Brandon is a self-made aerial acrobat, currently living in Las Vegas. He has a background in gymnastics, dance, and musical theater, and currently performs and teaches on Aerial Fabric, Straps, Hammock, Spansets, Chains, Rope, Rings, and other specialty apparatus. He currently holds the title of US Aerial Champion, and teaches classes and privates at Trapeze Las Vegas: The Studio.

1. How did you come to circus arts and how was your process of developing your style?

I took my very first Aerial Silks class in January of 2013, and from that moment on began pursuing my passion for the art, until I could begin to make a full-time living in the circus sphere. I trained with my instructor, Darla Davis, at Aeris Aerial in Sandy Utah for 2 ½ years, and her teaching philosophy is very technical, with a focus on basics, incremental progression, and polished advanced skills (which oddly was also very similar to the philosophy of my gymnastics coach Christopher Sommer of Gymnasticbodies). Because of this focus from my coaches, my style is very classical, with traditional lines and excellent technique, but I have combined that with my background in music (piano, french horn, voice, and musical theater) to create a lyrical style to my aerial as well.

Photo:  Max Torendell

2. What is your favorite apparatus and why? How often do you train and perform?

Aerial Fabric has got to take the cake for me. Not only does it hold space in my heart as my first apparatus, but silks also have a nearly endless variety of skills, sequences, and drops to discover and work on. Even now after working intensively with them for several years, there is always something new to learn! My training schedule during a regular week includes 4 days of aerial training, 3 days of weight-lifting, 2 days of dance class, and 6 days of stretching. At the moment, I perform irregularly at gigs and event, so I can perform a few times a month, or once every few months, depending on demand.

Photo: Charles Ruscher

3. What exercises would you recommend to get stronger for aerial straps? Could you suggest a routine for aerial arts students?

The most basic exercise that aerialists should master before beginning straps training is the shoulder-shrug. Shrugs are small movements that strengthen the tissues surrounding your scapula in your shoulders and upper-back. These should be performed with excellent technique while upright, inverted, as well as on a single-arm (they can also be done on the floor in a push-up position, or in a handstand). Inability to perform shrugs in each of these directions is a sign that the shoulder-girdle is not physically prepared for aerial straps work.

4. What exercises could one do at home daily without aerial apparatus as additional training?

There are many bodyweight exercises on can do at home to supplement aerial training. I’ll give you three of my favorites:

V-Ups: Lying on your back on the floor, assume a Hollow-Body position, then lift your upper and lower body together, with your butt as a pivot point, and compress your abs into your thighs for a moment, before lowering back down to your hollow-body. Easier version would be crunches. This exercise is vital for developing solid core strength, active hamstring flexibility and pike compression, as well as balance and self-awareness between the upper and lower body. Recommendation: 3 Sets x 20 Reps.

Push ups: Although push-ups are a nearly ubiquitous exercise, they are also extremely important, and shouldn’t be overlooked in one’s personal training. Pushups strengthen many of the muscles of the upper-body (which are so important for aerial work) include the Major and Minor Pectorals, the shoulders, triceps and biceps, back and scapula stabalizers, as well as the core. They can also be done in dozens of variations: by changing arm position (elbows perpendicular right angles, or close into the body) as a plank on hands or forearms, with hands or feet elevated on a block, slow-motion or explosive with hopping, etc.

Squats: As aerialists, we don’t think we really need to strengthen our lower-body as much because we are mostly using upper-body strength in the air; but working on leg strength is very important for balancing your split flexibility, as well as aesthetically balancing your physique. There is lots of information online about proper form for regular body-weight squats, but I would recommend also looking into single-leg squats as well, which work on many muscle groups (including glutes, piriformis, quads, hamstrings, calves, and plantar muscles) as well as equilibrium and balance.

Photo: Anna Cicone

5. How was your experience at the US Aerial Championship? What would you recommend to those who would like to participate?

Competing in US Aerial was an amazing experience, both in 2015 and 2016. The first year, I went without knowing a single other person who was competing, and that was interesting because I got to kind of fly under the radar. But between the two Championships, my Instagram had grown from 3k followers to 25k, and by the time I went, I already knew almost all of the boys I was competing against, as well as many of the artists in the other divisions too! Because of that, it felt less like a competition, and more like a festival, where we were all trying to do our best, and routing each other on because we were already friends!

If you have interest in participating in a festival or competition, make sure you stay on top of deadlines! You can have the most beautiful act in the world, but if you miss the date by which you need to send in your submission video, or fill out your participation form, you may be out of luck. Doing these things in a timely manner can also give you a better chance of getting into a competition, as well as save you money on fees. On the performance side, remember that most competitions weigh your story, character, and emotion equally against more traditional elements of strength and technique, so if you can make them both equally strong, you will impress the judges, and stand out from your competitors. Don’t let the results be your main focus, however. Go to a competition with humility and optimism, giving the best performance you can, as well as rooting for the other aerialists, are you will always come out a winner!

Photo: Cristian Buitron, US Aerial Championship

6. Could you give some tips and exercises aerial silks duo?

What is important to consider for both flyer and catcher? What are the common mistakes?

Like all aerial arts, the most important aspect of duo work is safety. But this takes on a whole knew level when you are working with another person. On the surface level, this includes having the right kind and amount of mats, working at a height that is appropriate for your level, and when doing more advanced tricks (like release moves) considering training in a space with a foam pit. On a more personal level, communication is essential so that both partners are on the same page, and so that they can eliminate as many surprises as possible. This also mean being honest if something doesn’t feel quite right, and being able to give ear when your partner has suggestions for what would make things easier on their end.

For the base, you’re main goal (at least initially) is going to be conditioning, both to make sure that you can lift your flier safely for a good length of time, as well as getting your body prepped to endure the specific pressure of the apparatus in the position you choose to base in (like your lower back and inner thighs for a cross-back-straddle, or your quads in catcher’s position on a trapeze). And while the positions I just mentioned are the most common, don’t be afraid to change it up, and get creative with your basing positions. This will make things more interesting for you, as well as the audience.

As for the flyer, you can make things a lot easier for your base by keeping your core engaged, and learning to hold your own bodyweight in the air. It may seem to you that your weight doesn’t change from moment to moment, but how you hold your body actually has a huge effect on how heavy you feel to your base.

Additionally, you have got to be the one to let your base know if anything does not feel right. Having trust that your partner will keep you safe is extremely important, but on the other hand, YOU are (most likely) the person most in danger of an accident, so be sure to respect both your body and your instincts, and communicate these things to your base.

7. Could you share some advanced trick for aerial silks solo or duo? Do you have a video of it?

If students would like to learn aerial technique from me, I have regular classes at Trapeze Las Vegas: The Studio, and am available for privates and workshops wherever I happen to be traveling to.

8. Could you please share a short warm-up before performing?

When warming up, my advice is to be continually moving. This can come in the form of light cardio (jogging in place, jumping jacks) bodyweight exercises (as I described earlier) and Dynamic stretching. I would recommend avoiding static stretches as much as possible until you are ready to cool down (though some are appropriate to prepare your body to be flexible in the air).

9. Do you have some funny episode during your performance or training to share?

Around Christmas, I was recording some training to post on my instagram, and I got a little carried away with my spinning, and my fabric tail ended up knocking a bunch of stuff off a cabinet in the space. Oops!!

10. Where one can book you for a show or visit your classes and workshops?

To schedule classes, workshops, privates, or performances, I can be emailed at brandonscottacrobat@gmail.com

Featured photo:  Daniel Woods, Inspire Media

“Hi Everyone! My name is Iram Ramirez, I am 22 years old, I’m from Camargo Chihuahua Mexico, I have been an Aerialist for almost 5 years, instructor and choreographer in Alpha Dance Studio for 3 years. I am a student of Business Administration at the Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua, I speak Spanish and English.

I have competed in the Mexican convention called Expression Dance winning first place in senior category duo and first in Solo Senior category in hoop, and was choreographer for a first place routine category Teens duo and third in Senior category duo.
I was a finalist in the international competition U.S. Aerial 2016 getting a 3rd place in ratings, also I am known as one of the top 6 international aerialists by that international organization of Aerial Dance.
I have taught workshops in different parts of Mexico and the United States as well as in Douglas Arizona at the academy “BB Dancer” in March and in October 2016, I taught workshop in the city of San Jose Costa Rica at the academy Krama Yoga in September 2016 and in Mexicali Baja California Mx at the academy “Danza Vertical” in January 2017.”

Photo:  Dani Cisneros Ramirez

1. How did you start aerial silks? What was challenging for you when you just started?

Well, I started aerial silks because I went to an Aerial competition here in Chihuahua Mexico by Expression Dance, and I thought that aerial arts were just for girls, but then I saw 3 guys competing, I was amazed, because they did some strength stuff and I loved it. Then I said to myself that I have to try it and…. Here I am!
At the beginning the most challenging things were all the drops, I used to hate them soooooo much!, but now we are good friends.

