Aerial Dance Festival 2019 – Class Descriptions
IMMERSIONS Week A: Monday, July 29 – Friday, August 2. 9:00 am – noon.
Immersion: Lyra & Tippy Lyra: The Art & Challenge of the Circle
Elsie Smith
$300 | Ages 14+ | FFP ADS 1
Prerequisites: For students with a current and regular lyra practice (at least once a week), who can invert/pull over comfortably and repeatedly from the ground, invert in the air, do a single knee hang and hold a front balance (no hands!) for 15 seconds. Note that spinning is an element that will be explored and applied to choreographic sequences but is not required. Please bring long sleeves and have your back/belly and knees covered.
This workshop is a deep exploration and an opportunity to combine dropping, rolling and power skills. We’ll work through technical drills and building blocks necessary for bigger skills while also exploring creative sequencing and the application of spin. We will explore the unpredictable and exciting “tippy” lyra, consider the differences between double and single point lyra, and try to answer the age old question “does size matter”?
Immersion: Vertical Rope Master Class
Terry Crane
$300 | Ages 14+ or with instructor permission | FFP ADS 2
Prerequisites: Intermediate/advanced. Students should have minimum 2 years experience with vertical single point apparatus, be able to do 4 pull-ups, and at least 2 straight arm straddle ups without swinging.
In this workshop, students will practice moving dynamically with a sense of ease and effortlessness on the vertical rope. We’ll practice a progression of beats and exercises to generate momentum, and then explore using this momentum to maximum effect, either in flashy power moves or to wrap the rope hands-free. Over the course of the week we’ll cover a huge breadth of rope vocabulary and choreography accumulated from decades of rope research, and discuss foundational principles for creating original technique for rope.
Immersion: Rigging (all levels)
Delbert Hall
$300 | Ages 16+ | Dairy Arts Center – Gordon Gamm
No prerequisites.
This workshop covers what every aerialist should know about aerial rigging – including: forces, dos and don’ts of common aerial hardware, breaking strengths of hardware, design factors and working load limits, mechanical advantage, inspecting aerial rigs/equipment, basic knots, and many other things related to safely rigging aerial effects. This workshop is intended for aerialists who want to know more about selecting hardware (and apparatus) for aerial work, installing it in a safe manner, inspecting it, cleaning and storing it, and finding and communicating with aerial riggers.
IMMERSIONS Week B: Monday August 5 – Friday August 9
Immersion: Bungee Dance & Build
Danielle Hendricks
$310 (includes $10 equipment fee) | Ages 15+ or with instructor permission | FFP ADS 1
Prerequisites: Don’t take this class if you are: A) deathly afraid of ladders, scaffolds, or heights; B) think you might be pregnant; or C) are against experiencing moderate discomfort and/or bruising around the hips and thighs.
This class will cover the main uses for aerial bungee dancing in harness. We will begin each day with a Pilates Mat inspired warm up, in order to prepare the body for the rigors of being in a bungee harness. On day one, we will practice in the style “high bungee”; dancers will load in from the scaffold and will be unable to touch the ground. With attachments at R/L hip and two points in ceiling, we can work on maximizing bounce and forward/backward rotations. Each dancer will have a partner and both groups will learn some choreography sequences to perform with each other. As the week progresses, we will lower the dancers so that they are able to touch the ground and use the floor to create additional bounce and control; then we will change to one ceiling attachment with a swivel and explore spinning and more directional changes, while still able to touch the ground. On day five, dancers will get to try the “back-pick” attachment, where they are on a single point at the ceiling and on their harness, in the style of many bungee-fitness classes. Each day we will conclude with the bungee building section of the class. This final hour of each morning will cover the safety and inspection of harnesses as well as bungee and crimps, and where/how to purchase these items. As the week goes on, dancers will do some “hands on” training with the tools and materials necessary to build their own bungee sets in the future. By the end of the week, dancers should feel confident in how to select, build, inspect and maintain safety with bungee and harness equipment.
Immersion: Fabric Witchcraft – Intermediate
Jenn Bruyer
$300 | Ages 15+ | FFP ADS 2
Prerequisites: Students should feel comfortable easily inverting in the air and should be familiar with the 4 basic wraps: catchers, hipkey, s-lock and u-lock; students should also be familiar with thigh hitches and straddle climbs.
The allure of fabric is truly multi dimensional. Its beautiful, tactile and confusing. It can seemingly defy physics. Wraps, shelves and connections can appear and disappear in an instant. Complex but stable architectures are constructed out of nothing. In this workshop we will delve deeply into Fabric Theory to build many foundations for fabric understanding and then break our own rules with some really fun examples of knots, hitches, releases, wraps and fabric theories that simply DO NOT SEEM POSSIBLE or are totally surprising to even an educated eye.
