Register now for Aerial Dance Festival 2023 Workshops & Panels! All are open to the general public and meet 8:00-9:30 PM at Frequent Flyers’ Studios. Workshops: $20. Panels: FREE
WEEK A:
Wednesday 8/2: Chair Burlesque Dance with Midnite Townsend
Pull up a chair and learn a sassy little routine with both femme and masculine movement offerings. As aerialists we sometimes feel lost when we’re grounded, but Chair dancing can be a unique way to get airborne without any aerial apparatus. Explore basic floorwork and chair tricks that is sure to spice up any choreography, class, or bedroom!
WEEK B:
Monday 8/7: Boundaries and Good Practice for Circus Professionals with Janelle Peters / Cirque Psych
Creating and maintaining healthy boundaries, based in our values is key to functional professional relationships. the life of a circus professional can be chaotic enough without strained or broken relationships with our colleagues directors, managers and more. This workshop explores categories and qualities of healthy professional relationships and provides concrete tools and exercises for assessing, adjusting, and maintaining good boundaries that help our relationships flourish.
Tuesday 8/8: Sensing the Nervous System in Aerial Pedagogy & Performance Practices: Engaging somatic and biometric tools to facilitate awareness via the Polyvagal Theory with Danielle Garrison
This workshop explores Polyvagal Theory to navigate differences in what “safety” feels like for different folx in aerial pedagogy and performance practices. Polyvagal Theory creates a mapping of the different nervous system states. We will be using tools to somatically sense, imagine and communicate different states of our nervous systems, and workshopping how this can affect and be applied to aerial practices, particularly noticing the fear and trauma-based fight, flight and freeze responses.
Wednesday 8/9: BIPOC Aerialists & Circus Arts Performers Panel (FREE)
Panelists: Veronica Blair, Gena DuBose, and Sam Tribble with moderator: Midnite Townsend
It can sometimes feel isolating to identify as BIPOC in the circus/aerial dance world. In this fishbowl-style facilitated conversation we center BIPOC voices and experiences in the hopes of cultivating community and connection through sharing stories, space, and suggestions. We are honored to have Veronica Blair, Gena DuBose, and Sam Tribble as our featured panelists as Midnite Townsend moderates a discussion exploring how our BIPOC identities intersect with circus/aerial identities in various ways (i.e. auditioning/gigging, code-switching, what is “circus aesthetic,” etc).
Thursday 8/10: Still Drinking from the Cup While Passing it Along: Aging in Aerial (FREE)
Discussion led by Jayne Bernasconi and Nancy Smith
We’ll discuss physical / mental / heart-centered changes that occur as we age, the longevity of creative practice and everything that brings, and especially passing knowledge along. How do we get the most of training as we age – rhythm, frequency, intensity and what tools we can gather to ensure we stay in optimum condition while understanding the impact of aging.
