Circus

Rope Camp Memories continued...

After dinner, I headed back to my cabin to get ready for the evening. The only hiccup: I was scared my takedown would happen at any moment. I stood in the shower, worried that at any second someone would pull me out and it would begin. My fear went so far as I thought I heard people gathering, prepping to snatch me. But, alas, no. I got out of the shower, with no one else in the cabin. I put on a cute school girl outfit, and headed to 1/2.

As I stepped out of my cabin, though, it was raining. Not willing to wait, I thought Fuck it, and started walking. Fortuitously, a taxi pulled up after just a few steps. He gave me a ride up to NYR cabin, my rainy lifesaver.

When I arrived, everyone was prepping for The Circus. Murphy sat on his bed, drawing out Slut's award, to be bestowed on her after her takedown. With the letters penciled in, he handed it to me to fill in the color. Incidentally, I found a typo and got him to fix it.

With her award completed and hidden, and everyone packed and ready to go, I helped Murphy and Gray carry their things as we all trekked to the Dungeon.

Murphy Blue's Three Frame Circus

With the Dungeon filling up with people, both watching and playing, the NYRs descended upon the stage. In the rush to set up, we figured out who went where and who needed what.

The acts for the evening:
Cabin Thug: fire cupping
Dov: Trapeze act
Gray: magic
Murphy: aerials

We turned off the stage lights, repositioned some clip lights, and the show began.

Cabin Thug setup his area on a table at downstage center. Dov worked on the rig on stage left, prepping for his model to arrive. Murphy and Gray shared the stage right frame, with Gray going first.

As Cabin Thug began fire play with one of his girls, Gray setup a carabener rigged to his frame by just a single short piece of thin rope. Each of the four ladies who participated in the act came on stage with a chest harness already around their torso. As Gray rigged each lady to his carabener, he slowly lowered them down. Each woman eventually sat at a right angle, their knees bent, with their head resting on the knees of the person behind them. This created a box of beautiful women, all supported by a single piece of rope.

Gray then whipped out his knife. In a moment of clarity, I turned to Murphy and asked, "Where is your camera?"

"Fuck, we forgot the camera!"

With a flourish, Gray unfolded his knife, cut the rope, and all the ladies stayed. The audience applauded, but not one shot was taken to capture the moment. Lame sauce.

After his trick, we delivered the disappointing news to Gray. I then ran back to the cabin to grab Murphy's camera. Once again, my magical taxi was there, ready to save the day. It was as if I and the taxi driver had a mind-meld that night; we I needed him, he always appeared.

After Gray's trick, it was Murphy's turn. He setup the large aluminum ring on the frame and repositioned the clip lights. Handing me the camera, he told me to take pictures. I slowly moved around the stage, capturing Cabin Thug's fire work, Dov's trapeze act (his model had arrived), and Murphy's aerial display.

Murphy tied Janice to the aluminum ring, smiles and glee awash on her face. She spun around, floating in a blissful world above all of us. Meanwhile, Dov rigged Celeste to a bamboo pole hung off of his frame. She balanced on the back of her knees, hanging down as he tied her to the pole. I captured process shots of Dov's work, as well as Murphy's, slinking around the stage.

As Dov was finishing his tie, he asked if I got the shot. I was having trouble with one setting on Murphy's camera, not sure what I was doing wrong. Dov beckoned Murphy over, saying we were getting nothing but shit from his camera.

I know Dov didn't mean for his comment to sound like it did, but in that moment, I felt like he was disparaging my photography, not Murphy's equipment. Murphy adjusted the camera, took a few shots, and reassured Dov that the moment was captured. Murphy then handed the camera back to me.

As the boys finished up, I took some more photos, trying to not think about Dov's comment. I tried to stay in the moment, tried to stay giddy at the performances, tried to be pleased by the work of my friends.

Afterwards, I was happy with my photography, delighted at a few amazing shots I'd captured, but I wasn't feeling so great overall.