had to come to the show! (I might have.. um ..snuck them free tickets.. they were just so excited, it seemed necessary!)

I was met at the edge end of the street by yet another amazing view - mountains and water and so much.. green! I heard a car horn, and there were Paddy and Les pulling up behind me, it was time to head home - perfect timing!