2. Do you focus mainly on aerial silks or do you also train with other apparatus? Where do you perform and train?

My favorite apparatus are silks, I love them because you can do a lot of things there, you can play with them, dance with them and you can do a lot of wraps or poses that you also can do in other apparatus, but also I like Lyra (Aerial Hoop), and I train in Alpha Dance Studio, it’s a dance academy here in Camargo and I’ve been there for almost 5 years, I also dance Jazz and Hip Hop (most of the people don’t know that).

3. How is circus scene in Mexico and in the USA in your opinion?

Well for me it’s better in the USA, because more people love to go and watch all the shows and don’t have any problem to pay for them, in Mexico it’s not so popular, because as Mexicans we don’t have the habit of taking  time for a circus show and similar stuff.

4. How often and how long do you train?

I teach aerial 10 hours weekly and I train for 5 hours weekly.

Photo:  Dani Cisneros Ramirez

5. What are the best exercises to strengthen the shoulders?

There are a lot of them, one is hanging in the lyra and pulling you up with the strength of the shoulders without bending your elbows, and there is another one in silks – doing a Christ pose, and opening and closing the poses, it helps for back strength too.

6. What do you do for a warm-up before the training?

I start from the top, moving my head, shoulders, hands, then  go lower to the chest, hips, knees and feet. After the warm-up I stretch my body, legs and back, do splits and middle splits. At the end I warm up in the silks with pulling up and holding, inversions and with more flexibility stuff and then I’m ready to start.

Improvising…🌎💙😄 #AlphaDanceStudio #AerialSilks #AerialFabrics #Telas #DanzaAerea #AerialTissue #Lyra #AerialHoop #Aerialist #Aerialists #Aerialistsofig #Usaerial #AerialNation #CircusInspiration #Aerialistnation #CircusAroundTheWorld #CircusInternational #gymasticsshoutouts #IGDPostMe #usaerial #Muscle #Circus #Circo #Stretch #Stretching #Strong #Stronger

A post shared by Iram Ramirez (@iramsin559) on Aug 28, 2016 at 8:23am PDT

Conquering the basics… 5 roll ups and some back bend 😬💙 #AlphaDanceStudio #AerialSilks #AerialFabrics #Telas #DanzaAerea #AerialTissue #Lyra #AerialHoop #Aerialist #Aerialists #Usaerial #AerialNation #CircusInspiration #Aerialistnation #CircusAroundTheWorld #CircusInternational #gymasticsshoutouts #IGDPostMe #usaerial #Muscle #Circus #Circo #Stretch #Stretching #Strong #Stronger @usaerial @cirfit_usa @cirquedusoleil @cirquedusoleilcasting @circusaroundtheworld @circus.international @circusinspiration @instagram @instagrames @gymnasticsshoutouts @instagymnastdancers

A post shared by Iram Ramirez (@iramsin559) on Nov 21, 2016 at 10:45am PST

7. How was your flexibility development from the moment you started aerial arts till now?

Which exercises helped you the best in back bending? What tips can you give for anybody who is working on their flexibility?

My improvement was so big, for back bend you have to try to touch your feet with your head, many people think that a good back bend is trying to touch your butt with your head, but if you do this you are just crunching your back and it won’t help a lot, so if you lengthen your back you will see better results and the best advice/tip that I can give you guys is, after a flexibility class or after you were working your flexibility you have to rest, if you don’t rest you will get injury and no one wants that… it’s HORRIBLE!

Photo:  Dani Cisneros Ramirez

8. How was your experience at the US Aerials?

How did you prepare your choreography? How were your feelings when you entered the stage and after your performance? What advice would you give to those who would like to participate in the US Aerials?

It was an amazing experience, I loved when, all the people that don’t even know me, were clapping and yelling, when I was in the scenario, it was so special for me.
I did my own choreography with some personal moves, I started choreographing in my head, then I did it on silks.
Well I wasn’t scared or nervous because all of us had a rehearsal before the show, so I think I was more nervous in the rehearsal than in the show. After my performance I felt so happy for me, because I did it so well, all the people were yelling and clapping, then all my friends and family, who saw my performance online were texting me a lot of positive things so, I was so happy.
My advice is… Do it! Try it! Never be afraid, and you have to know always that we are learning all the time, every day, so if you don’t win, don’t be sad, just raise your head and train to be better than you, but the most important thing is, always be humble, that will help you a lot. 

9. Where one can book you for a show or visit your classes and workshops?

You  can book a workshop, private classes and performance via e-mail: iramramirezads@hotmail.com or you can send me a message via Instagram or Facebook. You can check my work on Social Media and follow me. If you guys have a question or need an advice, I would be so glad to answer all those questions via DM.

This was my performance at the US Aerial, check it!

Featured photos:  Dani Cisneros Ramirez

1. Thula could you please tell me about your way to circus arts? What is your artistic story?

I was born on the Big Island of Hawaii and grew up on the east side of the island in Puna. I started in an acrobatics class when I was around 5 and started performing with kids and adults yet it was a little “dry” since our teacher was 80 years old. At age 6, we found a local youth circus program called the Hiccup Circus. I was only allowed to join only if my mom participated with me since the starting age was 7. We brought acrobatics into the circus. I also took gymnastic classes. At age 12, I auditioned and secured a spot with a summer youth circus tour on the East Coast called Circus Smirkus and travelled/performed with them for three summers. On the fourth summer, I got a big wake up call by not being accepted. Up until that point, I had been riding on my natural talent yet didn’t take it seriously enough. In 2009, I shifted from being a normal teenager and committed to 6 hours of training/day as well as online schooling so that I could pursue my dream to be a professional circus performer. Within a year and a half of this rigorous routine, I was hired at the age of 16 to perform with The Great American Circus which was a traditional circus that performed internationally.

2. How do you create your choreographies and transitions?

My act that I graduated from The National Circus School in Montreal took about three years of developing sequences and transitions. It was a combination of me exploring and training for hours and hours and then also having guidance from my artistic and technique coaches. Now that I have an act that I am very happy with each detail I can adapt it to different shows and songs. Sometimes I switch around the sequences or specific tricks within a sequence but for the most part I usually have three sequences within a number. I video myself training quite often because you are your worst critic. When I create new transitions I try to make them as fluid as possible and the least amount of use with my hands.

3. Is it easy for you to find the right music? How do you look for music for your performances and what are your favorite bands, singers or composers?

I find that searching for the perfect song is probably the most frustrating and time consuming part of creating a new piece. I spend hours and hours researching different artist/composers/videos ect. It can be difficult to find a song that has all the components that you want it one song. For aerial numbers it is important that the song has enough musical changes and doesn’t become to repetitive. It is also important to really love the song because you hear is so many times! I am always on the look out for new act songs, when I’m out and hear a song that captures me I make sure to take note of it. I also get a lot of inspiration from different soundtracks from movies and shows that I go watch.

4. Could you please share a good warm-up routine for aerialists?

My usual daily warm up on hoop is five skin the cats, then one are meat hooks on each side x3, one arm straddle ups on each arm 3x, meat hook to straddle on each arm 3x, back side plenches 3x each side. Then I like to warm up most of my dynamic elements.

5. What are the best flexibility exercises for chest stand on the hoop?

Chest stand (the way I do it) is one of my signature moves that I developed. I don’t teach this element on hoop. Training contortion on the ground is a great way to increase your flexibility in the air. Holding chest stands and learning how to breathe in the pose can help a lot to increase your flexibility. My secret for warming my back up quickly is stretching with a foam roller. I warm up my bridges and chest stands with it in my back so it takes the pressure off my muscles. I also do chest stands elevated so my chest is higher than my feet. This increases the flexibility in your upper back.

6. You have a very innovative and dynamic style. Could you give some tips for dynamic transitions on the hoop?

It’s important to find your own style and way to move on a hoop. Many artist could do similar skills but it is the transitions into each or way of moving on a hoop that makes it so unique. Once you know how to manipulate a hoop it’s all about exploring your own different possibilities. Sometimes you can get stuck moving in the same way. At the moment its best to either leave it alone for a little while until you can come back with a fresh take or ask for an outside eye. Sometimes it can take months to figure out a “new” transition and other times it happens right away. Watching videos is a great way for inspiration but it is very important to be inspired but not copy! Don’t learn how they do it but make it yours. Experiment with creating transitions that don’t involve your hands or adding a twist or extra roll. Always think of continuing through and not sure getting to the position.

7. In which countries are you performing?

How is it with rigging for performances in different countries? What is important to consider there as an aerialist?

