with sword firmly upon head

My troupe leader is all afire about getting us to do a balancing dance--not with a nice little basket or a tray, either; we're learning to balance a full-sized bellydance sword. I work with mine for five minutes a day to build up my neck strength, because that sucker is HEAVY. I never imagined I could move an inch with it (it has all kinds of momentum and I can't seem to keep my head perfectly still). On Wednesday night, my teacher told us to bring our swords, had us balance them (with the tips of the swords inserted into styrofoam so we don't tear up the dance floor if something drops), and turned on the music for the balancing dance (which we've practiced without swords since September). I said, "I can't believe we're doing this"--and then, somehow or other, I managed to follow the entire dance (which involves turns, a lot of hip work, body waves, and balancing on one foot, among other things), without dropping the sword or doing any other damage. The sword rocked like an SOB, though, and I took tiny, mincing steps, like a geisha at first. The second time dancing with it was better, and I was able to pull off one of the traveling steps without feeling like I was going to stab somebody. The more experienced sword dancers in the troupe told me that there is a wide range of motion with these swords and they can rock, move, and do all kinds of scary-feeling things, and the trick is to get used to them and get used to keeping the head perfectly still (NOT easy when you're turning). And all this while smiling at the audience as if balancing a giant sword on my head is something I do every day of the week!

Mr. Strega can balance the sword perfectly and dance extremely well, by the way, though his lack of hair is bothersome. He attributes this to years of rock-climbing and indeed, he has far more balance than I do. Of course, the sword is great temptation to my youngest son, but he's only allowed to balance it, not pretend to fight enemies with it.