March 2011

Hanging on… The Aerial Dance Month

Lindsey Butcher’s current practice explores the creative and expressive potential achievable through applying a dance aesthetic to aerial suspension techniques, re-defining ‘what and where the dance floor can be’, both for performer and audience.

During this month, one of the key themes to be explored is: ‘Is the only way to encourage healthier aerial dance practice and achieve longevity achieved through known specific strengthening and conditioning techniques?’ Lindsey is curious as to whether we might also open our awareness ‘before and beyond the known technique’ and look for other influences?

Photo : Johan Persson

Working with a number of highly respected and inquisitive body work practitioners, Lindsey will host a series of intensive weekend long body work labs, researching practical applications of established body work techniques within aerial dance practice e.g. Feldenkrais, Pilates, Yoga and ‘mindful’ movement research.

These intensives will be open to professional and emerging, local and national aerial dance artists and will focus on useful employment of these body work principles and methodologies to assist in a ‘listening to and questioning’ of habitual movement patterning, to facilitate an easier, more fluid breathing self and liberate our creative movement potential whilst ‘hanging on for dear life!’