In most contracts that I do the company has a rigger who installs everything for me. I don’t currently own my own pulley system because I haven’t work as a independent contractor in Germany that much yet…But I will most likely purchase my own at some point. I just finished a contract with Cirque Eloize performing in the show ID. We were performing in Cancun, Mexico and in a city a few hours outside of Shanghai, China. My next contract is at the Adelaide Fringe festival in Australia. It’s with a new creation called Filament that I was apart of. We premiered this past summer in Czech Republic and this will be the first long run of the show. We have a rigger with this show as well. It is still very important as an aerialist to double check your own rigging no matter what. I am always aware of what the hardware looks like and if I see anything abnormal I won’t perform until its inspected.

8. Could you share some tips for foot hangs on the hoop and for dropping into a foot hang?

Most aerialist prefer one to the other of foot to heel hang. I have always preferred heel hangs. Of course at the beginning it hurt but after a while you build calluses and the pain goes away. I wear a foam protection on my ankle to protect from the impact of the drop. Learning to hold hangs is all about the correct placement and then just training endurance on it daily! Learning how to transfer from knee hang to heel hang is an important first step to the drop. Starting from knee hang holding your ankles in a back arch and then lowering to heels without letting go of your hands. It takes a good amount of back/shoulder flexibility to be able to do this. Next step is being able to shift your weight to just one leg and releasing the other.

9. How do you travel with the hoop? Do you take your hoop with you, how does it work with packaging, costs, etc.?

I have a custom made hoop bag that a company from Quebec made for me. It is a circular bag with a flat bottom. It is about 10″ wide and fits my hoop plus rigging and other show material I may travel with. It has removed wheels that attach with Velcro. The bag also has backpack straps. When I have it on I look like a ninja turtle! I always travel with my hoop but the company I am with at the time pays for the cost of travel. My hoop is very light and only weighs a few kg but with the other things I throw in my bag it usually ways around 15kg. It is usually checked in as a sports equipment.

10. Where one can book you for a show or visit your classes and workshops?

For show/act bookings as well as privates and workshops I am available via email, website, as well as on my social media!

Facebook
Instagram
Website
Email: thulamoon@live.com

Photos:  Warren Zelman Photography

Meet Amy Hastie. “I live in Margaret River, Western Australia. I run the Wild Star Dance, Margaret River Circus Center. I have always loved dancing but have now anchored my passion in aerial dance arts. I am currently on a mission raising funds by preselling for the printing of my “60 Tricks on Aerial Silk” Instructional Choreography Cards.”

1. Amy could you please a little bit about yourself, how have you come to aerial arts, on which apparatus you are performing, where are you working?

I came to aerial arts after I sampled almost every other style of dance under the sun!! I absolutely loved the fact that dancing in the air gives you 360 degrees of spherical expression, where as on the floor you’ve only got half that to work in. My favorite apparatus is a tricky one to figure out. Trapeze was my first love, but I’m sort of infatuated with hammock at the moment. I work in my own business, Wild Star Dance, I offer the dance side of circus; static trapeze, aerial silks and acrobatic dance as well as stocking aerial dance products and transforming the basis of my curriculum into my “60 Tricks Cards”

2. Amy has a crowd funding campaign for her aerial project for kids. Amy could you please tell us about your project. What it´s about, how did you come to this idea?

When I first started teaching aerial dance I searched the net, asked fellow dancers and hunted for literature abroad to find some pathway on which I could base my curriculum. I came up with nothing! So I chose to create my own, which has proven such a valuable teaching aid for me and apparatus inspiration for my students that I am working to make it available to everyone. The product is a set of 60 cards with a picture of the trick on the front and instructions how to get into and out of that trick on the reverse. It comes in a box with a little information booklet. And it’s not just for kids!

3. That´s amazing Amy. For everyone who wants to support your project where we can find your crowd funding campaign?

I am currently preselling enough sets of “60 Tricks on Aerial Silk” cards to print the initial 1000 sets. If you’d like to jump on board and order a set of silk or trapeze instructional cards, head to my website wildstardance.com.

Could you please tell us about your static trapeze project?

I ran a successful campaign in order to print my “60 Tricks on Static Trapeze” Instructional Choreography Cards at the end of last year, these are now available through my website. They are now what I and many others base our teaching pathway on, the students absolutely love them, and they make the instructors job easier for sure! The students can organize the A5 cards under the trapeze as a choreographic reference, and if the order they’ve chosen doesn’t work, they jump down and shuffle them around.

4. What do you like teaching and performing the most – silks or trapeze? How differ your feeling on silks and on trapeze?

Where exactly do you see more difference: in the dynamic, space, etc.?

Although silks is the most popular apparatus, I prefer the trapeze. I feel that the possible transitions from one pose to the next is completely open due to the rest point the bar provides. Meaning the students are more easily able to take the improvisational dance style they discover on the floor into the air. Silks takes a little more time and dedication to achieve the same level of personal expression.

5. How is circus education in your country? What do you think about children circus education in general? Maybe you could give us some insights.

Circus is still very much a fringe activity, but I do see it creeping more into mainstream acceptance as a valid physical activity for kids. I love the cradling of individuality that circus arts can provide for kids. For me, aerial dance is a vehicle for personal expression, fitness and self esteem. What kid doesn’t need all 3?? Perfect!

6. Do you teach with the music?

What are your favorite music bands, singers or compositors for performances and for teaching if you use music at your classes?

Is it challenging for you to find good music?

I do teach with music yes. Live is always preferred for performance if it is possible, might be the Spanish dancer in me speaking there! I tend to let the kids guide the music choices for it is difficult to dance if you’re not moved by the music. Hence we often end up with the top 50 hits on repeat, forcing me to throw in a bit of Yann Tiersen or Yael Naim every now and then. Finding good music in this technological age is so easy! I love that!

7. Could you give some tips for those who teach circus aerial silks to children or want to do it?

What are your 3 biggest learnings from teaching kids?

1. Don’t squash their natural style of expression, learning good form is essential but not at the cost of unique movement.
2. Have a clear pathway, like the one my “60 Tricks” cards provide, they love to see how far they’ve come and where they’re headed.
3. Keep them safe. These are our next generation, you are setting patterns for life.

8. Do you have a kid? How is performing and having a kid? What is your approach to it: do you want or are you teaching circus to your kid too?

I have 3 children, a 10 year old daughter and two sons 12 and 17. The oldest and the youngest are heavily into circus arts, they are an awesome acro balance team. The middle boy sees a different path so provides some variety in family pass times! I gently offer to teach my kids whatever I know and happily do so when they ask. I believe that pushing anyone into a learning is the fastest way to kill any potential passion they may harbour for it.
I have chosen to share my skills over performing them due to my beautiful children. Hence opening my own studio. Performance as a career focus means a different life style to the one I currently share with my family, dogs, chooks and the beach! I still get performance opportunities, I just don’t need to rely on them for income.

9. Could you please share 2 or 3 tricks on the silks with explanation for our adult readers to try out and learn? Do you have something interesting, advanced or intermediate?

-The way I have chosen to share my tricks is through my cards! Here is a sneak peak…(I have popped these 3 cards in with the other photos)

10. What are your plans for the next year and what is challenging for you right now?

My plans for the next year are to continue the work I started this year in my new studio. Teaching, making and supplying equipment and developing my curriculum further. What is challenging for me is trying to raise enough funds to get my silk cards printed so head to the website above now!!

11. Where one can find your school or book you for a performance?

My website wildstardance.com is the best contact, or you can always drop into my studio, I’m usually here!

Photos:  Lauren Trickett Photography

The cultural center of Germany, Berlin celebrates Aerial Arts Festival in Berlin.  Jana Korb and Daniel Megnet together with their Partners for the Festival Maulhelden Büro and Wintergarten Variete, State Acrobatics School Berlin has organized this amazing event.

Jana Korb & Arnulf Rating

Aerial Arts Festival is a great meeting place for international aerialists connecting performers from different countries. The festival has a well-thought program that combines training and jamming with gala shows, open stage and workshops by artists for different aerial apparatus.

The festival opened with a Gala show by amazing aerial performers from different disciplines: Ilona Jäntti, Emiliano Ron, Leo Hedman, Carmen Küster, Ana Jordão and Isabelle Schuster. The next day followed with a welcome dinner and several days of training and workshops in the State Acrobatics School in Berlin. 2 Days of Talks and discussions on the topics of safety in aerial arts and history of aerial apparatus were an informative and useful contribution to the Festival program. Open stage gave a chance to many artists to show their work. The Festival ends with the Closing Gala Show in Frankfurt Oder. – Best of Aerial Arts in Frankfurt/Oder.

The Closing Gala will take place this Sunday, 30th of October. Don´t miss the chance to see amazing performers to show their artistic work. To get the tickets you can send an e-mail to ticket@muv-ffo.de or call the Ticket-Hotline: (0335) 40 10 120.

