WEEK A: Monday, July 29 – Friday, August 2, 2024
Dance Trapeze Immersion
9am-12pm. Week A. Dairy Gordon Gamm.
Ages: 16+. $380.
Prerequisites: Students must be capable of doing an unassisted pull-up inversion on the bar, pull-over mount and inversion in ropes without jumping. Comfortable with partner-supported physical spotting and stretching. Desire to develop physical strength and creative movement vocabulary. Notebook and note taking is encouraged.
This trapeze immersion will unlock deep wells of foundational strength and immediately apply it to sequences of high-quality movements, incorporating the dynamic presence of acrobatics with the intention and emotional engagement of modern dance.
Students will engage in a rigorous deep dive of skill development and conditioning in order to unlock the full physicality of the sequences. This will serve as the foundation for students to build upon with their own creative expression and choreography. Over the course of five days, the class will explore multiple aspects of movement quality and musicality, transforming a singular motion into a broad vocabulary of physicality that will enhance each student’s dramatic story-telling capacity.
Students will leave this workshop series stronger physically AND creatively, with new tools to unleash their unique performance potential.
WEEK B: Monday, Aug. 5 – Friday, Aug. 9, 2024
Dance Trapeze: Connectivity and Flow (Intermediate)
1:00-2:30 pm. Week B. Dairy Gordon Gamm.
Ages 16+. $190.
Prerequisites: Basic proficiency on the dance trapeze (gazelle, mermaid, single knee hang, dragonfly, front balance, etc.). The student should be able to do a clean, unassisted pull-up straddle and/or tuck inversion and a pullover mount without jumping. Comfortable working in ropes. Endurance to stay in the air for at least two minutes.
Elevate the strength and flow of your single-point dance trapeze technique. This class will focus on sequencing skills together to broaden students’ connection to the trapeze and unlock their movement potential. We will break down all the skills in a sequence before building it back into a singular flow that can be modified and evolved to limitless possibilities. Students will come to understand what’s required to make the dance trapeze a “blank canvas” that they can create on top of, while cleanly executing dynamic transitions, and leave the course with a better understanding of sequencing with first hand experience.
Act Creation Toolkit (Intermediate / Advanced)
3:00-4:30 PM. Week B. Dairy Gordon Gamm.
Ages 16+. $190.
Prerequisites: Intermediate to Advanced level students with a strong vocabulary of skills and the ability to safely execute those skills on their apparatus of choice. Endurance to stay in the air for at least two minutes. An open mind to creative movement. A willingness to receive constructive feedback in a safe space. Notebook and a pen/pencil or note taking device of choice.
What’s your story? Every choice an artist makes, from music, to costume, to movement enhances or distracts from their story. Who is your character? What is your why? This class is designed to give you a step by step process and tools to find your own artistic expression and create your own compelling act. Whether you are a professional looking to get better at creating more compelling performances or you’re just looking for where to start, this high-level overview will kickstart the process of turning “tricks” and “sequences” into choreography and a compelling, narrative performance piece.
Each day, through movement exploration, lecture, and exercises, students will refine both their narrative and the creative execution of their act with clarity and confidence. While this course is relevant to all apparatus, during this class dance trapeze, lyra, fabric and sling will be available for use.
Sling Skills & Technique (Advanced Beginner / Intermediate)
5:30-7:00 PM. Week B. FFP Studio 1.
Ages 16+. $190.
Prerequisites: Students must have basic proficiency on sling (hammock) and/or silks and be able to do a clean, unassisted pullover mount and an unassisted straddle inversion in the air.
Explore the possibilities of shape and space as we set sail into sling! This class will build on foundational sling skills as we explore both open and closed sling. Students will learn to better control the apparatus by understanding its underlying mechanics, unlocking wraps, rolls and transitions while developing stamina, strength and technique. Students will leave the class with stronger foundations and additional skills.
Summer Lacy (she/her/they/them) As she flies through the air, tumbles from breathtaking heights and glides across the stage with consummate control, Summer Lacy dares her captive audiences to imagine the impossible. Her story is a testament to imagination, perseverance, and determination. Specializing in vertical Aerial Chains, Lyra, Dance Trapeze and Invented apparatus, Summer expresses her mission statement through her art: “Stand up, stand out, and create something beautiful.” While thriving in her day job as a graphic designer, her long nights training aerial began to pay off, making her previously “impossible” dreams now inevitable. Her appearances on the primetime competition show America’s Got Talent went viral and earned her a national following overnight. Judge Howie Mandel, impressed by her aerial chains and lyra acts, was prompted to describe her as “both dangerous and very original.” Since then, Summer has been seen internationally with the Dzul Dance Company, Constellation Moving Company, and Hideaway Circus, among many others. She was a featured performer in Circus Abyssinia’s acclaimed 2018 exhibition “Ethiopian Dreams,” as well as the hit off-Broadway variety show La Soirée making her mark in the New York City theater scene. Her passion for performing is rivaled only by her love of educating the next generation of circus stars. With deep knowledge of aerial technique, creative movement and act creation, Summer unlocks the next level of physical artistry in her students with a supportive, encouraging, practical approach that makes the extraordinary achievable. Her online training, “The Prosperous Performer,” focuses on mindset, branding and marketing, as well as building, selling and performing a one-of-a-kind act that reflects the student’s personality and abilities, furthering Summer’s mission to inspire with the power of art.
