[Such a Bia♥●•٠·˙]

Every time I go to the circus I fantasize about what it would be like to be a performer. It always appears so glamorous.. Sleek, flawless movements, the glitzy costumes and the thunder of applause. It is my dream...Aerial Dance- the arts of the flying trapeze, silks and rope training, and the trampoline as well as a number of other daredevil activities.

Aerial modern dance is a sub-genre of modern dance first recognized in the United States in the 1970s. The choreography incorporates an apparatus often attached to the ceiling, allowing performers to explore space in three-dimensions. The ability to incorporate vertical, as well as horizontal movement paths, allows for innovations in choreography and movement vocabulary.

The saddest thing that it remains just a dream, cause there is no choreography school dedicated to aerial dance in my town...well, maybe I should start one?!

[Such a Bia♥●•٠·˙]

Flowing fabric high in the sky and a cirque styled female on the ground. As she climbs to the heart of the fabric she is drawn in and becomes one with and dancing in the wind. A series of acrobatic moves follows.

[Such a Bia♥●•٠·˙]

Sooo beautiful and inspiring..Aerial Fabric Silk The Last Dance: A Tango on Air

[Amelia]

Here you go! just give it a try!

How to become an Aerial Dancer:

1. Begin training as a dancer. You should take several ballet classes each week as well as jazz and modern technique classes. Ballet is most important because it trains you with strict technique that focuses on control, extension of beautiful lines, balance and correct body positions. The modern and jazz classes will teach you different styles. Train for several years to become good enough for the high degree of difficulty required of aerial dancers.

2. Stretch and strengthen. Enroll in yoga and pilates classes. Yoga will teach you concentration and focus while relaxing and stretching your body. Pilates will strengthen your inner muscles and leave you with long, lean lines. If possible and affordable, take private pilates lessons where you will be worked on the pilates machines, which can push you further with your flexibility and strength than any class ever will.

3. Try some extreme sports. Begin rock climbing and bungee jumping. Get used to heights and be able to concentrate and perform at higher elevations. It may sound silly, but it is more difficult to perform at higher elevations, and you will become winded more quickly than you would on land. You have to increase your stamina and endurance.

4. Audition for all castings available for aerial work. This includes circuses, traveling troupes, dance companies and live event shows. Take every job you can because you will be trained and continue to learn more and more. Make sure you get taped copies of each job you do. Create a demo reel of your performances, special skills and unique tricks.

5. Send your demo reel DVD to those companies you are really interested in working for, such as Cirque du Soleil or other high-caliber groups. If they are interested in you, then you will be called in and asked to audition. If you pass the first audition, you will go to a training camp to see how you perform. Stay focused and try your hardest, and you will be a high-flying, well-known aerial dancer. Have fun and good luck!

via eHow

[Amelia]

And some info about the dance and equipment:

Aerial silk (also known as aerial contortion, aerial ribbons, aerial silks, aerial tissues, fabric, ribbon, or tissu, depending on regional preference) is a type of performance in which one or more artists perform aerial acrobatics while hanging from a special fabric. Performers climbs the suspended fabric without the use of safety lines, and rely only on their training and skill to ensure safety. They use the fabric to wrap, suspend, fall, swing, and spiral their bodies into and out of various positions. Aerial silks may be used to fly through the air, striking poses and figures while flying. Some performers use dried or spray rosin on their hands and feet to increase the friction and grip on the fabric.

TRICKS

There are three main categories of tricks: climbs, wraps and drops. Climbs employed by aerialists range from purely practical and efficient, such as the French climb, to athletic and elegant tricks of their own, such as the straddle climb. Wraps are static poses where aerialists wrap the silks around one or more parts of their body. In general, the more complicated the wrap, the stronger the force of friction and the less effort required to hold oneself up. Some wraps, such as the straddle-back-balance, actually allow performers to completely release their hands. Foot locks are a sub-category of wraps where the silks are wrapped around one or both feet. In a drop, performers wrap themselves up high on the silks before falling to a lower position. Drops can combine aspects of free fall, rolling or otherwise rotating oneself before landing in a new pose. Preparation for a drop can make for a pretty wrap, but the ultimate goal is the fall rather than the pose. Of the three trick types, drops require the most strength, and are also the most potentially dangerous. Rosin (dry or mixed with rubbing alcohol) is employed to help performers maintain their grip.

EQUIPMENT

The fabrics used as silks are very strong with some give and flexibility. The fabric is 2-way stretch polyester lycra. The width varies depending on the routine and the acrobat. The fabric is usually quite long, as it is doubled for rigging, giving the acrobat two strips of fabric to work with as he or she performs.

* Stretch
o Low stretch fabrics. Low stretch fabrics provide a high degree of control for precision choreography. With the spread of motorized rigging and sophisticated shock absorbing hardware, low stretch fabric is used in most modern professional productions.
o Medium stretch fabrics. Medium stretch fabrics are becoming less common, as they do not have many of the advantages of lower stretch fabrics. Primarily Russian artists and those who trained in the early-mid nineties use mid stretch fabrics.

* Width. Fabric width is mostly a personal choice. The thickness of the fabric when gathered is also influenced by the "denier", or technical thickness of the fabrics weave. 40 denier is a common choice. The following applies to 40 denier nylon fabric:
o 60" - Narrow when open, thin when gathered. Fairly common simply because the fabric is widely available.
o 72-84” - Average for adult performers
o 96" - Wide when open, thick when gathered. Best for adults with large hands.
o 108” - Very wide and thick. For adults with very large hands, or specialty acts.

* Length
o Length is a function of the height of the space available.
o For beginners, it is beneficial if the fabric comes down past the ground, allowing them to practice wraps at a lower level where they can be spotted.
o For intermediate users and above, it is sufficient if the fabrics to come down to the ground.
o For all users, the space required is usually between 20 and 30 ft. There are a great many tricks that can be done on a 12-to-15-foot (3.7 to 4.6 m) aerial fabric and a few drops require more than 30 feet, but for the most part 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 m) is best.

I guess if you are a good dancer, it wont take that much to become an aerial dancer and even to start a school dedicated to this type of art

[Mary]

oh, this dance is soooo passionate

[Veronica]

it looks impressive but must be really dangerous

[Mona]

aerial dance is beautiful.

[Butterfly]

beautiful.. shouldn't you have really strong arms to do it?