Immersion: Dynamic Dance Trap: Drop, Twist, Breathe – Intermediate
Megan Cattau
$300 | Ages 16+ or with instructor permission | CU 150
Prerequisites: Intended for students who already have a practice on the dance trapeze or other horizontal apparatus. Some vertical experience and familiarity with basic vertical wraps and hangs is helpful, but not necessary. Participants must be able to invert unassisted from hanging and should come with a desire to explore.
This intensive class will marry technique and expression as we explore all things dynamic – and the quiet space in between – on the dance trapeze. Using force and momentum efficiently, we’ll twist, roll, and flip our bodies through the space around the ropes and around the bar. Taking a fabric-like approach, we’ll also manipulate the equipment around our bodies to drop and dive. Dance trapeze is not just for flow movement; it’s also for reckless abandon… and we will ground that reckless abandon in technical skills in body positioning and mechanics. We will also use Laban- and Butoh-influenced exercises to connect with and listen to our instinctual bodies: intuitive, genuine, and unapologetic. We will use a choreographed sequence as a launching point for exploring how changes in movement quality, positioning, and timing can be employed to create authentic expression. Through movement, we will shed inhibitions and connect to ourselves and the space around us so that we can answer: What movement feels satisfying to your body, and what movement efforts resonate when you respond to your inner mover? How do these concepts translate to the space outside of your own self? This intensive is for those who would like to broaden their technical dance trapeze vocabulary and their approach to expressive movement and aerial storytelling.
90-MINUTE CLASSES
These classes meet in either Week A or Week B. Classes offered in both weeks are the same class offered in a different time slot.
Aerial Rigging – Advanced (Week A only)
Delbert Hall
$150 | Ages 18+ | Dairy Arts Center – Gordon Gamm Theatre
Mon. July 29 – Fri. Aug. 2 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
This workshop is for studio owners (covering liability, insurance, inspections and other topics of importance to studio owners); aerial riggers (rigging practices and hands-on practice rigging different apparatus); and anyone wanting to make or repair aerial apparatus (swaging wire ropes, splicing fiber ropes, and advanced rope-craft). This workshop will cover lots of different rigging systems and situations. This workshop will help you take your rigging and understanding of aerial rigging to the next level.
Dance Trapeze Sequencing: Making Meaning – Intermediate (Week A only)
Nancy Smith
$150 | Ages 15+ | FFP ADS 1
Week A: Mon. July 29 – Fri. Aug 2 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Prerequisites: Students should have at least 1 to 2 years of regular training on single-point trapeze and/or other horizontal aerial apparatus.
Starting with a set phrase on the dance trapeze and then exploring ground-to-air and back again transitions, we’ll find different movement modalities (effortlessness, momentum, interruption and more) to find your artistic “meat on the bone.” We’ll also explore the poetic / visual / sensory stimulus to deepen the experience. Shake it up / break it up / turn it around. By the end of the week, you’ll have your own detailed sequence and story / poem / epic journey.
Dance Trapeze – My Favorite Partner (Week B only)
Jenn Bruyer
$150 | Ages 13+ | CU 150
Mon. Aug. 5 – Fri. Aug. 9 | 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Prerequisites: Beg/Int – No background in dance or trapeze is required, but at least one year of aerial experience is recommended. Skills you should be comfortable with: hip hang, front balance, sitting on the bar, standing on the bar, basket mount and single hip hang.
The roots of aerial dance are planted firmly in dance trapeze. While I love to explore aerial dance and work on creating a dance-like effect in the air using many different apparatus and constructions, it is with dance trapeze that I feel the most sincere connection and the greatest freedom. In this workshop we will explore specific skills, pathways and transitions that I think are particularly dance like in nature. We will also examine the space between the bar and floor, how these two can meet and interconnect to create spins, circles, transitions, mounts and supported floor choreography to enhance your trapeze vocabulary or create an entirely new performative experience.
Dynamic Sling – Intermediate (Week A only)
Jenn Bruyer
$150 | Ages 13+ | FFP ADS 1
Mon. July 29 – Fri. Aug. 2 | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Prerequisites: Intermediate on either fabric, trapeze or sling. Ability to pullover, invert easily in the air. no experience with dynamic movement is required, this class will provide a full progression
Go big or go home! 😉 All the big moves, drops and totally wild transitions you can handle all in one place! We will begin this workshop with a skills progression of dynamic movements, beats, flairs and catch locks. Students can expect to work on: beats, flairs, dynamic pathways, simple drops, hands free dives, direction changing drops, fancy transitions, rolls and releases.
