Do you ever look back at your aerial training videos and grimace. That awkward transition, that fumbled set up into a drop, the weird arm placement?
If so, you are not alone!
The out takes that come before our Instagram posts and online tutorials are full of awkward landings and clumsy set ups, (not to mentions bad camera angles!), even after all these years of performing and teaching aerial we STILL struggle to be clean, graceful and fluid.
What we have discovered along the way though is a fast and effective way to identify the potentially awkward moments within a combination and trouble shoot them efficiently.
Heres our go-to graceful method for you to steal the next time you find yourself feeling a little clumsy in the air.
- Learn the combination inside and out
The graceful execution of a trick or combination starts with being comfortable with every component. Spend as much time as possible learning every detail of the combination you are working on. Ask questions of your coaches, watch other aerialists where appropriate. Know where your hands, feet, legs, head, shoulders, hips need to be at every moment in order to be SAFE and comfortable performing the combination.
2. Review your training videos
It can be somewhat confronting to watch yourself on video. You may feel embarrassed or even triggered by your body, voice or the way you are moving. Try to let go of any negative thoughts or ideas about yourself and focus instead on the work. Your intention is to watch yourself working on a combination or trick and identify the areas needing improvement. Get into analysis mode and without judgement, find places within the combination that you can make even better. Look also at what is working. What shapes or poses look good? How can you showcase those? Maybe you can hold a shape longer or ad a spin so it can be seen from every angle. Free yourself from self doubt and negative thought patterns and focus on self improvement and positivity.
3. Add an intention
We talk about intention a lot in our online training programs Master the Silks and Silks Stars. When you add intention; An idea, story, character or theme to your aerial performance it becomes easier to step outside the SELF with all of our fears and neurosis and BECOME someone or something else while we are in the air. Your intention doesn’t have to be big, it could be a person, a memory a smell or a secret. It could be a song, a TV show a play or a book. What’s important is that once you are comfortable with the trick or combination, no matter how easy or how complicated, that you add an intention of some sort in order to progress from a technician executing a combination to a gracefulaerial artist.
You are capable of breathtaking and authentic artistry and grace in the air. Apply the steps above to the next aerial combination or trick that you learn or re-learn, whether training at home, with friends or in class and give yourself permission to truly shine!