Who will be performing at the Closing Gala in Frankfurt?

Cécile Mont-Reynaud, famous aerial performer from Paris who developed her own original apparatus called ”Ariane´s chemins croisés“ where she plays with dance, acrobatics and risks „L’art du risque“.

Emiliano Ron, the Rope Master based in Barcelona and travelling the world to perform and teach aerial rope. His incredible strong and risky movements surprise the audience all over the globe.

Carmen Küster from Berlin works on Counterweight Trapeze which hang only on one point instead of two. Her strength in combination with acting makes it a great performance to see.

Collectif and then… from  London, Praha and Berlin make awesome shows combining aerial acrobatics on different aerial apparatus, physical theater, dance and music.

Ana Jordao is an aerial rope performer who explores the frontiers between aerial arts and physical theater to create her own artistic work.

Roxana Küwen from Lüneburg performs juggling on the trapeze in a lyrical and surreal style.

Here once more where to get the tickets
Ticket-Hotline: +49(0) 335 40 10-120
E-Mail: ticket@muv-ffo.de
Price: 18,-  € and reduced.: 15,- €
Where? Kleist Forum, Platz der Einheit 1, 15230 Frankfurt (Oder)

Project Management
Jana Korb
Daniel Megnet

Host
Vuesch – Verein zur Überwindung der Schwerkraft e.V.

Photos:  Tobi As Stiefel— with Jana Korb, Jana Korb – Aerial Arts and Arnulf Rating.

I´m very excited to introduce Jana Korb, a well-known aerial theater artist from Germany. Jana has many performance projects and is performing all over Germany and neighboring countries. She is also the organizer of the Aerial Arts Festival in Berlin.

1. Dear Jana, could you please tell me a bit about yourself, what brought you to aerial arts?

I came to aerial acrobatics from gymnastics and climbing – sports. I moved to Berlin from Munich, where I had the mountains, and I came to Berlin where I needed something that was high up. Somehow I ended up doing trapeze, which I really love.

2. How have you developed your style as an aerial artist?

Style. It is a long process, I will always be developing my style. I have studied cultural science and fine arts, and Russian. I was doing acrobatics and aerial arts as a sport during the university years. Then I started changing my artistic creation: within fine arts I explored more and more performance arts, and from there I went to street art and circus art. I always wanted to tell stories and my language was my body, and I was still doing a lot of sports. In the process I actually started to put my art and sports together – art plus sports equals circus, doesn’t it!
I never used to consider myself a circus performer – I always said that I am doing aerial arts, not circus arts. Just lately I started calling myself a circus artist. This was a political decision, to add to the visibility of circus in Germany – but my heart is into theater and aerial theater.
I have always wanted to tell stories and my language is my body. I am inspired by Kabakov, Pivovarov and other artists from Moskovsky Romanticheskiy Conceptualism. My first piece worked very much in the style of this conceptual art. For me this is also connected to Czech experimental theater and Czech Surrealism.
Another thing that is immensely important to me, is to create stories about and from women. So I mostly take women’s points of view, empowering stories about women. So I consider my style feminist as well – hoping not to produce Agit Prop.

3. You perform a lot on trapeze. What makes trapeze special for you?

For me the trapeze is not so much an object, but space. Space where everything is possible, though it is very confined. So I create theater for a confined space. This spacial aspect is much stronger on the trapeze than on silks or rope, where the space is not so defined. I create in this space and for this space.

Foto: Vojtěch Brtnický

But a trapeze also is very specific equipment. Everybody sees it as a circus prop. That makes it hard to transcend it – unlike a rope, a rope can be anything – it is not tied to the circus.
But compared to other apparati, the trapeze is very pure. Silks are messy, I love training and performing with them. But for me it is hard to create on silks.
I just love the trapeze. It is a specific space, I like creating for that space.

And what about aerial hoop?

I don’t love hoop as much as the trapeze. I perform with it (we just created a new piece with two counterweight hoops), but I am not too attached to it. Maybe it is because of the history of the hoop. Hoop comes from contortion, trapeze comes from athletics. I’m more an athlete than a contortionist…

4. Jana, could you please tell me a bit more about your projects?

I have different directions of creation: on one hand I create aerial theater and on the other – I do aerial shows. In my aerial shows I perform by being strong and beautiful. I create them for entertainment and show business – for earning money by being great at what I am doing.
Aerial theater is about creating art. I aim to get money for doing it, but I probably would do it anyway.

I have different companies for my creation. In our trio collective mosaique we do fire shows, aerial shows and walking acts. This is very good for entertainment, events, festivals, weddings etc.

In my other collective Korb + Stiefel I mostly create aerial theater. I created a few solos, but also produced pieces with more people.
With my aerial theater I create stories about women. My recent production is a story by Franz Kafka about a trapeze artist who never comes down to the ground.

Foto: Vojtěch Brtnický

Very important for me is my Vintage! Women! Varieté!: I researched women in circus that really existed and have created a documentary theater, where we perform as these women and tell their stories and recreate their circus tricks.
In circus there were so many interesting people who did wonderful things – but nobody knows about them. So I went to search for them. In circus they tend not to mention the names of the individual performers. They talk about the best flyers on earth but didn’t show the names. This is a slowly changing issue in contemporary circus.
This is my ongoing women-in-circus-project. With it goes an exhibition to give more background information about these women. I have created further solo performances and lecture performances, a film and shows as a M.C.

As I said, I like doing silks very much, but I don’t like the aesthetics. But I have created a new silks duet together with Sylvia from Sol’Air: The Sassy Jassy Sisters. We re-created aerial ballet from the 1920s. It is my first silks piece that I really love! Maybe because it is in the style of the Vintage! Women! Variete!

Apart from that I work in ensembles just as a performer. One is in Munich on a Chandelier, Eclair en l’Air. I also have cooperations with other aerialists to do duets and more.
I love performing as an aerialist being just strong and beautiful. In my aerial theater I work with themes that are about more than beauty.

5. Have you also performed on original aerial apparatus?

What other apparatus have you worked on?

I rather transcend existing apparatus than create new ones. For example, in Frau Vladusch I work on three trapezes. In the end I use them all together like a thick rope.
In Paper Dolls I work with ten ropes with silks technique.

For Vertigo (a production that we do not perform any more) I made a cover for my silks, so they could transform from being a covered rope to being silks. This might be my original apparatus – I have never seen anyone do it (or copy it ;-).
My friend from Sol’Air invented the Tissu-Trapeze – instead of ropes the bar hangs on silks. I work for her sometimes and we also created a duet on the Tissu-Trapeze.
And there is the chandelier company. Very much fun to work on a chandelier!

On silks I work in so many different groups, constellations, duets and companies, that I have a really big repertoire of choreographies and tricks. So it is very easy and fun for me to improvise on the silks. Unlike on the trapeze: I usually prepare a choreography in my head, because I only do my own work on the trapeze, I never work in groups.

As for the hoop, I feel I am too stiff for the hoop – or the hoop is too stiff for me…

6. What is the difference between the Varieté and Circus?

I don’t perform in circus. I only performed in one traditional circus. I did varieté – that was fun. But also it felt like having a nine to five job. I felt trapped doing the same every day for three month, without creating. I am happy to perform in varietés, because it’s a good job, but I couldn’t do it all the time.
That is the main difference to theater and street theater: I create my own things. In varieté I am a part of the big show.
I would love to create a whole show for varieté and it would be great to find a variete that will co-produce my work.
We have the Wintergarten hosting the Luftartistik Festspiele Opening Gala! My first show that I put together for a variete!

7. How about the safety during the performance?

Every space is different. In every space you have to check different things. For street performances I bring my own structure to set up.
And of course you have to know what you are doing.

Foto: Vojtěch Brtnický

8. I saw that you are also doing fire in the aerial hoop. What is the secret behind it?

Aerial hoop is the best for fire in the air, because it has more metal than inflammable material. But I have played with fire while working on silks as well.
When spinning in the hoop you have to watch the direction of the fire, because the wind from the spinning makes the fire move in a different way than on the ground.
I mostly eat fire in the hoop. The fire must always be above you, not below you, which is hard when you are upside down…

9. How much do you train, warm up and stretch?

This has changed a bit, because over the last few years I started travelling immensely much. Before that it was routine work: creating and training in winter and travelling in summer. This year from January to May I had about seven projects that I had to produce, create, train and rehearse. So I didn’t have time for real every day training. And it continued until the end of September.
So I had to find a new way to train every day, because I don’t have time to train two to four hours a day as I did before. So I am developing my training that I can do everywhere. Stretching and strengthening four to five times a week in hotels or wherever. Whenever I have a chance to train on apparatus I do that, but usually that means rehearsing rather than training.

