Bicycle climb
From Silkworms
bicycle climb:
(fred's climb)
i think of this as the prototypical dynamic climb. wrap fabric around bottom leg as for basic stand. then instead of standing with the top foot, wrap it as if for basic stand also, around the fabric near the bottom leg's knee. straighten the top leg to push the fabric forward and down; at the same time bend the bottom leg back at the knee. this exchange feels rather more like stepping onto a staircase than pedalling a bicycle, to me; but the essential thing you should get from the bicycle metaphor is that the two motions happen at the same time. the leg that's bending back keeps tension on the fabric, enough for the leg that's straightening to step on. for a moment. then unwrap the back foot, re-wrap it in front of the front leg's knee, and repeat the cycle on the other side.
links: the seattle circus wiki has another description of this climb, with some pictures on silks, at: http://www.byz.org/cgi-bin/SeattleCircusWiki?BicycleClimb
here is a youtube video of this climb.
