Read about James' time at the European Aerial Dance Festival this summer:
I was very fortunate enough to be granted the opportunity to
attend the EADF this year in Brighton. I arrived on Sunday 3rd
August to the glorious seaside city and checked myself in to the hotel,
breathed in the glorious sea air, admired the beautiful views and prepared my
mind and body for the very demanding, challenging and thrilling week ahead. I
attended the festival from Monday 4th – Friday 8th August
with a 9:00am start – 7:00pm finish each day – I know… a whole week of aerial
classes and training… I must have been mad! Nevertheless it proved to be one of
the most enriching, rewarding, and outstanding experiences of both my
professional and personal life, such a revelation!
The festival
featured an array of classes for which the person attending could choose
according to their ability and personal preference/strengths. Classes such as
Trapeze, Silks, Counterweight Harness and Vertical Dance etc. were just a
handful to choose from. However I decided to opt for Cocoon and Play, Trapeze,
Counterweight Harness, Counterbalance and Partnering Work along with a Warm Up
which consisted of dance and a cool down of Contact Improvisation. I was in
paradise.
Every morning would begin with your chosen warm up, in this case mine was Dance. A very polite, calm French young woman called Magalie delivered dance routines, stretch exercises and allowed us to focus on the flow, execution and freedom of the dance. It was so exhilarating to begin the day with a fresh, innovative dance class and really prepared my body for the day ahead and the days that followed. Moving on to my first class (Cocoon & Play) kindly lead by two aerial artists and performers from the beautifully intrinsic Fidget Feet Aerial Company based in Ireland. I of course learnt new tricks, found interesting ways to get into the cocoon but the thing that really changed my perspective was how driven they were to ensure we were following their instructions and focused on executing the tasks properly, safely and with the right technique. It really did open my eyes to the way I view aerial work and in particular made me find an even bigger passion for aerial dance. They taught us to be creative, explore and most importantly enjoy every second of being in the air, dancing and using the equipment.
And so after a quick break it was on to my next workshop – Counterweight Harness. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this particular piece of aerial equipment it basically consists of one person wearing a harness to which they secure themselves either side of their hips to a solid metal bar above their heads (a flyer) which is kept elevated by another person in a harness on a ladder who acts as their counterweight. More simply if I were the counterweight and were to climb down then the flyer would be lifted up. My first experience of this workshop was truly amazing. Strapped into the harness and slightly elevated in the air meant I could tackle rotations, forward balances and spins. For someone who suffers from motion sickness it wasn’t the greatest of things to be doing, I did however have a very enjoyable but sickly experience. As the week went on I decided to avoid the spinning and instead acted as the counterweight. Full attention, precision and clear communication were all needed by both the flyer and counterweight to ensure no one injured themselves. It was a completely new aerial experience for me and one that I thoroughly enjoyed, I would definitely attend further classes/workshops.
My final aerial workshop was the Trapeze. This was a piece of equipment which I have had experience as well as having the same principle knowledge of the hoop so I wasn’t too apprehensive when using it. Serenity Smith-Fortune who delivered the class was an American born aerial extreme enthusiast who along with her twin sister help found a circus school/university in the States. The one thing I really admired about Serenity’s guidance was her patience, and attention to detail. She would divide her tie equally with participants and ensure everyone was working to a comfortable level. She challenged us with difficult moves and allowed us each day to work towards improving and adding to a sequence. Trapeze I felt combined my experience of the silks and hoop. Having the ropes which could be manipulated, used to climb and slide down etc. as well as having the solid structure and support of the bar made way for interesting and exciting stances, poses and continual movements.
Attending the festival and participating in all of the classes was at times very frustrating by not being able to execute a specific move or losing grip, becoming fatigue and wanting to give up but having the encouragement of the artists and participants around you gave you the rush to carry on and try and try again. I learnt a tremendous amount not just about being an aerialist but what it can offer, how much more an aerial piece of work can be viewed if you truly embody the piece of equipment, how you interact with it and respond to unexpected incidents. Taken part in and viewing aerial work is mind-blowing, exciting and complex. It is different and is vastly becoming more and more popular in Britain. I will continue along with the other artsNK Dance Team Members to push and inspire and reveal aerial dance capabilities but please if you haven’t experienced any such thing then I beg you… please do, you won’t be disappointed!
Thank you to artsNK for agreeing to let me go. Hopefully I
or the other dance team members will be attending next year. Keep your eyes and
ears open.
For more info on the EADF then please visit: http://www.gravity-levity.net/events/european-aerial-dance-festival-eadf-august-4th-10th-2014/
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