10. Could you please tell me a bit more about your aerial theater?

How about Frau Vladusch and Kafka projects?

Creating Frau Vladusch was very biographic work. I wanted to work with Erica Ruhl as my director. So we started by talking, discussing, thinking. Then we slowly started working with the body and on the trapeze. It was a six months creation process.

My Kafka production has a very long process – almost 15 years. It started as an acrobalance duet with Anja Gessenhardt. Until now I have created four different shows about the same story. It is a story about a trapeze artist who lives on her trapeze and never comes down. This summer I was touring with my newest production – a solo on the trapeze. For my research I tried to “live” on the trapeze – the longest was for three hours. This was very interesting – you really get to know your trapeze.

11. How is your choice of the music?

The music depends on the piece. Ticking clocks in Frau Vladusch. For the Paper Dolls I worked with a musician. She did all the music, the vocals and the electronics. In Vintage! Women! Variete! we worked with historic music of the time.

The music depends on what I am creating. I prefer working with music without words, without text. Or I create my own text.

It is easier, when I receive music to create a piece. This sometimes happens for events. Then I just create a choreography to the music.

12. What is the best exercise to do the foot hang on the trapeze?

You have to stretch your legs and calves, so you’ll be able to reach the ground when bending forward with straight feet. You have to stretch the back side of your legs. And you have to be strong enough to do it against gravity. So you need to train your core. And then of course it is overcoming the pain of hanging by your feet.

Foto:  Thomas Kelling

13. How about one hand hanging? What should you consider not to injure the shoulders?

Meathook, back meathook and one hand hangs are different tricks. So there are different tips for all of them.

For just hanging on one hand you have to be strong enough in the shoulder to pull your shoulders down, to take your chest out. Shoulders should be on the same level, arms behind the ears. So it should not look different whether you hang by one or two hands. It is about the strength in the shoulders and working your back muscles.

The meathook and the back meathook are totally different techniques. Pull your shoulders back and down. And keep tension in the belly, the core must be strong.

14. What tips can you give to the aerial students?

Don’t train with YouTube, train with a trainer, unless you know what you are doing. When I started there was no YouTube yet. So there was no danger that you see something and copy it in a wrong way.

Another thing – have respect for danger. If you are not afraid, because you are not a scared person, respect is very important. People who don’t have respect are those who fall.

15. What are the most common mistakes on trapeze?

Students tend to hang with relaxed shoulders, which can hurt them very badly, especially when they are beginners and don´t have the strength in the shoulders yet. So always work with your shoulders.

And also as I just said, people, who don’t have respect and who are not afraid of height, get hurt easily. People who think that it’s fun to let themselves fall down, because there is a nice crash mat. Falling is a technique to learn as well.

16. Where one can book you for a show?

To book me you can contact my manager Lena – see my website.

janakorb.de
aerialartsfestival.de
vintage-woman-variete.blogspot.de
mosaique-feuershow.de

Anne-Sophie Lohmeier   or  Aerialistik as she calls herself,  is an aerial silks performer and teacher  from Munich. In this interview you will learn about her interesting way to aerial arts.

1. How did you come to aerial arts?

How long have you been doing aerial silks and what have you done before?

When I studied in Buenos Aires (2005), I saw an aerial silk performance for the first time. The silk hung on a tree in a park. I was totally impressed by the flying lightness that the girl transmitted through her aerial dance. After the performance I told her how much I liked her performance, she invited me to come to her class once a week in the park and try it out. So each Saturday I made a long trip with the train to take 1 hour silks class. Since then I never stopped training.

2. What is the difference between circus scene in Germany and Argentina?

In Germany they distinguish between the “professional” aerial artists and “semi professional”, that is those who make their living not only from aerial acrobatics. This comes from the distinction between the “New circus” (“Neues Zirkus”) und Cirque Nouveau according to the French tradition, which is regarded as “the serious circus”. On the other hand, they don´t acknowledge the art by the new circus artists, who don´t suit into it the circus communities. I find this classification very sad.

This separation is accompanied often with the distinction between “new circus”, the close to the Cirque Nouveau is based in France and is “serious” circus and on the other side of the circus-makers who do not fit there and therefore often not as an art form  to be considered  seriously. I find it a pity   and one-dimensional. Unfortunately it often causes difficulties for those who   have to fit into the new or contemporary circus to be  taken seriously as artists.

In Argentina almost nobody makes their living only with aerial acrobatics. One lives for circus though has to make money with other jobs. As the circus is not the main income source, one doesn´t has to do certain things to fit into and to make a career. Circus there is a way of life, people meet in a park and train and spend time together . That´s why the scene in Argentina es different from that one in Germany. In Argentina it´s more multifaceted and bigger. I suppose that it is the reason why I came to circus in Argentina and not in Germany.

3. With which aerial apparatus do you train?

What do you like the most:  Aerial Silks, Aerial Hoop or Aerial Rope? Why? Do you also do something else besides aerials, like, for example,  dance or yoga?

I train mostly aerial silks, in the second place trapeze and sometimes I try out floor acrobatics, but it´s sure that the silks is my favorite where I have more connection. Aerial silks allows so many aesthetic and expression ways, at the same time fascinating with its lightness of a fabric. Besides that I like yoga, dance, for example, Tango Argentino.

4.  How long do you usually train?

I train approximately 2-3 times per week for 3 hours.

5.  In which countries  have you performed?

Can you share some interesting episode from your performances ?

I performed many times in Córdoba and Buenos Aires in Argentine, as well as in different places in Bayern – Passau, Eichstatt, Munich and other cities, also in Poland and Palestina. Usually I perform at festivals and   at marketing campaigns, for example for BMW Mini. The most interesting show I had in Palestina, because me and my partner Kathrin Müller were the only women and were not sure what costumes that doesn´t go against religion or culture to put and in such a way that is doesn´t hinder the movements on silks. From the very first month we noticed the excitement of the public and it encouraged us in our performances.

Another unforgettable performance for me was my show for Mini BMW in the Freizeithalle in Munich, where I had to put a costume with lights for my music and the spirit of the show. I was nervous about the lights, but they ignited exactly at the right moment.

6.  How aerial dance influences your lifestyle and nutrition?

Of course I eat mindfully and to the measure as aerial acrobatics takes a lot of energy and effort. Usually I just listen to my body and if it wants a hamburger or fried potatoes, I respect it.

7. Which aerial artists inspire you?

Mariana Sanchez is my inspiration, she managed to bring her dream into reality and to organize an aerial space with aerial apparatus and never lost her passion for circus. I also admire Emiliano Ron, aerial rope artist who now lives in Europe. The rope for him is his life, he takes care of his life and his body. (??) Both of them have kept an optimistic attitude about life in spite of the difficulties. This is very difficult for the Germans.

8.  How much time do you need to prepare a performance?

It all depends. At the moment we work on the piece that we want to present in summer. It´s important to have time to try out with forms, to play and to try some cool stuff in the air all together. What is also good is to have a deadline, like for example a festival project. What I also like is to let me be surprised be the music and the public. At the Wannda-Festival in Munich it´s very exciting. I decide one week before if I perform or not. I think out the costume and the music, and the rest happens at the moment. I don´t know which music will come, nor who will be the DJ. Moreover there is no scheduled time for my performance which makes it so spontaneous. I´m fascinated from the dynamics and just-once performances that lets me develop new movements and choreography. That´s why my performances at Wannda Festival are so exciting for me.

9.  Do you work more with agencies or do you get the most of performances through your contacts?

I get the most of performances though my personal contacts and seldom from the agencies.

10.  What do you take with you  when you have a show?

Accessories, music and a as much calmness as possible, thought sometimes it´s challenging.

11. How long do you warm-up before your aerial silks show?  What is important to consider for a good warm-up?

It´s not always easy, but at least for 10 minutes. Try to think about your whole body, though little time can make you nervous. Many event organizers often just don´t understand the importance of a warm-up.

12. What are the best ointment   for aerialists?

I use Bepanthen for skin injuries and Voltaren against pains.

13.  What training tips can you give to the   readers?

Personally I like all possible strength and flexibility exercises directly on the silks.

Anne-Sophie prepared 2 videos with tricks. You can watch them here:

Duo Tricks

Severine Reisp is a talented ballet dancer who is studying dance in the USA. I got to know Severine at the Ballet Academy in Berlin. Severine has some great tips to share for aerialists and you can also learn her story.

