Guest Instructor - Christi Fiara

Chrisi Fiara came to Missoula by way of Las Vegas to teach students acrobatic and trapeze techniques. She is a wonderful teacher, soft-spoken and graceful in her actions, her speech, and her coaching. What a wonderful addition to the Next Step Prep curriculum! She was also guest instructing at On Center Dance, where many of our students train during the school year. Christi taught over two nights during Week Three.

P.S. This blog post is dedicated to Skye's mother, who has patiently awaited trapeze photos for the past two weeks. :) Thanks for your patience!

Here is the challenge for the night...

And here's how it got there...thanks for getting it all set up, Greg and John (John came down the ladder afterward but he was so quick I missed him!)...

Before anything happens, a stretching session (or a groaning session, depending on who you ask)...
Practicing splits...

Christi demonstrated various ways to do a back bend, depending on each individual's flexibility level...this is the basic back bend...

Or the more advance version...

So, to review...beginner...

Um....advanced? Not so much... :)

No, she didn't kill them all. What would we do for three more weeks? Just a very relaxing super-stretch...

And, of course, handstands, with and without wall (and friend) support...

And shoulder stretches... (Logan and Sarah B...this one makes ME groan...you guys have amazing flexibility)...



Christi gives a rundown of what's going to happen the first night of coaching. The students broke into groups and worked on various stations for the night, including trapeze work, stretching, and various acrobatic techniques...

This is a stretch called the pretzel. Um....I call it...WOW.

Jadi helps demonstrate one of the acrobatic poses. This one uses counterweight and balancing between partners...


Christi demonstrated the various poses that could occur with these techniques. Did I mention she's INCREDIBLY flexible?

Christi teaches Caleigh how to be the base person in this partner stunt...

And then the students started to practice...


Zoom in on this photo...Tessa's facial expression is priceless. Tess is so fun to photograph. She just always has an expression of joy in everything she does. She'll be leaving us after this week due to family commitments, and we'll miss her...



Christi works with her first group on the trapeze. She shows them the various tools trapezeists (is that a word) use, the swivels and hooks that help hold them in mid-air. It's amazing how such a small little hook can support a tremendous amount of weight.

A can of rosin. You might know this from violinists, who use rosin to help their bow stick to the strings. This spray-type is a kind of stick-um that helps the acrobat grip the trapeze.

Demonstration time...Christi jumps up to the bar with the greatest of ease (sorry, I had to say it)...
It's only about six feet off the ground, but trust me, according to the students, it may as well be twenty, it feels so high once you're up there...



Michael was first up. Christi taught him how to swing upside down while intermittently gripping the bar. All the students later reported "Man...that bar HURTS."

Rylee was up next (he did get up on the bar...see the pictures later on)...

Eric's smile is even more brilliant from six feet above...

Learning to turn around...NOT as easy as it looks...

And now a word from a few of our stations, which were happening simultaneously...

Nicky and Sarah P. work on a partner stunt...

Maddy and Elinor stretch...

As do Nyna and Skye...


Wait a MINUTE...no one told me there was a geek station... :) Never a dull moment with this group...
Riley takes to the bar...

Sarai defies gravity...
Michael, my thoughts EXACTLY...

Sarai gets up on the trapeze...


Maddy practices a developee (sorry, can't spell it correctly on the blog without a French language keyboard...my apologies to the French)...

Sarah B. on the trapeze...she will also be leaving us after this week, which makes us doubly sad...

Elinor celebrating a successful stunt...

Jacque striking a pose...

Logan is up for the challenge...

And striking a pose as well...

Christi gives pointers to Jadi about gripping the bar in-between swings...


Jadi is another person who always exudes enthusiasm and energy. She will be leaving us after this week, which makes us triply sad...

Eric shows that STRETCHING IS FUN FUN FUN...

Rylee stretches with Ana...at least I'm pretty sure that's Ana...

Sarah P. on the trapeze...
Nicky learning how to swing. I think all the students appreciated Christi holding their feet while learning this skill. There might have been a few flips, otherwise..

Superman pose?
Um...kids...don't try this at home. If I had audio on the blog you could hear the collective *GASP* that happened when Christi demonstrated this...

Em poses for the crowd...

Caleigh practices swinging...she's so tall that her fingers brushed the mat when she swung!

Another successful attempt...

Elinor and Sierra pull off a stunt...

Clayton on the trapeze...

Sarah P. pulls off the pretzel. YEOUCH. Good job, Sarah!

Mikaila makes it onto the trapeze...

Mandie swinging...
Cooper stands super tall up there...

