CIRCUSTENTIALISM

SAT 5:30 - 7:00 = CIRCUSTENTIALISM @ Skybox

NEXT SERIES STARTS NOV 15

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED

$30/class or $120/ 6-week series

e-mail [email protected] to register

This six-week series is a chance for aerialists to develop their creativity & choreography, exploring sequencing, transitions, composition, and stage craft in the creation of a piece. Each class teaches a sequence of movements on a different piece of equipment (Silks, Trapeze, Lyra, Corde Lisse, Hammock, and / or Cloud Swing) and then goes on to apply these movements in the context of an exercise. Exercises include both duo and solo work, choreography, improvisation, musicality, and stage presence, and emphasize the experience of transforming tricks into dance, and acrobatics into art. Students will finish the course with a composed piece of choreography, as well as expanded knowledge of technique and a deepened connection to their own creative voice and expression.

Each class stands on its own, and it is not necessary to attend all 6 classes to get the benefit of this course. Nor is it necessary to take the classes in order, although the classes do build upon and inform one another.

OPEN LEVEL - SOME AERIAL EXPERIENCE SUGGESTED

DROP-IN COST: $40

PLEASE WEAR: Comfortable fitted clothing (dance or yogawear is good) that covers the back of the knees and waist area + BRING long-sleeved shirt (for drops!)

DIRECTIONS: L to Bedford, RIGHT on N 1st st, walk to 91 N 1st

SYLLABUS

Week 1 - INTRO TO CIRCUSTENTIALISM

Trapeze, Silks, Lyra, & Cloud Swing

Creativity, Choreography, and the Experience of Aerial Dance

This class is an overview of the principles of Circustentialism, which combines influences of dance, theater, and fine art to inform the creative process of aerial dance. We will explore sequencing, choreography, and improvisation, as well as covering the six viewppoings (space, shape, story, time, emotion, and movement) and working with such details as stylization, embellishment, musicality, and transitions.

Week 2 - PRESENCE

Trapeze & Hammock

The Secret to Stage

Stage presence is nothing more than this: being present on stage. This class emphasizes the incredible powerful avaliable both as dancers and performers through truly finding a sense of presence in every moment, being fully conscious as we move through sequences on Trapeze, Silks, and Lyra. Exercises will include one of the most challenging and revolutionary concepts in dance - the idea of moving and articulating silence.

Week 3 - FLUIDITY

Silks & Trapeze

Transitions & Fluidity - Finding your Way from A to Z

Fluidity means flowing smoothly through aerial dance, rather than struggling through "in between" moments as we move from trick to trick. This class will lead through a series of exercises emphasizing undulation and fluidity, allowing you to bring every detail of your movement together with pleasure, grace, and beauty.

Week 4 - SPACE & SHAPE

Double & Single Trapeze & Lyra

Working with the figure to create shapes and poses, using the body to effectively craft space & time. We will work through a series of movements articulating the incredible range of shape revealed in the human body, focusing on doubles work and working with fluid transitions between poses.

Week 5 - MUSIC & TIME

Trapeze, Lyra, & Silks

This Workshop will focus on musicality, transforming aerial acrobatics into Aerial Dance. A sequence will be taught and then adapted to suit the various pieces of equipment, giving students a chance to adapt and expand the choreography to suit the music, allowing the body to flow naturally. We will also work with musicality and improvisation, working with the difference between articulating prefixed choreography and free-flowing through the experience of dance.

Week 6 - CREATIVITY & CHOREOGRAPHY

Trapeze, Lyra, Silks, & Cloud Swing

One of the core classes of this series, this course is a chance for students to find their own creative voice, learning the creative process that goes into choreographing Aerial Dance. We will discuss the six viewpoints - space, shape, story, time, emotion, and movement - and then go on to a series of exercises in creativity and choreography. Students will finish this class with "finished" piece - a work in progress, which they may continue to develop in other workshops or on their own.

Bonus Class - STYLE

Trapeze, Silks, & Cloud Swing

Find your voice - define your style! Aerial Acrobatics can all to easily become a string of tricks, which quickly becomes boring both to the audience and the performer. In this class, you will have a chance to explore what makes your own personal style of dance unique, identifying certain characteristics of movement and working towards refining these embellishments. Students will work with various ways of expressing and articulating both specific and abstract emotions, from small details such as fingers and toes to the overall effect of the dancer`s personal style.