1. Severine, could you tell us a bit about yourself: how did you start ballet?

At age 4 my parents took me to see the ballet Giselle and I was super fascinated by the dancers for the whole performance. After that, I desperately wanted my mother to put me in a ballet school. In the beginning I only went 1 – 3 times a week for training. Later when I was 13, I passed the audition to attend a ballet boarding school in Essen. I didn´t like the environment there, as I was far away from home and the pressure for a 13-year-old girl alone without parents was very high. I moved back to Bielefeld, my hometown. There I took classes with the former head of the dance theatre Bielefeld who studied at the Royal Ballet School in England. At the age of 16 I received a scholarship to study in England, where I could take part in a vocational dance course (12 hours per week) in addition to finishing secondary school. After graduating I applied to the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. I was accepted and continued my dance career there. After a year there I was offered a traineeship with State Street Ballet in Santa Barbara, California. Since I also wanted to finish my college degree I decided to take a step back from classical ballet and now study dance formally in college whilst taking classes in psychology and film.

2. What was it like to get a study place at the Ballet Academy in the US?

How was your application process? What was the biggest challenge for you?

The admission process for the Joffrey Ballet School is similar to auditions in for ballet schools in Europe. You have to participate in an audition or send a video with ballet barre work, Diagonal, Center, Allegro, Jumps, Pointe Work and a ballet variation and a modern variation. The process was the same when I applied for a trainee position at the State Street Ballet. I also completed a Summer Intensive at the Joffrey Ballet School before starting the year round program. For me the most difficult thing was to have the courage to draw attention to myself. Americans know how to highlight their strengths, and it is important to get contacts in the professional world, to get the attention of choreographer and teacher. I don´t find it always easy to put myself in the foreground. In order to study at a college in the States, you have to do both the ACT and IELTS test and write a tremendous amount of essays. Unfortunately Germany does not provide scholarships, one is completely dependent on the colleges to provide financial aid. I applied to many to see where I get scholarships. I also got scholarships to attend Joffrey´s summer intensive and year round program. The application process took me more than a year and was really time consuming. My old secondary school did not offer any help to learn about the application process for the USA so I really had to put a lot of time into finding everything out about the admission requirements.
Since I am also a permanent resident of the USA, I can apply for some government sponsored student aid in the US.

3. Are there scholarships in the United States to study ballet?

It is completely dependent on the individual colleges or ballet schools in the US. Private colleges in the States offer more scholarships than State Universities. One should always ask each university. Especially ballet schools pay attention to your addition or video reel which will reveal them if you have the talent to get accepted and get scholarships.

4. What are the differences between ballet academies in Germany and in the US?

At many universities in the USA you can also study other subjects. For example, you can study dance and minor in Business or Psychology. Universities are structured according to the principle of Liberal Arts i.e. it combines subjects from various disciplines. Ballet schools also put more emphasis on diversity. Most dancers, who study there, train in ballet, Jazz, Contemporary and Modern.

5. How often and when do you train?

How is your usual ballet training? Are you training immediately after getting up? Do you have a specific sequence that you do every day in the morning? Do you stretch before sleeping?

Last year I had a morning class from 9-10.30 at the Company and then at 12-3 a Technique Class, Modern and Variations and then possibly rehearsals. I am currently enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College and my schedule is super packed. I have dance technique classes everyday and then my academic classes, psychology and film in addition to bi weekly one on one meetings with my professors where I will work on conference work (a research paper for the end of the semester). In the afternoon I also take part in a performance project twice a week where we learn choreography from Merce Cunningham. Then I also have other dance classes such as composition, dance history and laban notation. I also try to take classes in New York City as often as I can. The environment in college is very different from ballet conservatories but it is a great way to get to know people from other disciplines and to combine your passions.

6. How does ballet influence your eating habits? Do you eat meat or do you eat vegetarian or vegan food? What snacks do you buy or cook?

I actually eat everything. There was a time when I was too busy with my diet and I didn´t have enough energy for dancing. As a dancer you have to be in good shape but it is important to have a good and balanced meal. In the morning I usually eat cereal with fruit, salad for lunch and a piece of meat and in the evening – rice and vegetables. In between I eat bananas and muesli bars and chocolate:-). But I do not think it is good to put too much emphasize on a strict diet. In the US, there are many interesting granola bars. My favorite bar is macadamia nuts and white chocolate mixed.

7. What is your favorite food? Or you have a favorite recipe for the training?

My favorite food is spaghetti (preferably as my mom makes it and I haven´t quite figured out how to make just as she does it.

8. Which dance or perhaps fitness do you do besides ballet or as part of the training?

I often go to yoga or Pilates. Yoga helps me to work on both my body, mind and to relax. I prefer restorative yoga to core power yoga. Swimming also helps me a lot, when I have muscle tension. Going to the gym helps me with cardio and building up back strength. My father is a golf teacher and when I’m home, I try to spend some time on the golf course with him. Unfortunately, I’m not very good at golf.

9. Could you please give a few good exercises for the ballet warm-up for our readers?

Intermediate:

Feet: Flex and Pointe sitting and then circling outward in the first position and release again circling inward.
I would also  make a few sit-ups and lunges to open the hips, it is often recommended. At the bar: 2-demi plie in the first, 1 grand plie, the same 2nd in the position. 8 Relevés in the first position.

Advanced: Plies in all positions. Then to the bar: 8 fast Degages in the first right and left, then 4, then 2, then press 1. Then on the bar: Leg Swings Attitude Front and rear. If one is well warmed up: take one   leg with your   hand and stretch it. 🙂

Many thanks Severine! It was very interesting to talk to you and I hope that our readers have taken a few good tips for themselves. I wish you a lot of   success in your studies and in your ballet goals!

Photos: Cejae Photography

Emiliano is a talented aerial rope artist and teacher with unique technique and style. You can read more about him and his great work in this interview .

Emilaino, known as the Rope Master, travels around the world teaching the beautiful and strong art of aerial rope and performing.

I had an opportunity to visit his 2 days advanced aerial rope workshops when he was in Berlin and it was an awesome experience. There were different artists, also famous artists and amateurs from Germany and from some other countries who came to Berlin just for the workshop. It was a nice, friendly atmosphere with a lot of fun and hard work at the same time.

Emiliano teached us  new movements and tricks always explaining the right technique and making us conscious of how we create the movement often also showing it both on the rope and on the floor.

Emiliano corrected us when necessary and was attentive to everyone so that all of us could take some good knowledge from the workshop.

I just loved the ticks and climbing that we learnt at the workshops. We also combined some of the moves into a nice composition.

I really enjoyed the workshop and great things that I learnt at it. I definitely recommend Emiliano´s workshops to everybody who wants to learn very cool tricks for aerial rope with a correct technique and original style.

Emiliano is teaching aerial workshops in different countries for different levels. Go and try them out or share them with your friends who could be interested.

The next workshops by Emilano

18th till 31st , July. St. Nazaire, France. Les Rencontres de Danse Aérienne.
4th till 7th, August. Barcelona, Catalunya. 5th Rope Meeting. (Organizer)
9th till 11th, August. Menorca, Islas Baleares. Menorca Rope meeting. (Guest Artist)
20th and 21st, August. Sheffield, UK. Rope Workshop.
1st till 15th, September. Cape Town, South Africa.
19th till 30th, September. Stockholm. Sweden.
7th till 17th, October. Palestine. Palestine Circus Festival.
25th till 29th, October. Berlin, Germany. Aerial Arts Festival Berlin
November. Santa Cruz, California. Radical Movement Factory.
December. Seattle, Washington.

Aurélie Bernard is a circus artist and  performs internationally with different aerial apparatus. She discovered circus when she was 15 and studied    at the   Circus Space in London.

1. Aurélie, could you please tell me about yourself?

How was your story of becoming an aerialist? What was your biggest challenge and how you overcame it?

I started circus when I was a teenager, I loved juggling at the time and so that’s why I went to a circus school. But during my first class, I got to try trapeze and a felt in love with it! I stopped my juggling career and started learning aerial.

2. What and who inspired you when creating your own style?

Inspiration come from so many different places, not only shows or persons, it can as well come from music, books, or life events.
I remember being really inspired by a small French circus company called cirque Gosh, a well as James Thierrée’s show “La symphonie du Hanneton”. I always loved Tsigane culture and music, this had been a big inspiration for me. Some movies director as well, Emir Kusturica and Wes Andersen in particular.

3. With which aerial apparatus do you perform? Which is your favorite and why?

My favorite is static cloud (static cloud swing) this is why I specialized in at circus school and probably the one where I did the most research in. I just love the fact that this apparatus doesn’t really exist so there is no technic coming with it; you just have to find your own way of using it!

Photo:  Katherine Leedale

4. How does your usual day look like?

How long and how often do you train and stretch? How long do you warm up and stretch before the performance?

I usually train 5/6 days a week and try to do not less than 2 hours every time (circus training). I take yoga and pilates classes, I go to swim and I run every week as well.

I like to have as much time as possible before going on stage. I would say that I like to have 1h30/2h for warm up but sometimes it’s not so well planned and I end up with only 30 min to warm up, which I really dislike.

