Well, I got off to a good start by turning up for the class on Thursday at Copenhagen Dojo. The only problem being that it seems everyone except me thought I was supposed to be there on Wednesday. Thursday was what my diary said anyway…I can see it’s not to be trusted. Anyway, Max was very accommodating and fitted me into the class thankfully.
It was fantastic to meet the great man himself. Once again, I was reminded how little we know of the nuances of floor work and why some many of us find it so much more engaging than the ‘circus bondage’ of suspension. It seems that the more experienced riggers are sating themselves on suspension but returning to this area, while the new intermediates ignore it and rush into getting their partners airborne as soon as possible seduced by the glamour. It is only with experience that one realises that full suspension distracts one from the business of connecting and this is what it should really all be about for you and your partner.
A great deal of the class was concerned with the finer points of controlling one’s partner and exchanging feedback with the ‘nawa kiri’ (literally rope end). I was pleasantly surprised to hear Yukimura use the example of the childhood ‘telephone’ made from two tin cans and a bit of string to illustrate how tension equals communication. Nina was convinced it was a simile I had picked up via Osada Steve but it is one I came up with independently and use often in my teaching. In addition to sme of his floor-work ties, we also learned a lot of tricks for easily moving a model and braking resistance. When, whilst chatting in the smoking area, Yukimura said he would tie Nina if she came to Japan, she replied as quick as a flash “Why not here and now?”. So, much to her delight, she was the model for his next section of the class. Some girls get all the luck, eh?
The only slight disappointment was that we didn’t get to see him tying more. It would have been perfect to see him do a session. I guess that will have to be on my To Do list for my next visit to Tokyo. You never know, we might see him at next year’s Festival.