Cooper and Christi share a laugh after he jumps down...

Tessa is a happy acrobat...

In between rotations, Christi talks to the students about her career and how she took her dance training into the acrobatic arts field. Pretty fascinating how we can extrapolate so many of the skills learned at Next Step Prep into a variety of careers.

Ok...I had to put in ONE artistic shot...

Sarai ...
Maddy practicing swinging. Christi encouraged the students to arch their back as much as possible and try to look at the other side of the room...

Maddy makes it up onto the bar...

This one is for Skye...and her mom :)

Christi coaches Elinor...

The swing...

The stand! Hooray! You made it!

Christi coaching Sierra...she has an amazing coaching style and is super-positive. It was so great listening to her suggestions and encouragement to the students. Way to go, Sierra!

Nyna's turn...

Sarah B. with another developee...

Now this would be one of those unconventional stretches...Ana is also amazingly flexible.


What happens when two dancers stretch together...Jadi and Sarah P. WOW.


Arielle stretches with Logan...

Michael and Eric pair up again to stretch. I'd never seen vertical stretching before...

But apparently vertical is in :)


Nicky is the base for Sarah B.'s stretch...

And then Nicky's turn to stretch. I hear you, man...I hear you... :)

This was the start of night two...after stretching, Christi casually asked for a few "volunteers". She had four people sit in chairs...

Then lean back on each others thighs...

Then link arms...

Then, oh, hey...we're going to REMOVE THOSE CHAIRS...eeeeeek!

And give us a little wave, just for fun...

And, of course, being dramatic, let's throw in a little flair...


The use each others' strength to pull each other up...

Applause, applause, applause...nice job!


Christi then demonstrated another acrobatic partner stunt and showed the students how to do the stunt and how to spot each other...


Then it was back to the trapeze. A little rosin spray to start off the night...



Getting down from the bar is sometimes as much of a challenge as getting up there. Michael does both with ease...

Eric works on a pose Christi had demonstrated for the group. This stunt involves hanging pretty much on your hip bone.

A little pose during down time...these kids makes me laugh...

Hi Sarah B... :)
Arielle looks so graceful up there. I'm so happy they didn't ask yours truly to try...

Another group working on the group stunt. I think the biggest group they got was ten people. Pretty impressive...

Ana makes this look so easy...

Even upside down...

And a little flair as well...

Rylee worked really hard on the trapeze. Christi is a great and patient teacher and she really pushes the students to go past their perceived boundaries and to try things outside their comfort zone. This isn't an easy task when you're six feet off the ground.

Go Rylee!

Logan was a natural at the trapeze...
Balancing on one's backside on a 1" bar is NOT easy...

Logan flashes a smile for me. She is leaving after this week as well, which makes us quadruply sad.
What happens when you don't hold on to the bar. Thank goodness for crash mats. Nicky is such a good sport (which is why he won't mind me posting this photo). He got right back up and tried again..

Ta-dah!!!

Sarah B. up next...

Another natural...her dance training definitely helps!

Jacque works so hard and really listened to Christi's instruction...


Another stretching session...really needed after all that trapeze work...

Jadi is another dancer who makes hanging upside down from a trapeze look incredibly easy...


Sarah P. is another dancer that looks so graceful on the trapeze...




Christi had Sarai get into a "catcher" position, which is the position one uses in order to "catch" a partner when sailing through the air.

Logan gets underneath and simulates being the catch
More partner stunts...
Mandie takes to the trapeze...


Em gives me a quick pose...


Mikaila...

Caleigh hangs upside down. She has an amazing acrobatic ability. Christi had her to a spinning stunt in which she hung by just her legs and spun the ropes. It was really graceful and cool to watch.



Go Clayton. This trapeze stuff is hard work...

These students are NOT exuberant...nope...not one bit...

I'm not sure why I like this photo...I just do...

"Defying gravity" is a popular song with the students this year...this is defying gravity personified...

Go Elinor!!!




Skye is amazingly athletic. She jumped up to that bar in no time flat...

Skye makes really beautiful lines with her body...

Maddy holds a pike position before she gets to the trapeze...





Nyna has been so much fun to watch this year. She is a returner from last year and she has really incorporated the lessons she learned last year into this year's experience. I was talking to her one day and she said that she hadn't stopped talking about Next Step Prep since she left last August and couldn't wait to get back this year. That's some endorsement!


Christi--you were an awesome addition to our guest instructor staff. We so appreciated your help, your persistence, your encouragement, your calm demeanor and your warm, beautiful smile. The students just loved working with you.