5. You performed in many countries. Could you please share some funny or unexpected episodes during your performances?

I had some crazy experiences during my travels, often due to languages difficulties or poor organization… but one thing that touched me a lot was when I was performing Clémentine, at the end of the act, I used to kill myself. But many times, in different countries, people shouted at me not to do it, to stop it. The audience got really involved in this act, so much that I changed the end and finish on a much happy note now, as I get so much support from the audience!

6. How do you create your aerial hoop transitions?

How is your creative process when preparing choreography? How do you choose your music for your performances?

Before I make a new act, I usually spend months on the hoop trying to find new moves; I like the idea of starting everything from scratch. Sometimes I already have music in mind but not always; in that case I adapt the choreography to the music afterwards.
I always listen to music when I am home, working on my computer, when I hear a song that I like, I save it and then try to use it to perform. But I am really specific on what kind of music I want to use so sometimes it takes forever before I am satisfied!

Aerial hoop photos and a featured photo: Maja Karen

7. What is the most important in a performance from your point of view?

To trust what you are doing!!! Have a strong presence, perform, share with the audience, be there!

8. What precaution tips can you give for aerial hoop lovers?

Did you ever have injury and how have you cured it?

Photo:  Tangle Photography

I will say one thing : do some conditioning!!!
When I teach, I often hear form new students: can we do more tricks? Yes of course, but first you need to be strong enough to avoid any injuries. If you learn tricks too fast, you will never improve, you will stay on the same level, doing the same tricks all the time. It is important for students to take the time to get stronger and understand their bodies better. Being in the air is a strange felling and it’s quite hard to control your body when you are upside down, you have to train that!
About myself, I try to do as much yoga and Pilates as possible, as well as basic conditioning to prevent and avoid injuries.

9. I saw that you have a very beautiful shoulder turn in one of your videos on the aerial hoop.

How one can learn that? What tips or exercise can you recommend?

I will not recommend that move to anyone!!
I think it’s a move that you can do or you can’t. Of course there are way of training your shoulder flexibility but I don’t think that it is a great idea to train a shoulder dislocation. And if you are able to do it, then learn how to do it right and make sure that you keep conditioning your shoulder to have a good support.

Photo: Maja Karen

10. What exercises and tips can you give to the readers for a good middle split in the star trick on the hoop?

Stretching on the floor. Either lying down on your back, with some weights on your legs or with an elastic around your legs. Remember to stay in the position for a long time, not less than 5min.

11. How is the circus scene and circus atmosphere in the countries where you performed?

What are the best places to do aerial circus there?

I now live in Copenhagen and I love training here! The circus community is not so big and really friendly.
I was in London before, where I lived and studied and I had a great time there. But there are a lot of circus performers and therefor much more competition.

Photo:  Tim Draper

12. Where one can book you for a show?

Do you also give classes? 

You can contact me and see all my infos on my Facebook page  as well as my website  or on Instagram @aurelieclementine.  I teach weekly in Copenhagen but I am happy to give private classes while I am traveling.

Rebekah Burke studied ballet and contemporary dance at the North Carolina School of the Arts with Ethan Stiefel, Ellison Ballet in New York City, the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, and at American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive in New York City. Rebekah studied Cerceau/Aerial Hoop with Jan Manke in NYC, at Le Studio in LA and on her own in Fredericksburg, VA. She has performed on a freelance basis in NYC and LA and was most recently a member of the cast of Queen of the Night in NYC.

1. Rebekah, could you please tell me about yourself?

How was your story of becoming an aerialist?  What  was your biggest challenge and how you overcame it?

I began as ballet dancer training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts until I was about 16.
That’s when I moved to NYC for ballet school. About two years later I decided I wanted to quit ballet. At the same time I found a gig working as a dancer with an aerialist; and when I saw the aerialist perform I thought it looked like a lot more fun! I trained under her for a few months and then on my own a bit in NYC and privately with Jan Manke at Circus Warehouse. When I was 19, I moved to LA and trained at Le Studio for a year. I then moved to Virginia (where my hometown is) and trained on my own for a bit before moving back to NYC and joining the cast of Queen of the Night.

A big challenge for me has been that, from the beginning, I wanted to break the rules and do my own thing as an aerialist. I had to learn that I first needed to get strong and learn the rules — and then break them. That was definitely a practice in patience for me and taking that step back was well worth it. It was a lesson learned, and I think it’s a lesson that will continue to be learned throughout my journey as an aerialist and performer.

Photo:  Omar Robles

2. How has your background in ballet and contemporary dance influenced your style in aerial arts?

What  inspired you when creating your own style? What does color, for example, changing your hair color, mean  for you as an artist?

Ballet and dance training influenced my style in a more subconscious way, than in a conscious way. My body always loved spinning so when I’m on the hoop I think it naturally begins to make shapes that it would when turning in ballet. A big part of ballet is that you’re constantly projecting energy through space and there’s awareness in every inch of your body. And a big part of my work is that there is awareness and purpose in every movement that my feet and legs make, which differs from what another aerialist, without the intense training in ballet that I had, may look like in the air.

When creating my own style my extracurricular interests really inspired me — such as Warhol era art, artists and punk music. And more importantly the fact that I always want to do what people tell me not to do. When a teacher told me to grow my hair out, I went and shaved off half of it. Haha! That was like a gateway drug and ripping off the band­aid to being my own person. The crazy colors soon followed. But I realized that what makes you different is actually what makes people want to see you perform, you just have to be crazy and brave enough to go for it.

3. Do you also train with some other aerial apparatus? Why have you chosen aerial hoop?

I don’t train on many other apparatuses, but when I do it has to spin! That’s why I chose hoop, because of my love of spinning 🙂 I’ve dabbled in chains and a little straps, but I think I’d really like to get into dance trapeze next.

4. How does your usual day look like? How long and how often do you train and stretch?

How does your  stretching and warming up routine before the performance differ from you one before the training? 

It really depends on if I’m in a show or not. Usually when I’m not in a show or on a break from a show, I’ll train on a hoop for about two hours, in a gym for about one hour, and then work on my act development (character work, story boarding etc) for about another two hours. And I’ll do this about six days a week. When I’m in a show I’ll warm up for about an hour beforehand, I’ll try to fit in around an hour of training time on my hoop and then a lot of my training comes from the work I do in the show.

Warming up and stretching before a show will usually focus on cardio and getting my heart rate up quickly so I can get ready for my act. Stretching will focus on my body parts that will be used the most during the show and the tricks that I’m performing. When I’m training I like to cover everything and really focus on warming up from core outwards.

5. Do you travel a lot performing? Could you please share some funny or, maybe, unexpected episode during  your performances?

I actually have yet to perform that much while traveling, but I can say that when I do travel, my hoop and luggage don’t usually arrive at my destination with me — they usually show up a couple of days later! I have the worst luck traveling with checked luggage…no matter the weather.

Photo:  Ray Tamarra

6. How do you create your aerial hoop transitions? Could you give some tips for interesting transitions in the aerial hoop flow?

How is your creative process when preparing choreography? How do you choose your  music for your performances?

The best way I’ve found to find transitions is to think of a sequence that I’ve been wanting to try, get on my hoop while it’s static, try the sequence, clean it up to my liking, and then try it with a spin. As soon as I see how the hoop works with the movement and where it wants to go during the spin I can see possibilities for, “Oh! My leg can go here, my arm can go through here, and the spin of the hoop will pull me back over to here.”

Finding and choosing music is still a nemesis of mine. I either can’t find anything or I like everything and can’t decide what song to use. In fact, if any one has any tips for this please let me know!

7. What is the most important in a performance from your point of view?

Telling a story. If you have a literal story that you’re telling it will add a purpose to your movement that the audience will feel. They might not get the exact story that you’re telling, but they will find their own.

8. What precaution tips can you give for aerial hoop lovers?

Did you ever have injury and how have you  cured it?

Don’t try anything that you’re not strong enough to do, and don’t let peers or competition pressure you. I fractured my shoulder a few years ago trying a dislocate move that I absolutely wasn’t strong enough to do — because I didn’t know better.

9. What tips or exercise can you give to master a neck hang on the aerial hoop?

Skin. Gather up all that neck skin and practice squeezing your shoulders to your ears. Eventually, when you’re able to let go, you can practice that feeling of keeping your shoulders squeezing, but releasing your arms downwards.

10. What exercises would you recommend to our readers for one ­hand hangs and one­ hand hang with a  split?

Everyday when you train, practice just hanging for as long as you can, even when you think you can’t hold on anymore keep hanging. Do those with both hands and with one hand on each side. Also, practicing meathooks through straddle and alternating back and forth.

11. You were distinguished as Women’s Lyra Champion in the 2015 U.S. Aerial Championships in New York City in February 2015.