Fabric – Fresh Skills and Ideas – Intermediate (Week A only)
Jenn Bruyer
$150 | Ages 13+ | FFP ADS 2
Mon. July 29 – Fri. Aug. 2 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Prerequisites: Students should feel comfortable easily inverting in the air and should be familiar with the 4 basic wraps: catchers, hipkey, s-lock and u-lock.
Bored with fabric? Learn how to ask the right questions of your practice to develop a truly unique style that CONTINUES to inspire both you and the people around you. In this fabric theory heavy workshop, students can expect to explore new skills, ideas and transitions via examples and exercises in this inevitably evolving art form.
Fabric Witchcraft (Week A only)
Jenn Bruyer
$150 | Ages 13+ | FFP ADS 2
Mon. July 29 – Fri. Aug. 2 | 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Prerequisites: Intermediate level students should feel comfortable easily inverting in the air and should be familiar with the 4 basic wraps: catchers, hipkey, s-lock and u-lock; students should also be familiar with thigh hitches and straddle climbs.
The allure of fabric is truly multi dimensional. Its beautiful, tactile and confusing. It can seemingly defy physics. Wraps, shelves and connections can appear and disappear in an instant. Complex but stable architectures are constructed out of nothing. In this workshop we will explore some really fun examples of knots, hitches, releases, wraps and fabric theories that simply DO NOT SEEM POSSIBLE or are totally surprising to even an educated eye.
Partnering in the Air: Lyra and Trapeze (Week B only)
Elsie Smith
$150 | Ages 14+ | FFP ADS 1
Mon. August 5 – Fri. Aug. 9 | 3:00 pm – 4:30 PM
Prerequisites: Students must have at least 1 year of experience on trapeze or lyra and be comfortable moving up and down their apparatus. Students must be comfortable with front balance, ankle hang and inverting in/on the rope(s). Previous partnering experience is not required. If you have questions about any terminology or prerequisites please email nimblearts@gmail.com.
Using static trapezes and lyras, we’ll explore traditional and non-traditional methods of sharing space and body weight in the air. Come solo or with an existing partner and be ready for creative exploration. You’ll also learn drills and building blocks for some of those tricks you’ve always wanted to try! Activities are designed to encourage participants of all sizes to “fly” and “base” in new takes on these standard roles.
Fabric – Partnering in the Vertical Space (Week B only)
Valerie Morris
$150 | Ages 16+ or with instructor permission | CU 150
Mon. August 5 – Fri. Aug. 9 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
In this class, we will explore the many facets of partnering on fabric. Sharing space and weight, the concept of shelves and ledges, exploring different basing positions, learning vocabulary and phrases, as well as creating new ones. Students must be intermediate level or higher on a vertical apparatus. Previous experience with any type of partnering helpful but not required. No partner required, as we will be rotating partners, and everyone will explore the basing and flying roles.
Preparing Your Body/Recovering Your Body: Injury Prevention for Aerialists and Acrobats (Week B only)
Elsie Smith
$150 | Ages 16+ | FFP ADS 1
Mon. Aug. 5 – Fri. Aug. 9 | 5:30-7:00 PM
No prerequisites.
Get ready to fill up your training toolbox with drills and skills that you can take with you and do anywhere. A great way to wind down your day, this class will focus on learning stretching and strengthening for the whole body. We’ll include a variety of exercises and discuss variations for individual needs. This workshop is for athletes and acrobats of all ability levels and is great cross training information for all sports, and for the sport of life. This is also an excellent workshop for teachers looking to deepen their ability to meet the needs of their students.
Lyra/Hoop: Up, Down and All Around – Int/Adv (Week A or B)
Elsie Smith
$150 | Ages 14+ | FFP ADS 1
Week A: Mon. July 29 – Fri. Aug. 2 | 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
or
Week B: Mon. Aug. 5 – Fri. Aug. 9 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Prerequisites: This is a workshop for students with a current lyra practice (at least once a week), who can invert/pull over comfortably and repeatedly from the ground, hold a front balance (no hands on the bar) and do one full pull up. Spinning is not required, but it is an element that will be explored and applied to choreographic sequences. Please bring long sleeves and have your back/belly and knees covered.
For students with basic lyra skills who are comfortable with the apparatus but are looking for deeper exploration and technical vocabulary. We’ll explore sequences and mix that up with good old strength skills and “drops”. You’ll learn drills and building blocks for some of those tricks you’ve always wanted to try and have tools to take home with you so your learning keeps going even after the workshop has ended!
