Holy Crap!

In my next life, I think I want to be a circus performer. I was convinced by my recent visit to the Beijing International Art School, where I got to spend the afternoon watching a bunch of Russian 11 and 12 year-olds practicing tumbling and zaji, what the Chinese call everything circus-like. I could talk about how amazing they were, or the incredible focus they displayed, but what really made it special was how much fun they were having. I mean, for these kids nailing that standing back-flip is like their equivalent of recess. Despite the fact their teacher is swatting at them with a wooden rod, they still manage to keep this mischievous grin, as if it's all part of some big game where only they know the rules. I got some really sweet videos, but I imagine not everyone will be able to see them, so there're a couple fotos too.

(The little guy on the bottom has been training on a bum knee for a few weeks now.)

Little man getting his foot folded over, looks painful.