How was that experience?

The U.S. Aerial Championships was a great experience and I feel it came at exactly the right time in my life and career. I had been training my act in Virginia and needed to perform it; but I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to find the right atmosphere for it because I felt I was doing something a little different. Winning and getting the acknowledgment from the competition really helped my confidence to go out and start performing my own act and with my own artistic vision.

12. Many artists also like to model, what inspires you when modeling?

What message do you want to  transmit through   your photos?

The modeling that I do is usually an artistic collaboration, and I tend to work with photographers who are friends so it has more of a feel of playing around and creating. Sometimes there will be a message that I’m trying to convey, or a feeling, but a lot of time I just want to make something pretty. I am a huge fan right now of creepy poses and poses that are simple with something intricate, such as fingers woven together and positioned a certain way.

13. Where one can book you for a show? Do you also give classes?

You can find my contact information on my website    or through my Facebook Page.

I teach private lessons to intermediate and advanced students. You can contact me directly for information on location and rates.

Featured Photo: Ryan C Jones

Emiliano Ron has devoted many years to various aerial techniques, choosing to specialize on rope. With an academic background in Cinematography Arts (Editor and Director of Photography) and spending his adolescence mixing his passion for martial arts, punk rock, books and skateboarding, he decided to leave everything and become a circus artist. Learning with great teachers and training alongside others he has become a living legend on the rope. Currently he divides his profession as an artist and teacher; creating new movements and developing a particular eccentric and unique style. A freak on the rope. Raw, wild, brutal and different.

I´m very happy to interview a great talented aerial rope artist, the rope Master, Emiliano Ron, who is travelling the world performing and giving workshops.

1. Emiliano, could you tell me about yourself.

How did you start circus? How was your artistic way to circus?

I´m Emiliano Ron. I´m a rope artist. I’m from Buenos Aires. Argentina. I’m based in Barcelona. But I’m not to often there. I like to live close to the sea and at the place that sun shines every day.
I start practicing martial arts when I was a kid. I was “problematic” kid so my psychologist recommend my mother to send me there. There I learn about self control and how to train hard.
When I was an adolescent I discovered  skateboarding. It was a perfect mix. The discipline of the martial arts and the wildness and freedom of the skate. This is something that I still keep when I’m performing.
I started with the circus when I was at the university studying cinema. I was dating with a girl that was doing rope. She was my first teacher and she even show me how to make my own rope.
Suddenly I started to get bored of working on cinema. Too many hours on a studio, too many hours in front of a computer. I love cinema, but I needed to move my body!
I quit everything and I decided to run away with the circus …

2. In which countries do you perform and give workshops?

Almost everywhere. I try to go to all the places I can. If someone organizes it, I’ll go. I work with schools, but I also like the punk spirit DIY, do it yourself. I keep contact with students from different countries and they organize their own workshops.
The same with performances. I perform in different places and I enjoy them all, from traditional circus, to punk circus cabarets.
I’m really open on that.
I’m not so good working on group creations and shows. I have a rope solo act and I like to perform  it.

3. How does your usual training look like?

Do you train daily? How long do you train? How do you prepare your performance and how do you choose the place?

I train everyday. I love what I’m doing and it’s my job. I work around 8 hours per day. Office work, emails, social media and papers and training.
I’m not all day on the rope. I also stretch and do some acrobatic training too for the most difficult tricks.
My act is based on technic. It’s just me and the rope. I need a good rigging for it and a nice crash mat.
I’m also a rigger so I check every detail. Sometimes if the rigging is too bouncy it’s more annoying and the beats are not so good, but you just need more time for rehearsal. I always ask extra time for this. Also lights are really important on my act.

4. How long does it take you to prepare an aerial performance?

What is the most important for you in a performance? What do you appreciate the most in an artist?

I´ve been preparing my act all my life. I put everything there. I’m here, right now, for all the things I’ve done before. My act   is also  evolution of my previously acts.
I like artists to be honest when they perform, and I like to see when they give it all. When you go back stage, you can really see this, tears, sweats and blood.
If you also honest, you gonna be unique, you don’t need to copy anyone. Only you, can be you. And I enjoy that. Knowing honest and unique people.

5.  Emiliano where are your next workshops and where one can find when you give the workshops?

During 2016 I’ll be touring different places. It gonna be an endless rope tour.
I’ll start in Lanzarote, I go there for a festival and making some photoshoot with my rope at a vulcan!! After I go to Sheffield, U.K. And at the end of January I go to Paris.
This year also I’ll start with a new personal project that I called : “Rope without borders”. As a rope teacher I’ll like to teach at social circus schools. Go for one month to this places and work there every day. Give the chance to became a high technical level rope artist to students that can’t pay. Education should be free for everyone. And I wanna work on that. I’m still working on it, it’s a big project but I’m happy to do it.

7. What are your favorite circus shops or rope providers?

I use Barry ropes. It’s a brand from Canada. They are my favorite ones. Covered ropes make more easy your training, also your fingers and your hand will look better.
My others sponsors are Pole Junkies, which provides me my training clothes, I love colorful clothes for training.
And I also work with BlackRoll, whom make amazing foam rolls and recovery products. After performing I run into my Black roll and my back is grateful to that. I also use them for warming up before a performance. I take my BlackRoll everywhere, even on holidays.

8. I know that a travelling artist has a lot of adventures.

Please share with our readers one funny or surprising adventure during your travels.

Budapest was one of the hilarious contract that I have done. I was working with my friend Noe Robert, an amazing artist on the swinging trapeze. The first thing that we noticed, there is that none of the workers at the circus spoke English at National Circus… Rigging was insane, it took   us for ever to rig on a wood ceiling that it was almost 100 years old. We were always sick at that season, from the bed till the circus. We were  changing rooms there. The food was amazing and really cheap. But too many shows. When  we were almost finishing the contract, happy to have survived it, we had  a little accident…
Noe left a candle on at his room, never do that please. I was at the stage at the end of the show and he came running and screaming. I couldn’t understand anything. I told him to calm down. And he screamed: “Fire in   the room, fire!”
I ran to the rooms and it was all on fire. I took the fire extinguisher and I kicked the door like in the movies, in real life is not so easy. There was almost nothing there, and the extinguisher decided not to work. I opened the shower and tried to turn the fire off with water. We lost almost everything. 1 hour after when the fire was off and I was covered in dust and ashes, the police and the firemen came. They took me to the ambulance of course I was feeling dizzy. On my way to the ambulance I met   the director of the circus, he just look at me and said: “problems, you always problems” finally he spoke English at least.
30 minutes after we were performing again. Show must go on!
After that we had to pay for the rooms that we have burnt and the firemen. It was a long day, and I didn’t even had time for a shower. #circuslife …

Thank you very much Emiliano! It was awesome speaking to you. I hope that our readers feel inspired to learn great rope tricks with you or to start learning the rope.

Emiliano´s training video

Photos:  Sandra Garza

Laura Dasi is a talented aerialist, classical ballet dancer and yoga teacher. She knows how to bring dance into the air. Each of her performances   transmits beauty and elegance from classical ballet. Laura creates characters full of grace and emotion. Laura performs with aerial silks, lyra and hammock.

In this video interview you will learn about how to create a choreography for aerial silks, what is important about transitions , how to choose music for your performance, how to take care of your body, how to work on your points and much more.

Interview Podcast

You can find Laura on her website  and her Facebook page.

Photos:  Mario Covic

Originary from Quebec City area, Caroline is a aerial and equestrian circus artist, as well as a dancer and a Pilates instructor. She got her training with Masters in Montreal, France, Argentina and New York in aerial and equestrian acrobatics. She performed as a dancer and circus performer in events in Quebec, Ontario, USA and Europe. Her pluridisciplinary approach gave Caroline the opportunity to get involved into dance and circus projects and it’s in these fields where she is interested on continuing to evolve.

It was an  interesting interview with many   tips and  different topics about aerial arts, horse acrobatics and performing.

Photo:  Anne-Marie Poirier

Here is a small list of things we talked about in the interview.

• Tips about acrobatics on the horses. Where to study horse acrobatics. What to consider when performing on horses and what is a difference between aerial performance and that one on horse.
• Tips for partner acrobatics in aerials.
• New  ideas of creating a choreography.
• Great tips for choosing the music.
• How does it works for an aerialist to have a baby.
• Recovering from injury. Precautions and tips.
• Tips for training in a healthy way.
• Pilates for balance in aerial arts.
• Aerial silks and aerial hoop, or in combination.

Podcast  Interview

Here are  the places  Caroline talked about in the interview:
École de cirque de Québec
Caserne comunautary Center
Cirqus ( training space in Montreal)
Luna Caballera (where people can train horse acrobatics in Quebec)

Photo:  Dave Vézina