Rope: Beginning Beats for Intermediate Aerialists (Week A or B)
Terry Crane
$150 | ages 14+ or with instructor permission | FFP ADS 2
Week A: Mon July 29 – Fri. Aug. 2 | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
or
Week B: Mon. Aug. 5 – Fri. Aug. 9 | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Prerequisites: 6 months of rope or tissue training, ability to do 2 pull ups, and 4 straddle ups with straight legs.
This class is an introduction to dynamic rope movement for experienced aerialists. We examine a series of beats, aka swinging movements on rope, and how they can be applied to create interesting, dynamic choreography.Want to spice up your choreography with graceful swings and hands-free wrapping? This is the class for you. Covering straddle beats, scissor beats, bell beats, front plange beats, transferring between beats, and a variety of useful ways of wrapping from these beats. Much of this material has application to aerial fabric as well.
Rope and Harness – Tethered Dancing – All Levels (Week A only)
Valerie Morris
$150 | Ages 12+ | Dairy Arts Center – Gordon Gamm
Mon. July 29 – Fri. Aug 2 | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
No prerequisites.
This exhilarating class will be structured around learning basic rope and harness dance techniques. We will be working both close to the ground as well as higher in the air. The vocabulary taught will be combined with guided solo and group improvisations as part of the exploration process. This is an amazing core workout, and is not as intensive on the arms, for those planning on taking other aerial classes. Please wear multiple snug layers around your hips and waist for your comfort. If you have a harness, please bring it with you, otherwise, one will be provided. No previous aerial experience is necessary, other than be prepared to have fun and create!
Rope – Facility with Abandon – Advanced (Week B only)
Terry Crane
$150 | Ages 14+ or with instructor permission | FFP ADS 2
Mon. Aug. 5 – Fri. Aug. 9 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Prerequisites: 1 year of rope or tissue training, ability to do 8 pull-ups, ability to do 8 bent-arm, or 4 straight-arm straddle-ups.
In this workshop, students will practice moving dynamically with a sense of ease and effortless-ness on the vertical rope. We’ll practice a progression of beats and exercises to generate momentum, and then explore using this momentum to maximum effect, either in flashy power moves or to wrap the rope hands- free. Time allowing, other topics may include: fake release moves, building large drops, using body shape to roll up, and some sequences of movement to take home.
Rope Loop – Master Class (Week B only)
Terry Crane
$175 | Ages 16+ | FFP ADS 2
Mon. Aug. 5 – Fri. Aug. 9 | 5:30-7:00 PM
Because of the small class size and pricing- this class is NOT available through the Early Bird Package. This class will open with a la carte registration and must be purchased separately.
Prerequisites: Applicants should have a background in vertical aerial (tissue or rope), a year minimum. Other skill sets such as aerial partnering, partner acrobatics, or tumbling may be useful as as well.
The aerial loop threaded through 2 pulleys has many different configurations, each with their own possibilities for interaction. The apparatus is by nature a partnered form, as there is no inherently fixed point, and everything that occurs on one side must be counterbalanced on the opposite side. With a small group of aerialists, we will explore several modes of operation for this apparatus. Time permitting, we’ll research new concepts with this apparatus. With the ensemble of artists who will undertake this workshop together, we will build a short presentation of the skills explored in this workshop.
Sling: Ethered & Tethered: A Liminal Space- Intermediate (Week B only)
Danielle Garrison
$150 | Ages 16+ | CU 150
Mon. Aug. 5 – Fri. Aug. 9 | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Prerequisite: Two years of aerial study.
Merging ideas from dance, circus, art installation, sonic media, body politics, queer theory, performance art, ritual, improvisation, and somatic awareness: we will wake up our ignored senses. This sling repertory class unearths a non-conventional challenging approach to aerial work through a peculiar, sensational lens, and artsy journey of the fabric-knotted sling that is in a constant shift as ever-evolving environmental structure. Beginning with a warm up that tries to delayer our inhibitions, we will continue to recognize and alter our self-consciousness in the learning/sharing/performing process. Honing into the sensation of skin compressed and supported by the fabrics, we can undo and find choice within habituation. Rather than dominating the fabrics with aesthetic intention, how can our bodies become responsive to the synthetic touch of the fabrics and conduit another’s movement? The sling material will explore an articulate choreographic bridge between offered ideas and open interpretation that delves deeply into the play within suspension, listening, and how to connect your energy with the apparatus, fellow artists and the space, permitting a resonant continuity between each element. We will create a micro-world demonstrating how artists can create the environment they crave.