Week B: August 3 – 7, 2026
Heavy Metal: Invented Apparatus
1-2:30pm. Week B. FFP 1. Ages 15+. $190
This class builds skills on invented apparatus through guided improvisation, using a variety of suspended “heavy metal” from Frequent Flyers’ stash! Learn how to work on structures that are unpredictable using shared weight and gravity to advantage. We’ll play with solo, duet and group improvisations while building the skills to be able to approach any new apparatus safely and with a fresh approach. Open your mind, explore, and unlock your creativity.
Prerequisites: Must have an intermediate level of experience on horizontal aerial apparatus (lyra, dance trapeze or static trapeze) AND enjoy improvisational exploration.
Low-Low Flying Trapeze + Skinner Releasing Technique
5:30-7pm. Week B. FFP 1. Ages 14+ or with instructor approval. $190
Working on single-point trapezes with the bar only 3 feet from the ground. we will research, explore, and learn how to work with the flow between the floor and the air. We’ll create new pathways into and out of the trapeze, using known vocabulary, and movement invention. We’ll drop into deep somatic awareness using Skinner Releasing Technique tools to help unlock creativity and ease in the body.
Prerequisites: Students must have some experience on dance trapeze and be interested in researching, improvising, and learning new ways to move on and off the apparatus.
Nancy Smith originally wanted to be an astronaut or a racecar driver and instead she became the founder & artistic director of Frequent Flyers® Productions since its inception in 1988 and the Aerial Dance Festival since 1999. She teaches Aerial Release Technique (A.R.T.) around the US. Her work with Frequent Flyers has been presented in Boston, Baltimore, California, Louisiana, Virginia, Montreal, Utah, the Bahamas, throughout Colorado, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. She has received numerous awards including “Living Legend of Dance in Colorado” and “Women Who Light the Community” among others. She is a Lecturer for CU Boulder’s Dance Dept. Ms. Smith also co-wrote the first book on the history / theory of Aerial Dance with Jayne Bernasconi.
