Wednesday Evening Miniseries: New in 2020

Miniseries are even better when you get to star in them!  All new for 2020, Buffalo Aerial Dance is offering 3 week series on specialized topics – including a new 100% non-intimidating beginner class.  We’ve planned the miniseries through May already, and we’ll repeat favorites or add new ones as we get feedback.  Check out all the options below.  Also, FYI the plural of miniseries is also miniseries.

 

ABSOLUTE BEGINNER CLASS 

For those who have never taken an aerial class!  Or anyone who would like a refresher on the basic skills. We will learn basic positions on silks, trapeze, and aerial hoop and get feel for each of the different apparatus.  On the silks, we will learn to wrap the fabric around our feet and stand on it.  We will also work with silks tied in a knot for supported inversions. On aerial hoop, we will learn a “Delilah mount” and perch ourselves in the hoop in various ways, working on balance and body positioning.  On trapeze, we will learn how to get on the bar from underneath it, and practice standing, sitting, balancing, and hanging on the bar.  This class is designed to take all the intimidation out of trying an aerial class — but still deliver all of the fun! Variations on these moves will be shown for those who are comfortable, but it’s perfectly appropriate to stay with the basics too!  Also, check out our article and F.A.Q.s on what it’s like to be a beginner aerialist.

INVERSION BOOTCAMP

 

HARNESSING MOMENTUM

Let’s do all of the beats, circles, and rolls! But first, let’s understand how they work. In this miniseries, we will explore how to generate sustained momentum from a continual movement (i.e. a beat), and how to create a burst of momentum from releasing a static position (i.e. dropping).  We will break down muscle engagements and techniques for performing dynamic skills safely and efficiently.  And we will look at how body positioning impacts our ability to either amplify or curb the forces we generate. Finally, we will study timing.  Feeling and understanding the timing of a specific moment is a big factor of success for a lot of momentum-based skills.

Each week will progress from the last, so registration for the entire series is strongly encouraged.   Drop-ins will be allowed only if there is space available.

Skills: Hip circles (front/back/sideways), Russian Rolls, Monkey Rolls, Pullovers to straddle, Pop-ons, Long hang beats to various poses (lyra), Long hang beats to basket/pullover (trapeze),  Crucifix beats to various positions (both), Elbow Circles, Straddle Bells and Illusion Straddles (lyra).

Apparatus: Lyra and trapeze

Level: intermediate/advanced.

Pre-req’s:  Ability to mount lyra/trapeze multiple ways, ability to move from top bar to bottom bar of lyra, solid hip hang, knee hang, and front balance.  Familiarity with knee beats and long hang beats is recommended.

 

ARTFUL EXITS

You go to class, you learn the moves, you envision the sequences, but then… roadblock.  When you’re on an aerial apparatus, one thing does not necessarily lead to another!  Silks is infamously the “wrappiest” apparatus.  So, just how do you unwrap without creating a mess – or sliding down to the floor? The art of exiting involves a combination of silks theory, or understanding what will happen as you add or remove the different parts of each wrap, and proper weight placement, or knowing how to find support from either your own strength or the apparatus as you release pieces of the wrap that were previously holding you in place.

In this workshop, we will break down some of the most common complex and/or precarious wraps to understand exactly at which point we need to shift our weight elsewhere to stay in the air.  We will explore creative strategies using pieces of each wrap as links to other moves. We will also practice wrapping and unwrapping the silks with intention rather than simply as a chore that has to be completed before or after the big ta-da.

Skills to be considered:  Star Drops exits, Ankle hang exits, Single crochet/single silk catchers exits, various belay exits, exits from crochet/crossback drops and skills, exits from footlocks gone awry, others as requested.

Apparatus: Silks, some rope

Level: intermediate

Pre-req’s:  Familiarity with crochet climb, single star, and Brazillian/360.  Comfortable working at heights of up to 15 feet.

 

EXPRESS YOURSELF

In this miniseries, we will explore some of the secrets that transform aerial arts from a workout to a creative and expressive art form.  You may not want to hear this, but many of these secrets are best told on the ground before they make their way into the air.  While we will eventually get to the air, the magic does not come from the lyra or the silks, the flying aerial octahedron, or whatever you’re into climbing around on.  It comes from you and your body.  First you have to be willing to get comfortable with that.  Are you ready?

In this exploration, we will work first on the ground (35-45 minutes), and then in the air (25-35 minutes). Floor movement has some very different schools of thought.  On one hand, there are centuries of technique that dictate what makes a nice line, what is an aesthetically pleasing shape, which way your head should tilt in relation to your shoulders, and so on.  On the other hand, there is the sense that movement is deeply personal, and needs to come from within oneself.  We will work from technically rooted concepts that give direction, but also allow freedom to simply move.  We will go beyond memorizing known pathways from one shape to another, and learn how to create and discover those pathways!  We will explore how to incorporate elasticity, sharpness, softness, and other qualities into our movements.  We will consider what lines and shapes that look good on us individually, and begin to make our aerial skills uniquely our own expressions.

Apparatus: Any

Level: Any

Pre-req’s:  3 months of aerial experience is recommended